Jamie at Thrice All American points out that it's bike to work month starting tomorrow, and proposes that we all try to bike to work a bit more.

I'm in! I haven't yet biked to work regularly in Tacoma, but I've done it a few times and have been talking about meaning to do it for a month or two now.

Anyone else want to join?

In other news, thanks for the weekend suggestions! I was ready to go out on the town on Saturday, then I got sick after we went running (thanks to whoever honked and waved). So ... I missed the last Kulture Lab and the Baby Gramps concert. Rats. How were they? As for me, I recovered Sunday in time for breakfast at Shakabrah, a drive around PDP and a stop at the fish market on Ruston. Good times had by all.

There are a lot of things going on this weekend: Baby Gramps at the Java Jive tomorrow night, the last Kulture Lab ... that $1 beer thing Cole mentioned ... the Master Gardener's plant sale (because everyone should have a garden) ... the Sustain:Connect summit at UPS tomorrow from noon to 6 p.m. (with a speaker on climate change and workshops about informed food choices, activism through art, sustainable agriculture and family planning ... and catering by Quickie Too!!!). Am I missing anything?

And it's a good thing -- my college roommate, her boyfriend and a friend are coming into town for the weekend. Here's the trick: They're from Portland, one of the best places on earth. So every time they come to Tacoma, we try to show them the wonderful things our fine city has to offer. Last time, they were more than suitably impressed, which means the bar is set pretty high for this tour.

Anyway, they arrive at 9:30 tonight, they leave Sunday afternoon. They're in Seattle tomorrow for soccer and baseball games, but will be in Tacoma both nights.

Vote on what we should do. Here's a staged picture of me threatening my dearest former roommate Stew to get y'all in the mood:

If you are a kind and caring person who enjoys helping people, you'll want to check out the Dining Out for Life post over at Ed's Diner.

But if your budget is small – say, $2 – and your top priority is helping yourself find cheap beer and a snack – then you might like to know this:

$1 pints and $1 pizza slices at Farrelli's on Sixth Avenue, today through Sunday, to celebrate the restaurant's first anniversary at that location.

After $5 worth of beer, maybe you'll be a little more loose with your sense of charity.

100 percent of proceeds go toward paying your bar tab.

And they didn't even call us gritty …

A Thursday Styles story examines the latest style statement: Antlers, apparently. (Don't tell my old Illinois hometown where boys got an extra day off school during hunting season.)

Among the fashion-y types is T-town's own jewelry designer Lisa Kinoshita. I used to live upstairs from her St. Helens Avenue shop and coveted her cool, clean style. Here's what she had to say:

The stag as an archetypal symbol was not lost on Lisa Kinoshita, who designs a jewelry collection called Mineral in Tacoma, Wash., which includes a sterling silver antler pendant. But she doubts that the current popularity is based on more than aesthetics.

“Where once the stag was a symbol of religious regeneration,” she said, “it could be said that today it appeals to those who worship modern design.”

Lisa's Web site is here.

UPDATE: Seriously. They're everywhere. More antlers. (Can tusks be far behind?)

And here's the original NYT article.

Elected leader arrested after coffee mug attack

Although it doesn't say this, which is a winning quote in my opinion:

"The district regrets what happened," said Joe Quinn, Key Peninsula Fire District 16's attorney. "People get upset but fisticuffs aren't appropriate."

The antique safe has been cracked, but all it contained was pieces of wood.

Which apparently aren't as valuable now as they were back then.

On a related note, check out this week's Tacomic.

Police identified the rightful owner of an antique safe that was abandoned mid-heist in downtown Tacoma, and now there are plans to open it. What do you think they'll find in there?

My guesses, in no particular order:

1. Booty.

2. Meth lab.

3. Dead clown.

It's 4/20: And right on time, the second joint is on its way!

Anybody else catch Frosty Hardison on The Daily Show last night?

Frosty is the Federal Way parent who opposed the teaching of "An Inconvenient Truth" in schools.

