Spokane Was Fortunate To Have Her As Its Friend
We’ve met her husband.
But we didn’t really know the Rev. Betsy Smylie, who died a few days ago.
Still, we knew enough about her to realize that she was, in every sense, part of the solution.
Her passing is a genuine loss not only for her family, but for Spokane.
Rest in peace.
Years from now: Few will believe there was ever an attempt to market the Lincoln Heights theaters as an art house cinema.
Three insufficient reasons for special parking permits:
“My boyfriend takes forever to order at restaurants.”
“I haven’t been sure what day of the week it is for about two weeks.”
“I have dreams about local morning radio personalities.”
Incoming: “In response to your item regarding `One of the best people-watching spots in Spokane,’ you missed the mark big time at not wanting to appear sexist,” faxed Darlene Hardenbrook.
“After reading your advice to `watch WHAT comes through the skywalk doors’, I had to wonder. Do you also say things like `There goes a cute little thing’ and `I got to get me some of that’?”
“Shame on you Paul Turner!”
Thanks for writing.
Actually, in that instance, we chose the objectifying “what” over “who” to avoid any suggestion that the women in question were individuals we know personally.
In addition, the thought occurred to us that if this choice offended anyone it might produce some mail we could use in a subsequent column.
For the record, when we called Hardenbrook to thank her for the correspondence, we found her to be friendly and understanding.
Automated messages people would like to hear when banking by phone: “You’ve got plenty. Write all the checks you want.”
“Everything’s fine.”
“There is no longer a service charge for merely wondering about your account balance.”
Performance review highlight: “This person has delusions of adequacy.” — from a list read aloud by a Spokane cleric during a sermon.
Three ways to describe the stunning frost left behind in certain parts of the Spokane area after long periods of dense fog last weekend:
1. “Like something on a `Star Trek’ planet.”
2. “Like a Ralphie Christmas morning.”
3. “Beautiful.”
Today’s Slice question: What’s the best strategy for dealing with someone who lies to you at work?