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The Slice: No, it’s not for sale
I’ll start the bidding by mentioning my own 1987 compact. But I know there are cars in Spokane people have owned longer.
In the matter of aromas and time travel: “Just last week a damp musty smell immediately transported me to being sent down to the dirt-floor cellar of my grandparents’ farmhouse to get a jar of apple butter,” wrote Jeanne Kalbfleisch.
Feedback on Thursday’s Slice: “Regarding people giving you directions by using landmarks that no longer exist,” wrote Maureen Miller. “I have lived in several other states and Spokane seems to do this more than anywhere I’ve ever lived. I try to be polite when I tell people that unless they give me a time machine, their directions are of limited use to me. It makes me pretty crazy.”
Typos come in all sizes: “I worked as a typographer/layout artist/illustrator and occasionally as a proofreader for newspapers in San Diego back in the early ’70s,” wrote Chris Bishop. “When you entered the proofreading department there was a huge framed reminder of how a one-letter error can wreak havoc. It was a double-page spread for a major department store. They were having a SHIRT SALE, which was spelled out in 5” tall bold letters. Only problem was the ‘R’ was left out.”
Warm-up questions: What country have you always wanted to visit? What beer cans from long-defunct Spokane breweries have you found on the bottom of area lakes? What possession of negligible monetary value are you still sick about losing?
Today’s Slice question: What sort of ambassador for Spokane are you when you travel to other parts of the country and people ask about the Inland Northwest?
A) I try to present an accurate, warts and all picture. B) I say I like it, but note that it’s not for everybody. C) I say “It depends.” D) I try to emphasize that there are 43 different realities here, you just have to choose the one that suits you. E) I first establish that virtually everything they think they know about Northwest climate and politics does not apply. F) I start naming the good people I know. G) I first endeavor to ascertain whether the person in question would, upon moving here, ever presume to get on my lawn. H) Other.
Write The Slice at P. O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; email pault@spokesman.com. Name the onetime Spokane resident played by Annette Bening in a Warren Beatty movie.