The Slice: They’ve got us on fuel efficiency

Here are three ways Spokane is different from zombie movies.

1. There are more conversations about day care here.

2. Zombies are more likely to leave the car at home and walk somewhere.

3. There wouldn’t be an event called “Pig Out in the Park” in a zombie movie.

“Just wondering: What’s the surest way to tell that someone is here for the skating competition?

“Building a mystery: “We have a battery operated doorbell,” wrote a guy I’ve talked to before. “Usually when it rings, there is someone at the door.”

Not always, though.

“On Halloween, when the doorbell rang, we went to the door and sometimes no one was there. We thought this was the trick before the treat. It has happened on an infrequent basis since.

“A few weeks ago, while I was looking out the front door to make sure all was OK before retiring, our doorbell rang. I was looking out the front door and no one was there. Spooky. I happened to look across the street and there was someone ringing the front doorbell.”

His conclusion? “Naw, it couldn’t be.”

Or could it?

“The other day our doorbell rang and no one was there although someone was ringing the doorbell across the street. Suspicions confirmed.”

So is this like a garage-door opener that activates a neighbor’s door down the block? Does the doorbell across the street transmit a radio signal or microwave or something?

If you have a theory, let’s hear it.

“Moronic on multiple levels: Valerie Brown, an S-R reader in Troy, Mont., has a nomination for the title of “Inland Northwest’s Dumbest Graffiti.”

It is spray-painted on a train trestle not far from where she lives. It says, “SMOCK POT.”

“Don’t say The Slice didn’t warn you: Getting engaged on Valentine’s Day does not guarantee enduring bliss.

“Life in a real-world town: The best way to make sure people think you are a doofus is to try very, very hard to be cool.

“Cinema mac and cheese: We’ve all heard of comfort foods. But what about comfort movies?

Coeur d’Alene’s Doug Burr was sick and feeling down last weekend. So he decided to watch 1963’s “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.” It lifted his spirits.

“I’m wondering if your other readers have personal favorite movies for their difficult times,” he wrote.

Consider yourself asked.

“I think I first noted this in 1992: A friend pointed out that a lot of people around here don’t seem to understand that you are supposed to let people get off an elevator before you charge in.

“Today’s Slice question: The mere mention of which of your winter sports injuries makes people wince?