The Slice: Localizing your costume concept

OK, here’s how to select your Spokane Halloween costume idea.

Choose the first letter of your first name: A – Bull. B – Artisanal. C – Scablands. D – Retired. E – Bing-like. F – Accused. G – Unimpressed. H – Militant. I – Bearded. J – Bus riding. K – Flu-shot avoiding. L – Nude. M – Howling. N – Vegan. O – Expo-remembering. P – Clinically diagnosed. Q – Heavily armed. R – Unforgettable. S – EWU educated. T – Unfluoridated. U – Indicted. V – Hardscrabble. W – Pickup driving. X – Yard obsessed. Y – Name-dropping. Z – Huckleberry hoarding.

Then pair it with the last letter of your last name: A – Marmot. B – Squirrel. C – Crow. D – Craft beer fan. E – Backpacker. F – Skier. G – Moose. H – Republican. I – Democrat. J – Parolee. K – Home-schooler. L – Cultural elite. M – Zags fan. N – Lapsed Catholic. O – Boater. P – Hummus enthusiast. Q – Yard saler. R – Bike rider. S – Coffee junkie. T – Coug. U – Internet troll. V – Trump voter. W – Dropout. X – Oversharer. Y – Adjunct professor. Z – Casual dresser.

There you go. Good luck putting your costume together.

The gravity games: Keith Hegg saw the reference to catching an apple falling from a tree. According to The Slice, it’s good luck. He added this.

“My youngest daughter graduated from Whitworth University and told me that it is a top goal of students to catch a virgin pine cone as it falls from a tree sometime in their four years there. She said it is hilarious to see students diving to try to make the catch. Wonder if they have a concussion protocol.”

Slice answers: Readers answering the question about how geography influenced their Halloween experience mostly recalled childhoods in locales where Oct. 31 could be more wintry than autumnal.

“Snow pants and your winter coat didn’t bring out the best in costumes,” wrote Kathy Hickman, who grew up in Wallace.

Today’s Slice question: In the Inland Northwest, what time of year most demands the wearing of sunglasses?

Write The Slice at P. O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; email pault@spokesman.com. Quite a few Slice readers have seen the Beatles or individual members of the group, a fact that would not have surprised me if I had bothered to consult the Slice archives.