TUESDAY, JULY 8 2014 >>>

1. I remember the day when my junior high buddies and I finished our weekly Wednesday of all-you-can-eat Pizza Haven feast then strolled into the Villa Plaza to check out girls inside the Liberty House store. Suddenly girls took a back seat when sitting in the middle of the store was the debut of Pong. The store manager had to kick us out. Today, video-game competitions are serious business, with tens of thousands of dollars in prize money at stake, sponsorship deals and all the other trappings of a big-league sport. But there was a time when video games were much simpler - and probably a lot more fun, too. The Tacoma Public Library wants my generation to relive those good times. It's hosting a Retro Video Gaming for Grownups night from 5-7 p.m., erecting Atari, Nintendo Entertainment System, PS1 and Gamecube systems. Who's up for some Missile Command? Oh joystick! 

2. Jessica Oreck's documentary Aatsinki: The Story of Artic Cowboys chronicles a year-in-the-life of Finnish reindeer herder brothers Aarne and Lasse Aatsinki's rugged existence. Hear sounds of crackling flames, the insistent rasp of wind against her microphone and the hum of a generator at 2:30 and 6:30 p.m. in The Grand Cinema.

3. Join author Novella Carpenter for a reading from her latest book, Gone Feral, at 6 p.m. in the Olympia Timberland Library. After writing the national best seller, Farm City, Carpenter has turned to write a more personal book about her family. The book documents her quest to find her missing mountain man father. Novella was raised in Shelton, and currently lives in Oakland, Calif. 

4. This may be a bit weird, but our favorite smell in the world is polyester ink. The strong odor makes us weak in the knees, which is why we are pumped for Last Word Books' poetry reading at 7 p.m. Last Word moved to 111 Cherry Street NE in Olympia, sharing a building with local screen printing company Don't Stop Printing. Sure, our ears will be tuned to poets Adam Hassel, Paul Elliott, Craig Harrison, Cleo Divine and Tess Elizabeth, but our noses will be wandering.

5. The Doors tribute band The American Night hits the Red Wind Casino's stage at 8 p.m. Strange days have found us.

LINK: Tuesday, July 8 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area