What with the scurrying and to-ing and fro-ing of holiday parties, gift-giving, and cookie-decorating, I have been skipping meals and lapsing on other activities of daily living, for instance showering, teeth-brushing, laundry. (Might that be the reason we don't have anyone to duck under the mistletoe with?) Putting a decent meal on the table, alas, was the first casualty. So I'm glad that at Puget Sound Pizza, a downtown Tacoma pizza spot (who's expanding as I type) will serve a Christmas Eve breakfast from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. And no, you do not eat for the full six hours of breakfast service, but would that be so terrible?  I don't know about you, but the scales at my house are staying under the sink until at least February of 2007. â€" Suzy Stump

Often known as the Richard Pryor of the rap world due to his light-hearted and self-deprecating lyrics, Houston rapper Devin The Dude will play The Factory in Tacoma Jan. 14 with DJ Vinnie The Pooh, Young Soprano, G.U., Yung Gemz, Young P.I.T., Mr. Von, Outrageous, Durty Boi Music, Boss Life and Officials.  Tickets are $15 in advance, $18 at the door and $25 VIP.  Call 253.474.1189 for more details. â€" Brad Allen

The West End Pub & Grill is freakin' nuts right now.  The Sixth Avenue joint is packed with folks watching the Monday Night Football game and they're giving away a trip to Vegas tonight. â€" Natasha

11 Days of Cookies: Day Five

The fifth-day spritz cookies I had from Lakewood's Hess German Delicatessen & Bakery were addictively nutty-crunchy-buttery good; the worst of my misfortunes that day was that the cookies were sold in only a half-pound bag. â€" Jessica Corey-Butler

Famous DJ and Lakewood boy Donald Glaude celebrates his birthday every year in the Puget Sound region.  He leaves his Los Angeles digs and spins a free show either in T-town or up in the Emerald City a few days before Christmas. 

Crap.  He chose Seattle this year.

Glaude will celebrate his birthday tomorrow night at the meat market of the moment, Last Supper Club, with a free show around 11 p.m.  As great a DJ as Glaude is, his birthday bashes are six notches higher.  Bring your BMW if you want to score! â€" Suzy Stump

11 Days of Cookies: Day Six

On the sixth day of cookies, my true love was smart and gave me a peanut butter and Snickers bar cookie from Babblin' Babs' Bistro.  The mouthful of bliss that occurred as I sipped my roasted chestnut latte as a bite of soft, flaky cookie plus chocolate love Snickers melted on my tongue cannot be understated.  It felt like love. â€" Jessica Corey-Butler

Over lunch I ran into my precious Pat Coyne, you know, the one you've been hearing about who's opening Paddy Coyne's Irish Pub in the Olympus Hotel on Pacific Avenue in downtown Tacoma. I won't incriminate myself by sharing any of the stories on our nights of partying in the 206, let alone the year that he sponsored my softball team. I'll just say this: His wink and wit are infectious.

With his endearing Irish accent he let me know that he's planning on opening sometime between Jan. 15 and 17.

It'll be no bollocks, just bliss. â€" Natasha

Most of us think of vodka as being a Russian concoction, but Poland and Sweden also claim credit for the popular drink. The word vodka is a diminutive of the Russian word voda, (in Polish, woda) meaning water. Most evidence indicates that the Eastern Slavic countries (Ukraine, Belarus and Russia) established vodka distilling during the 15th Century. There is no doubt that, in the beginning, vodka was an integral part of life in Poland, Sweden and the Eastern Slavic countries.

Enter the French.

Their new X-Rated Vodka is distilled seven times in small batches from delicate French wheat and roseberry grain, found on Reunion Island off the coast of Madagascar. The 100-percent organic vodka is then micro-oxygenated and charcoal filtered. The final 80-proof product has a silky smooth texture.

For those who prefer their vodka in mixed drinks, their X-Rated Fusion Liqueur is a 34-proof blend hailing from the Cognac region of France.  It’s vodka infused with blood oranges from Provence along with mango and passion fruit. Hey ladies, it’s pink.

Both, according to the new South Sound Garage brain trust, are exclusively available at the new downtown Tacoma nightclub on Market Street. 

The South Sound Garage (Steakhouse in the future) is open Thursday and Friday at 4:30 p.m., Saturday at 9 p.m., with DJs spinning Top 40 and no cover at the door. â€" Suzy Stump

11 Days of Cookies: Day Seven

On the seventh day, I tasted love again, from a surprising source. Tacoma's Westgate Safeway, newly remodeled and chichi, has long been my daughter's favorite place to birthday cake window-shop. Kimmi, Safeway baker extraordinaire, talked about love going into the cookies.  She mentioned that a baker in a good mood produces a good product.  Combine a surly baker with butter, sugar, flour, and heat, and the product can turn ugly.  I felt the love, as the butter star cookie melted in my mouth.  It was small but delightfully lovely. â€" Jessica Corey-Butler

There’s no better way to ease your last-minute holiday shopping jitters than with carols to remind you why you’re really celebrating Christmas.  The third annual "Christmas Eve Early" at Urban Grace hosts song stylist Karen Shivers and mother-daughter team Cymantha and Rachael Burkle for a magical adaptation of "Lessons and Carols" Sunday, Dec. 24, 10:30 a.m. â€" Michael Swan