The Slice: When the calendar starts with you

What’s it like to have Jan. 1 for a birthday?

A) It’s kind of fun, what with the fireworks and all. B) It puts a degree of pressure on one to be a pacesetter. C) It lends a certain logic to the calendar. D) It makes every year the “Year of the Dave.” E) It’s nice having your birthday be a holiday. F) I live in dread of the War on Happy New Year. G) Other.

Just wondering: How many of us have been outside and walked a fair distance all the while remaining upright, and then, practically on your own doorstep, slipped and fallen on an icy spot?

Just wondering 2: Who holds the Inland Northwest record for being the oldest first-time sledder?

Spokane Christmas miracles: Completion of the north-south freeway and a total eradication of potholes were most frequently mentioned by Slice readers as things that would qualify.

Cheryl Overby said she’s already experienced one. “I consider my Christmas miracle to be the knowledge and expertise of the Ski Patrol at Silver Mountain and the expert medical care both in Kellogg and Spokane provided to our son after a terrible skiing accident 25 years ago – Dec. 23 – that left him with a broken neck and severely dislocated hip. That care allowed him to walk, lead a productive life, and even get back on the slopes.”

Jen Edgren said it seemed like a Christmas miracle to look at the front of the Today section last weekend and see Maggie Fritz saluted as Slice reader of the year. “She’s my neighbor and I’ve know her for 10 years!”

Never enough: Steve Whitford saw that one reader’s answer to the question about what you have learned about giving.

“We call that follow-up letter from charitable organizations ‘Thanks for the dough, please send mo.’ ”

For the record: Several readers remember a couple of details of a Christmas-themed episode of “M*A*S*H” a bit differently than the woman whose recollection was quoted in The Slice.

In another matter, Rockford’s Phil Purcell wrote, “In your (Dec. 18) column – in your interview with Donner – you made a reference to the high Sierras. ‘Sierra’ is all encompassing and is plural in itself.”

Warm-up question: Ever been at a New Year’s Eve party and heard the throbbing “Jaws” music playing as you saw a certain someone heading toward you with an unwelcome smooch in mind?

Today’s Slice question: What’s the key to being a good kisser?

Write The Slice at P. O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; email pault@spokesman.com. Remember, according to The Slice, it’s good luck to eat lentils on New Year’s Day.