The Wednesday Slice
Several years ago, I made a pact with my Spokane-loving sister-in-law in Michigan.
We would improve our eating habits during the time it took for hockey's Stanley Cup playoffs to run their course.
We didn't really stick with it.
This year's playoffs start tonight. They usually wrap up early in June.
I haven't spoken to my sister-in-law about trying again this spring. But perhaps I'll send her an email before the first face-off.
I might not even mention anything about dietary regimens. Maybe I'll just remind her of the time wheelchair-bound Vladimir Konstantinov -- a guy whose name is engraved on the Stanley Cup -- gave her a friendly but enthusiastic kiss.
Just wondering: If the series lasted long enough, most old TV Westerns eventually had a mountain lion episode. You know, the big cat was feeding on livestock, terrorizing a farm family, had a particular grudge against Nick Barkley or whatever. Well, many of those shows ended with the demise of the stealthy predator. Which brings us to my question.
Were these "We've gotta get that cougar!" episodes troubling for members of the Washington State University community to watch?
Maybe the caller could count the ways: A reader who wishes to remain anonymous saw Friday's print column about mistakenly saying "Love you" to a co-worker or casual acquaintance. "About 10 years ago, I answered a call at work: 'This is (name deleted). How may I love you?'"
For the record: S-R reporter Jody Lawrence-Turner is not my daughter. If she were my daughter, she would be named Cookie or Elizabeth Bennet.
Speaking of family connections: As I have mentioned a time or two, I am distantly related to the man who drilled the first oil well. Nevertheless, I choose not to believe that my extended family is personally responsible for Global Warming. I prefer, instead, to think about how old Edwin Drake stuck a spear in the domestic whaling industry.
What's your familial link to history?
Favorite movies dealing with religion: "Nothing beats 'Saved!'," wrote Donna August. "Funniest strike at religion in a long while." She bought a copy for a relative she suspected might resent the depiction of life at a church-sponsored high school. Her forecast proved to be accurate.
Wayne Pomerleau mentioned "A Man for All Seasons" from 1966. "For its compelling representation of the view that one's duty to God and conscience can take precedence over civil law and loyalty to political authority, friendship and human relationships."
One excellent way to set the stage for slapstick comedy: Fiddle with a sprinkler head while the underground watering system is on and the head in question is part of a line currently activated. One moment the head seems clogged and refusing to allow even a dribble. And then, in the next, it pops off and a geyser finds your face.
How to feel old yet flattered: Learn that someone you have known since she was a preschooler has written a piece for publication that mentions you in passing.
Warm-up questions: Do you know anyone whose email personality is extremely off-putting but who is actually a pretty decent sort in person? How much time do you spend deleting junk phonemail at home? Has a mail carrier ever complimented your landscaping? Who holds the record for asking you the most times if you watch a certain show that you have never seen?
Today's Slice question: What do your co-workers wish you would stop talking about?
Write The Slice at P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; email pault@spokesman.com. On this day in 1963, an episode of "The Twilight Zone" called "Of Late I Think of Cliffordville" first aired. It featured the late Albert Salmi, who lived in Spokane at the time of his death.
