ONLINE CHATTER >>>

Yesterday's comment of the day came from artist Becky Knold in response to Weekly Volcano art critic Alec Clayton's column describing various shows around the South Sound, including the Fall Invitation Exhibition at Pierce College's Puyallup campus.

Knold writes,

Thanks for the write-up. I'm pleased to be included in the Pierce College Fall Invitational Exhibition. The small Gallery space there sits in the cavernous, yet soaring, light-filled space of the new Allied Arts Bldg on the campus. A fine place to view art. Particularly enjoyed meeting fellow Olympian artist, Barlow Palminteri. Show's up until Dec.15!

SATURDAY, DEC. 1 2012 >>>

1. Dig out those legwarmers and headbands you new wave, punk and pop MTV has-beens!  The temperature is going down to Less Than Zero, and your mother's garage no longer needs to harbor your 18-year-old tapes and broken Sony boom box. Join the Igneous Rocks crew on a retro trip as it performs on the Weekly Volcano's Electric Salchow Stage at 7 p.m. at the Franciscan Polar Plaza.  Actually, these very talented hooligans rip through the entire history of rock ‘n' roll, not just the '80s, but add their original twists, like fer sure. The live show is free with your admission to the outdoor ice sakting rink.

2. Tacomans have a variety of choices for how to get trees. The evergreens are sold at stores and at retail lots, or you can take a trek out to one of our area's tree farms and choose your own tree. If you'd like to combine your Christmas tree purchase with an hour or tow of ice skating, Two Five Trees is embedded in the Franciscan Polar Plaza next to the outdoor ice skating rink at Tollefson Plaza in downtown Tacoma. Today, in celebration of the three new Zip Cars in downtown Tacoma - two at 11th and Pacific and one at Fourth and St Helens - Two Five Trees encourages to walk or take transit to the Polar Plaza and the Two Five Trees elves with tie your Two Five Tree to the roof of a Zip Car and give you a lift home. The free rides will operate from noon to 6 p.m. Grab a cup of hot cocoa and chill.

3. Former band member of Tacoma's Swelter, Katie's Dimples and others, Jason Harsin just released his Hawaii-based hair and body care collection, Hearts and Stars, and will be back in Tacoma from 5-8 p.m. for a product line launch party at Poison Apple. Read Nikki McCoy's interview with Jason Harsin in the Weekly Volcano's Style section.

4. A new adaptation of Dreamgirls, the 1981 Tony award-winning musical turned 2006 Oscar award-winning film, continues it srun inside the Charles Wright Academy LAPAC Theatre, 7723 Chambers Creek Rd. W., University Place.Presented by the D.A.S.H. Center Dreamgirls follows the rise and fall of a 1960s female singing group, their struggles to succeed in the music world, and their interpersonal she-wars. The production hit sthe stage twice today, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Tonight's performance includes a meet the cast opportunity, plus food, drinks, entertainment and of course viewing of Dreamgirls the musical. Proceeds from this night will go directly into the Dash Center’s theater building fund.

5. Internationally renowned gypsy jazz violinist Michael Gray joins guitarist Vince Brown for an evening of hot swing and sweet ballads at Swing Cafe & Wine Bar beginning at 9 p.m. Gray is best known for his work with the gypsy swing band Pearl Django, but don't think that means that all he can do is toss off Grappelli licks as if he invented them himself.

LINK: Saturday, Dec. 1 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

BANDITO BETTY LOU WHO LEAP OF THE DAY >>>

Bandito Betty Lou Who isn't a huge fan of jingtinglers, floofloovers, trumtookas, blumbloopas and the other wack musical instruments her fellow Whos bang during the holiday season. Every two years she gets the hell out of Whoville and spends the holiday season in the South Sound.

She's back. The Weekly Volcano spotted her last week hanging out in the Tacoma Dome District. While she was fiddling with her slooskunka, we went Homeland on her attaching a GPS device to her whocarnio.  We're tracking her. Apparently, she loves Pad Thai.

