Been There, Done That: Commercials on the mind

I try not to pay any attention to the commercials on TV. When they come on, that's my cue to leave my puzzle alone and go knock something off my to-do list. I say I "try" because lately a half-hearted attempt is all I've been able to accomplish. One, the volume alone makes it difficult to ignore them completely.

Let me just say for the record that I am so glad that the enrollment period has ended for Medicare supplemental plans. I couldn't wait for Dec. 7 to get here. We all blissfully switched to cologne ads for Christmas gifts. I can live with that, although many of the others can still be annoying.

I've seen Jonathan from the life insurance company so many times I can do his lines as well or maybe even better than he can. The one with the three siblings and the inherited coffee pot is kind of fun, but only for the first 50 times or so.

The ones for the charities do what they are designed to do — tug at your heart strings... and your purse strings. They're all for good causes — sick kids, wounded veterans, starving dogs, dirt-poor elderly ladies in developing countries, homeless teens — the list goes on and on. I'd love to contribute to each and every one, but realistically, I can't.

I could pick just one and donate that $19 a month — just 63 cents a day — but I don't. All of these groups have budgets that support national ad campaigns. I save my money for local organizations that rely on donations like the Portage Animal Protective League or the Center of Hope.

Pharmaceutical ads need to be outright banned like they did with cigarettes a million years ago. Show those at medical conventions, not on national television. At the very least, stop altering songs we know in the ads. Nothing worse than your 6-year-old belting out "Oh, Oh, Ozempic" as he strolls through the living room or having the Jardiance jingle stuck in your head. I don't want to think about that little pill with the big story to tell— ever.

Speaking of weight loss, one TV ad shows a younger blonde female wearing a thick parka with a Yeti at her side telling how great her weight loss plan is. Um, I can't see how thin you are in the parka and the Yeti isn't exactly skipping any lunches, either. What happened to the days of the hot Grandma in a bikini climbing up out of the pool after a swim with a guy who clearly wasn't Grandpa. Her weight loss program I might be interested in.

Or how about the actress/model/singer touting her weight loss program when she's obviously had a ton of work done — plastic face, nipped and tucked body, new teeth — you name it. Practice what you preach.

The ones that are really cracking me up are the bra commercials. Every company wants to show super support and super comfort. I get that. What they need to get is that women of all ages wear bras. Seeing a 20-something jump around bragging how she can run and she can dance and stay supported. She also mentioned that there is no back fat showing. Honey, you don't have any back fat. You want to impress me, show that bra on a woman of a more advanced age, engaged in a battle with gravity, doing a couple of floor tricks.

All I can say is I'm looking forward to the Super Bowl— best ads of the year. Remember to record it so you can re-watch all the commercials, especially the ones that get pulled from the air the next day. One and done, never to be seen again. Too bad that's not a plan for those Medicare enrollment commercials.