The Slice Who Says You Can’t Begin New Career In Your Golden Years?

Spokane’s Mike Sebastian went to a drivers licensing office to get a permit that would allow him to start training as a trucker.

While he was there he learned that the state’s computer records showed he had been born in 1871 and was 125 years old.

A good-natured state employee accepted Sebastian’s assurances that he was, in fact, only 25.

The Slice’s Home Show: One reason a house can never have too many bathrooms is that sometimes somebody else is already using the sink. In this case, it’s a 3-year-old tabby named Bum who belongs to the Aiken family of Spokane.

Worst-ever local garage bands: Sancyre Hruby nominated a couple of mid-1980s groups, The Neurotic Jesuits and Red Summer.

Talk about ruff: Learning English as a second language must be a nightmare. We admire anyone who is trying. Kernel? Colonel? Good luck.

What makes your little town special: “It has 300,000 people and still no real night life,” faxed Jeff Pearson. “I attribute this to the local abundance of nature.”

Graduation address: “You are airborne, you’re flying high, don’t bail out.” - Mary Ellen Tee, Latah

Overheard on a sidewalk in downtown Spokane (one young woman talking to another): “I was tired of being in the room and what I wanted to do was put my swimsuit on and go out to the beach, but…”

Then a bus roared by and we couldn’t hear the rest.

We’re No. 281: We were going to offer some extended remarks about Spokane’s low ranking in that Money magazine list of desirable cities. You know, get all sarcastic and indignant. But we keep coming back to our real, down-deep reaction. Who cares?

Joint venture: “A man at Ventura Beach took a picture of my wife and me with his dressed-up dog (sunglasses, tie, etc.) and asked for a donation for dog food,” wrote Chattaroy’s Chris Phillips. “Ten minutes later, I walked into the public restroom and there was the man smoking pot with his dog.”

Memorable business name: Dough-Mania, a bakery/restaurant in Ford, Wash.

Warm-up question: What Northwest college produces graduates most likely to mention the name of their alma mater in the first minute of any conversation?

Today’s Slice question: What convinced you that riding in convertibles wasn’t such a great idea?

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo

MEMO: The Slice appears Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. Write The Slice at P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; fax (509) 459-5098. Tonight at 6 on the Encore channel, it’s the Jane Austen classic, “Muscle Beach Party.”