The Slice: With syrup, go maple or go home

In certain religious/cultural traditions, this is a day to eat pancakes.

But if you are planning to top them with that syntho-sludge goo instead of real maple sryup, I’d suggest you consider a pizza instead.

Let’s move on.

“Seasonally inspired baby names: For a girl, Pat Williams suggests “Flurry.”

“Speaking of newborns: Lori Buratto predicts a regional baby boom this fall.

“Downtown Spokane buildings readers like: “Steam Plant Square.” – Lucy Jeanne, Deer Park.

“Thanks to the readers who pointed out that I am an idiot: Yes, I said “emergency break” when, obviously, I should have written “emergency brake.”

I would be embarrassed. But the opportunity to note this mistake appears to have been a source of genuine, life-affirming pleasure for several dozen people. So, in a way, I managed to deliver reader satisfaction. And, folks, that’s what The Slice is all about.

“Speaking of me being an idiot: Lots of readers said all remote-control garage doors have an emergency pull-cord for use in case of a power outage.

Not so. I happen to have had one that did not. I am not alone.

Moreover, some of the pull-cords require a key to be accessed. If you aren’t especially organized, finding that key during a power outage isn’t the simplest matter.

Then there’s Phoebe Hruska’s situation. “My door has a pull-rope,” she wrote. “However, at less than 5 feet, I cannot reach it and doubt I have the strength to open the door with it anyway.”

And in the matter of tightly sealed food and beverages burping in a messy manner upon being opened at downtown’s lower altitude, several readers suggested that would only happen if the sealing had taken place at the lower elevation and the opening happened higher up.

Well, again, I must disagree. As several attractive stains on my keyboard attest, opening at lower elevations can also lead to a pressure adjustment that spews flecks of oozy snacks.

“Still more feedback: “I can trump your item ‘Meeting in the middle,’ ” wrote Herb Ohlson of Spokane Valley. “I have two very close friends who are brothers. The older, Gregory, who lives in Idaho, was born on March 24. His younger brother, Lawrence, who has lived in Australia for the past several years, was born on March 25.”

Thanks to the international date line, their birthdays occur simultaneously for several hours. The brothers visit by phone during this window of shared celebration.

“Today’s Slice question: Maneuvering in parking lots amid high mounds of snow makes you feel like …

A) A mouse in a maze. B) A contestant in some reality-show competition. C) Slowing down. D) A giant dodging snow-capped mountains. E) Other.