Today, we found her at MASH home brew supply store on North 21st Street in Tacoma. This morning owner Jason Trujillo discovered her asleep on a bag of hops. Apparently, she knocked over the store's ingredients and supplies needed to make beer.

Being its the holiday season, Lou Who and Trujillo quickly became friends. The Weekly Volcano snapped a shot of them getting all galooking in MASH's showroom before she darted away. Don't worry, like we said, we're tracking her.

Feel free to rate her jump or provide a caption in the comments sections.

MASH, 2714 N. 21^ST ST., TACOMA, 253.759.4908

LINK: Weekly Volcano loves the holidays, cats and crafts, so we joined Pinterest.

HOW TWEET IT IS >>>

Whether you've been on Twitter since its beginnings in 2006 or you're a Twitter neophyte, you know keeping up on important tweets can be overwhelming. If you follow everything and everyone that you find interesting, you can end up with hundreds and hundreds of Tweets showing up in your feed on a daily basis.

Don't despair. Every Saturday the Weekly Volcano shares important and pointless Tweets from South Sound Twitter accounts, and sometimes beyond, so you may catch up on rain and transit news, and the latest action on the streets.

twitpic.com/bi6pcd we're Tacoma's only 4-season farmers' market which means we're here for you today

— Proctor Market (@ProctorFmMkt) December 1, 2012

Hard to hold a candle in this. #ColdNovemberRain #Tacoma

— ThriceJamie (@ThriceJamie) December 1, 2012

Being in alone in a hotel room is fun, lots of jumping on the bed topless while blasting music via headphones and drinking gin

— Elizabeth (@globelamp) November 30, 2012

Welp. I guess there's no one left to rip my dick off about my feelings about junkies, so bed time!

— Neko Case (@NekoCase) November 30, 2012

I hate waking up, trying to get back to sleep, and instead lying awake thinking about friends I've forgotten to say happy birthday to.

— Adam J. Manley (@AdamTheAlien) November 30, 2012

You may notice fewer flowers around Tacoma in the next couple years... exit133.com/7255/fewer-flo… #Tacoma

— Exit133 (@exit133) November 29, 2012

None of you are about this Tacoma life on house arrest. #tacoma #lovin

— Brandon Cardin (@Bsk8Cardin) November 29, 2012

This guy just ripped me off 75 cents for drugs when he said it was for the bus. #Tacoma'sFinest

— Austin Johnson (@AJ_2Nine) November 28, 2012

RT @thenewstribune: Pierce Transit measure fails by 704 votes. Sad day for our most vulnerable citizens. bit.ly/TsD3ma #tacoma #Prop1

— TACID (@TACIDtweets) November 28, 2012

We heard a rumor that there might not be another Hostess outlet open for miles... exit133.com/7253/is-tacoma… #Tacoma #Hostess

— Exit133 (@exit133) November 28, 2012

Pierce Transit measure fails by 704 votes | Political Buzz blog.thenewstribune.com/politics/2012/… #transit #tacoma #washington

— Scott Bogren (@CTMag1) November 28, 2012

21 year old girls pretend head banging to 90's rock... Shoot me. #tacoma #iamold

— Kat(@katrouke) November 28, 2012

I saw so many people from Twitter in #Tacoma today.This needs to happen more.

— Chris Karnes (@TacomaTransit) November 28, 2012

I should probably just move above the bar... Because a block away isn't close enough. #tacoma #ilovebeer #iwantbeer

— Kelsey Adame (@KelseyAdame) November 27, 2012

Just finished "Crossfire Hurricane" and I'm kind of creeped out. If someone made a doc of my life in my 20s... yikes!

— Mike Curto (@CurtoWorld) November 27, 2012

@justinbieber you think #tacoma forgot? We didn't, haha never come back!

— Stuart Heath (@therealstubird) November 27, 2012

it's shaping up to be a pretty glorious sunrise, #Tacoma!

