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The Slice: Setting the stage for a real howler
We’ve all heard about stage parents.
You know, those hovering moms and dads with children appearing in theatrical productions. Sometimes they can get just a wee bit too involved in, um, helping the director and costume designer.
But did you know there is also such a thing as stage pet-owners? It’s true.
A friend told me about a musical being performed by local kids and adults. The play includes a role for a dog.
Well, after that canine part had already been cast, a woman approached one of the volunteers supervising the show. She wanted her dog to get that role.
Told that another pooch had already been selected, the woman inquired aloud if it was truly wise to go with an untried, untested talent.
She wondered. Did that other dog have, as her dog did, theater experience?
“If you don’t care about basketball: The Internet has other uses.
The Slice recommends researching defunct beer brands. How many can you name?
“Slice answer: “As for Early Birds vs. Night Owls, my husband and I are prime examples of it working well,” wrote Kathy Morse. “We have been married almost 40 years and are retired. I get up early and I have at least a few hours to myself. In the evening, I go to bed early and he can watch all the dumb shows he wants (a lot to pick from) without me complaining. We get along great.”
“Buying and selling: “Why don’t sales people say ‘thank you’ anymore?” wrote Spokane’s Norma Hols, who described herself as “old, but not hopelessly so.”
“In my experience, most of them hand me my purchase and then wait, as if expecting me to thank them.”
Norma, the answer is that some sales people – not all, certainly – don’t get it. They either never realized or have managed to forget that business owners actually want shoppers to come back and spend more money at their establishments.
Some of these sales people grew up being praised for every burp and tantrum. The notion that not everything is about them is an utterly alien concept.
They’re bored and you are not young or vibrant enough to rouse them from their torpor. Too bad for you. Once upon a time, all you needed to receive courteous service was to be a customer.
“Warm-up question: Several readers have suggested that the answer to our litter problem is for the rest of us to simply pick up after the slobs. But how does one manage this without experiencing a slowly building rage? Maturity, I guess.
“Today’s Slice question: Ever fall off a treadmill or otherwise injure yourself while using exercise equipment?