He Never Got To Work His Charm
Sometimes it seems our friend the downtown cashier can’t get a break.
Earlier this week, he looked up and realized figure skater Oksana Baiul was in his line.
That got his attention.
For one thing, he doesn’t get all that many famous people passing by his cash register. (A lot of folks with personalities like Tonya Harding, but not many celebrities.)
And besides, he had to admit the petite Olympian was kind of cute.
Hey, he’s married, not dead.
But just as he was honing his charm stylings, another checker showed up and Baiul got hijacked out of his line.
The new checker, a woman, was oblivious to the ice-show star’s identity and even scrutinized her unusual credit card as if it gave off an unpleasant odor.
Meantime, our friend was still hoping to score an autograph.
Then a loud exchange involving a shoplifter distracted him for a moment. And his potential brush with fame skated out the door.
* Getting high: “One of the benefits of having a window seat while flying into Spokane from a southern approach is being able to appreciate the beautiful abstract designs that farmers have created in their fields with contour plowing.” — Liz Cox
* No lawn-mowing offer today: But watch The Slice this summer for new concepts in reader service.
* Slice answers: What would Spokane be called in a comic book?
“Sleepy Hollow.” — Roger Stilson
“Riverton.” — Euel Ball
“Runredlightsville.” — Barry Lehinger
“Dirge City.” — Thomas Reed
“Slotham City.” — Dean Bethmann
* Flashing back to one week ago:
There once was a festival lilac
A TV parade broadcast in hock
The chair said we’re needy
The viewers thought greedy
As black-out marched onto the box
— Rich Kapelke
* TV Commercials We Hate Department: Add the one for Carl’s Jr. featuring that girl in a library, stuffing a sauce-oozing cheeseburger into her shark-like face. In real life, we’d want to toss her inconsiderate butt out onto the sidewalk.
* Kid logic: Edith Carlson’s 6-year-old granddaughter, Elizabeth Rackovan, has a cat named Thomas. And the little girl recently declared that Thomas thinks he’s a plant.
“He digs a hole and sits in it.”
* Today’s Slice question: What strategies or tactics did your parents come up with to reduce the need for frequent restroom stops during long summer-vacation car trips?