Confession time.

When I’m on the phone with a pleasant stranger in another part of the country, I don’t always correct mispronunciations of “Spokane.”

I already have a full-time job, for one thing. And sometimes I’d prefer to have that person think of us as friendly rather than know how to say “Spo-can” and picture us as defensive and uptight.

This happened just the other day. The guy on the phone was in San Antonio. He said “Spo-cain,” but seemed likable. So I kept quiet.

Of course, if the individual is getting on my nerves, I never fail to note the mistake.

•Headlines readers would like to see this year: “No Takers for Christmas Bureau/All Spokane Families Gainfully Employed Reports Bureau Chief” – Pat Williams

“Spokane Regional Animal Shelter Breeding Ban Successful” – Chris Anderlik

“Hope for Spokane Spinsters/Marriage Rates for Unmarried Over Age 45 Rises” – Karen Gemmell

“Sign Ordinance Passes” – Mary Laflamme

“Joseph Duncan Experiences Slow, Painful Death When Electric Chair Malfunctions” – Debbie Burkett

“Walt Worthy and Bernard Daines Donate Billions for Completion of North-South Freeway/To Be Completed by 2010 – No Excuses” – Dave Meloche

“KREM 2 Has New Male Anchor” – Laura Abdnor

“Spokesman-Review Becomes Local Paper Again” – Gayle White

“Presidential Election to be Decided by Recount of Tie Vote in Washington State” – Greg Jones

•Doubling up: Carol Stobie had a different sort of answer for the question about sisters giving birth on the same day.

Her sibling, South Hill resident Linda Howe, accomplished this all by herself. “She gave birth to two boys born 11 years apart on the same day, May 16,” wrote Stobie.

•For the record: Slice reader Jeannie Maki has something like 10 cast iron skillets.

•From Saturday’s Slice: Russ Stippel, who uses a wheelchair, knows a thing or two about space hogs. He wrote to assure me that the behavior is not restricted to sidewalks. “They refuse to give ground in stores, shopping malls, and anywhere else people gather to browse, talk or just hang out.”

•From Sunday’s Slice: Readers offered various images of civic flatulence in explaining why Spokane might be referred to as a pork and beans town.

•Warm-up question: What local public figure has a name that sounds most like that of a porn star?

•Today’s Slice question: How many Inland Northwest residents live in dwellings they built with their own hands?