The Slice: Can you guess year’s first freeze?

It’s contest time. Predict the next day the official temperature in Spokane will dip down to freezing. And if you are right (or closest to being right), The Slice will buy you an ice cream cone. You know, to help you remember the summer of ‘04. The entry deadline is 11:59 p.m. Saturday.

“Your boss might be too into football: If he or she refers to your office’s “depth chart.”

“Food faves: In the matter of what culinary treat visitors to Spokane should be advised to try, readers had several suggestions

“Duh,” wrote Caroline Cody. “Huckleberries.”

Lynn Aus, Joan Matlack and others proposed a stop at Dick’s Hamburgers.

Jeri Hershberger recommended onion rings dipped in tartar sauce.

Heather Southerland suggested The Onion’s deep-fried Oreos.

Andrea Bisordi mentioned Bruttles candies from the Davenport Hotel.

Heather Raskell’s young son, Mason, suggested “a hunkleberry shake.”

And Mary Cady, who served up a list ranging from sweet onions to wines, insisted that no one food specialty could do the job. A visitor would need to stay a week and taste a variety of regional treats, she said.

“Hooking up: A sign outside a local bicycle shop said, “Single men inside.”

And speaking of single men, here’s The Slice’s advice for them.

Find some reason to come downtown and conduct business in the U.S. Courthouse at Riverside and Monroe. Years of noticing the women who emerge from that facility suggest that it is a repository of pulchritude unmatched in this area.

Of course, it could be that these ladies are criminal defendants or persons named in civil lawsuits. Or lawyers. Or married.

So be careful. They might not be in the mood to hear you say, “Excuse me, The Slice said this was a good place to encounter attractive women. Can you tell me if that’s true?”

“Slice answers: Victor “Shut down” Buksbazen attributed the Spokane area’s affection for restored classic cars to “Misplaced longing for ‘simpler’ times.”

But gear-head Mike Carlson suggested it has more to do with a lot of people with disposable income simply liking cars. Then there’s the appeal of working on autos during the winter months, presumably in a heated garage.

In the matter of movies people can watch over and over, Richard Knott said 1986’s “Aliens” qualifies for him. He offered two possible explanations.

1.) He enjoys seeing a strong woman overcome a series of progressively more trying obstacles. 2.) He likes watching Sigourney Weaver run around.

Pam Pierson, a card-carrying chick, said the movies she can watch repeatedly include “Laura,” “An Affair to Remember,” “The Bishop’s Wife,” “Victor/Victoria,” and “What’s Up, Doc?”

“Today’s Slice question: What does your ex say about you?