At one point in the interview with Jason Jones, it appears as if Frosty has a short circuit. It's priceless.

If you missed it, the episode will be replayed today at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Comedy Central.

Update: Watch it at Comedy Central.

(And if you want to actually get outside for Earth Day, check out a list of Tacoma events at Thrice All American.)

Keep 'em comin'! Enter here. Watch and learn and comment here.

Malakar is heading home to Tacoma, Wash., for a while - and possibly hiring a bodyguard because of the fan interest.
“I’m actually looking into that right now,” he says.
That will be a big difference from the old days when he could be ignored. His habit, he says, was to walk around Tacoma, singing. “If you ever saw a little Indian kid walking on the street singing loudly that was probably me.”

Read more.

How, all of the sudden, is Sanjaya from Tacoma, you ask. Well, our very own Bill Hutchens was in on the same teleconference that the other reporter was on. When Bill introduced himself, good ol' Sanjaya exclaimed, "That's near my home." And the rest is history. My favorite part is that, later on in the story it says "His habit, he says, was to walk around Tacoma, singing. 'If you ever saw a little Indian kid walking on the street singing loudly that was probably me.'"
Bill says, "Funny, though, since, several times during the call, Sanjaya referred to himself as 'just Sanjaya from Federal Way.'"
-Niki, jumping in on Gentry's post

Wake up! It's time to register for the Tacoma City Marathon ... well, if you've been training, that is. I wouldn't recommend just jumping in.

I am reminded of this because I saw my doctor at the store last night, and he informed me that it seemed as though a few Tacomans (myself included) were too busy training to actually register. Well, the fee's up to $90 now, are you happy?!

I am: The anemia has taken a hike, if I haven't already mentioned it 100 times, and I'm back on track. Ya-hoo.

Now go. Here. Now!

It's not too early to plan for next Friday is it?

Reports Tom Llewellyn of guerrilla art duo Beautiful Angle:

Join Beautiful Angle on Friday, April 27 in the unwashed lands of Seattle, WA. For the first time, we'll be showing a complete retrospective of our work outside of our own holy city. We'd love to see a strong contingent of Tacoma folks come up for the reception.
There'll be some free food, a cool crowd, and posters on the wall. It's at one of our favorite non-Tacoma places, Seattle's School of Visual Concepts. SVC and their wonderful letterpress program has long been a supporter of our project.
We'll be giving away a free commemorative poster on the spot. In regards to the displayed work, it's the same old posters, but we've got to say: the messages seem transformed when displayed in a foreign land. You just may look at them with a new perspective.

The details
Where: The School of Visual Concepts, 500 Aurora Avenue North, Seattle
When: 7 p.m. Friday, April 27

Go, wear your itchy sweater, wear your Gritty Tacoman tee, look at posters and spread the word.

Several people have started the process of entering our Bustin' with Justin concert ticket giveaway.

But only ONE pioneer has the bravery... the courage ... the talent to show off her moves. The rest of you? Shameful! Get to it!

This is 100 percent wild speculation on my part, but wouldn't it make sense for new Tacoma Rainiers part-owner Nick Lachey to sing the national anthem at the season's first home game tonight at Cheney Stadium?

Update: "The Star Spangled Banner" was sung Friday by the Whittier Elementary School choir. That would have been my second guess.

If it doesn't happen tonight, it sounds likely Lachey will sing for us sometime this season, as sports reporter Ryan Divish notes in his story today.

If nothing else, at least fireworks are scheduled. I like fireworks.

His time in the City of Destiny was little more than a one-night stand along the highway to better things, but that doesn't mean we can't claim he learned every trick he knows from his fling with Tacoma. Which is good enough for us to call him the Gritizen of the Week.

Peter Haley/The News Tribune file

Former Tacoma Rainier Felix Hernandez didn't give up a hit until the eighth inning, and went on to pitch a complete game shutout as the Mariners beat the Boston Red Sox 3-0 on Wednesday.

