The Slice: Hands-off approach advised on beach gear

Young humans can be highly territorial about beach towels. Don’t get your hands too close. And never say, “What difference does it make whose towel it is?”

• Today’s Inland Northwest lifestyle tip: When you get stuck behind an RV, stay calm and concentrate on taking slow, deep breaths.

• An eavesdropper’s dream: Overhearing smart women talk about trashy novels they loved.

• Calling all romance consultants: An e-mail arrived from a reader named Kevin.

“Just curious what your readers would suggest on how my wife and I should celebrate our 13th wedding anniversary on Friday the 13th of August,” he wrote.

OK, consider yourself asked. I’ll send a plastic flying disc from The Weather Channel to the reader submitting the best idea by 5 p.m. Monday.

• It confuses things at the reunion: If half your recollections of high school are actually scenes from movies.

• Speaking of movies about high school: Which of these films came closest to capturing your teen reality?

A) “The Breakfast Club.” B) “American Pie.” C) “Can’t Buy Me Love.” D) “10 Things I Hate About You.” E) “Clueless.” F) “Sixteen Candles.” G) “Rebel Without a Cause.” H) “Pump Up the Volume.” I) “Dazed and Confused.” J) “Heathers.” K) “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.” L) “Grease.” M) “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” N) “Footloose.” O) “Valley Girl.” P) “Rock ‘n’ Roll High School.” Q) “My Bodyguard.” R) “Risky Business.” S) “Blackboard Jungle.” T) “American Graffiti.” U) “To Sir, With Love.” V) “Halls of Anger.” W) “Lucas.” X) “Carrie.” Y) “Mean Girls.” Z) Other.

• Just wondering: Ever go to your high school’s Web site and look to see what’s different and what hasn’t changed at your alma mater?

I checked out my school’s site and was astonished to see that a few teachers who were there when I was a student are still on the job. (And here I thought Mr. Cane was ancient back in the ‘70s.)

• Step by step: Francie Radecki recently lost some weight. She has every intention of keeping it off.

With that in mind, she has been meeting a friend at 5 a.m. every day. They go for a three-mile run.

She’s committed to sticking with it. But every once in a while, when getting out of bed seems especially insane, a break might be nice.

“We have an agreement that if it is raining, we simply won’t run,” said Radecki.

The thing is, we don’t get much precipitation in the summer. So she had a question.

“Know any good rain dances, Paul?”

No, not really. But you could try doing the Pony.

It might not bring rain. But it would probably help you stretch before running.

• Today’s Slice question: Who has the Spokane area’s best Afro?