Every New Year's Eve we do it to ourselves. Why? Is it the sweet clink of the ice cubes? The exhilarating pop of the cork? Or just the way the night seems to open up into endless magical possibilities?

Whatever it is, things aren't so magical the next morning. There's nothing glamorous or exhilarating about bloodshot eyes swollen shut. Instead of trying to remember who dropped the poison into your eyeballs, soothe the savage orb with wikiHow's seven steps to cure puffy eyes. You're so welcome.

From everyone at the Weekly Volcano and Spew land, we wish you a happy new year!

LINK: 5 Ways to be a Better (cough) You!

The Weekly Volcano and Spew would like to wish you a Happy Turkey Day! We hope you and a few others huddle around what little warmth there is in a increasingly cold and uncaring universe, sipping, supping, and supporting one another - because there is nothing else worth doing.

Love each other.

Then go find some karaoke.

HUNGRY? >>>

The crew at the Antique Sandwich Co. has really mastered the art of the sandwich, and this skill extends to their bagel special ($4.25), which is so special it might have a permanent spot on the menu.

This delicious belly-stuffer - homemade smoked salmon and cream cheese concoction loaded with sprouts, tomato and onion stacked high between two toasted Cascade bagel halves - will stick with you for many hours. The two bagel halves barely clear one's mouth, even after a hard press.

Show up at 7 a.m. at Abby will pair the special with a cup of espresso.

Antique Sandwich Co.

7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. daily
5102 N. Pearl St., Ruston
253.752.4089

LINK: Named Best Open Mic in the 2010 Best of Tacoma

ONLINE CHATTER >>>

Today's comment comes from Brenda Groboski in response to Steve Dunkelberg's photographic ode to the Ruston tunnel.

Groboski writes,

The Ruston Tunnel is an icon which, probably has out-lived its time. Must be treacherous for two HUMMERS to pass in. We all know that progress and expansion dictate that the old must be done away with. I am sincerely sad to see the tunnel go. BOOOOOOO Point Ruston for not being able to incorporate a way to allow the tunnel to stay with limited use.

The end.

WE'RE A BIG BOY NOW >>>

The Weekly Volcano's "personal" Facebook page is closing in on FB's 5,000 friends limit. Holy wow is right. We've started a "fan" page, which will allow us to compile as many friends/fans as technologically possible. If you're on FB and dig the Volcano's posts, quips, discoveries and news breaks – as well as content that doesn't appear either online or in print – go to facebook.com/weeklyvolcanofanpage and please "like" us.

Bonus: To make you really "like" us, we will enter those who "like" us before 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 8 into a random drawing for a free one night stay for two in a King Deluxe Room at the Hotel Murano. You will need to redeem the room before June 30, 2011.

The new Weekly Volcano Facebook page will also be your guide to exclusive Weekly Volcano events, promotions, blogs and photos.

Thank you!

LINK: Like us

THE POLLS ARE NOW OPEN >>>

Spring is in the air.

This means lust is in the air - and in the pages of the Weekly Volcano.

Once again, the Volcano is unleashing The Sexy Issue, giving one and all the chance to gaze at the sexiest people in the South Sound - as voted on by all of you, our dear readers.

Our annual celebration of the flesh, The Sex Issue is the Weekly Volcano's way of showcasing the South Sound's sexiest denizens - and by denizens we don't mean celebrities; we're talking about regular dudes and dudettes who just happen to look sexy as hell. Not just cliché sex appeal, of no relation to AXE Deodorant Body Spray campaigns, and certainly much more than mere looks, the Volcano Sexy Issue attempts to answer simple question: What defines sexiness in the South Sound?

This year, we are asking you to nominate the person who makes you all hot and bothered in the following categories: Bartender, Barista, Delivery Person, Real Estate Agent, Athlete, Servicemember, Drummer, Tattoo Artist and Mom.

On Thursday, June 2, the Weekly Volcano will publish The Sexy Issue, immortalizing the sexy, chosen few forever.

Help us find them.

Voting ends May 12 - so help the Weekly Volcano find the South Sound's hottest citizens. Vote today!

Vote for the South Sound's sexiest people (please include where they work):

ACCESS SOUTH SOUND DRINK SPECIALS IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND >>>

The Weekly Volcano Happy Hour App has up-to-date listings of happy-hour offerings from bars, clubs, taverns and restaurants from Tumwater to Federal Way, from Gig Harbor to Bonney Lake. As of now, some 160 happy hours are listed - with more being added on a constant basis.

Your smart phone tells the app where you are, you specify any special happy-hour needs you might have, and - voilà - you've got a detailed list of every happy hour around, including specials and when that happy hour ends. The list is sorted by distance from your current location, and you can turn your phone sideways for a Google map of the nearest picks. Can't decide which one to try? Give the phone a good shake and the app will randomly select a happy hour for you.

The Weekly Volcano Happy Hour app is available for iPhone, Android and Blackberry. And no matter what platform you use, it's free - so you can save your money for that last half-price margarita or two-for-one beer special of the night.

The Happy Hour section at weeklyvolcano.com has been redesigned to carry the same information as the phone app.

More good news: Because the Weekly Volcano has partnered with GoTime.com, our happy hour app doesn't only work in the South Sound; it also works in 160 other cities around the country.

LINK: Download the app to your phone

LINK: Our new nifty happy hour section

LINK: Scenes from the App Launch Party

Here's something to watch

LET'S DO THIS 2011 THING >>>

Ah, the sweet artificiality of the New Year - the reassurance of a clean calendar, of resolutions for self-improvement. And then you pick up the newspaper, and that pure artifice of the change of year, that vagarious demarcation of another arbitrary moment, is rendered meaningless by the inexorably continuing chains of events that know no boundaries defined by pages in a calendar. (Remember, the Chinese and the Jews have their own calendars, no less arbitrary, no more meaningful.)  It's no wonder revelers seem to work so hard trying to have a good time as the countdowns begin.

We here at the Weekly Volcano and Spew hope you had a nice holiday season and we wish you the best all year around.

HO HO HO >>

Every year our Christmas dinner has one flaw.  We have no gripes about eating the same menu annually - ham with cherry sauce, green bean casserole, twice-baked potatoes, and freshly baked rolls. It's the Jell-O salad that gets us. 

Our mom makes a strange concoction of dark cherry Jell-O with Coca-Cola and bits of cream cheese, which is not as bad as it sounds, but she serves us a slab on top of a piece of iceberg lettuce.  The lettuce is our mom's way of dressing up a barren salad plate, but the lettuce taste is transferred to the Jell-O.  We end up eating lettuce-flavored Jell-O, and trust us we've protested. 

As we gather around the Christmas dinner table with family and friends - feeling fortunate to even have food, family and friends - no doubt we'll have Jell-O on lettuce again.  We'll eat it, with a smile

What ever this day brings you, the Weekly Volcano staff wishes you a merry one. As always, thanks for reading, commenting and joining the fun. Cheers!