Weekly Volcano Blogs: Walkie Talkie Blog

Posts made in: December, 2008 (218) Currently Viewing: 111 - 120 of 218

December 16, 2008 at 12:29pm

Tacoma Photo of the Day

Filed under: Photo of the Day, Tacoma,

December 16, 2008 at 12:39pm

Final Toilet Tales

STEPH DEROSA: FLUSHED >>>

Mitch's-toilet Dear seven loyal readers,

I'm here today to say goodbye, and bid Toilet Tales adieu. No, Word document cartoon paperclip, I don't need help writing this letter, but thank you for asking. Toilet Tales has been an excellent release for both my cynicism and my plea for fairness. I've pondered the motivation behind a lot of assholes and their asshole ways in the past year, and believe me¬" there are a ton of them out there. I've also begged people in the community to live a non-judgmental, free-spirited life. I've ranted about general ignorance, love lost, good times with friends, that fucking stupid day called St. Patrick's Day,and how the Puyallup Fair is a rip-off.

While 98 percent of the general Weekly Volcano readership will be celebrating the departure of Toilet Tales, I must warn you: I'M STILL HERE. Don't think you can escape that easily. I still have toilets in my back pocket, available for my use at any given rant. And once I secure this illustrious desk the Weekly Volcano World Headquarters keeps promising me, there are going to be no limits on what horror I will reap upon the Spew.

Toilet Tales has kept me busy, but it is time for my efforts to be focused on other things¬" like food. I hope you caught the new Spew column Tossing Salad yesterday, and I also hope you'll keep your eyes open for other new columns coming to a computer monitor near you.

I leave you today with one final toilet, which I have never been in but I think is fricken hilarious. Guy named Mitch with a cat named Steve posted his actual home bathroom on Facebook. Comes complete with urinal, hand dryer, and dirty man pubes. Hey Mitch, where's the urinal cake?

Goodbye, seven loyal Toilet Tales readers, I'll buy you a beer next time I see you. It's been fun.

Love, hugs, and all that other bullshit,

Steph DeRosa

LINK: Toilet Tales archive

Filed under: Tacoma,

December 16, 2008 at 3:03pm

Loudus bringthewholefamilia

PROF. REEVES: DRINKOLOGY >>>

Professor- Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar

The bar at Applebee’s appeals to two kinds of people: 1) Those who mainly want to eat ice cream but want a little liquor in it to make them feel “naughty.” 2) Those who want to drink liquor but are too unsophisticated to drink anything that isn’t obliterated by the taste of ice cream. In either case, expect to spend your entire paycheck and gain 90 pounds before you catch anything resembling a buzz.

Drink Choice: Chocolate Martini â€" Stoli Vodka, Bailey’s and crème de cacao meet, take a ride in the hand shaker and chill over ice in a chocolate-rimmed martini glass. Your love handles will love it. 

[Applebee's, 1919 S. 72nd St., Tacoma; 10407 Gravelly Lake Dr. S.W., Lakewood Towne Center, Lakewood]

December 16, 2008 at 4:19pm

Cool, Christmas Ship tonight

SUZY STUMP: TAKE YOUR COAT OFF. YOU'RE GOING NOWHERE >>>

ARGOSY Argosy's Christmas Ship just cruised down the Thea Foss Waterway to board folks for tonight's journey around Commencement Bay. What an awesome night for a festive dinner cruise with the Choir of the Sound.

Crap. Sold out.

UPDATE: It came back at 9:30 p.m. to rub it in.

Argosy-returns

LINK: Argosy Cruises

Filed under: Food & Drink, Holidays, Tacoma,

December 16, 2008 at 7:58pm

City Council approves budget

MICHAEL SWAN: CITY COUNCIL APPROVES 2009-2010 BIENNIAL BUDGET >>>

This just in from the City of Tacoma Community Relations desk:

City Council members unanimously approved the 2009-2010 Biennial Budget during tonight’s meeting. The balanced $440,793,100 General Fund budget requires the use of $13.9 million in beginning cash to allow the City to maintain existing levels of service during this time of economic uncertainty and falling revenues. However, City reserve funds will be maintained between five and 15 percent, as required.


“In this challenging economy, we recognize the continuing need to be fiscally responsible,” said City Manager Eric Anderson. “We will be closely watching expenditures and changes in the economy to ensure that the City can address any emerging budget issues during the biennium.”



The City is striving to maintain momentum in critical community programs by being strategic regarding new investments in the next biennium. The ordinance appropriates funds for additional police officers to help keep local schools safe; for building and land use staff in an effort to improve plan review service times and performance; and for selected other staff to continue the City’s efforts to be a high performing, open and engaged government. 



The 2009-2010 budget continues allocations for the Tacoma Farmer’s Market Association, the United Way Early Learning Initiative, Safe Streets and the Hilltop Action Coalition. 

The budget also includes funds to begin implementing the results of the Classification and Total Compensation Study for non-represented employees, which will move the City toward using a pay-for-performance compensation methodology.
 
The total citywide budget, including Tacoma Public Utilities and all funds, is approximately $2.8 billion.

