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The Slice: Franchise continues to prosper

Is there a topic you cannot resist weighing in on even if you don’t know the individuals having the conversation?

I’m sure different people would have various answers. But I have a nomination: The original “Star Trek.”

I was in a medical waiting room in Spokane Valley recently when the lure of talking about Kirk, Spock and the show’s low-budget production values proved too much for a guy seated nearby. He just had to pipe up. And his contributions were welcomed.

Speaking of talking to strangers: At some point you reach an age where it is necessary to come to grips with reality.

And that reality includes the sobering truth that strangers asking you a question in a grocery store aisle are actually interested in baked beans or bathroom cleanser. They are not flirting.

Yes, that can come as a disappointment. But it does make shopping simpler.

Near and far: First chance I got, I mentioned to a neighbor that we were sorry to see the “For Sale” sign in front of their house. She explained that they really aren’t going far. Their new house is on the same street, just a few blocks west.

Wonder who holds the Spokane area record for the shortest move.

I guess there would need to be categories. Back in the late 1980s, my wife and I moved from one side of a downtown apartment building (Sprague address) to the other side (Riverside address). I suspect others have done likewise.

Slice answer: The best thing about the National Lentil Festival? “Attendance is not mandatory,” said Russ Galdes.

If there was an event inspired by tacking “fest” onto your last name: Tomas Lynch doesn’t think there would be much of a turnout at a gathering named after his family.

Warm-up question: Are those who live in the West more apt than other Americans to use the expression “back in the saddle”?

Today’s Slice question: How many of your sixth-grade classmates could you name?

Write The Slice at P. O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; email pault@spokesman.com. Vince Roland sent his wife a text saying he was at the corner of Sprague and Bowdish, but the auto-correct function took the liberty of turning that into “Sprague and Blowfish.”

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