The Slice: Confronting lifestyle image vs. reality

How does your real life compare to the popular image of Inland Northwest lifestyles?

You know, skiing, hiking, boating, biking, fly fishing, camping, quaffing craft beers, tasting bold new wines, wearing sunglasses at all times, woo-hooing, et cetera.

If that pretty much characterizes your weekly existence, I would suppose you might feel fine about yourself. But if your reality leans a bit more toward going to Rosauers for canned vegetables and watching “Jeopardy!” it could be that you suffer from lifestyle image envy.

If you think you might, in fact, experience lifestyle image envy, here are three things you can do.

1. Declare yourself a trendsetter, a proponent of “The New Lethargy.”

2. Try to remember that nobody’s life is exciting all the time.

3. Lie down until lifestyle image envy passes.

Something to think about during your next vacation: Ever had one of the water-feed hoses connected to your washing machine burst?

Slice answer: D. J. Schultz saw the question about learning to fly. “That was about eight years ago and it’s been a great experience,” he wrote. “Nothing like flying over the mountains and lakes in our beautiful part of the world.

“Like everything in life, there is balance. My wife’s balance to me learning to fly was her buying more jewelry.

“Friends have asked, ‘Are you thinking about getting a bigger and faster plane?’ I say, I can’t afford the jewelry.”

Just wondering: Are there parents who would consider themselves failures if their children stayed in Spokane?

From the home office in Spokane: “Regarding your Slice question about pronouncing ‘Spokane’ like ‘SpoCane,’ ” wrote Sheila Geraghty. “Back in 1994, when my dad Jack Geraghty was mayor, he was chosen to participate in the David Letterman show Top 10 segment. The topic was city slogans. So a film crew came to his City Hall office and filmed him sitting at his desk. Taped, of course.

“And dad’s city slogan was ‘If you pronounce it ‘SpoCane’ I’ll hit you with a pine tree.’

“Lots of laughs, then the camera pans back to David Letterman and he says ‘Was that Phil Donahue?’ – referencing dad’s full head of white hair.

“It was a shining moment for us for my dad to be on national TV!”

Warm-up question: Who holds the Spokane-area record for having lunch the most times at the same restaurant?

Today’s Slice question: Why did you fire your babysitter?

Write The Slice at P. O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; email pault@spokesman.com. A newspaper comic strip based on your family would be called what?