— ClioMouse (@ClioMouse) November 27, 2012

Big #billcosby poster at this donut shop in #tacoma instagr.am/p/SghIDmrttl/

— Paulino Love (@realm510) November 26, 2012

Wish I had a better camera because this was a HUGE eagle. #Tacoma @ Ruston Way Waterfront instagr.am/p/SgM0Jey096/

— Jameson Fink (@jamesonfink) November 26, 2012

On Cyber Monday, states lose millions in sales tax bit.ly/10TMyNv #tacoma

— TNT opinion page (@tntopinion) November 25, 2012

I think the #Tacoma just won.......

— Amanda (@bagel2332) November 25, 2012

i spy a white guy in an Irish bar sporting a flat top hair cut #Tacoma

— Jason Wickland (@wickxpress) November 25, 2012

Support your local tree stand!! #TwoFiveTrees the guy even put it on my car! I love #Tacoma twitter.com/Mere253/status…

— Meredith (@Mere253) November 25, 2012

Follow the Weekly Volcano on Twitter. Because otherwise we're coming to your house, and while we will bring wine, we will not, under any circumstances, take off our shoes.

TALKING POT >>>

Every Friday the Weekly Volcano posts advice from experts living in the South Sound on our blog, Spew. We call the column South Sound Sidekick.

Yesterday, Olympia attorney Jim Foley chimed in on what the passage of I-502 means to South Sound potheads. Foley touched on many points, including the following:

Do not go anywhere near a Federal building or Federal Courthouse with your Washington legal dope.  To the Feds it is still illegal and subject at the very least to seizure.  What else the Feds will do remains a question.

That's great advice.

You may read his full South Sound Sidekick column here.

On a related note, Leonard Haggarty phoned the Weekly Volcano World Headquarters yesterday to inform us he'll be filming Seattle criminal defense attorney Aaron Pelley's I-502 lecture tomorrow inside the Green Light Expo on South Tacoma Way. The Green Light Expo is a place for RCW 69.51A.010 patients to meet and join collective gardens. You might want to comb your hair in case you're caught on film.

No word yet if munchies will be served during Pelley's lecture.

GREEN LIGHT EXPO, SUNDAY, DEC. 2, 3 P.M., 5408 SOUTH TACOMA WAY, TACOMA

WOW >>>

New and improved. I can't imagine those two words ever applied to Taqueria El Antojo off Orchard Street. The all ready lively restaurant serves a delicious breakfast. Its plump chicken burrito it the Lucky Charms of Mexican food - magically delicious with tons of tiny chicken nuggets, reminding me of the shaped marshmallows in the cereal, only colliding in a sea of beans, onion and cilantro instead of milk. Lucky Charms certainly isn't an appropriate comparison, but I have a bit of cool news and my happy brain cells selected the cereal as a motif. New and improved doesn't apply to me.

Ladies and gentlemen, the bar is open.

When I popped into the University Place Mexican joint to grab a quick burrito I was hit with a fiesta of music, lights, video and smiles. Two months ago Taqueria El Antojo erected a bar along its back wall. It's not an ordinary bar. It's an explosion of neon, glass, televisions, lighting that one would find on a Carnival Cruise, only without the tourists begging to have their pictures taken with a large exhausted iguana in a tiny sombrero. Or something.

Antojo's bar bursts. The decision where to look isn't easy. Every crevice is filled with color. The Mexican music pulsates, forcing tiny movements of glee as one ponders Monday's scratch $3 margaritas, Tuesday's scratch $3.50 piña coladas, Wednesday's $3 mojitos, Thursday's $3 wells and Friday's $3 tequila sunrises - and those aren't officialy part of its 2-5 p.m. and 9 p.m. to close, Sunday-Friday happy hours.

There's also something called 3D Night every Tuesday beginning at 9 p.m. I'm not exactly sure how Antojo could possible more in your face.