As News Tribune columnist Larry LaRue writes:

The second largest Fenway Park crowd since World War II came to watch Daisuke Matsuzaka on Wednesday, and finished cheering a 21-year-old phenom in a Seattle Mariners uniform.
That is what Felix Hernandez is capable of.

In our book, that makes him more than capable of being the Gritizen of the Week – even if he wore a Tacoma hat for only a few months back in 2005.

We can say we loved him first.

The Gritizen of the Week highlights the people who embody the salty, indomitable spirit of Tacoma. To nominate the next Gritizen of the Week, e-mail cole.cosgrove@thenewstribune.com.

If anyone guessed Rye Grass Rest Area as the first stop in my little "Rolling the Joint" contest, then you are the big winner!

I hope the driver got some free Rest Area coffee and a stale cookie.

I'm editing tomorrow's paper, and this is the best line so far. You saw it here first.

The article's on this giant yellow diamond going on display at the Smithsonian.

It joins such famed jewels as the Hope Diamond, the Hooker Emerald and the Oppenheimer Diamond.

First, I want to know what hooker. Second, can we get Halle Berry in a catsuit as a cat burglar or something, with James Bond? Third, nobody tell that Tacoma guy accused of stealing a kidney from the Bodies exhibit.

I'll keep you posted if any other winners cross my desk.

The Associated Press

Before his big night out in Seattle a day later, "Laguna Beach" graduate and apparently sloppy drinker Jason Wahler was warming up Friday at The Loft in Tacoma, EJ reports in Bring the Noise.

Did anybody here happen to have the pleasure of not getting punched or not getting called racist and homophobic slurs by him?

Today's spin around the headlines:

• Let's hope this one made Craigslist's "best of": Homeowner gets punk'd. Our story reports that the ad in question was online only a couple of hours – apparently all the marketing you need when there's a free water heater to be had. Where were these people when I had a crappy, torn leather couch to off-load?

• The Big Potato lobby bows to the power of the sweet, sweet Walla Walla: New state vegetable named. Few can resist the onion that eats like an apple.

• And finally: It's hot. I hope you all limbered up.

Think of all the bad days you’ve had at work. Then try to remember if you’ve ever had a day when a cranky, senile, elderly ol' building started hurling chunks of itself toward your cubicle.

Bruce Kellman/The News Tribune

This week’s Gritizen is Linda Rainier, office manager for the Piledrivers Divers Local No. 2396, who was forced to flee in horror when the former Eagles building spontaneously collapsed and rained rubble on her office.

We salute Linda's fortitude and quick-witted escape, and offer this suggestion to all downtown workers who put their lives on the line every day: Just to be on the safe side, let's make hockey helmets mandatory.

The Gritizen of the Week highlights the people who embody the salty, indomitable spirit of Tacoma. To nominate the next Gritizen of the Week, e-mail cole.cosgrove@thenewstribune.com.

It's April, but we can pretend it's July. I'm swooning over memories of summer camp in Illinois: rope swing over the lake, tall glasses of iced tea sweating in the heat, lunches of potato chip crumbs and string cheese on the back of a horse.

Find a friend. Find a deck. Get down to Ruston Way and roll your windows down as you honk up through the tunnel. Get a soda at Don's Market.

Pretend there's nothing else to do today but daydream ferociously.

Update: It's supposed to be 74 tomorrow. Cartwheels to come.

"They're coming."

That, and a giant, scaly eyeball, are on the Tacoma Dome right now. Their Web site has a banner ad with the eyeball, some freaky jungle noises and instructions to check back on April 9.

Normally, I don't like to fall for such publicity stunts (cute guys in scarves, however, and I'll drop everything to post. See below.), but I couldn't help but put out this APB. What the hell is going on? Is that a closeup of Keith Richards' eye area or are they looking for extras for Carnosaur IV?

Update: Mindi informs me that our biz columnist, Dan, has written about this very thing. Apparently it's some 45-foot interactive dinosaur show. Think this through, folks: Do you trust "interactive" dinosaurs? Me neither.

