The Slice: It seems like a little thing, but …

Sometimes it’s best to gather more information before reaching a verdict.

But once in a while, a little evidence is all you need.

That’s the way it is, I think, with someone holding a door open for you. If he or she does it with no apparent expectation of sexual favors or a humanitarian award, it’s a safe bet that individual is an OK person.

Let’s move on.

Just wondering: Is it wrong to be a tad cynical about receiving graduation announcements – aka “invoices” – from kids who previously had shown no awareness you were alive?

Slice answers: Bruce Au said the most distinct, job-specific tan belongs to the corporate IT worker. “It is even over the entire body with no lines and has a ghostly white color.”

Which would be especially troubling for IT workers who are not white to begin with.

In the matter of becoming romantically involved with someone with whom you disagree about either smoking or politics, Linda Angel had an answer. “I could handle the smoke coming out of their mouth, but not the smoke coming out of my ears.”

Animals and footwear: “When we became new Spokane residents years ago, we were especially excited about the many nearby ski areas,” wrote Barbara Filo. “One Saturday we made our way to a great family ski spot.”

This was in January of 1975. The ski area was 49 Degrees North.

“I rented all my equipment, took it into the very crowded little square room with benches, sat down and proceeded to put on my ski boots. The left boot slid on easily, but the right foot – no matter how hard I tried – just would not go into that boot. Finally, I pulled out my foot and there on my toe was a live mouse. It jumped off my toe and ran into the middle of the room.

“A man jumped up from the bench and stomped on it with his huge ski boot. SPLAT! Everyone was horrified. But in complete silence all began shaking their rented ski boots.”

Today’s Slice question: When still a young child, Terrie Roberts once asked her mother if she had come west in a covered wagon when her family moved from Chicago to Bonners Ferry. “She looked at me and asked ‘How old do you think I am?’ ”

That prompts today’s question: Have you ever asked a small child to guess your age?

Write The Slice at P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; email pault@spokesman.com. It can be fascinating to overhear women discuss their awareness that certain men have a thing for them.