MONDAY, APRIL 1 2013 >>>

1. If you love to dance, and enjoy long lunch breaks, head to Olympia for a "Dance-In" at the Capitol Building from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. In support of Senate Bill 5613 - the bill that will repeal the Opportunity to Dance Tax - organizers ask those who love to dance to do it in front of the legislature. If you see Democratic Caucus Chair Karen Fraser (D-Olympia), and want her attention, we suggest you bust the dance moves in the video below.

2. The latest show at Kittredge Gallery on the campus of the University of Puget Sound has Seattle painter Cable Griffith's video game-influenced paintings in the main gallery and an installation by sculptor and UPS art faculty member Michael Johnson in the back gallery. Check them out from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Read Alec Clayton's full review of the "Up-Up-Down-Down-Left-Right-Left-Right-B-A-Start" in the Weekly Volcano's Arts section.

3. Collins Memorial Library at the University of Puget Sound dedicates itself to protecting books, but from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. it will eat them at the University's seventh Edible Books Festival. What is an edible book? Duh. An edible book is made of food and inspired by literary titles, characters or authors - such as Lord of the Onion Rings. Be sure to drop by Collins on April Fool's Day and browse for a story you can really dig into. Bring canned food items for St. Leo's Food Connections.

4. Fast Times in Palestine is Pamela Olson's powerful, deeply moving account of life in Palestine - from house parties and barbecues to violence, trauma, and political tensions. Olson will drop by Orca Books at 7 p.m. to chat up the book and answer questions.

5. Do you like the music of John Coltrane, Sun Ra and Jimi Hendrix? Then you should dig The Joe Mailhot Jazz Unit at 8 p.m. inside The Royal Lounge in Olympia.

LINK: Monday, April 1 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

CONTEST BASED ON HIDDEN NUTS >>>

By now you know the Tacoma City Ballet is in the midst of a yearlong scavenger hunt for Golden Krakatuk Nuts. The nuts tie into the company's highly anticipated Dec. 7, 2013 performance, Prequel to The Nutcracker.

Here's a refresher: TCB hides hand-painted Golden Krakatuk Nuts inside jewel boxes around Tacoma; inside the boxes is a scroll with prize details, such as gift certificates, merchandise or tickets to Tacoma City Ballet's World Premier of said Nutcracker in December. Each month through the year, Golden Krakatuk Nuts will be hidden at businesses throughout Tacoma. To find the nuts, decipher the poetic clues, which will be posted at Tacoma City Ballet's website, Facebook page, as well as this blog. You find the Golden Krakatuk Nuts and great riches will be heaped upon you! For complete on the contest and Nutcracker performance, click here.

The April Golden Krakatuk Nut clue dropped this morning. This clue will guide you to a restaurant, shop or other business at which the nuts may be in plain sight or may be behind the counter.

Here you go you nuts:

Searching for the Krakatuk Nut, you are?

Then like Drosselmeyer you must travel far.

Look for beautiful boxes containing the Golden Nut

and other delightful prizes - Who can imagine what?

Only one box is hidden this month in our fair city

And to figure out February's clue, you must be quite witty.

April's Krakatuk Clue:

A sumptuous land of sweets can be found
In one of the most beautiful buildings in all of the town.

Do you know what that means? Are you off to find the golden nut? A limited number of prizes will be available at each location, so speed counts.

And now, for your enjoyment, the Weekly Volcano presents a video from Tacoma City Ballet's Mid-Winter Masquerade Ball held February 2013:

<<< VOTING CLOSED MONDAY, APRIL 1 2013 >>>

Everyone has their least favorite Easter treat - you know, the stuff you find in your basket year after year despite never liking the stuff, never eating it, and even leaving ol' Easter Bunny a note kindly suggesting he spend a little more time on the candy aisle next year, or risk stepping on a strategically placed back-ho during the egg-hiding process.

What? Just us?

Yesterday, thankfully, our Easter baskets were filled with sandwiches. In fact, a good chunk of the South Sound added sandwiches to their Easter munching. Yesterday's Tournament of Sandwiches' vote total nearly doubled the previous record high for most votes in the day. In fact, the voting got so intense in the early afternoon that it broke our little website. Our web dudes had to be pulled away from egg hunts to fix it.

