The Slice: Get out that AARP card for a discounted ticket

How do you react when you see that yet another oldies band is coming to Spokane?

A) “Oh, good. Another chance to live in the past.” B) “What fresh hell is this?” C) “Right on!” D) “Heaven forbid that people my age should listen to new music.” E) “Aren’t all of the original members dead?” F) “Let’s move on.”

You’re probably still going through baby-name withdrawal: So here are a few more guesses about what local parents might be coming up with behind our backs: Carrouselyn, Jeter, Shrewby, Messiahlene, Orghanack, Sergeprotector, Skater, Anomie, Ennui, Snowedin, Manitoe, Layoffette, Mammalyn, Blogette, Twitterene, Controlalt Dee, Flu Baby, Canola, K8, Padonna, Zygoat, Boo Boo and Maggie Pie.

Slice answers: Answers varied in the matter of how many phone books get placed on your porch in the course of a year.

A few readers said it is an onslaught. One caller insisted that there is but one true phone book and that all the rest are unsanctified pretenders. And a couple of rural residents noted that their directories don’t get placed on the porch, but are instead dumped out by the roadside mailboxes.

Speaking of phone books…what do you do with the magnet ads?

Describe the state of your home’s smoke detectors: A) Hypersensitive. B) About 10 years old and probably useless by now. C) Are you supposed to check the battery? D) What smoke detectors?

INW traditions: The Slice heard from a fair number of readers who told of their personal connections to mining, logging and agriculture.

The point of that question, of course, was to offer a reminder that those activities aren’t just part of the past.

“I run into people who are just shocked when I tell them that I am a mining engineer,” wrote Larry Messinger. “They can’t believe that there is still mining anywhere.”

Today’s Slice question: Considering the way you drove as a teenager, are you lucky to be alive?