The Slice: A gold medal in body English

A caller wondered if she is the only one who does it.

When she’s ensconced in her comfortable chair and watching the winter Olympics on TV, she finds herself tensing up. And she leans ever so slightly in one direction or another — to help the speed skater, skier or luger keep it together and stay on course.

I told her I did it, too.

So that’s two of us. Are there any others who employ a little reclining-chair body English to help the athletes?

So what if the broadcasts are prerecorded. We’re talking about magic here.

“Just for the record: You are not absolutely required to have your own set of nicknames for the GU basketball players.

“Just wondering: “What I want to know is has anyone gotten so frustrated by the lack of downtown parking and the refusal to park in a garage that they have just scrapped their plans and gone home?” wrote Laura Biviano, an EWU employee. “I know I have.”

“Possible reasons why your submission to The Slice did not appear in print: 1.You failed to include your phone number.

2. It was a hideous injustice, plain and simple.

3. The column had already concluded its discussion of grandchildren’s nicknames for their private parts or whatever.

4. There are days when I have 10 pounds of stuff to fit in a five-pound bag.

5. It appears that you are out of your mind.

6. Your six-page submission couldn’t really be condensed.

7. The Slice dealt with the subject in question in 1992, 1994, 1999, 2002 and again in 2004.

8. On second thought, I probably should have used it.

“Happy anniversary: It’s a nice thing when couples are happy and don’t get divorced.

But it’s also good news when the bride and groom continue to have positive feelings about the person who performed the ceremony.

Daniel and Theresa Fears were married on this day in 1994. It was a civil ceremony conducted by Judge Sam Cozza.

“We’d like him to know that we’re still married and that we’ve followed his court decisions over the years and never had cause to regret our choice of him to perform the ceremony,” said Daniel.

“Warm-up question: In your experience, has the ever-shrinking size of electronic gadgets translated into more and more incidents of these devices getting temporarily lost in improbable places, going through the laundry or being swallowed by the dog?

“Today’s Slice question: Was there ever a special moment when your child demonstrated compassion, restraint, courage, et cetera, and you found yourself thinking, “You know, this kid is turning out to be a pretty terrific person”?