... we've decided to pull the plug on ourselves rather than watch another month go by without new posts.

It was fun getting to know our readers online and in person. It was fun making t-shirts and having several of our t-shirts stolen. It was fun crafting inappropriate photo illustrations. But now it's time to stop having fun. Let us pay tribute to what was:

Kelly: "Poor GritCity. I'll be sad to see it go. All I can say is, I'll carry you all in the fannypack of my heart."

Laura: "Blogging about Tacoma almost made me want to move to Tacoma."

Cole: "I’ll miss all the virtual friends and virtual money we made."

Niki: "I don’t even work here anymore."

In other words, thanks and happy Thanksgiving (almost). Feel free to share your remembrances or just delete us from your RSS feeds.

Oh, also, you should follow thenewstribune.com on Twitter. I happen to know the user name and password and occasionally sneak some fake stories humor in when the bosses aren't looking.

You know we GritCitizens are devoted fans of the Big Buck Hunter arcade game. But when it comes to warfare with actual animals ...

The hundreds of elk that stamp around yards and chew up fruit trees in the mountain towns near Mount Rainier have given residents fits for years.

But a state proposal to use hunting to reduce conflicts between Lewis County residents and the rhododendron eaters has drawn fire from the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, which has hunting rights in the area.

"Elk trampling a garden is not a good reason to doom an entire herd," said Fred Dillon, the tribe’s natural resource policy representative. "These decisions should be based on clear scientific evidence, not public relations."

... I think there's only one fair way to go about it: Arm the elk.

Photo by Peter Haley / Photo "enhancement" by Laura Gentry

Judging by the comment thread on that story, I smell a Pro-elk vs. Anti-elk civil war a-brewin'. Which side are YOU on?

Quick, you have approximately 45 minutes to abandon work or whatever it is you people do and get to TCC:

This fall the Artist & Lecture Series at Tacoma Community College presents comedian and writer Larry Wilmore. Wilmore will speak on campus Oct. 15 at 11:30 a.m. in the Student Center. The event is free and open to the public.

If you go, report back! I'll be stuck in the office on a conference call. My life is just that glamorous.

Sorry for the late notice! And sorry for the lack of posts (again).

It's about time.

I have been a good sport for the past few months, politely watching other sports with my friends. Don't get me wrong, it's great to see the Hawks again. But the massive letdown of the Mariners this year and my decision to forget that Washington State plays football has lead to a boring few months sports wise for me.

Until now.

I am one of the silent minority of die-hard hockey fans. No, I'm not Canadian. And I don't have an accent straight out of Fargo. I just am knowledgeable enough to understand that hockey is the best sport. And it deserves much more attention.

As I settle into my permanent home of Tacoma, ready to don my Calgary Flames sweater and watch hockey, I ask those special few out there: Where is the best place to watch hockey? Is there a restaurant or watering hole out there with people who know the difference between slashing and spearing?

Or am I alone? Am I the only one who watches Versus for something other than hunting and second-rate college football?

After having spent the waning days of summer soaking my 27-year-old bones in an Oregon hot springs, I come home to this.

Rain. Cold. A hungry cat who wants to know why I left the window ajar and the heater off.

Today may be my first day back in the office, but I'm determined to hang onto some of that vacation bliss.

So here's my oh-crap-it's-suddenly-fall remedy: Equal parts David Bowie (circa Ziggy Stardust for me, please) and Thai green curry (I like Silk Thai and Indochine).

Eat, rock, wear a sweater.

Former TNT arts critic Jen Graves (hi Jen!) thinks you have a sexual problem.

She cites three suggestive marketing messages from T-town that she's had the "pleasure" of discovering since this summer. So what gives? Are you feeling a little feisty lately, Tacoma?

If you were going to write a suggestive marketing message for the city, a particular event or location, what would it be? Keep it moderately vanilla, people. I don't wanna regret this post.

I'll start:

"Is that a Tall Ship in our South Sound or is Tacoma just happy to see you?"

AP Photo/David J. Phillip

Not that this has much to do with Tacoma and its surroundings, but it's dominating the news cycle today and dominating much of my concentration. One of my besties lives in Houston and is drinking heavily and hunkering down in hopes that the hurricane won't pick him up and drop him in Oz. Here's his most important live update from The Storm Zone:

So we're dealing with Hurricane Ike. When I noticed it would be hitting the Texas coast I immediately sought to find out if there is a Tina, Texas. Alas, there is not.

However, tickets to TINA TURNER'S CONCERT go on sale Monday. Yes, Monday.

And that's why he's one of my besties.

Do y'all have people you're worried about in that area of the country? If WE were facing a 900-mile wide storm, how would you be passing the time? Or would you high-tail it out of town? I'm fairly certain I would be hiding under my bed with a bottle of Grey Goose.

Also, check out this amazing satellite image of Hurricane Ike from space. Can we please have our A1 story on this hurricane tomorrow be Hurricane YIkes?!

R.R. Anderson's comment on the post below inspired me. I had to go looking for a new blog mascot. Something gritty, but charming. Something with joy in its heart and impaired movement in its paws.

I think I found him.

Blueberry the Great Dane.

I apologize on behalf of all of us for the lame state of things here on GritCity. Yes, the mood around here has been somewhat hectic and depressing at times, but we're looking for a way out of this funk.

But first, let's submerse ourselves in the funk as much as possible to get it out of our systems. I found this great time-lapse video of the Tacoma waterfront on YouTube. It's a minute of semi-emo zen that I need to indulge in before I can properly write more posts full of frivolous non-news.

Alright, Tacoma, I feel better. What's going on out there?

A while back I wrote about the Dead Gentlemen, Tacoma filmmakers whose comedy "The Gamers" has won several major geek awards since its release in 2002. The team will attend the Penny Arcade Expo for a screening of the sequel, "The Gamers: Dorkness Rising," this Friday night in Seattle. And they'll sign autographs and chat up the crowd at 2 p.m. Sunday at Comic Book Ink in Tacoma.

Also, be sure to read EJ's Sunday Soundlife story in which we catch up with the Gentlemen.

On a side note, one of my most regrettable Epic Fails was, eh, failing to accept a most gracious invitation from the Gentlemen to join a new weekly D&D game. I was simply too busy, what with working full time and cracking the proverbial whip in the direction of my teenager. I'm not sure if the game ever got up and running, but I'm sorry I had to miss out.

Tacoma's rollerderby chicks are moving into the National Guard Armory at 715 S. 11th St. As far as I can tell, it's not a coup in the making. It's just the acquisition of a new practice space, so they say. We'll see.

In the meantime, you can catch their next match/bout/pummel-skating thing this weekend. Doors open at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Tacoma Soccer Center, 2610 Bay St. E. Tickets are $10 in advance at www.brownpapertickets.com or $12 at the door. For more info, go to www.dockyardderbydames.org. Season ends in October.

The next season of HBO's "Entourage" is upon us, and I haven't been having much luck with my ill-advised search for local entourages. We ran an invitation in that print thingy we do. But I thought maybe a post might help generate some interest.

Here's the idea: Tell me about your entourage. Who's your Vinny Chase? Who's your Drama? Who's your Turtle? Your Eric? Do you have an Ari? If you have characters in your squad who correlate – even roughly – to any or all of those in the show, or if you just want to brag a bit about how you and your friends roll, drop me a line at bill.hutchens@thenewstribune.com. The invitation is open to men and women. Send photos - the type we can publish in family newspaper. I can't promise not to judge you. I can't even promise to try not to judge you. But, as Bart Simpson once said, "I'll try to try."

The legal stuff goes a little something like this: submissions become the property of The News Tribune and may be reprinted in any form.