The Slice: Changing names can be easier than changing habits

It’s that time again.

You know, the annual debate about the name of Pig Out in the Park.

T.J. Bross would like to see the food-focused Labor Day event renamed “Feast by the Falls.”

But he noted that “Pig Out” traditionalists – whose intransigence can remind one of the owner of the Washington Redskins – need not worry.

“I’ve lived in Spokane long enough to know that even if the name does change, it will continue to be called by its former moniker for years to come. It’s a Spokane thing.”

Just wondering: What other arguably idiosyncratic behavior qualifies as a Spokane thing?

(I’ll send a coveted reporter’s notebook to anyone mentioning something we haven’t discussed a hundred times here. And anyone bringing up potholes will be required to send me a reporter’s notebook.)

All this reminds me: Back when the STA Plaza was new, there was much after-the-fact concern about the cost of the finished building. Especially since bus riders and others seemed to want to stand outside. This was just about the time the arena was set to open on the other side of the river.

And a reader wrote to The Slice wondering if those attending events there would realize they were supposed to go inside.

Or was this lurking outside a Spokane thing?

I think I told him it was probably more of a cigarette smoking thing. But that notion of people attending events at the arena and not going inside cracked me up.

Warm-up question: Ever feel like you’ve fired all the arrows in your outrage quiver?

Not long ago, I heard a flight attendant mispronounce “Spokane.” Instead of my traditional reaction of getting my nose out of joint, I shrugged it off.

Life’s too short. At least for something like that.

What’s your example?

Today’s Slice question: How excited are you about the upcoming eclipse?

A) Pretty gosh darned excited. B) I only get excited about snacks. C) I’m excited about my kids/grandkids witnessing it. D) The what? E) I’m planning a full-tilt pagan freakout. F ) I’m looking forward to the tweets linking it metaphorically to our current political climate. G) Does it have anything to do with the Zags? H) I’m curious to see if my dog will think it’s the end of the world. I) I’ll be interested to see if the security lights on my garage come on. Other than that, meh. J) Is that like an online clipse? K) Other.

Write The Slice at P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; email pault@spokesman.com. My intern-for-a-day plan is set. Thanks to all who invited me.