Being Normal Isn’T A Bad Thing

There was this story in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

It dealt with the literary scene in that Pennsylvania city. And it included the comments of one cultural observer who said writers there tended to be skeptical about one another. That’s because of an unspoken assumption that “There must be something wrong with them or they’d be somewhere else.”

Hmmmm. You see, Spokane isn’t the only place that plays the inferiority-complex game. In fact, misgivings and doubts are probably part of the self-image of all but three or four American cities.

So we’re normal.

Spokane has been called worse.

* No comment: For a moment, a reader in Hillyard thought a TV commercial within earshot offered a solution for “reptile dysfunction.”

* Must be the shoes: Maria Caprile said Melody Deatherage might be the person around here with the most shoes. Caprile said people have felt the urge to run screaming into the night upon seeing Deatherage’s room-size shoe closet.

Just how many pairs does she own? “I don’t know,” said Deatherage, a human-resources director. “A lot.”

* Hey, look — it’s a guy in a car: Scott A. Olson moved back to Spokane a few years ago after living in a couple of larger cities. He’s noticed something odd.

When he’s stopped at a red light on a multi-lane street, people in the car next to his look over and stare at him.

Any theory about why? “I think it has something to do with the long winter,” he said.

* Guys and their wheels: When her family was about to trade in their van for a new model, Carrie Webbenhurst’s twin 7-year-old boys experienced separation anxiety.

They got all sad and started saying “This is the last can of pop I’ll drink in this van” and “This is the last time we’ll drive by A&W in this van.”

Their mom was baffled. “Is this just a guy thing or what?” she asked.

Maybe. Males understand loyalty.

* Kids Department: We heard about a 5-year-old Spokane boy named Ryan Sorensen, who thought yellowjackets were bees wearing tiny coats.

* Speed the plow: Pauli Chapman saw a boy shoveling snow in a small parking lot while riding his bike.

* Warm-up questions: Ever think “Maybe our house smells weird and I can’t tell”? To whom do you send clippings from the paper? What’s a good use for loser Lotto slips?

* Today’s Slice question: How are people in your profession depicted in X-rated movies and books?