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

ONLINE CHATTER >>>

Today's Comment of the Day comes from Jennifer Stahl in regards to our post about Captain Nemo's sinking. Stahl is a woman after our own hearts.

Jennifer Stahl writes,

Oh my gosh! I'm so sad about this! My husband and I and our fellow Curtis Jr., High and High School parent friends love to drop off our kids at school before a concert/ play/ other audience-challenging event and then go have a quick snort to fortify us for the evening's entertainment.

SAD NEWS >>>

Back in the late '70s and early '80s, Captain Nemo's was the place to be. Its strong drinks, captain chairs, booths and dance floor below an elevated stage packed them in, especially for bands such at Strypes and Blue Baboons. New dance clubs and grunge put a kibosh on Nemo's hot scene. It eventually morphed into an old-timers bar.

Last night, several hundred people drank Nemo's booze until it was gone. The reason? Captain Nemo's is no longer. The regulars who have been dining there since it opened in 1978 will need to find a new habit, unless they love Italian food, as Massimo Italian Bar & Grill in Gig Harbor will open a second restaurant in ye ol' Captain Nemo's spot.

What are you favorite Captain Nemo's memories?

THE INTERNETS DON'T LIE >>>

Bobble Tiki was crusing the ol' Internets this morning, as he usually does with his ritual latte, Red Bull and shot of Five Hour Energy Drink, when he stumbled (alertly) on news of Spoke and Sprocket's plans to close at the end of May ... Saturday, May 28 to be exact.

You can read all about it here.

In Bobble Tiki's humble opinion, it's sad news that probably calls for something like this ...

FRIDAY, FEB. 4, 2011 >>>

1. From 4:30-8 p.m. Amocat Café will be overrun with brain-slurping zombie goodness and there is nothing any of us can do to stop it. Read the full story here.

2. Beginning at 10 a.m., in proceedings sure to feature much pomp and circumstance, the WIAA Girls State Bowling Championships will go down in our very backyard. Some of the best young female rollers from around Washington will converge on the 10-pin Mecca that is University Place and Narrows Plaza Bowl to test the limits of athleticism and endurance as part of a two-day, no-balls-barred throwdown where only the cream of the bowling crop will emerge victorious. Even more impressive, some competitors will do this while eating CornNuts.

3. In Tacoma, there is a growing movement to use permaculture design to create abundant, thriving systems to that provide for people while supporting ecological function. Grab a primer on the movement at King's Books when they screen the film Permaculture: The Growing Edge at 7 p.m. Expect to pay $5-$8 for your new knowledge.

4. Harlequin Productions is chicking up its stage production of The Last Schwartz tonight. It's Ladies Night Out featuring free champagne and chocolate from 7-7:30 p.m. before the 8 p.m. show. Groups of six or more chicks will receive 20 percent off.

5. The excitedly named "TacSea! TacSea!: A Celebration of Music, Art and Life" event at Varsity Grill in Tacoma has a lot of promise to it. Not only does the inclusion of exclamation marks usually indicate good times, but musical guests like Brooklyn Pool and Xylophones only add to the urgency. Pre-show hype promises "an eclectic dance party and art showcase like no other." See if that's a good thing beginning at 9 p.m.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: New movies open today

THE LOWDOWN ON WHAT'S UP THIS WEEKEND >>>

WEATHER REPORT

Friday: Look outside
Saturday: Rain, hi 49, lo 40
Sunday: Cloudy, hi 45, lo 33

>>> FRIDAY, JAN. 28: ARTIFAKT @ THE NEW FRONTIER

Artifakt shows are traditionally off the hook. If you've never been, you'll simply have to trust us on this one ... or better yet, get your ass down to The New Frontier Lounge tonight. We're talking live art by Dave Bloomfield, Jeremy Gregory (solid Motopony story in this month's Tacoma City Arts), Xavier Lopez and others. On the musical side, Kalex, Dyonysys, Big Chuck, The Matthews Dave Band and more will keep everyone inspired.

• The New Frontier Lounge, 9 p.m. to close, $5, 301 E 25th St., Tacoma, artifaktart.org

>>> SATURDAY, JAN. 29: FALL FROM GRACE (AND THE SEXY ASS MCDONALD BROS)

Fall From Grace is a band that's seen more than most. Even before emerging from the Seattle area music scene - kicking, screaming, thrashing and hand-clapping with the best of them - each member had already overcome odds and dealt with experiences that might have buried most. Then, after winning the Fuse TV Bodog Music Battle of the Bands competition in the middle of the decade, which included a $1 million recording contract with Bodog Music, the band has also dealt with all the crap that comes along with that kind of "success." Today, T-Town ass-kickers and Jet City Fix alums Justin and Ty McDonald have joined the Fall From Grace mix, making the benefit Saturday at Stonegate Pizza all the more intriguing. All money raised will go to benefit the family of Bill Jordan, who passed away far too young last November.

• Stonegate Pizza, with Atomic Outlaws, Plaster, 8 p.m., $5 minimum donation, 5421 South Tacoma Way, Tacoma, 253.473.2255

>>> SATURDAY, JAN. 29: VOXXY VALLEJO @ CHEER'S WEST

Voxxy Vallejo is few in numbers but formidable in power. On stage, the numbers don't matter - as the blues heavy guitar licks of Gene Vallejo spliced with the awe factor of Voxxy’s vocals is more than enough to carry the show. Saturday, the band will play one of its last local shows in a while, as they plan to hunker down and finish work on the next record after what should be a memorable night at Cheer's West.