I didn't have time to sip. You tell me how the drinks taste.

If you are a fan of the Tacoma or Lakewood Taqueria El Antojo restaurants but haven't tried this location yet - or if you haven't visited this Antojo in the last two months - add it to your rotation, especially if the game is on. The Taqueria El Antojo in University Place may have injected more fun into its operation, but it hasn't forgotten a thing about great tasting Mexican food.

TAQUERIA EL ANTOJO, 9 A.M. TO MIDNIGHT MONDAY-THURSDAY, 9 A.M. TO 1 A.M. FRIDAY, 8 A.M. TO 1 A.M. SATURDAY, 8 A.M. TO MIDNIGHT SUNDAY, 5502 ORCHARD ST. W., UNIVERSITY PLACE, 253.212.0914

LIVE MUSIC TONIGH TIN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

C.I. Shenanigans Tacoma - Northend. KC Brakes presents pop folk rock night. All Ages. 7-10 pm. NC.

Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. Twang Junkies. 9:30 pm. NC.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Mickey Avalon, Pinkbead Federation, The Chicharones, Sky Pilot. 6 pm. $19.95.

Le Voyeur Café and Lounge Olympia - Downtown. The Deceptives, Simon The Leper, Vanguard, Kim Jong Illin'. 10 pm. NC.

The Lochs Tacoma - Downtown. 3 Inches Of Blood, Huntress, The Hookers. All Ages. 7 pm. $12-$15.

Louie G's Fife. Mr. Von's Slice of Hip-Hop 3. All ages. 8 pm. $5.

Lucky Eagle Casino Rochester. New Blues Brothers. 9 pm. NC.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Lozen, Hot Victory, Argonaut, Mosquito Hawk. 8 pm.

Olympia Ballroom Olympia - Downtown. Stonewall Youth's 9th Annual Winter Gayla. All Ages. 6 pm.

The Spar Tacoma - Old Town. Still Got It. 8 pm.

Stonegate Pizza Tacoma - South. Crosswalk. 9 pm.

Tollefson Plaza Tacoma - Downtown. Electric Salchow Stage at Polar Plaza: Igneous Rocks. All Ages. 7-9 pm. NC for music.

Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. Baby Gramps. All Ages. 8 pm. $8-$12.

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. Tyranny Theory, TUT, Devils Of Loudon. 9 pm.

LINK: Saturday, Dec. 1 live music in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SUNDAY, DEC 2 2012 >>>

1. Few instruments allow you to rock out at Christmas like a ukulele - no, really. The Ukulele Festival showcases jazz guitarist turned ukulele powerhouse Michael Powers, Monday Ukulele Ohana, other musicians, hula dancers and Hawaiian food. This is basically your only chance to pretend we live in a warm climate. Take it! Tickets are $5. The event starts at 11 a.m. at the Asia Pacific Culture Center, 4815 S. Tacoma Way.

2. If you're one of those people who lock themselves in the bathroom when you go to parties at other people's houses so you can go through their medicine cabinets in peace, the 2012 Holiday Tour of Historic Homes is the ideal way to indulge your voyeuristic habit. From noon to 4 p.m. the tour will take you through sixvproperties built between 1890 and 1940 on the west side of Olympia, as well as the pioneer Bigelow House. Tickets are $15 and include refreshments at the Bigelow House on the day of the tour.

3. They're still going strong, and still swarming The Swiss to do good, get loaded, raffle stuff off and enjoy the spirit of the season. The Friends of the Holidays benefit from 3-10:30 p.m. at The Swiss, and the T-town institution shouldn't disappoint: Mark Riley Trio, Tahoma Souls Alive, Junkyard Jane, Gin Creek, T-Town Aces, Fingertips and Tumbling Dice will all be doing their part for underprivileged families this year. Look, these times are tough for everyone, but if you can have a fun night out while also making someone else's life a little better, We call that Yahtzee.

