Real Life of an MSW

RANT to the woman at a supermarket whose dog was barking at shoppers. I overheard you say it was a service dog. Trained service dogs don’t bark and cause fear and stress for those around you. Please get your dog trained or leave the dog at home.

RANT to dogs in grocery stores. I’m a dog lover, but that doesn’t mean I want your pet near my produce. An online-bought vest is not a license to ignore health codes. Stop the entitlement. Grocery stores: enforce the rules.

RANT to people who don’t wait for the people on the elevator to exit before they enter the elevator. It seems like they don’t even see the other people, and it’s “me first.”

RANT to airline passengers who stand up as soon as the plane has landed and finished taxiing. The doors aren’t open. No one can get off. You’re just making us all anxious, crowding the aisle and potentially blocking people who have short connections.

RANT to whoever tossed multiple large bags of trash from their truck every few blocks along the walking path on South Beacon. You have to know this is illegal, and also a rotten thing to do to the people who live here. Our tax dollars will be spent cleaning it up so you don’t have to pay a dump fee. Seattle officials, PLEASE get the word out that this is not OK, and do whatever you can to fine those responsible for repeatedly doing this.

RANT to marijuana use in public spaces. I know that using marijuana in this state is legal, and that’s great. I even voted for it. But criminy, pot smells so bad! And the stink travels far and lingers for a long time. The last thing I want to smell when I’m waiting with my kids to get into a restaurant, or finishing a run around Green Lake, or coming out of the library is your weed. The law that I voted for says it is only legal to use it in private spaces, not public. So do that, please.

RANT to organizations and hosts who offer an invitation that includes an RSVP online option, yet the option does not allow one to decline or answer that zero will be attending. RSVP means “respond please,” not “acceptances only,” so one should be able to decline the invitation; otherwise, the recipient feels discourteous, and the sender is left in limbo.

RANT to all the big grocery stores that trumpet a great sale price, and then, in small letters, inform you that you must buy several of that thing to get that price. Several quarts of ice cream? Several loaves of bread? This is a slap in the face for people who don’t eat much, have little money and have small fridges and freezers. May as well go look at a bunch of yachts, which you also cannot buy.

RANT to youngsters who don’t think seniors are worth your time, your energy, your being nice, your patience, your humaneness or your courtesy. We’ve been here a lot longer than you have, and we’ve weathered all sorts of storms. You will too one day, maybe even tomorrow. Hope you make it on your own, because we seniors won’t be there to help you out. Just be kind. It goes a long way, and it’s healthy to smile.

RAVE to the person ranting about people standing close to airport baggage carousels. I think it’s just thoughtlessness rather than self-importance. Unfortunately, once enough people do it, the rest feel forced to crowd up to get to their bags. I keep hoping for airports to paint a line a few feet back with a statement saying, “Stand back until retrieving your bag.”