The Slice: Some powerful feelings get attached to Spokane

I’ve been wondering about something.

How does Spokane being a regional medical center influence the way those in outlying areas view the Lilac City?

Do they see one of our hospitals and say “That’s where they saved your daddy’s life”?

Or do they reflexively remember times when they came here, scared and anxious about an ailing family member who maybe didn’t pull through?

I’m sure some can separate their feelings about hospital visits/stays from their overall attitude about Spokane. But I’m guessing not everyone can.

Let’s move on.

Finish this sentence: You’re not a newcomer if …

(Last time we did this, several readers shared memories of hearing the mammoth, window-rattling B-36 bomber.)

Just wondering: How can you tell when someone is aggressively not interested in football?

Number of times The Slice has used the word “colonoscopy” over the years*: 17.

*At least as far back as the S-R’s electronic archives go.

School of hard knocks: In 1944’s “Double Indemnity,” insurance salesman Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) says, “I used to peddle vacuum cleaners – not much money but you learn a lot about life.”

About what other occupations could that be said?

Seconding the motion: Several readers wholeheartedly agreed with Walt Lindgren’s observation last week that many of those in Spokane who refer to going to the coast don’t know what they are talking about.

“I would like someone someday to explain to me how they figure Seattle is on the coast,” wrote Barb Beck. “This whole notion drives me crazy.”

Slice answers: Can you remember being psyched about new shows on the fall TV lineup when you were a kid?

“Yes, I can,” wrote Gary W. Smith. “Mid-’50s to mid-’60s. We had only three channels, and the Fall Preview TV Guide was a must read.”

“Absolutely!” wrote Kathy Hansen. “And now I feel the same way about the shows coming up on Hulu.”

“Oh yes, some excitement about the new TV shows but I was always more interested in seeing the new car models,” wrote Peggy Tabar, who grew up just outside Detroit in the 1950s.

Warm-up questions: What high school sports conference in Washington or Idaho has the best name? What defunct airline that once served Spokane had the best name? What defunct railroad that operated in the Northwest had the best name?

Today’s Slice question: How many Slice readers grew up in households that received daily delivery of both a morning and an afternoon newspaper?

Write The Slice at P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; email pault@spokesman. Were you a hunter or were you a prey species in junior high dodgeball?