Let’S Break Out The Dictionary
To begin, you must know that “anal personality” is a Freudian term for a persnickety person. Now, let’s proceed. … A dictionary of cultural literacy required for a Lake City High School elective course upset Coeur d’Alene school district trustee Herb Cheeley on Thursday. He thought it insinuated he is illiterate because he’d never heard of “Rosebud.” This, only days after the American Film Institute named “Citizen Kane” - of “Rosebud” fame - the best U.S. film ever made. But Cheeley brought the house down when he said he was most disturbed with another unfamiliar term, “anal personality.” Superintendent David Rawls almost bit his hand off trying not to laugh. One observer quipped that Cheeley’s picture should be next to the word. After all, here’s a guy who regularly corrects typos in proposals to the board.
Sight-ems
U.S. Sen. Dirk Kempthorne was unaware my bloodhounds were on the prowl as he sampled Penny Candy store confections during a break in the recent Republican state convention here. The guy sure has a sweet tooth for black licorice. He bought soft-button licorice, Finnish Scottie dogs, Pontefract cakes and licorice babies. And he couldn’t resist adding to his pile when clerk Linda Ruble pointed out the licorice pipes and cigars in the display window. Ultimately, Idaho’s next governor left with $5.26 worth of the black chewies. Inquiring minds need to know. … He’s ba-a-a-ck: Say, wasn’t that former Coeur d’Alene Press columnist David Bond at Capone’s? Seems he covered his yearlong walkabout in only 2-1/2 months.
A grand ol’ flag?
Yeah, yeah, that U.S. flag we’ve been flying at half-staff in honor of slain Idaho State Police trooper Linda Huff has seen better days. Look for a new one to be coming soon (Fourth of July) to a flagpole near us. … The Clark House is listed in the GTE phone book under “Clark House” and “Clark Mantion.” It’s hard to tell from here if GTE misspelled “mansion” or if it was listed that way for poor spellers. … What’s next, picket fences? As if it’s not bad enough that many campgrounds now are paved, the host at Priest Lake’s Beaver Creek campground was using a leaf blower Tuesday to purge the asphalt of larch needles and other forest duff. … A Post Falls woman would have escaped arrest during Wallace’s raucous Gyro Days if she’d obeyed the gendarmes’ request to pour out her open container. She didn’t - and proved once again how booze impairs judgment.
Huckleberries
Huckleberries hears it’s common now for prospective jurors to be asked about bumpersnickers. Last winter, a judge gave Tom Akren of Post Falls the boot simply because he said he wanted this bumpersnicker: “Don’t honk - I’m busy reloading.” Says Tom by e-mail: “I was out the door in 30 seconds.” … How bad are the Seattle Mariners doing this year? Well, a mother watching a T-ball game at McEuen Field last week was overheard lamenting that she’d named her dog “Edgar.” … Gimlet-eyed Lucille Rolf chuckled when she saw that an Idaho Spokesman-Review reporter had referred to the Rathdrum aquifer as the “soul source” of drinking water. Then, I guess, the sole source of our drinking water certainly is the heart and soul of our natural resources. … That was the same day Brand X published the “Lakeland Honor Role.” So much for spellcheck. … I love that adjoining sign too near the Silver Lake Dental Clinic on Government Way. You know, the one that says “Sandblasting.” … Sandpoint’s Larry Smith noticed another only-in-Idaho curiosity: Lewiston is the seat of Nez Perce (two words) County, while Nezperce (one word) is the seat of adjacent Lewis County.
Parting shot
Michael Burke, North Idaho College’s incoming president, has bonded with his predecessor while waiting for his furniture to arrive. Burke is staying with interim President Ron Bell. The two have discussed James Joyce and T.S. Eliot’s “Wasteland” - and discovered they share a common stress reliever: ironing. I wonder how many shirts Prez Bell pressed after reading Huckleberries.