THE LOWDOWN ON WHAT'S UP THIS WEEKEND >>>

WEATHER REPORT

Friday: Mostly cloudy with some sun, hi 51, lo 38

Saturday: Cloudy with a little rain, hi 50, lo 44

Sunday: Mostly cloudy, hi 52, lo 43

>>> FRIDAY, NOV. 12-SATURDAY, NOV. 13: THE FURNITURE SERIES

The dance begins in the eyes of a man, searching from chair to chair. Some of the chairs will seem interested for a second, then break it off. Others don't even acknowledge him. But when his eyes land on the right piece of furniture, there's no confusing the look. He locks eyes with that chair; the two move toward the dance floor and meet there halfway in an embrace, the classic start of the tango. The lights are dim overhead, and the bottoms of his dance shoes caress the wooden floor as he leads his chosen chair into the tango song. While dancing a dime falls from underneath the chair's cushion. There's an awkward moment. He picks up the coin and continues the dance. "I am," he said too no one there. And no one heard it at all, except the chair.

Possibly this dance but certainly many better ones like it will be performed as part of Robin Jaecklein's Furniture Series at the SOTA theater this Friday and Saturday. A total of 11 pieces of furniture will be the muse of dancers Joel Myers, Kate Monthy, Hannah Crowley, Katie Stricker, Mary Tuttle, Danny Boulet, Lynn Wilmot-Stenehjem, Laura Miltner, Brittany Humphrey and SOTA students.

• Tacoma School of the Arts Theatre, 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, also 2 p.m. Saturday, $7-$15, 1118 Commerce St., Tacoma, 253.761.8311

>>> SATURDAY, NO. 13: ROCKET RACES

While most of us relegated our ballistic experiments to childhood - leaving those wimpy baking-soda projectiles and more beefy hairspray potato cannons as distant memories - some people continued their interest in amateur rocket science through adulthood. Many such individuals will spend many enjoyable hours this weekend drinking Pabst and launching powerful, adult-size missiles at each other in East Pierce County. The other rocket enthusiasts - those with rubber band powered, propeller driven rockets - will gather at the Olympic Flight Museum this Saturday and freakin' go nuts. Competitions will include both adult and kids with the kids judged according to their grade.

• Olympic Flight Museum, 1 p.m., 7637-A Old Hwy. 99 SE, Olympia, 360.705.3925

>>> SATURDAY, NOV. 13: TELLABRATION!

There are those among us who can make their trip to a hair stylist the most riveting story you've heard all week. People whose stories never trail off into "it was really cool. ..." Envy them. They are not like you. Not only do they have great success at parties, they have a future with the Mt. Tahoma Storytelling Guild. See what all the storytelling fuss is about with storytelling for grownups, in honor of Tellabration, a national storytelling event sponsored by the National Storytelling Association.  If you can stand a 10-minute hairdo story, just imagine how riveted you'll be by something with an actual plot.  

• Antique Sandwich Co., 7:30 p.m., 51st and Pearl, Tacoma, (253) 983-9114

>>> WHERE OUR STAFF IS GOING

MATT DRISCOLL Editor (aka - the guy to blame)
There's talk of a new computer purchase this weekend in the Driscoll household, so that's always exciting. Really, there's nothing more American than the acquisition of shiny new things. Sunday, I plan to coach the single greatest game of fantasy football in the history of man (or at the very least fantasy football itself). 

PAUL SCHRAG Senior Contributor
I'm editing a truckload of U.S Treasury grants for some credit unions that are doing amazing work rebuilding our shattered economy. My play list for this task will include Cee-lo, Jocelyn Montgomery and David Lynch interpreting the cantos of Hildegard von Bingen, and probably some klezmer.

STEPH DEROSA: Columnist
I'm sure to be a gold medalist in the LWPO - Lamest Weekend Plans Olympics.  As a matter of fact, not only do our dear Weekly Volcano editors spank us every time we report to the Weekend Hustle with no plans, there is a possibility they could actually dock my pay for being so extremely boring this weekend. I wish I had a dangerous agenda for the upcoming duo of days off, but alas, I do not. Although, I DO have a hankering punch someone in the face, so don't count me entirely out for a little fun in the next few days.

REV. ADAM MCKINNEY Features Writer
Friday, I'm going to check out Hunter Lea and his new band at The Den. My second all-ages show of the week! That, if anything, calls for Prefunk.

NIKKI TALOTTA Features Writer
I think I'll let Loverboy sum this one up:
Everybody's workin' for the weekend
Everybody wants a new romance;
Everybody's goin' off the deep end
Everybody needs a second chance. ...

JOE IZENMAN Music/Theater Critic
To be honest? I have pretty much no idea what I'm doing. At least in terms of things that anyone else might find interesting. Shopping at IKEA and Fry's? Could happen. Shopping for obscure Indian spices? Hope so. Shopping at the second to last Proctor Farmers Market of the season? There's little doubt of that. But no shows, no plays, no exciting nightlife. Sorry, stalkers!

JOANN VARNELL Theater Critic
This weekend will be spent trying to figure out how to get a 1953 Ford up from Nacogdoches, Texas. When I'm not contemplating that (or why my dad is suddenly giving away his cars), I'll be trying to get my 3-month-old son to laugh.

JENNIFER JOHNSON: Lifestyle/Leisure Writer
I'll be basking in the hopefully warm weather in Utah while visiting family for the entire weekend. Yippee!

CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL: Theater Critic
I'm seeing Grease at SPSCC and Bug at Evergreen, plus trekking to my junior-high haunts in Humboldt County, Calif.  I'm traveling with my mom, though, so Humboldt's most popular cash crop is off the table.

STEVE DUNKELBERGER Meat Market Correspondent
I am going to Harry Potter with the kiddos for Veterans Day and then getting a blooming onion with my pa. This weekend, I'm headed to the opening of Vanity nightclub.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound