Rave To all the nice Belltown residents who saw our Seattle Police Department Crime Scene Investigation Unit out eating breakfast and took the time to thank us for our service. You let an exhausted team of investigators know that our work matters.

Rant To the man who got out of his car at the library to shout obscenities at me because he didn't like the political bumper sticker on my car. As he drove off glaring at me I noticed he had bumper stickers on his car. What happened to the American right of free speech, or is that just for you?

Rave For our neighbor Larry who saved our basement when our water heater broke. He helped drain it, took us to buy a new one, installed it and even checked in on us the next day. He does this kind of thing for everyone.

Rant To the parents at a local pub letting their several young kids run around yelling and screaming. This behavior might be appropriate at Chuck E. Cheese but not at a pub, for Pete's sake! It was very distracting and someone could have been hurt if they'd run into tables, staff, and/or diners.

Rave To the Alaska Air crew members who were so helpful when I was struggling to keep myself together at the airport after spending a few days with my critically ill father. I approached the flight crew to ask if I could just get to my seat without waiting; not having a gold membership or being a million-mile flyer I wasn't sure they'd allow it, but one employee hugged me while the other grabbed my carry-on bag and quickly escorted me down the corridor and onto the plane. Their kindness and compassion made a wretched experience more bearable.

Rant To everyone who says "you're so tall" and asks me invasive questions about my height. I'm a 6'2" female and love my height, but not all the statements and questions about it. It never ceases to amaze me how many people point out this obvious fact — as if I wouldn't have known I was tall if they didn't tell me.

The Seattle Times publishes reader rants and raves on a space-available basis. We reserve the right to edit for length or content. Send yours to rantandrave@seattletimes.com