RON SWARNER: DINNER WITH DEROSA EXPLAINED >>>

In response to the recent comment activity in regards to this week's Dinner with DeRosa, Steph DeRosa has created a Forum explaining the concept behind the weekly Sunday blog post. 

"Dinner with DeRosa was created for the people of the Tacoma community," DeRosa explains. "I wanted to give recognition to Tacoma citizens, create a humorous, community-like environment, and sometimes maybe even tell a story."

Check out the full explanation here.

MATT DRISCOLL: ENVIRONMENTAL HOLIDAY IN TACOMA >>>

Officially, Earth Day is tomorrow. I know plenty of you, whether helping to clean up a park or parading around in a sea manatee costume, celebrated over the weekend â€" but that doesn’t mean you should take tomorrow off. Quite the contrary. Those who participated in an Earth Day event over the weekend and even those who didn’t should take tomorrow as an opportunity to show just how eco-friendly you are (or can be on a designated holiday.)

I’m not a hippie. Far from it, actually. But even a dude who grew up on Happy Meals and Hot Pockets can’t help but notice our society and planet are at an intersection. Gas prices, hurricanes, melting ice caps, food and water shortages, Al Gore winning an Oscar â€" they’ve all made even middle class, environmentally unaware Americans reassess things. It’s no longer hip to disrespect Mother Earth, and while normally I take issue with the masses being moved to action by marketing created trends and hype, maybe when it comes to protecting and preserving the environment that’s not such a bad thing.

As long as the “eco-friendly” products and lifestyles the masses seem to be buying in bunches are what they claim to be (and I can’t imagine a mega corporation in capitalist America making disingenuous eco-claims purely for increased profit, can you?) then the fact that being eco-friendly is hip can be seen as nothing but a move in the right direction.

There are plenty of ways to celebrate Earth Day tomorrow. Here’s a look at a couple:

1. Green Scene 2008 Tacoma
2. Mary Oliver at P.L.U.
3. Read these books

And here are some ways average Tacomans can practice eco-friendliness on Earth Day:

• Turn off the TV before you pass out on the couch. There’s no need to expend energy on late night weight loss infomercials if you’ve been asleep with your hand in the Cheetos for hours.
• Buy some locally produced, organic food â€" and eat it. I know it sounds all righteous and out of budget and character, but give it a whirl. It’s Earth Day after all. Once you’ve eaten, take time to notice how good it actually was, and time to realize that you’d probably do it  more often if food like that was readily available affordable for average people. Then take time to think about how fucked it is that it’s not.
• If possible, try taking the bus or a bike to work. If you bike, though, try to find a seat that won’t wreak havoc on your un-bike-riding taint.
• Recycle your empty PBR cans.

Here are a couple eco-friendly links.

1. Earthday.gov (featuring an awesomely ridiculous picture of eco-friendly president G. W. Bush.
2. Grist.org

KEN SWARNER: CHAT WITH JEFF BISHOP >>>

Jeff Bishop, the chef behind the original Il Fiasco and Brix 25, will open Il Trattoria di Merende restaurant with his partner, Ian Lombardi, also a former Il Fiasco chef, in six to seven weeks.  Merende (meaning “small bites”) will open in late May or June at 813 Pacific Ave. (former Vin Grotto space) â€" all depending, Bishop says, on the myriad of things that need to get done in order to open a restaurant. 

Bishop told the Weekly Volcano today that the menu will, of course, be Italian with special emphasis on small plates to be shared.  They’ll feature locally produced, organic ingredients as much as possible inside a homey decor with straw and terracotta colors.

Bishop â€" chomping at the bit to open â€" says “these things are a process and take time.”

INDIE ROCK
Blanco Bronco
Tonight, during Tightwad Tuesday at Hell’s Kitchen, Tacoma’s own Blanco Bronco will be bringing down the house with Socratic, You Me And Everyone We Know, and Say No More. While a vague OJ reference is nearly always good, a throwback indie rock band that tiptoes in Pavement territory but exudes T-town ethos is better. Tonight at HK you’ll get both from Blanco Bronco. â€" Matt Driscoll
[Hell’s Kitchen, 6 p.m., all ages, $8, 3829 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.759.6003]

EVENTS
Earth Day
Remember just before throwing down, Agent Smith lectures up Morpheus about how every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the environment, "but you humans do not. You move to an area, and you multiply, and multiply, until every natural resource is consumed. The only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet. You are a plague," and then Morpheus goes all righteous on his ass, and to prove humans don’t suck, Morpheus tricks Neo in saving humankind so we can watch the two mediocre sequels.

Remember?

Let’s keep Agent Smith out of our lives by participating in today’s Earth Day events.  â€" Brad Allen

LINK: 2112 (Rush tribute) and others in the clubs tonight.
LINK: What’s playing on local screens.
LINK: Let’s eat vegetarian today.

