rant and rave

My favorite part of the Sunday Seattle Times is Rant and Rave. This is a column where people write in anonymously to well, rant or rave about people and things. So, you will see a rant about someone who wouldn't let someone else merge, or a rave about someone who returned someone else's wallet.

Usually every week there's one really annoying one. Also some weeks there are responses to one of the previous week's rants or raves. I was really happy this past Sunday because someone responded to one that had bugged me.

The first one was a rant that I believe included the words "shame on you." (I'm unable to find it on their web site so you'll have to trust me.) It was directed to men on a bus who didn't offer their seats to 3 women in high heels. This is ridiculous! High heels are uncomfortable. And if you choose to wear them on your commute then you must know that there's a chance you'll have to stand on the bus (also, stand while waiting for the bus, walk to the bus stop, walk from the stop to your destination, etc.) so you should be prepared to deal with that if it happens. If your shoes are uncomfortable, that's your problem, not all the other passengers'! (It wasn't clear from this first rant if the writer was one of these poor women in high heels, or just an observer.)

Well last week's Rant and Rave had a reply:
Rant "To the woman complaining about men not giving up their seats. Welcome to the 21st century. Women are equals and can take responsibility for their own clothing choices. Bring comfy 'commuter shoes' and put your heels in your enormous handbag."

I was happy to see this.

I am always complaining to Pete about the annoying rants and this past week we were laughing because his equivilent to Rant and Rave are "letters to the editor" in all the poetry journals he reads. There was a really nasty letter in one of his journals this week - a response to another letter. The response was long but one of the issues had to do with the origins of the words "noodling around".