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Tuesday, August 26th, 2008
Posted by Bill Hutchens @ 06:22:54 pm
 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. Wednesday, August 20th, 2008
Posted by Bill Hutchens @ 05:27:14 pm
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.
Categories: Miscellany, This Just In
Monday, August 18th, 2008
Posted by Bill Hutchens @ 06:51:34 pm
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.
Categories: TV rots your brain. We love it!
• 4 comments
Posted by Bill Hutchens @ 06:34:15 pm
I covered the South Tacoma Business District Association's 12th Annual Classic Car Show Saturday, but I didn't get these pictures in time for the print edition. I walked into this annual street fair right about the time the judges were starting to hand out awards. It was cool to see a Tacoma couple, Rick and Penny Olson, win two trophies, both the Ladies' Choice award and the Show Favorite award. Take a look at these shots, taken by judge Taanya Tucker, to see why they won. There were about 300 cars at the show, all of them worthy of trophies. But this '37 Ford custom convertible caught the judges' attention – and mine:   Wednesday, August 13th, 2008
Posted by Kelly Davenport @ 04:43:40 pm
Please excuse the camera-phone pic, but I had to share the cool new sign hanging at Satellite Coffee. Gotta dig the curlicue font and tattoo-like style.  It's by Chris Sharp, of course. You've seen his work at the Rosewood Cafe and Corina Bakery and other places I'm forgetting. This June, he won Tacoma's first "Foundation of Art" award. Our arts writer Rosemary talks about that here. I'm no art critic, but the thing I like about his work is that you can see it's made my human hands. There's a warmth and a timeless quality to hand-painted signs. Like they've been there forever. That warmth is a simple thing, but one that's woefully lacking in so many things. Now, I can't paint, but I can make pizza dough. And to paraphrase my favorite (and only) Zen baking teacher, Hands are happiest when being hands. I've got a bag of flour calling my name. So tell me, what have you guys been working on? Wednesday, August 6th, 2008
Posted by Cole Cosgrove @ 05:20:37 pm
 Today's Wall Street Journal has a story about Tacoma native Dale Chihuly. Some of the quotes from the review include "nauseated by the grotesque, gleaming, pointless excess" and "Disney-like." While one San Francisco art critic dismissed Chihuly as an interior decorator, this reviewer says: "I wouldn't go that far. Team Chihuly decorates exterior spaces as well." Ouch. News Tribune photo by Peter Haley
Categories: Art!
• 2 comments
Tuesday, August 5th, 2008
Posted by Kelly Davenport @ 02:57:59 pm
I think it's fair to measure a town's vibrancy by the number of fliers hanging around on telephone poles and bulletin boards. And lately, I see amazing street art popping up everywhere. I've spied some concert posters that look like the precise pen-and-ink handiwork of Sean Alexander from the Helm. And even an illustrated yard sale poster at Satellite Coffee that I would've hung on my wall. (Alas, I didn't make it to the sale.) Today at Blackwater, I picked up a couple of fliers that got cosmically intertwined in my head. The first is for a zine-making event at King's Books this Friday night from 4 to 6 p.m. It's free. Donations accepted. Which makes me think of my favorite zine artist, Nicole J. Georges of Portland, a rad gal who shares my love of secretary eyeglasses and animals. (That's her work down below.) You can find her collections – I recommend "Invincible Summer" – and some other artwork on buyolympia.com. She's also queer. Read her witty blog here. Which brings me to the other flier, advertising what could be Tacoma's first weekly get-together for queer 20-somethings. It's this Thursday at 7. Read more about it here. Art! Acceptance! Rosy, indeed.  Wednesday, July 30th, 2008
Posted by Laura Gentry @ 10:32:46 am
I would like to please direct your attention to one of our morning updates: Olympia mailman wants kilts added to uniform Any kilt wearers in the house want to speak to this?
Categories: Fashion
• 5 comments
Monday, July 28th, 2008
Posted by Kelly Davenport @ 10:55:47 pm
Thank you all for your help finding a good kite-flying spot. Vassault Park and its grassy knoll have proved perfecto. I can even get in some prime swinging at the playground after the kite sesh. Happy cell phone pic. Yay summer. 
Categories: Fitness/Outside
• 1 comment
Saturday, July 26th, 2008
Posted by Kelly Davenport @ 05:18:37 pm
Every once in a while, I like to do something really wild and crazy like forget to pay a parking ticket. Did I say forget? I probably meant willfully ignore. Well, gentle reader, no more. I have been suitably chastened. The sight of a city meter maid/man-maid in orange vest and sensible walking shorts is enough to make me circle the block until I find a legit spot. No more toying with fate and 15-minute zones. That's because I spent two-and-a-half hours on my day off getting my vehicle tabs renewed, all due to an old parking ticket. Allow me to share. Did I say share? I probably meant whine uncontrollably.