BOBBLE TIKI: BREAKFAST WITH BOBBLE TIKI >>>

THE DAILY WORD
Lionize \LY-uh-nyz\, transitive verb:
To treat or regard as an object of great interest or importance.

USAGE EXAMPLE: In Bobble Tiki’s homeland he’s lionized like a god like being. In South Tacoma Bobble Tiki is simply known as an alcoholic.

MORNING NEWS

TACOMA: Insurance on Narrows

OLYMPIA: Oly's birthday

SEATTLE: Say no to the WASL

UNITED STATES: Ed Norton talks environment

THINGS TO DO TODAY
FILM LISTINGS: Look here
MUSIC LISTINGS: Here’s what’s happening

ALTERNET: How many earth days do we have left?

TIME: Green funerals make for Eco-Exits.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC: Top ten tips to fight global warming.

NSIDC: Antarctic ice shelf disintegration.

SEATTLE TIMES: Cracking the code.

GLOBE AND MAIL: Greenprint for the homes of the future.

CROSSCUT: Washington state's symbolic first steps.

RON SWARNER: SHOE BENEFIT SATURDAY >>>

It’s Earth Day.  Sweet Mother! You feel alive springing from your organic cotton sheets. You trip over your non-Chinese sweatshop produced Birk in your dark house â€" Al Gore Nightlite has long been ripped from your outlet.  Who cares! You skip through your solar powered morning, slicing through radishes and green beans and hey chard! you just yanked and everything is organically peachy.

Then you flip through your tangible newspaper.

Noooooo!!!!

Your eco-buzz is killed. There it is.  In print.  A dictator of a defenseless pip-squeak Third World country confiscated all the children’s shoes for his float in the Grand Keep Truckin’ Festival and Chili Cook-off.

How could this happen on your favorite planet of all time?  What can you do here in Tacoma 134 miles from NIKE’s headquarters? 

Then it hits you. Benefit. Let’s organize a benefit with shoes, music is always popular, raffles rule, apple bobbing, local artists, YouTube â€" yes.

Ah, but wait. Your organic day planner is loaded with words by circled numbers, and grandma has a bad corn, and Fido has gone Fredo so you must tack Have You Seen posters on telephone poles and …

Someone will organize it. You’re sure. You quickly check what brilliant thing Spew has written this morning …

There it is. The sun inches past your bedroom’s orange sheer curtain and illuminates your hand that clenches your computer mouse like it’s starring on Broadway. Your perky unicorns-in-the-sky self smiles.  An energized Tacoman hosts a shoe benefit for kids in Third World countries. You read the interview with glee.

WEEKLY VOLCANO: What is the concept behind Saturday’s Good Tacoma event?

AINSLEE K. MARSHALL: The concept is to get people to donate locally, but also see that there is a entire world outside of Tacoma that desperately needs our help right now.

Economically, we are very fortunate to live in the Pacific Northwest and I truly believe that by encouraging the residents of this community to give what they have, the level of kindness and depth of caring will only rise exponentially.

VOLCANO: So your benefit will include local charities, too?

MARSHALL: The cover will be $10 at the door, or $8 with a can of food. I will also be encouraging everyone to bring one brown bag containing items such as clothing, shoes, etc. I will then deliver all these goods to the Emergency Food Network in the Tacoma area the day after the event. Their mission is to "provide a reliable food supply so that no person in Pierce County goes hungry."

All the proceeds will be donated to a company based out of California called TOMS shoes. They are an organization dedicated to donating shoes to children in Third World countries who would otherwise never be able to afford them. I highly suggest checking out their site. You will be able to see a YouTube video of a shoe drop that they did in Africa last year that is absolutely amazing.

VOLCANO: Besides goodwill, what will be the event’s draw?

MARSHALL: The party will feature musical guests Tree Roots in the Basement, Freeze & Furcoats, The Toughtimes and the Mercy Pirates. I will also have a shoe raffle featuring shoes decorated by local artists, and sponsored by Republic Parking N.W. Inc. So far, I have 8 artists who have signed on including Daniel Blue and Zach Marvick. The raffle tickets will be $5, with all proceeds also going to help TOMS shoes.

VOLCANO: Do you have help?

MARSHALL: The outpouring of offers that I have received to help this event has been astounding. The shoe raffle has received sponsorship, the posters and ads have been comped, and the space by the Frieghthouse Square that I am renting has been given to me at a ridiculously low price. This means that the funds from this event will be going directly to the cause. It is a beautiful thing to watch what lengths people will go to in the name of being "Good."

VOLCANO: Where is the space?

MARSHALL: The show will take place Saturday, April 26, at 6 p.m., in “The Ballroom” located on the corner of East C Street and 25th Street. The venue is one block before Freighthouse Square, which is an awesome location since the LINK runs directly down 25th Street and the bus terminal is only a block ahead.