Today, there are four new South Sound sandwich games up for vote. Before you vote, take a gander at yesterday's results. Woah.

Yesterday's Results

Game 1: Jake's Sandwich (Dirty Dave's, 3939 Martin way E., Olympia) vs. Reuben (Eleven Eleven, 1111 S. 11^th St., Tacoma)

Wha huh? Were all the Dirty Dave's supporters napping, or haven't they discovered the Internet yet? The popular pizza parlor was edged out by the fairly new Eleven Eleven by 50 votes yesterday. Dirty Dave's has a salad bar Eleven Eleven could only dream of. Doesn't matter. The Reuben is awesome and enters the Sliced 16.

Game 2: Fishwich (Spar Tavern, 2121 N. 30th St., Tacoma) vs. Lobster Sandwich (Oliver's Sandwiches, 900 Meridian Ave. E., Milton)

Honestly, the Spar Tavern never had a chance in this one. In a day of voting that shattered all previous Tournament of Sandwiches records, Oliver's Sandwiches was likely the catalyst - grabbing more than 90 percent of the votes. Take a moment to digest that performance. If it's a sign of things to come, the Lobster Sandwich - which amazingly entered the tournament as a ninth seed - has the taste to go far in the tournament. Crazy, man. Just crazy.

Game 3: Frenchy Ham & Cheese (Babblin' Babs Bistro, 2724 N. Proctor St., Tacoma) vs. Stinker (STINK - Cheese & Meat, 628 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma)

In perhaps the most hotly contested match yesterday, French-style bistro Babblin' Babs had its beret knocked off by the house of gourmet mac 'n' cheese, STINK. Babblin' Babs came out strong backed by a solid Easter breakfast crowd. STINK came to the table with its grilled peanut butter, blackberry preserves, bacon and blue cheese. As good as the Frenchy Ham & Cheese is - and it's quite delicious - you can't compete with ingredients peanut butter, bacon and blue cheese on their own, let alone combined. STINK moves on to the Sliced 16 after squeaking by with 56 percent of the votes.

Game 4: Steak Torta (Vuelve a la Vida, 5310 Pacific Ave., Tacoma) vs. Italian Grinder (Shamrock Tavern, 11118 Pacific Ave. S., Tacoma)

In the battle of Pacific Avenue, Vuelve's Steak Torta edged out Shamrock's Italian Grinder with 60 percent of the votes. Could the fact the Shamrock Tavern is still recovering from St. Patrick's Day? Whatever, what's done is done. The Steak Torta moves to the Sliced 16.

Stick a toothpick in them! The following are advancing to the next round:

• Eleven Eleven's Reuben
• Oliver's Sandwiches's Lobster Sandwich
• STINK - Cheese & Meat's Stinker
• Vuelve a la Vida's Steak Torta

>>> The daily sandwich battles here on Spew are sponsored by Subway in Orting, Puyallup, Tacoma, Spanaway and Lakewood.

OK, let's check out today's Second Round sandwich battles. Vote for one sandwich joint per battle. Voting for today's sandwich battles ends at 11:45 p.m.

GRAB A PREVIEW TODAY >>>

More than a decade ago Chris Titus had his very own critically acclaimed Fox sitcom, Titus, based on the true-life dysfunctional relationship he had with his father. It unfortunately only lasted two seasons. What followed was a focus on his stand-up career, delivering edgy, confrontational material - custody battles, mental illness, family suicides, heart attacks, domestic abuse and his relationship with his judgmental father - that obviously pushed the envelope instead of brushing the topic under the carpet.

When Titus performs April 11-13 at the Tacoma Comedy Club, you might hear a lot from the voice in his head. Today, his fifth stand-up special The Voice in My Head, drop on his website. For $9 you will discover his worst screw-ups for an hour and 45 minutes. Titus calls it the "Church of the Epic Fail," where every bad decision IS the religion." Turn on your computer, pop some corn and hear all about one sentence that cost him $30 million, his experiences playing Darth Vader at children's birthday parties, "playing" with military attack dogs and a 27 minute epic story about meeting Bruce Springsteen - all involving some sort of idiocy.

To download The Voice in My Head, click here.

