The Slice People Will Believe Anything Said With Enough Conviction

There’s nothing quite so entertaining as a know-it-all from out of town.

Spokane’s Corliss Lovstad came across a classic example just recently.

“I was sitting in the Denver airport last week waiting to board a plane back to Spokane,” she wrote. “I overheard a conversation among three men who were waiting for the same plane. They were traveling to a conference at the Coeur d’Alene Resort and were trying to figure out how long it would take to get there from the Spokane airport. One thought it was about 40 minutes, another thought it could be as long as two hours.

“A young woman, also waiting for our plane and planning to attend the same conference, chimed in knowingly: ‘It depends on whether you’re going to Coeur d’Alene the city or Coeur d’Alene the resort. The resort is actually in Spokane.’ ” Said Lovstad: “It was a good thing she wasn’t driving the resort shuttle.”

Always be prepared: Edwall’s Sharon Wollweber-Johnson told us her son made a first-aid kit, inspiring his 4-year-old sister to do the same.

Only there must have been some confusion, because she referred to hers as a “first-date kit.”

Slice answers: What does your family call the place in your home where cash is stored? “Never-Never Land,” said Pat Smith.

“The Eagle’s Nest,” said Anna Geyer. And more than a dozen readers offered “Empty.”

Just wondering: Is DeCaro’s Little Italy on North Division the only restaurant in America where they greet you with “Do you need an ash tray?” instead of “Smoking or Non?”

Stress, the early years: We heard about a first-grader named Molly whose mother was asking a bunch of questions one Sunday night. You know, the usual stuff about the week ahead. What activities were planned at school? What did they need to have ready? What would be her after-school schedule? And so on.

Well, little Molly evidently felt overwhelmed by all these queries. So she expressed her frustration. “What do you expect, Mom?” she finally replied. “I only have a kid brain.”

Warm-up question from a South Hill reader who asked us not to print her name: “Does anyone else find gardening to be sexually arousing?”

Today’s Slice question: How often do you encounter someone whose knowledge of the Spokane area is limited to his or her neighborhood?

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Drawing

MEMO: After today, The Slice will appear Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Write The Slice at P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; fax (509) 459-5098. At least a few local fans of alternative newspapers wish Russ Nobbs was still putting out The Natural.