10 a.m. Wake up. Eat huge triple berry muffin from Corina Bakery. Feel like the world is on my side. Listen to Sera Cahoone. Hum all the way to Fife. 10:20. Emissions testing! How quaint! I pay 15 dollars for a woman to put a sensor somewhere in my vehicle for approximately 30 seconds. I am still eating the muffin, so it's all fine. 10:40. Creep down Tacoma Avenue trying to decipher the signage outside the County-City Building. There appear to be many courts in one building. But will anyone inside take my money for my parking ticket? Circle the block three times to find a safe spot. Walk. Sweat. 11:02. Ask security guard/metal detector attendant if I can pay my ticket inside. Smile. Place purse in X-ray machine. Set off detector with my metal-buckled boots. Apologize. Smile. Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008
Posted by Bill Hutchens @ 06:43:10 pm
He's done it in practice. Tacoma's Mark Kirsch, owner of World Strongman Entertainment, is going to try to pull a Boeing 767 at least 100 feet this Saturday at Boeing Field. The event is a fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound, and it coincides with the 80th anniversary celebration for King County International Airport. Originally, Kirsch just wanted to pull a measly little 737, but he had to go up a few numbers to the 767 because that was the only plane available to him. "I couldn't believe it," Kirsch said of his first close-up with the object he expects to tow (on foot, by the way, in case that wasn't clear earlier). "When I first saw it, I said 'no way.'" But in practice last week, on July 15, he towed the enormous 202,000-pound plane the target distance. Saturday, he'll be working against a slight slope, but he said he thinks he can do it. "The secret is making everything fire at one moment to apply all the thrust at once," Kirsch said. "Then you just have to keep it moving." Kirsch, a Wilson grad, class of 1998, said it takes about six years to train and condition one's body for this type of stunt. To simulate pulling an enormous object, he straps on a harness that is roped to a rack bolted to the ground. Then he tries to pull the rack out of the ground. It's an impossible task, but it works the right muscles, he said. Saturday's celebration starts at 10 a.m., and the plane pull should take place around 11 a.m. In the meantime, here are a few photos from last week's practice session:    Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008
Posted by Bill Hutchens @ 01:48:08 pm
Here's the rest of the Ralph Porter audio:
Categories: Night life, This Just In
Posted by Bill Hutchens @ 01:45:32 pm
Ralph Porter, longtime host of the Ha-Ha Tuesdays comedy night over at Jazzbones, is moving up in the world. Ralph recently sent me an e-mail letting me know he was headed to Los Angeles for some high-profile tapings, appearances on BET's "Comic View" and HBO's "Def Comedy Jam." I talked to Ralph on the phone Monday. I'll let him explain: Ralph is back from his "Comic View" taping and awaiting his September "Def Comedy Jam" taping. In the meantime, he'll host Ha Ha Tuesdays as well as his Friday night gig in Seattle. (Listen to the audio!) Also, the "Jeremy" we talk about is Jeremy Wood, another comic I'm planning to write about. Ralph is hosting a benefit for Jeremy this Wednesday night at Jazzbones. See you there.  Ralph Porter, host of Ha Ha Tuesdays at Jazzbones, keeps the crowd laughing during breaks between acts. (Drew Perine/The News Tribune)
Categories: Night life, This Just In
Monday, July 21st, 2008
Posted by Bill Hutchens @ 02:17:11 pm
Hi. I'm Bill. But enough about me. I just got word from John Munn, owner of Comic Book Ink over on Tacoma's East Side, that his store has received its fourth Eisner nomination. For you non-comic-book geeks, the Eisners are the comic-book world's Oscar equivalent. It's a big deal. John is headed to the San Diego Comic-Con – that's the big one, the show Hollywood descends upon every year for "new" movie ideas. In a ceremony this Friday, John will find out if his store wins the Will Eisner Spirit of Retailing award. His is one of about two dozen stores nominated for the award, from more than 4,000 comic book stores around the world. "It's just mind numbing to be nominated a fourth time," John said on the phone today. But there's another bit of news in all of this. John says he's planning to open a second Comic Book Ink store. He won't divulge the location, but Comic Book Ink – Volume 2 should open in October 2009 but no later than May of 2010. John, an October baby, said he'd like to follow in George Lucas' tradition of opening in his birthday month. Comic Book Ink opened Oct. 22, 2002. But May holds Free Comic Book day, so that might work for a grand opening, too, he said. "It'll be a smaller store, a satellite store," John said. "I've always dreamed of having two stores, and possibly a third down the road, so this is the next phase of all that."
Categories: This Just In
• 4 comments
Saturday, July 19th, 2008
Posted by Cole Cosgrove @ 12:12:38 pm
So a B-2 stealth bomber just flew over my house. No doubt part of the air show at McChord this weekend. Unless, of course, it's working for Google maps.
Categories: Observed
• 5 comments
Friday, July 18th, 2008
Posted by Brian Everstine @ 09:55:56 pm
Tomorrow I get the pleasure of hosting my parents, brother and his family. Naturally, being a n00b (as kalvyn so 1337-ly put it) I am at a loss of what to do. It is a daunting task because 1. I need to entertain my parents, two 30-somethings (happy birthday Angie) and two little ones for a day. 2. (Much more importantly) They are visiting my sister in Seattle as well, so I need to show them that Tacoma is far superior. Right now, my ideas are going to Point Defiance Zoo (for the little ones) and maybe Frisko Freeze. Fun. I am not really interested in suggestions. I am a big boy, and I can figure it out. For those who moved here, do you remember your first parent/family visit to T-town? What did you do? What was their impression?
