The Slice: One thumbs-up, one down

Consider the pros and cons of going to a movie on a first date.

(For the purposes of this exercise, let’s pretend that people still go on dates.)

Pro: It gives you something to talk about if you go get something to eat afterward.

Con: It’s two hours of passivity that doesn’t help you get to know one another.

Pro: If you found the movie to be either brilliant or insipid and your date does not agree, that might tell you something. Though, disagreement is better than discovering your date has no opinions.

Con: If one of the previews is for a film that looks moronic and your date leans over and says, “I really want to see that,” well, yikes. You’re stuck.

Pro: Your date’s reaction to nearby “talkers” can be instructive.

Con: After two hours of your date staring at George Clooney or Scarlett Johansson, you might not look so hot.

Just wondering: Have parents come up with anything new to say to kids who fail to mention a big homework project until the night before it is due?

You’re getting old if you: 1. Remember Duck’s Breath Mystery Theatre on public radio. 2. Had a thing for Sally Struthers when “All in the Family” first aired. 3. Remember Russ Nobbs’ underground Spokane newspaper, the Natural.

4. Saw AAA baseball here. 5. Think of the Dire Straits concert in Pullman as a recent show. 6. Shoplifted at The Crescent. 7. Recall seeing B-52s overhead every day.

8. Were an extra in “Benny & Joon.” 9. Knew Pat Falloon. 10. Saw Nixon at Expo. 11. Are reminded of LBJ’s “Daisy” commercial when encountering those “counting-down” crosswalk signs.

Slice answers: John Petrofski, Steve Gardner, Nick Suksdorf and others said that when people see high school-era photos of them, the comments tend to be, “Oh, I see that you once had hair.”

Today’s Slice question: How old were you when you realized that you had a choice: devote yourself to a rigorous oral hygiene program at home, or spend time listening to the taunting squeal of dental drills?