THURSDAY, NOV. 3, 2011 >>>

1. Tonight, the Tacoma Arts Commission kicks of the tenth annual Art at Work: Tacoma Arts Month with an opening reception and the presentation of the 2011 AMOCAT Awards. The celebratory good times run from 6 - 8:30 p.m. at the Museum of Glass. Expect fire dancing, a molton iron and ice pour, juggling by Jeremy Gregory and more. Find more info here.

2. Last year's Mark Lindquist-powered "Autographed Book & Wine Auction" at King's Books went over so well that the taller-than-average Pierce County Prosecutor just had to do it again. While he's not running for re-election this year or fending off attacks from bizarro candidates, that doesn't mean Lindquist can't raise a little money for his cause tonight, in the form of what promises to be a local politico-filled evening of who's-who handshakes and ass grabs. Benefitting People for Prosecutor Mark Lindquist, expect a live auction featuring fancy wines and signed books from authors Ann Rule, Garth Stein, Bret Easton Ellis and, of course, Mark Lindquist. Pre-event hype also advertises "libations, food and spicy discourse."

3. Hailing from Mexico City, Mexico, Los Headaches makes crisp and catchy garage pop that nominally vacillates between the notions of love and lust - with regards to girls. Sometimes these feelings are expressed with a kind of blushing, bashful naivete; other times - as in "Never Again," which finds Los Headaches wishing they could find a girl to please them, so they'd never again have to please themselves - these feelings approach the pure state of the undeniably sophomoric, yet admirably honest. Tonight Los Headaches play the New Frontier Lounge in Tacoma.

4. If you have yet to check out the acoustic open mic hosted by Mike Coucoules at Medi's Pizza & Pasta on Sixth Avenue in Tacoma on Thursday nights (the space formerly home to Sluggo Music), now is your chance. Even better: It's all ages until 10 p.m., so feel free to bring the kids, Mama Cass.

5. At Olympia Little Theatre, catch Welfarewell tonight, a play reviewed by Volcano theater critic Christian Carvajal in this week's paper. As Carvajal says, "Nice is all over Welfarewell, currently making its Northwest premiere at Olympia Little Theatre. Not only is the play harder to resist than a Snuggie full of kittens, but its author, Cat Delaney, wrote OLT a program note from Nova Scotia: ‘Big hugs! ... Theatre makes the world smaller and far more civilized.' Awwww." To read Christian Carvajal's full review, click here.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music tonight