Details of the 2009-2010 Biennial Budget are available on the City's Online Newsroom here.

Filed under: City Councils, News To Us, Tacoma,

December 16, 2008 at 10:32pm

Flickr Post of the Day

December 17, 2008 at 11:30am

Leap of the Day Tacoma Dome Station

BANDITO BETTY LOU WHO LEAP 17 >>>

Leap-17

LINK: Sound Transit rider alerts

December 17, 2008 at 11:34am

Tacoma photo of the day

Filed under: Photo of the Day, Tacoma,

December 17, 2008 at 11:46am

A gift worth giving

HARVEY SIDERS: THE GIFT OF MUSIC >>>

L_aabc23485f65b0111c28c15daf99e482 Take two outstanding instrumentalists- trombonist Randy Oxford and tenor saxophonist Darren Motamedy - and put them on the same stage, and you can expect a ton of musical sparks. But will those sparks be dominated by the blues-drenched Oxford, or by the pop jazz sounds of Motamedy? Better yet, will they merge into a third, unnamed genre that will prove to be a highly seasonal alloy presciently labeled the "Gift of Music" That's what Jazzbones is calling the event, taking place tonight as part of the Randy Oxford Blues Theater Jam, where Darren Motamedy will be the special guest.

Superficially, one tends to overlook the trombone as a blues or rock instrument, but Oxford's
dexterity has helped to change the minds of his fans. Likewise, the tenor is most often linked to jazz combos or big band soloists. Enter Motamedy, whose eloquent, "smooth jazz" statements- suggestive of Kenny G. on steroids- has done his share of conversions.

Hopefully, Oxford and Motamedy will have plenty of stretch-out time together. They have much to say in terms of sharing solos, trading eights and fours, and building on each other's licks. The timbres of the two horns lend themselves to "conversations" in blues and jazz.

"I hope so, too," Motamedy told me by phone. "Randy is a world-class trombonist. In fact, I'm bringing some of my students to Jazzbones that night. (Motamedy spends as much time teaching as he does gigging.) There's one sixth-grader in particular who I'd love to hear play with Randy. It would be such a great learning experience."

It will also be an interesting experience for the fans to hear Motamedy and Oxford together. Oxford brings years of hard jazz and big band experience to his current status as a blues-rock-funk-soul icon. Similarly, Motamedy, who reminded me that "I played in blues bands when I was younger, and I know that blues is the basis of all jazz" has paid his blues dues. Motamedy's smooth jazz popularity has evolved from the not-so-smooth environment of down-home blues.

Also on the bill tonight: the Gunnar Roads Band, about which the genial Sean at Jazzbones pointed out, "everyone in that band is under 18," reinforcing the fact that Wednesday'¢s gig is an "all-ages event." The show runs from 7  p.m. to 11 p.m.

[Jazzbones, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 7 p.m., free, all ages, 2803 Sixth Avenue, Tacoma, 253.396.9169]

Filed under: Community, Music, Tacoma,

December 18, 2008 at 7:40am

Tasty treats this week

ANNOUNCER: THE BAYVIEW COMFORTS >>>

Bayview Comfort food should be pronounced dead because it's gone as far as it can go in the restaurant heavens. And yet it persists. Like reality TV and Britney's career, no matter how often some restaurant critic pronounces it DOA, comfort food keeps coming back. Restaurant owners dig the stuff, because it's great for their bottom line â€" imagine how much it really costs to produce that mac and cheese you just paid $16 for. There are restaurants that have corn dogs on their menus: high-end joints where the guys in the back are shoving sticks into hot dogs with a totally straight face, then giggling every time some poor sap plunks down 10 bucks for whatever ambiguous therapeutic value there is in feeding his inner child. It's only a matter of time before restaurants bring out Lincoln Logs and Slinkies with the dessert menus.

JAKE: I'm thinking about opening a joint where the minute a customer walks through the
door he'll be thrown in a crib, given a blanket and hand-fed spoonfuls of Gerber foods while Sesame Street blasts from the tube. I'll call the place Baby, and I'll bet the concept will crawl across the nation.

ANNOUNCER: Anyway â€" there are places where comfort food is still acceptable: cafes. Neighborhood cafes will always function as our cultural storehouses of home-cooking know-how, places where the devotees of slow food and traditional technique can gather for spaghetti and meatball sandwiches, such as the The Bayview in the Stadium District. Read Jake and Jason's review on the Weekly Volcano Web site.

Also in this week's Volcano:

The therapist will see you now
Bartenders get an earful between pints by Steve Dunkelberger

Spirits of the season
This Chrismahanukwanzakah treat your taste buds by Kris Blondin

All Seasons Sports Tavern
Its heart pulls it out of the dive category by Steph DeRosa

Food Matters
Pour at Four deals, Il Fiasco cooking class, and more by Volcano Staff

Sipping Out
Winter beer tasting, discounted drinking nights, and more by Suzy Stump

LINK: South Sound Restaurant Guide

Filed under: Food & Drink, Tacoma,

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