{"id":108592,"date":"2025-12-24T06:18:44","date_gmt":"2025-12-24T11:18:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/?p=108592"},"modified":"2025-12-24T06:18:44","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T11:18:44","slug":"the-old-coot-found-an-ally","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/12\/24\/the-old-coot-found-an-ally\/","title":{"rendered":"The Old Coot found an ally"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Merlin Lessler —<\/span><\/p>\n

A recent article by Dan Smith in the Volusia Hometown News caught my attention. In it, he realized he sounded like that grumpy old man in his neighborhood he hated as a kid, as he listed the things that irritate him: dances in the end zone when pro football players score a touchdown, fake butter on popcorn, men wearing too much jewelry, and names he can\u2019t pronounce or remember. <\/span><\/p>\n

His list went on and on, several dozen in total. I\u2019m that grumpy old man too. Look up “grumpy” in a dictionary, and you\u2019ll see a picture of me. <\/span><\/p>\n

It was a good start, but he left out a lot of things that bug me: stuff you are interested in buying, but it\u2019s sealed in plastic and you can\u2019t see what you are getting; stickers \u2013 on everything: apples, oranges, but the hardest to get off are stuck in the worst possible place, like on the lens of a pair of glasses. <\/span><\/p>\n

The liar at the check-in station who says the doctor will be right with you. You sit and have no idea when you\u2019ll be called. Meat and deli counters solved that issue 100 years ago by giving you a number. But not modern-day medical centers, in spite of having computers that could easily be used to reduce patients\u2019 anxiety. My blood pressure is always high after sitting in a waiting room.  <\/span><\/p>\n

Stretch jeans bug me. It just allows manufacturers to replace some of the cotton with a synthetic substance, probably derived from oil, like plastic bags. Stores that offer 50% off on a second item, but you don\u2019t want a second item. <\/span><\/p>\n

So, as the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld might say, \u201cNo sale for you!\u201d How about socks that are so tight they cut off your circulation and socks that are \u201cone size fits all,\u201d which means they don\u2019t fit anyone properly.  <\/span><\/p>\n

It’s just wrong to advertise prescription drugs on TV. Just like it\u2019s wrong for ambulance-chasing lawyers to dominate the advertising landscape. Adds in general. Too many and everywhere: every app, every website, every streaming service. New Year’s Eve celebrations, and worse, New Year’s resolutions – nobody keeps them. Names for moons, every 28 days, a new made-up name. Naming winter storms, like the overzealous weather people do with hurricanes. Weather reports dominate the news and make us focus on the disaster headed our way with DANGEROUS lightning. No longer called a simple thunderstorm. They want us scared and tuned in.<\/span><\/p>\n

My list is long, but I\u2019ll cover it over the next year. That\u2019s my New Year\u2019s resolution. For now, I\u2019ll end with shoelaces that don\u2019t stay tied, airplane seats for those of us in \u201cthe back of the bus,\u201d glass bottles replaced with plastic, no free air at gas stations, and crappy ones you pay for that hardly are up to the task. A rule against taunting in pro football. What\u2019s wrong with the good old \u201cNa- na, na- na- na,\u201d that my generation grew up using to celebrate, and rub it in after scoring a touchdown? It\u2019s a war out on the football field, and the insults exchanged that we can\u2019t hear would make even a salty old sailor cringe. <\/span><\/p>\n

Complaints? Comments? Drop them at mlessler7@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Merlin Lessler — A recent article by Dan Smith in the Volusia Hometown News caught my attention. 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