The Slice: Apparently, this textbook author didn’t know beans

A Spokane woman editing an academic text earlier this year came upon a reference to the Christopher Columbus ships, the Nina, the Pinto and Santa Maria.

Though she likes beans as much as the next person, she suggested changing Pinto to Pinta.

Let’s move on.

Slice answers: Pretty much everyone addressing the matter of how often they feel like the smartest person in the room demonstrated impressive modesty. Here’s a sampling.

“Anytime I am in the room alone.” — Mack Stanhope

“When I am alone.” — Alan Howard

“When I am alone, and the cat is doing something else.” — Mike Carlson

“An infinitesimal amount of time, usually that split second after clicking the ‘Post Comment’ button.” — Hank Greer.

“One hundred percent of the time when I am working alone in the morgue.” — Jeremy Weaver

Reasons couples might not sleep in the same room: 1. Why is that any of your business? 2. Snoring. 3. Uncalled 2 a.m. elbowing penalties. 4. For security reasons, the two people want to be able to hear what’s going on in different parts of the house. 5. Seriously, why is that any of your business? 6. Radically different schedules. 7. What? Are you insinuating that passion is defined by bunk assignments? Give me a break. 8. The pets insist on sleeping next to a certain person, so the bed gets kind of crowded. 9. It has something to do with age and bathroom proximity. 10. One person talks in his or her sleep and the other doesn’t like to eavesdrop. (Besides, it’s always “Hummana hummana did Dodo find the spare key?” or “Madge … MADGE … Skitters needs to be let out.”)

Slice answer: “I do have a nickname for my boss, but my boss reads this paper so I’d prefer not having my last name listed,” wrote a guy named Sam.

“She’s a great boss, but when she’s here I get nothing accomplished. So I call her The Time Vampire.”

Today’s Slice question: What does a familiarity with probate matters teach you about people?