TACOMA COMEDY CLUB, 8 P.M. THURSDAY, APRIL 11-SATURDAY, APRIL 13 (18+), ALSO 10:30 P.M. APRIL 12-13 (21+), $15, 933 MARKET ST., TACOMA, 253.282.7203

FUTURE THINGS ARE COMING >>>

Few forgotten '90s alt-rock bands have reinvented themselves as successfully as Kara's Flowers - known these days as funky urban pop-soul outfit Maroon 5, a just-crazy-enough-to-work meld of Jamiroquai and Train.

Maroon 5 headlines the 2013 Honda Civic Tour with Kelly Clarkson and Rozzi Crane on the bus too. The tour rolls into the Gorge Amphitheatre Saturday, Sept. 28. Ticket prices haven't been announced, but they will go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 6 through LiveNation.com, all Ticketmaster outlets and 800.745.3000.

CH-CH-CH-CHANGES >>>

The Phoenix Inn is a downtown Olympia staple. It's the go-to hotel for Weekly Volcano staffer to stumble in after the Best of Olympia party. It also has delicious, fresh-baked cookies in its lobby.

The hotel will undergo a huge remodel this May - one that includes adding a bar and restaurant.

"We plan on remodeling the whole hotel - corridors, rooms, pool, everything," says Janine Condit, general manager. "It's going to be the same feel, just an updated renovation." Condit says rooms will have larger layouts, there will be more conveniences, but no more spa suites - there will still be spa in the pool area.

Condit tells me the bar and restaurant will serve smaller breakfast, lunch and dinner items and bar food and that they will have grab and go morning specials like scrambles and paninis.

What about the fresh baked cookies? Condit assures the staff will still serve guests the coveted treat.

A quick check on the coming bar's liquor license confirms the rumor. PRESS NW is the business name on the application, filed by Aimbridge Concessions, Inc., which does business as the DoubleTree, the full service hotel owned by Hilton Enterprises, with more than 325 locations spread over five continents.

No matter who owns the hotel, a bar in the lobby spells trouble for Volcano staffers needing shut eye after the Best of Olympia party.

CREATURE FROM THE REF LAGOON >>>

Bodies colliding at high speeds. Bruises, bumps, and (occasionally) broken bones.

While the above description may evoke thoughts of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, Bobble Tiki is actually waxing roller derby - and specifically Dockyard Derby Dames' season 7, bout 2 Saturday at the Pierce College Health Ed Center. These tough-as-nails women (professionals, school teachers, nurses, Bobble Tiki face slappers) love nothing more than strapping up the old skates and doling out some punishment on the rink.

You might notice that the Dockyard Derby Dames look a little different than skaters did in '70s derbies - uniforms may have similarities, like team identification, skater name (which has to be completely unique and registered nationally) and short shorts, but that's about where it ends. Unlike the quads of the '70s, today's derby skates have specific wheels, bearings, plates andlubes. Also different are the pad requirements, including kneepads, elbow pads, helmets and mouth guards, and massive cleavage. The contact portion of this contact sport is fairly limited, with the majority of the contact allowable only between hips and shoulders, and never from behind or with the use of elbows. But don't let that fool you - these girls are out for contact, and as tight as the pack moves, anything can happen.

Saturday's bout will feature the losers from the season opener - The Trampires and Femme Fianna squaring off, followed by the two winners - Hellbound Homewreckers and Marauding Mollys - battling. Throughout the action on the floor, a cast of characters - from the two funny announcers, to team mascots to the arm punchers in the beer garden - add to the awesomeness.

PIERCE COLLEGE HEALTH ED CENTER, 5 P.M., $12 ADVANCE, $15 DOOR, $25 VIP, 9402 FARWEST DR., LAKEWOOD, WEBSITE

Follow Bobble Tiki on Tumblr. Someone should.

ONLINE CHATTER >>>

Yesterday's comment of the day came from Chris Van Vechten — Rule 9 Municipal Prosecutor (criminal) at the city of Lakewood — in response to Aaron T. Sherman's op-ed "Online translations vital for equity in Tacoma Public Schools" posted on the Weekly Volcano's new political and policy blog, Town Hall Tourist.

