The Slice: We’ll take function over flash any day

Here are my Top 10 reasons why the sweatshirt should be declared the official garment of the Inland Northwest.

10. They are the epitome of casual comfort.

9. They are more modest than a T-shirt by itself.

8. You don’t need to have a perfect body to look good in a sweatshirt.

7. Unlike sweaters, they don’t leave you, as Elvis once put it, “Itching like a man on a fuzzy tree.”

6. Sweatshirts give you the option to label yourself with the name of your alma mater, etc., or go with a classic, unadorned look.

(By the way, I’m not talking about the hooded variety here. They have guilt-by-association issues.)

5. Sweatshirts are durable enough to be worn over and over.

4. And after you have worn one a few thousand times, it starts to feel like your official weekend uniform.

3. Sometimes a woman looks pretty darned good in a guy’s sweatshirt. (See Rebecca De Mornay in “Risky Business.”)

2. Stains are simply marks of distinction.

1. Sweatshirts are a lot like Spokane – not flashy, but functional.

“No, this isn’t an attempted pick-up: “There is a marked crosswalk on 32nd Avenue here in Spokane Valley and on the same post, believe it or not, is a bus stop sign,” wrote Tom Carroll. “Do you see where this is going? I have stopped twice for what I thought was maybe a pedestrian, and both times the person looked at me like I was bonkers.

“The second time, I almost got rear-ended. I did get an earful of horn-honking behind me.”

“Name that tune: Colville’s Jean Leonard was perusing the list of songs available from an online music store. She noticed “albums” consisting of collections of tunes picked specifically for certain cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco. That made her wonder.

What songs would be on an album dedicated to capturing Spokane’s singular groove?

Show me your list and I’ll show you mine.

“Re: Tuesday’s column (reasons people might not have their medical insurance cards in their wallet or purse): John Mauk, Carol Stephens and others said they don’t carry documents displaying their social security numbers.

OK, I get it about wanting to protect yourself against identity theft. But couldn’t your card be stolen from your car?

To be fair, Mauk did note that he simply wants to avoid having all his personal data in one place.

“Today’s Slice question: What has your kid done to embarrass you in public to the extent that you probably won’t be showing your face at that store/business/office again anytime soon?