The Murder Of This Meter? No Doubt A Two-Bit Operation

So, a couple of days ago, a friend parked at a 10-hour meter near downtown Spokane.

But later, when he went back to his car, the meter was gone.

Had he stumbled through a weird rift in the space/time continuum?

Nah. The meter had been sawed off at the base and had been replaced with a “No Parking” sign.

There wasn’t a ticket on his windshield. But the thing is, he still had money on that meter — wherever it was.

Here’s our final report on the winter of ‘97-‘98: People who have to go outside to smoke had it easy. People who wanted to build backyard skating rinks didn’t.

Not everyone agrees about whether the following are good or bad (and it’s our policy to encourage you to make up your own mind):

1. Rick Lukens.

2. Pineapple upside down cake.

3. Early release.

4. Soccer.

5. Hummus.

6. Sherman Alexie.

7. Lana Turner having been born in Wallace.

8. Western art.

9. Washington wines.

10. Fish tacos.

11. The Slice.

12. The excitement of pull-tabs.

The three stages of anticipated interpersonal encounters: 1. Mentally rehearsing what you are going to say.

2. The other person not opening with what you had imagined he or she would say.

3. Abandoning your prepared script.

Confronting the fact that “cream-style” is a euphemism: Lisa Tyler’s 7-year-old son Adam heard that along with pork chops and noodles, his family would be having corn for dinner. So he asked if it would be the regular kind or the “smushed kind.”

If we got to localize one play, one movie, one song and one TV show:

1. “Streetcar Named Befuddlement.”

2. “Coeur d’Alene Confidential.”

3. “Hotel Spokane.”

4. “Mad About Everything.”

OK, your turn.

Metropolitan Spokane: Betty Zachow reported that she recently tried to get a cup of coffee at the airport after 9 p.m. and discovered that it was impossible.

She said both an airline clerk and a security guard suggested she try going to the Ramada Inn.

Warm-up question: Who owns the Inland Northwest’s most well-traveled stuffed animal?

Today’s Slice question: Do you suspect that some of your co-workers have sexual fantasies about you? , DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo

MEMO: The Slice appears Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Write The Slice at P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; fax (509) 459-5098. We’ll get to some Slice answers Saturday.