• Cheers West, 9:30 p.m., $5, 7102 27th St. West, University Place, 253.267.1382
  

>>> WHERE OUR STAFF IS GOING

MATT DRISCOLL Editor (the guy to blame)
We've got a wedding to attend Saturday (and OH how I LOVE weddings), and then I accidentally signed up to help my sister move Sunday. It's crazy how that stuff happens. I vowed in the the early oughts to never help with another move as long as I lived -- even if it was family. Since, I've helped friends and family move aproximately 27 times.

BRETT CIHON Meat Market Correspondent/Features Writer
I'm heading to the Old General Store Steakhouse & Saloon on Friday night. I'm looking to get a juicy burger and a nice beer while I sit back and listen to the live country music. Yee Haw!

REV. ADAM MCKINNEY: Music Writer
My only plan for the weekend is to attend the Apache Chief album release show on Saturday (sorry, Miles). It'll undoubtedly be a fun show, being that it also features such talents as the woozy psychedelia of the Drug Purse, the pounding acid rock of Night Beats, and the giddily noisy punk-rock of Red Hex (sorry, Sam).

JOANN VARNELL Theater Critic
Plans. Yes, yes I have them. Friday night I'm headed to the all-ages, Slowwave CD release party at the Peabody Waldorf (8 p.m.) with my little son in tow. Saturday night I'll be attending/reviewing Tacoma Musical Playhouse's production of The Drowsy Chaperone. Sunday will be spent at church, napping and cleaning the house.

CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL: Theater Critic
This is the penultimate weekend for Frost/Nixon at Tacoma Little Theatre, plus drunken karaoke Friday night. I will not only be a creep but also a weirdo, yet may also take a long ride on my motorbike.

STEPH DEROSA  Person, Place or Thing Correspondent 
This weekend the Weekly Volcano hired a babysitter for me by the name of "Anne," who happens to also be one of the SOTA interns at the WV offices.  I plan on taking her through a traditional hazing by making her push a penny with her nose through a puddle of urine and french kiss a goat. Then I'll tell her I'm doing a feature story on first-time heroin users and make her "chase the dragon" off a sheet of heated tin foil while I take pictures.

ALEC CLAYTON: Visual Arts Critic
 I'm going to sit in the front part of the hairdresser and read old magazines while my wife gets her hair cut.

*

STEVE DUNKELBERGER Meat Market Photographer
Artifakts show at the New Frontier and geocaching around Tacoma because that is how I roll.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

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!

BECAUSE WE NOW HAVE A MILLION IN THE AREA >>>

Neighborhood: University Place

Address/Phone: 4828 Bridgeport Way W., 253.564.9112

Website: Click here

Hours: 4:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Friday, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. Sunday

Noshing/Sipping: In a glass display case, sandwiches, salads, breakfast sandwiches, yogurt and baked goods await your pressed nose. The sandwiches and salads are straight out of the Europa Bistro kitchen. My favorite, the Al Capone with proscuito, mozzarella, artichoke heart, basil, olive oil on sliced Como bread, bursts with flavor. Asked for it grilled. It's to kill for. I believe a full stick of butter went into the making of the bacon breakfast sandwich. Schwartz Bros. Bakery out of Seattle supplies the pastries, including bagged bagels.

Espresso is delicious. Their creamy, Mocha Italia tastes chocolaty but never sickly sweet, and the cappuccinos and lattes are rich and full flavored. The Venetian Latte with its brown sugar sends me to heaven without the crash. They also serve juices, sodas, tea and wine. Yup, wine.

Standard Cup o' Joe: $1.60-$2.10

Bean Source: Signature bean blend from Dillano's Coffee Roasters in Sumner

Crowd: I think it's the world headquarters for the Mother/Daughter Beauty Pageant. Seriously, at least in the morning, moms and their 20-something daughters have the full attention of the neighboring Precision Tune employees, that guy who's always there with his laptop, guys just back from a run and, surprisingly, the two elderly women knitting in front of the fireplace, which isn't turned on yet.

Soundtrack: Sometimes there's music in the morning, but it's too low to hear over the people chatting.

WiFi: Yes

Bonus Points: Choose glass pours and bottles of Novelty Hill-Januik, Stina's and Woodhouse Family Cellars off the wine board in the back. Also, Forza is giving away a scooter. Fill out the slip of paper before Sept. 15, then cross your fingers. You can enter once a day.

The House:

Forza, in Italian, signifies "Strength." You'll need every bit of your strength trying to pull into this Forza between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m. on weekdays. The traffic stacks up in front of the parking lot in which is already filled with cars waiting for a tune-up. Plus, the cars idling in the drive-thru line overflow out onto Cirque Drive West. It's mayhem! Inside, during this hour, the baristas play bumper cars with their bodies.

The other hours of the day, this Forza - part of a local franchise founded by Brad Carpenter - has a mellower vibe. Golden hues and dark woodsdominate the long, narrow space. It's on the small side compared to the other Forza locations.

My guess if I hurled a Schwartz Bros. bagel at one of the barista's heads, I'd still receive a smile. Forza Coffee Company has received awards for its customer service. At this location, the staff has their sights on the next award.