RANT to movie theaters offering pitiful “senior discounts” of only $1. Come on! That price break was the only reason I agreed to get elderly.

RANT to doctor’s offices, who upon checking in for your appointment, not only want your full name and date of birth for verification purposes but also want you to VERBALLY give them your address, phone number and last four digits of your Social Security number. I don’t want others in the lobby to hear my personal information. Nor do I need to hear other people’s info being blurted out.

RANT to bad behavior at live shows. I attended a performance at ACT Theatre the other day. It was a two-person show, very quiet and dimly lit. During the show, the audience members loudly chewed ice for several minutes, crackled cellophane/plastic multiple times for prolonged periods and used their cellphones to look at things, with screens up to full brightness and no attempt to shield neighbors from the bright light. Have we all gone feral? Do people not know how to behave at a live performance anymore? These actors were pouring their hearts out, and it was a brave, intimate performance. The audience owes it to them and the others in attendance to behave appropriately.

RANT to the Ballard thrift store who refused to accept the bag of donated clothes I walked to the store with. They would only accept it if I had driven to the store and waited in a line of idling cars. Shame on them for discouraging walking and for encouraging pollution and traffic congestion as the line of cars snakes down the street.

RANT to mail carriers who do not go to an address if they have no mail to deliver there. What about picking up outgoing mail? This has been happening at least weekly to houses on my block.

RANT to the satellite TV service that put me through verbal abuse just to cancel our service. We had been a perfect customer, we thought, for five years. We were never late with a payment or missed one. 

RANT to the people who lock the gates to school athletic fields and deny neighbors an opportunity for safe, family athletic togetherness. I saw a dedicated young person climb a 6-foot fence to do their track workouts, and three grade school children crawl on the ground under the fence to play on the field while a parent stood outside, unable to join them. Inconsiderate and selfish.

 RANT to the pharmaceutical companies that are dominating television commercials with ads that use “stick in your mind” music from the ’70s and ’80s, and annoying fabricated Broadway musical-like singing and dancing with everyone smiling about the drugs. Then comes the long list of possible scary side effects and telling you to ask your doctor if this drug is right for you. Wouldn’t you think your doctor already knows what medications are available to treat you? Give me a break!

RANT AND RAVE Rave to the person who single-handedly extirpated the invasive knotgrass beside Pacific Street near Dunn Lumber, and who trimmed back blackberry canes from the sidewalk. Another rave to all the people who pick up garbage. Rant to the crows who dig for grubs and leave a muddy mess on the sidewalk. What are they thinking?