MONDAY, MAY 2, 2011 >>>           

1. Never underestimate the power of guilt and social pressure. Want to get that epic novel written by, oh say, next Thursday? Just tell the loudest, most annoying person you know what you're doing. They'll ask you about it nonstop until you write it just to shut them up. Want to actually spring clean this year (and perhaps rearrange your furniture so you'll be happier)? Take the loudest, most annoying person you can stand to be around for a couple of hours to the University Place Library at 7 p.m. Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen, authors of Making It: Radical Home Ec for a Post-Consumer World and The Urban Homestead: Your Guide to Self-Sufficient Living in the Heart of the City, will lead a conversation about getting down to the root of things for a happier, healthier, more homemade life. All of which could be so awesome you may even be able to skip the annoying person and bring someone you like instead.

2. Last night after you heard Osama bin Laden had ben killed, you rode your bike in celebration until the tires went flat. Don't let a flat tire keep you from celebrating! Bring your bike to Tacoma Bike any time during this month and have it fixed for free. Free flat repair includes tubes and labor, but not tires.

3. Snotty, a streetwise adolescent mastermind, is transported to a mystical realm where the fate of the world rests on discovering who he really is. In the fight against evil, Snotty must learn that the toughest warriors come from the most despised group of all: the smallest, the funniest, the snottiest. With footnotes that point towards a deeper truth, Snotty Saves the Day is a fairy tale within a fairy tale for adults of all ages - and author Tod Davies will read the snotty story at 6 p.m. inside Orca Books.

4. It's Legends Night at Cheney Stadium. It's your chance to rub shoulders with baseball greats including Gaylord Perry and Don Larsen. See them throw out the first pitch. Grab their autographs. And watch the Tacoma Rainiers take on the Tucson Padres at 7:05 p.m.

5. Maia Santell & House Blend will fill the Harmon Brewery & Eatery with jazz and blues beginning at 8 p.m.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Vote for the sexiest barista in the South Sound