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The Slice

Don’t you love it when…

…the catcher yanks off his or her mask and drops it before chasing a foul pop-up (that goes into the stands) and the batter picks it up and hands it to him upon his return to home plate.

Happens all the time.

Still, I never get tired of seeing it.

Did you invent graphical user interface?

Or perhaps the microprocessor?

Probably not.

Still, you might occasionally be tempted to make fun of outmoded technology. Resist that impulse, if you can.

Unless you are a visionary engineer or gifted industrial designer, you probably couldn't have come up with the idea for devices now considered obsolete.

But perhaps I should just speak for myself. So I will.

I could not build a linotype machine to save my life. 

Meatloaf Monday

Is it possible to use too much onion?

www.thepioneerwoman.com

Does this song have anything to do with meal planning?

www.45cat.com

Would people embrace this idea in Spokane?

www.my-retrospace.blogspot.com

Headline phrase of the week

“Matrimonial-industrial complex” — The Washington Post

JoJo left his home in what city?

www.45cat.com

This was No.1 on this date in 1969.

And speaking of JoJo's former hometown. I lived there in the early 1980s. And I don't recall people being obsessed about this admittedly cool bit of trivia. Maybe they were when the song first came out. Or maybe trivia didn't really become a big thing until later.

Too bad “Washington” doesn't have four syllables. Perhaps the lads could have had JoJo flee the Inland Northwest. Though just imagine the lingering horror if they had mispronounced the name of a certain city.

The Lilac Garden at Lake Winnipegosis

If you send a text including the word “Manito,” your phone might turn it into “Manitoba.”

www.grandflags.com

I might have mentioned this before. But it always amuses me.

“We'll pick you up at noon and head over to Manitoba.”

This date in Slice history (1995)

Today's Slice question: Why will you still be here 10 years from now?

America’s least exciting college town?

See Saturday's Slice column.

www.epodunk.com

Actually, in the time-honored spirit of promo-writing, that's a bit misleading. There won't be a rip-roaring discussion of whether or not the answer is “Yes.”

It's just a question. But you can answer it, and then we can have a rip-roaring discussion in a subsequent column. 

There’s a Spokane reference in this

www.joyofsox.com

But instead of telling you about it, I'll just suggest you check out this fun volume and find it for yourself.

A friend passed along his copy, to show me the Spokane mention. And I have to admit that after spending a few minutes with this book, I'm going to be reluctant to give it back.

Re: When Rhoda called Mary “Kid”

Did you get a kick out of that?

Did you imitate that?

Are you one of the people who still address certain friends and colleagues that way?

www.tipsonlifeandlove.com

Don’t say no one gave you a heads-up

Got a note from Wayne Pomerleau, a man who knows his movie Westerns.

But this was about another subject.

“Paul, this is my annual lilac alert, which may be of interest to flower lovers among your Slice readers. The blooms in the Lilac Garden at Manito Park are just about at their peak right now and crying out for admirers.”

Two questions

Ever actually heard singing in a barbershop?

What would a hair salon quartet sound like?

www.gigmasters.com

1977 Time cover: “The Pacific Northwest”

I might have used this before. But it always cracks me up. I'm convinced the cover designer had to be high.

This is from 1977, so that seems entirely possible.

www.time.com

Hey, kids! Do you recognize this?

It's something that started on May 17, 1973 and went on for weeks. It was televised.

www.kingsacademy.com

What was your experience with these?

www.wackyadvice.com

In the TV commercials, the ball always came straight back to the kid doing the throwing. In reality, the ball often went springing back at all sorts of wild angles. Sometimes it seemed that pitching to an actual batter would have produced more predictable results. 

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About this blog

Features writer Paul Turner is a columnist for The Spokesman-Review in the Features department. He writes "The Slice" column, which appears six times a week and produces general features stories for the Today section.

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