4. For years, trumpeter Rich Wetzel and his big band Groovin' Higher Orchestra has been popping up in local bars and restaurants, introducing folks to jazz of years gone by, as well as a few current numbers. At 5 p.m. Wetzel and crew will celebrate the holidays with bag band tunes inside Stonegate Pizza.

5. The routine is simple. You look through the songbooks scattered around the joint, write down a song title and your name on a piece of paper, and hand it to the deejay. In a few minutes, you'll hear him say, "Dave, c'mon down," and the fantasy begins. You're Bob Dylan or Shania Twain - or whoever the hell you want to be. It's cheap therapy, if nothing else. The Mix in Tacoma's Triangle District will fire up its karaoke at 9 p.m.

PLUS: Several events going down today are highlighted in the Weekly Volcano's Weekend Hustle

LINK: Sunday, Dec. 2 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

BANDITO BETTY LOU WHO'S LEAP OF THE DAY >>>

Bandito Betty Lou Who isn't a huge fan of jingtinglers, floofloovers, trumtookas, blumbloopas and the other wack musical instruments her fellow Whos bang during the holiday season. Every two years she gets the hell out of Whoville and spends the holiday season in the South Sound.

She's back. The Weekly Volcano spotted her last week hanging out in the Tacoma Dome District. While she was fiddling with her slooskunka, we went Homeland on her attaching a GPS device to her whocarnio. We're tracking her. Apparently, she loves running the Stadium Bowl stairs.

Today, we found her at leaping inside Corina Bakery in Tacoma's Triangle District. Bandito Betty Lou Who didn't worry about knocking coffee off the tables. This past year the bakery moved down the street into a larger space. It's now more of a gathering hub.

Lou Who placed an order for Mini Cadbury Cheesecakes and Pull-Apart Hot Crossed Buns — two of Corina's holiday specials — then darted out the door. The Weekly Volcano is hot on her trail. Expect more Lou Who action tomorrow.

CORINA BAKERY, 7:30 A.M. TO 7 P.M. MONDAY-FRIDAY, 8 A.M. TO 7 P.M. SATURDAY, 9 A.M. TO 6 P.M. SUNDAY, 602 FAWCETT AVE., TACOMA, 253.627.5070

LINK: Weekly Volcano loves the holidays, cats and crafts, so we joined Pinterest.

MONDAY, DEC. 3 2012 >>>

1. FlowerHouse Tacoma, an installation by Duncan Price in the Hilltop neighborhood a few blocks west of downtown, lights up the dark days of winter with an unexpected glow. Made possible through a grant from the Tacoma Artists Initiative Program (TAIP), Price has transformed his home into a colorful urban conservatory. While a traditional hothouse reveres cultivated blooms, FlowerHouse illuminates invasive species with 28 photographic panels featuring resilient brambles, dandelions and thistles depicted on a heroic scale. It's up through Dec. 31 at South 15th and South G Street.

2. The Pacific Northwest Chamber Orchestra will perform classical favorites such as Bizet's "Prelude to Carmen" and Tchaikovsky's "Capriccio Italien," as well as selections from "The Polar Express" and longtime holiday favorite "Sleigh Ride" in a 7:30 p.m. free concert inside the Centralia College Corbet Theater in Centralia.

3. Jazz saxophonist Kareem Kandi will be joined by Rob Hutchinson on bass and Andre Thomas on drums at 8 p.m. inside The Royal Lounge in Olympia.

4. It's Monday, which means Dj Melodica brings his Monday Showcase show to Magoo's Annex in Tacoma's North End neighborhood. Joining Melodica tonight behind the decks will be DJ Continental Breakfast and the band Green Tea out of Olympia. It should be a funky, groovy time beginning at 9 p.m.

5. It's karaoke with a live band. Earn your rockstar status tonight during Rockaraoke at Jazzbones beginning at 9 p.m.

LINK: Monday, Dec. 3 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area