Categories: Miscellany
• 1 comment
Wednesday, July 16th, 2008
Posted by Brian Everstine @ 05:39:13 pm
I have found my version of hell, and it is the intersection of Sixth and Sprague. I have lost most of my youth waiting to turn left onto Sprague at this demonic location. Alas, I must go there every day. The light always taunts me as I approach. This brilliant green arrow is my Tacoman dream, a wish that I may have a short, pleasant drive to the office. But whenever I ease my sweet '95 Escort into the turning lane, with the blinker confidently flashing, it shuts me down and I am stuck in the mocking gaze of the red light. Oh well, it beats commuting on I-5.
Categories: Commuting
• 3 comments
Posted by Cole Cosgrove @ 01:54:40 am
Clean up your yard and put away the recycle bins. It appears that Google is filming the streets of Tacoma this week to add to its Street View interactive map feature. Portland and Spokane have already been captured, so now it looks like it's our turn in front of Google's 360° panoramic car-mounted cameras. Saturday morning about 8 a.m., driving on Union at South 19th Street, I spotted a car that looked a lot like the one at right. (Flickr user jimery took this picture in Seattle last week). I e-mailed a few questions to Google, so I'll let you know if I hear back. Until then, don't do anything too creepy in your front yard.
Categories: PSA
• 5 comments
Monday, July 14th, 2008
Posted by Kelly Davenport @ 04:45:36 pm
In summer, I'm prone to nostalgia. I've written about it before. Lately, I'm all about Frisbees in the park and the flying of kites. That City Up North is blessed with a stupendous kite hill, and that's where I spent Saturday, working on my sunburn and breaking for a scoop of balsamic strawberry ice cream for sustenance. Bliss, no? So that's where you guys come in. Help me recreate this experience closer to home. Tell me the hills with the best visibility, the best wind velocity, the ones with a precise combination of warm breeze and clover to send me back to my childhood. If you're extra nice, I'll let you hold the kite string during my ice cream break. 
Posted by Brian Everstine @ 02:06:49 pm
I wrote a feature for Sunday's You&Me section (read it here) about a B&I shop owner who collected quarters from customers and she is now donating the money to Mary Bridge. The update is the shop's owner, Yong Fitchett, scheduled the party for kids for Saturday July 26 and was able to also get some money donated from Rex Pegg Fabrics and Parkland Chevrolet. But also, I somehow had never heard of B&I. I now know how it is a local landmark, but I asked for places that told me about this area and this shop has more culture than anywhere I have been during my short weeks in Tacoma. The combination flea market/shopping mall/circus made my dreams come true and also gave me a couple nightmares to replace them. If only the gorilla was still there. And finally, I am very sorry, I have neglected GritCity. Please forgive me.
Categories: Miscellany
• 5 comments
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GritCity
You'll like Tacoma.
Cole Cosgrove...has lived in Proctor, Stadium, St. Helens and now owns a house with his wife, Kim, in Central Tacoma, near Sixth Avenue. He’s proud to have an “S.” in front of his address. He likes playing at Wright Park at 1 a.m. in the snow, walking along Ruston Way at 5 p.m. in the sun, and trying new bars anytime it rains. To make money, he writes headlines at The News Tribune. You can reach him at cole.cosgrove@thenewstribune.com. 
Kelly DavenportMy life in T-shirts: Ask Me About My Cat - Legalize Frostitution - Death Before Decaf. You get the idea. I enjoy lint-rolling, bons mots, magazine launch parties (if I was invited), paying too much for groceries, and the occasional semicolon. I'm a copy editor at The News Tribune, but I won't correct your grammar at the bar. Contact me at kelly.davenport@thenewstribune.com. 
Laura Gentry...lives in Seattle (so you don’t have to) with her cat Peanut Zeta-Jones. The self-proclaimed “Webmeister” of TheNewsTribune.com, Laura spends her spare time driving on I-5, sifting through estate sales, writing songs about Miss Zeta-Jones and wishing she was somewhere else regardless of where she is. You can reach her at laura.gentry@thenewstribune.com, but it’s in your best interest not to. 
Niki Sullivan...is a political reporter for The News Tribune. She likes sunshine, soup and puppies. Beyond that, it gets dicey. Contact Niki at niki.sullivan@thenewstribune.com. 
Bill Hutchens ... is the Tribune's retired video games columnist. Bill just needed a place to vent, and the GritCity whippersnappers were kind enough to take him in. He's old, chubby and usually scruffy. When he's not asleep under his desk, he's probably hiding in a conference room reading comic books or renaming his World of Warcraft toons. You can reach him at bill.hutchens@thenewstribune.com. 
Brian "The Intern" Everstine ...has a debilitating fear of children, horses, sauerkraut and mustaches, but an irrational affection for generic cereal. A recent college graduate (WSU) from Spokane, he is a reporting intern at The News Tribune, meaning he has both no money and no confidence. Contact Brian at brian.everstine@thenewstribune.com. Category
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