The Slice When ‘Formal’ Means Wearing This Year’s Bloomsday T-Shirt?
Please complete the following sentence. “You know you’ve turned into a Spokane cliche when….”
Slice answer: Susan Sullivan isn’t sure if the Witch of the Northwest would be good or bad. But she suspects that the witch’s sister probably got killed when a drivethrough espresso hut landed on her.
Others said that, instead of good or bad, she would be confused and conflicted.
Going to the dogs: When Marilynn Whallon borrowed a carpet-cleaner from her nephew recently, he warned her that she might want to scrub it first. It seems he had just used it to wash Bob, his full-grown malamute.
Cheesed off: Several dozen readers took exception to our unflattering remark last Tuesday about the “strong, healthy people” who get sackers to carry out their groceries.
“A lot of my friends are starting to think The Slice is just a bunch of crap,” wrote one Coeur d’Alene reader.
“Wipe that smug look off your face,” suggested a woman in Spokane who was kind enough to fax us.
Most respondents pointed out that many people have disabilities - bad backs, et cetera - that are not obvious. That’s an excellent point.
Others argued that allowing sackers to lug their bags helps keep them employed. And several readers took us to task for being cranky about a courteous customer service.
OK, fine. We just wish more sackers kept the bread and cans separate. And we also wish that, when confronted with a shopper who does not want help, they would realize “no” means “no.”
More great baby-sitters: Missy Almeida, Jessica Dingwall, Cathy Knecht, Mary Ponsness, Jeanna Rickards and Mara Stachofsky.
Sorry, wrong number: Cynthia Laird was helping put together a Ponderosa Elementary School directory when she inadvertently listed her family’s phone number in the place where the school’s number was supposed to go.
That prompted a fair number of confused calls. But her favorite might have been from a parent who, even after hearing the “Hi, you’ve reached the Laird residence - we’re not home” answering machine greeting, went ahead and left a message for a child at the school.
Today’s Slice question: What’s a good nickname for Spokane’s air?
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Drawing
MEMO: The Slice appears Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. Write The Slice at P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; fax (509) 459-5098.