Van Vechten writes,

I really think you should compare the technology in Tacoma's Public Schools to our Private Universities (UPS & PLU). I can't speak to PLU, but UPS is way behind TPS and has been for quite some time.......Students with non-English speaking parents overwhelmingly lack access to the internet and tech skills. We still don't have universal internet, and the poorer you are, the less likely you are to have access to these technologies. These are problems bigger than the school district, requires Federal Intervention. I've long thought this is something where the GOP and Dems could work together on if they were willing to ignore some people. If I were in charge, I would completely defund the US post office, and use the revenue currently going to that service to provide every family in America with a laptop, wireless internet, a fax-machine, printer and scanner. We'd bring every household in America online, we'd reduce needless energy costs by communicating exclusively via email and online billing/banking, and we'd preserve resources likes fuel and paper. The post office mostly exists today to provide junk mail and credit card applications to people with zero credit. It's employees have expensive benefits. It's been an amazing service to the country, but it's use is no longer obvious. We could do more by providing universal internet access to America, and allow package delivery to be conducted by a number of private competing delivery companies.

TUESDAY, APRIL 2 2013 >>>

1. Dave Grohl is pissed that analog is dying and that everything's digital, so he made a documentary about legendary studio Sound City and its soundboard. Sound City was a recording studio in the Van Nuys district of LA that opened in 1969. A few years later, after the installation of a rare Neve recording board, the room became a magical place, spawning mega-selling albums by Fleetwood Mac (as well as the hit-making lineup of the band, with Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks), Pat Benatar, Rick Springfield (yeah, "Jessie's Girl" was done there), Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Ratt, Nevermind, Rage Against the Machine and many more. Yup, this is where Paul McCartney sings with a Cobain-less Nirvana. This flick is for fans of Josh Homme, Stevie Nicks, Trent Reznor and unpolished classic studio rock. See it at 1:45 and 6:45 p.m. inside The Grand Cinema.

2. The Fifth Annual Native American Heritage Art Exhibit has opened at the Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Arts Gallery. The exhibit, which runs through April 25, features a wide variety of works by local and regional Native American artists. These works include paintings, basketry, carved wood pieces and mixed media.

3. The latest show at Kittredge Gallery on the campus of the University of Puget Sound has Seattle painter Cable Griffith's video game-influenced paintings in the main gallery and an installation by sculptor and UPS art faculty member Michael Johnson in the back gallery. Griffith's paintings are abstract, stylized images based on imagery from early video games. Titled "Up-Up-Down-Down-Left-Right-Left-Right-B-A-Start," the show references directions in maps, games, cities and the countryside with schematic renderings of colorful streets, rivers and buildings - Pop Art renderings of the pathways taken by players like the Mario Brothers and PacMan. Griffith will be talking about my work to a group of UPS students at 4 p.m. if you want to grab a peek of him.

4. Quick! Tell us who played Violet Bickerstaff, Screech's love interest, on three episodes of the television show Saved by the Bell? If you said "Tori Spelling," then going to a trivia night might be for you. There are trivia competitions all around the South Sound on a Tuesday night, where you can unleash your inner Ken Jennings. And while you won't approach Jennings-like earnings, you can win some cool stuff, ranging from gift certificates, to concert or sports tickets, to a VHS copy of All of Me, the film starring Lily Tomlin and Steve Martin. Sweet! Two of our favorite Tuesday night trivia are at Fish Tale Brew Pub in Olympia and Farrelli's Wood-Fire Pizza in Tacoma, both start at 8 p.m. In terms of food, Farrelli's pies are hand-tossed, firm but chewy with a flop at the tip. The Jack & John Pizza - Italian sausage, Provolone/mozzarella blend, green and black olives, green onions, artichoke hearts, mushrooms - is so yum! At Fish Tale, go for the ham and Brie. Loaded with deli ham, smothered in nutty melted Brie and nestled between two slices of grilled sourdough, this one takes the trophy with the inclusion of sliced granny smith apples and mellow horseradish.

5. If hearing the sound of your own cackling voice echoing off the walls of your shower stall has you craving the sound of something a bit more harmonious, check out the local songbirds and storytellers at Victory Music Open Mic at 7 p.m. inside the Antique Sandwich Co. It's guaranteed to be jam-packed with gorgeous sounds and humbling verses, as the South Sound's greatest up-and-coming acoustic musicians, poets, and storytellers bare their souls impromptu-style.

