Graceland, Elvis Presley's Tennessee home, opened for public tours on this date in 1982. I lived in Memphis at the time and was in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program. So that summer or maybe it was the next, I took the boy with whom I…
So it's not new, and it's definitely not just a Spokane thing. But the pervasiveness, in certain circles, of ending every third utterance with a catch-all "...and (common scatological swear word)" sort of cracks me up. If you have been out of the home, you…
"I would never want this printed," wrote a reader I consider to be a friend. "But I can say that in all the 25 years of my sweet hubby and I being together, the only time we have sworn at each other was during home…
If his pal Patty Duke ever told him anything about the making of "Valley of the Dolls." Just saw part of that a couple of days ago. What a hoot. www.deccarecords-us.com
"Almost two weeks ago, you asked in a column something to the effect of, what if you could take back the 10 stupidest things you've ever said?" wrote North Idaho's Stephanie Eloe. "Well, I've been thinking about it, and I would have fewer regrets, perhaps…
Back in June of 2005, I spoke with a Spokane couple about their family's drive to Disneyland in the summer of 1955, the year of its grand opening. I alluded to some of the high-tech distractions modern kids have. And I asked how the couple's…
Before my junior year of high school in Vermont, I spent part of the summer out in California with my older sister and her horse's ass husband. They lived in the other Inland Empire. One day, when my brother-in-law had something to do at UCLA,…
When I was a little kid, I spent a lot of time listening to Top 40 songs on my transistor radio. One thing I learned, thanks in part to a singer named Lou Christie, was that when I grew up to be a teenager I…
It's a matter of opinion, of course. And it could be that some comedy simply doesn't age well. But having noticed that KWSU is showing the "Best of Laugh-In," questions arise. Is it funny? Was it ever?
So those who know say war is actually more "Saving Private Ryan" horrific than combat depicted in "The Longest Day." The truth can be upsetting. And "The Longest Day" has a lot of company when it comes to sanitizing brutality. www.demo.jomland.com
A former SR colleague, a guy named Ken Sands, used to have a mint collection of Seattle Pilots cards. He showed them to me once. I wonder if he still has them. I think he had a complete set of their second season, too. Of…
A couple of my readers gave me some grief about the column item praising train travel. They found it a bit too rah-rah for their taste. Fair enough. But let me just state, for the record: I realize Amtrak's service record isn't perfect. I am…
"I ask you again, for the record. Are you now or have you ever been a member of any subversive anti-Spokane organizations espousing the view that there is more to life than water-recreation?" www.federalobserver.com
A friend of mine in high school, Joel Greenfield, declared this already retired gentleman to be "the ugliest man in baseball." www.ootpdevelopments.com
I wouldn't presume to speculate about why people get tattoos on their neck and face. I'm sure they have their reasons. But you have to wonder. Who would hire these folks? Perhaps employers with lots of behind-the-scenes positions to fill. Anyway, I suspect a small…