VOLCANO: Thanks Ainslee. Good Tacoma sounds like a worthy cause and a fun time.

You wipe you tears with your Natracare Organic Cotton Intimate Wipes and circle Saturday in your day planner. Equilibrium has returned on your Earth Day. You ride off on your bike into the rain with two Smiley Faces drawn on the top of your Birk straps. 

It’s going to be a good day.

MATT DRISCOLL: LISTENS TO SPORTS TALK RADIO >>>

KJR-AM is reporting this morning that the Seahawks have informed running back Shaun Alexander that he'll be released today - the radio station citing a member of Alexander's family as the source. As of 11:35 a.m., the Seattle PI is reporting Alexander is still a Seahawk, but that may change by the end of the day.

Good news or bad news, Hawk fans? Life after Shauna seems to have arrived.

UPDATE: It's official. Shauna is history. Here's what the Trib is saying.

STEPH DEROSA: HATING ON JAMES BLUNT >>>

It’s an ongoing argument I have with my friend Gayle Selden: James Blunt SUCKS.

We went a couple of years ago to see this James Blunt fool perform live, and I actually had to walk out of the show. It was so horrible, I was actually nauseated.

Well, I’ve found further proof that I am still right. I’ve found it on a Yahoo! music blog by Rob O’Conner. He lists the top ten most annoying singers. Another one of my most hated vocalists is listed as well: John Mayer. (Not that he doesn’t kick ass as a guitarist.)

As O’Conner states, there seems to be a common trend with these “bad singers” and that is the whining. Although KAke and I tell our 5-year-olds, “whining will get you nowhere,” it’s obvious for some it gets you to the top of the charts.

Now the next person that needs to be added to that list is Ben Gibbard.

STEPH DEROSA: BILOXI BUMMER >>>

Before heading out to Westport Sunday morning, Mr. DeRosa and I decided to stop by the Southern Kitchen for some of my favorite breakfast eatin: Grits.

I love grits. I grew up eating grits. We ate grits with cheese, grits with sausage, grits with brown sugar and butter, grits with shrimp and even grits with hamburger. I still stock my pantry with instant grits and eat them a couple of times a week. (Only 100 calories a bowl if you don't add butter. I can dig that.)

Southern Kitchen makes true grits, the real deal grits¬" slow cooked and thick. I have no idea how much butter or lard or whatever they put in those things, all I know is I can scarf them down like nobody's business. Add some Tabasco and they go down even faster.

It's not only the grits that make Southern Kitchen a gem, but also the cheap breakfast deals ($3.95), the real slices of ham, and the fresh, HOT coffee. And as if you aren't already smiling from the thought of comfort food, you're greeted immediately with genuine southern hospitality. It truly is like walking into my family's kitchen. It's exactly like going back to my grandma Ruby's house. All that's missing is the porch swing and a huge Magnolia tree to climb out front.

I take a break from the memories and head into the head. (That's the bathroom for all you non-military-lingo speaking people out there.)

The bathroom itself brings back no memories of the South to me, but the thoughts of home are still lingering from the food. I spent summers growing up in Biloxi, Mississippi. It was back before all the casinos, before the pawnshops, and sometime between Hurricane Camille and Hurricane Katrina. It was back when things were simple.

During college I would still go back to Biloxi, and I would still sit on my grandpa's lap, and I would still let him spoil me to tears. I was the first grandchild, the only girl, and really¬" I could do no wrong. I'm almost certain the constant praise and laid-back attitude my family had with me is what fostered this uncanny sense of confidence I now carry. I can do something extremely foolish and stupid; yet still laugh at myself, and feel no regrets.

One college summer, upon exiting a souvenir shop in the afternoon, a man in plain clothes stopped us very abruptly. He asked us to show our IDs, then to get against the car¬" spread eagle.

I thought to myself :Excuse me?  And you are who? No wait, I didn't think it, I said it. My refusal to bow down to a forceful stranger and give up my possessions landed me in the back of an unmarked police car. That is, an unmarked police car that was blocking traffic due to a casino robbery that had just occurred. Yikes. He was an undercover cop. Did they actually think I robbed a casino?

Eventually they took me to the two-cell Biloxi jailhouse (which I'm sure is much larger and fancier by now) and booked me for both resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. My grandpa laughed at me the whole time he was writing the bail check. That's OK, because I laughed at myself as well.

Later that summer the charges were dropped, thanks to a police officer friend in Houston making a very nice phone call on my behalf.

As I finished up in the bathroom at the Southern Kitchen I realized another one of the many small differences between the South and other places: a laid-back attitude. The laid-back attitude of the environment I grew up with has given me nothing but wonderful, warm Southern memories. It has also given me the ability to laugh at myself and smile in acceptance to the kindness that people have to offer.

Boy, it sure is nice being happy in life. Well, that is happy AND full of grits.