The Slice: Show your sweet a little love by resisting those calories

Just because stores already have Valentine’s Day displays up doesn’t mean you have to buy candy in early January.

Let’s move on.

Spokane superfan Stephen McSpadden suggests a couple of ways to observe Elvis Presley’s birthday today: 1. “Watch Elvis movies all day long and into the next day.” 2. “Reminisce about Elvis all day long and listen to his music.”

If you enjoy karaoke and would be interested in finding out about the Spokane Elvis Club, contact The Slice and I will forward your info.

Saturday quiz: Be among the readers correctly identifying a certain romantic movie scene and you might win a coveted reporter’s notebook.

Here are your clues: 1. Fifty years ago. 2. Huckleberry. 3. Wet cat. 4. Ending.

Just wondering: What’s with so many people around here omitting the “to be” from statements such as “That needs to be done”?

Old business: Last year The Slice solicited nominations for the area’s best general store. Readers responded. And I subsequently suggested I would follow up with a road trip.

Never happened. I’ll spare you the excuses. But I’m sure that was not my only follow-through failure in 2010.

So here’s my plan for 2011: Promise nothing. Say “No, thank you” to every invitation. Stop telling readers I’ll “mull” their request.

I’ll let you know how that works out. Or maybe I won’t.

Today’s Slice question: There are lots of songs that mention the names of cities, either in the title or in the lyrics. Consider, just at the start of the alphabet, Abilene, Allentown, Amarillo, Asbury Park, Atlantic City, and so on.

I have wondered how Slice readers who grew up in these various places react when they hear those tunes. For instance, does Simon and Garfunkel’s “America” still get to you if you’re originally from Saginaw, Mich., mentioned in the song?

So that’s the question. Is there a song that refers to your old hometown, and how do you feel when you hear it?

Let’s exclude from the discussion Tom T. Hall’s “Spokane Motel Blues.”