LINK: Tuesday, April 2 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

<<< VOTING CLOSED TUESDAY, APRIL 2 2013 >>>

For the last two weeks we presented you with a compelling question: what is the best sandwich in the South Sound? And you have responded in droves. Sick days have been used. Friendships have fallen apart. Meat slicers and cashiers  seeking comfort in new relationships - mass hysteria!

The competition has been whittled down to the Sliced 16. Yes, 16 South Sound sandwiches are poised to make the final push to the Final Four, which will be held Friday.

So, read up on yesterday's action, and then vote on the first four games of the Sliced 16. It's in your hands, mouth, and stomach, folks. Do us proud.

Yesterday's Results

Game 1: Beast of Burden (Top of Tacoma Bar and Cafe, 3529 McKinley Ave. E., Tacoma) vs. Club (5th Avenue Sandwich Shop, 117 Fifth Ave. SE, Olympia)

In perhaps the most hotly contested match of the tournament, scrappy gritty Top of Tacoma Bar and Olympia's 5th Avenue Sandwich Shop fought fiercely all day. Top of Tacoma led off strong with piles and piles of Angus roast beef and booze. 5th Avenue came to the table with its massive portions. As good as Top of Tacoma's Beast of Burden is, it's hard to compete with a specialty sandwich shop in a sandwich tournament, especially one that makes awesome sandwiches. 5th Avenue Sandwich Shop grabbed 53 percent of the votes yesterday and faces Eleven Eleven's Reuben tomorrow.

Game 2: Cuban Fish Sandwich (Asado, 2810 Sixth Ave., Tacoma) vs. Philly Cheesesteak Tempeh (Le Voyeur, 404 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia)

Asado started the game with a psychological ploy, as co-owner John Xitco cranked the Latin music, while dropping the Cuban Fish Sandwich back to set up its zone defense. A strong move that paid off. Le Voyeur, even with its Philly Cheesesteak Tempeh having a good day, couldn't keep up with Asado. The Sixth Avenue Argentinean restaurant ended up with 61 percent of the votes, and a seat in the Sliced 16.

Game 3: Farmhouse Philly (Dirty Oscar's Annex, 2309 Sixth Ave., Tacoma) vs. The Chief (Sparks Firehouse Deli, 621 Fifth St., Puyallup)

Who put the fire out? Dirty Oscar's and its Farmhouse Philly did. Dirty Oscars, while not a sandwich-serving joint, does make an awesome Philly. That said, what might be Dirty Oscar's biggest advantage is experience. The Sixth Avenue restaurant made it to the championship game last year in the Tournament of Breakfast. It knows how to rally the troops, and when to back off the moonshine at the right moment. With 56 percent of the votes, the Farmhouse Philly moves into the Sliced 16 to face STINK's Stinker tomorrow.

Game 4: Banh Mi (Pho King, 1020 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Tacoma) vs. Hot Italian Sub (Meconi's Pub, 709 Pacific Ave., Tacoma)

Neither Pho King nor Meconi's Pub came out for post game interviews. Both restaurants left it on the court yesterday. The "Bread Guy" from BOTH restaurants collapsed after the final buzzer sounded. One vote. One vote is what Meconi's Pub beat Pho King by on the scoreboard. How in the hell will Meconi's fire up its Hot Italian Sub for its game tomorrow with Vuelve a la Vida's Steak Torta. Meconi's will need to summon every spirit residing in its downtown Tacoma historical building. It will need every bit of its happy hour too.

Stick a toothpick in them! The following are advancing to the next round:

• 5th Avenue Sandwich Shop's Club
• Asado's Cuban Fish Sandwich
• Dirty Oscar's Farmhouse Philly
• Meconi's Pub's Hot Italian Sub

>>> The daily sandwich battles here on Spew are sponsored by Subway in Orting, Puyallup, Tacoma, Spanaway and Lakewood.

OK, let's check out today's Sliced 16 sandwich battles. Vote for one sandwich joint per battle. Voting for today's sandwich battles ends at 11:45 p.m.