Also, while I'm here, that Frenchman in a scarf is not cute. He appears to have an anger management problem and I bet he also smells. Note to self: Boyfriend reads your blog.

It's time for the Tournees Film Festival at The Grand Cinema.

I stole this from the Pierce College site and I want to put it on a T-shirt!

The Grand will show a different French film every Thursday between today and May 3. Showtimes are 2:15, 4:30, 7 and 9 p.m.

In addition to seeing some amazing movies (Les Choristes, showing April 12, is adorable, this much I know), if you go to the 7 p.m. show, you'll have the opportunity to stick around afterwards to discuss the film (with other moviegoers and local French professors) and eat treats (from Corina and Metropolitan Market, among others).

Where do skateboarders fit in downtown Tacoma? (My guess: On top of the Dome!) Talk about it or listen to skate park advocate Peter Whitley of TacomaSkateParks.org.

When: 7 tonight
Where: Cutters Point, 1936 Pacific Ave.

A GPS unit will be attached to a pilot car so we can track a Narrows bridge joint as it rumbles toward Tacoma. I'm taking bets: After rolling such a large joint, how long do you think they'll break to eat at Zip's in Ritzville? And what will be the first rest area they use after that?

We'll all be watching.

... Now hold on just a second, bucko. First you gotta DANCE!

That's right, GritCity is sponsoring a dance off and if you can prove you've got the moves, you may just find yourself with a pair of tickets to Justin Timberlake's show at the Tacoma Dome on September 8.

The rules are simple. Dance for 30 seconds to a Justin Timberlake song and record this sure-to-be-spectacular event with a video camera. Fill out a wee form, upload the video and you're the next contestant in our dance off! If you're under 18, we'll need parental permission to publish the videos (a name and number will suffice).

We, along with music reviewer Ernest Jasmin, will pick two winners to receive a pair of tickets each because we firmly believe it takes two to tango.

You've got a couple of weeks - the deadline is 5 p.m. April 22.

So what are you waiting for? LET'S DANCE!

After trashing the mouth-breathers in PDP last week, I thought it my duty to share with you that we returned and this time, it was much better.

Of course, that's because we started running at 7 a.m. on Sunday morning, a time when most trouble makers are sound asleep (in their parents' house).

A few notes:

Guy who drove by with the smell of pot billowing out of your open windows at 9:30 a.m.: Is that how you advertise. Have PDP drug dealers borrowed the business plan from ice cream truck drivers?

Girl from South Sound Running: I saw you running alone at 7 a.m. I know you were probably out there for more than just a 10-minute jog. And I'm mad. I hope you had a taser hidden in your sweatshirt. Don't let me catch you again.

Old guy with huge glasses: How many laps did you run around the park? I saw you three times. You must be 95 years old. What gives?

Crosscut (News of the Great Nearby) launched today, and the first thing I noticed is that it has a good collection of Northwest links. It's worth checking out, especially for the "exploring a new Web site" factor.

I wish I could link to a story and pictures on our homepage ... but since there's nothing there yet, check out the collapsed building photos over at Exit133.

Update: Here's a story.

The two firetrucks passed me at 10 a.m. headed east on Sixth Avenue, so the roof collapse must have happened right before then. Unless ... they knew it was going to happen.

I have very few details right now, but there was one gathering this morning and there will be another tonight to protest a proposal to let MetroParks take over event permitting in the city.

The problem, according to members of the local arts community, is the proposal's line about "restructuring" the permitting process and the fees. This, they say, could make it too expensive and too difficult to hold events like the Urban Arts Festival, Dia de los Muertos procession or any of the other small, independent festivals and events throughout the year.

If you're interested in this, stay tuned. I'll have an update this afternoon. Or, just show up at the MetroParks meeting at 6 p.m. tonight on 19th Street near Cheney Stadium.

Now I'm on deadline. Talk amongst yourselves.

Update: Exit133 posted about the meeting here last night. So far, there's one response from a "Penelope," who appears to not like the proposal either.