A lot of people today might ask you questions like, "What's the most romantic place in Tacoma?" or "What restaurant will you be dining at tonight if you want to get some?"

Well I'm not a lot of people. So here's my question for you, my dear Valentine of the greater Commencement Bay area: What's the least romantic spot in Tacoma?

(This is so all of us can be sure to avoid it today, lest it rub off on our mojo. My guess: Tacoma Mall food court.)

Secondary question, unrelated to the first: Can they make meth into a heart shape?

Niki wrote this, but I'm going to take the credit...

'Brad Allen' at the Weekly Volcano reports that beer could be up to $14 or $16 a sixer by winter. This is disturbing for two reasons: 1) Winter is one of the top four seasons for beer consumption and 2) I will not pay more than $2 for 16 oz. of beer .... unless I am at a bar, baseball game, rodeo, Elks Lodge, foreign country, airplane or Thanksgiving at my grandma's house. *shudder*

Rest assured, folks. The Yakima Herald Republic reports this morning that "consumers may have to pay an additional 25 cents to 50 cents per sixpack of craft beer."

Phew.

Oh, that estimate was from Larry Sidor, brewmaster at Deschutes Brewery in
Bend, Ore.

Mmmm. Beer.

Young Frankenstein the Musical is finally out of previews and ready to be ripped apart or praised by critics (here's Alec Clayton's review). It's technically been playing in Seattle for a couple of weeks while they've worked the bugs out of the show, but it officially "premiered" last night.

It's playing at the Paramount for another week and I recommend you try and see it before it heads to Broadway if only for this reason:

Highest ticket price in Seattle: $100
Highest ticket price on Broadway: $450

Get out there and get your car washed for free at a few Brown Bear Car Wash locations today. And, FYI, I'm blaming all you cheapskates if it starts raining by the end of the day.

The Brown Bear Car Wash company is celebrating its 50th anniversary today with free car washes at selected locations. In Tacoma and Pierce County, that includes:

• 3002 S. 38th St., Tacoma

• 13204 Pacific Ave., Tacoma

• 10913 Bridgeport Way S.W., Lakewood

• 5950 Sixth Ave., Tacoma

In related news, I've always thought the bear in the Brown Bear logo is terribly adorable.

Before you leave your family's house tonight, do yourself a favor and raid their closets. Dig deep into the trenches and think big, wooly, ball of wrong. The uglier the better. The more obnoxious and obscene the closer you are to the best night of the year.

Perhaps tonight will be the best night of your life.

How could you forgive yourself if you didn't attend Déjà Vu's "Wear In Your Ugly Sweater You Got For Christmas and Get Free Admission" night? (Yea, we think they blew it on the title too).

And in case you've "forgotten" where the strip club is: 8920 S. Tacoma Way.

She probably doesn't have this: A combined bottle opener and toenail clipper, complete with a handsome Tacoma, Washington, design on the front.

Perfect for the relative on your list who needs to drink and groom – at the same time.

I found mine for $2.99 in the tourism aisle at Fred Meyer at South 19th and Stevens. Click on the picture and prepare to be impressed by the fine detailing and craftsmanship.

I'll try to not toot the horn of our online team too often, but today's tooting ... er, let's call it bragging ... may actually be of use to you Tacomans. We online nerds - with the help of Paul Sand, reporter extraordinaire - virtually held hands and jumped into this thing called Google mashups by creating a database of businesses that offer free Wi-Fi in the South Sound. The list is impressive and users have the opportunity to submit any we missed.

As an aside: To obtain storefront pics, we headed out in groups of two - one driver, one photographer - and divvied up the city. Luckily for me, my route was downtown and I was tasked with "driver" status. So I parked and we walked, because that's how we roll downtown. I contributed like so:

I'm fairly Craigslist-crazed. When I was looking for a new place to live, I obsessively checked the site every five minutes looking for the perfect abode (yes, I could have subscribed to an RSS feed, but it somehow didn't seem as fulfilling).

When I actually found the perfect place to live, my life felt empty and meaningless because I didn't have a real reason to obsessively check Craigslist. Oh, but how to outfit the perfect house!? Furniture, art and other miscellany from the audience-generated marketplace!

So in my quest for great finds, I've decided to occasionally pass along some of my favorite finds from Craigslist Tacoma, which has really taken off in the last year or so.

Today, I bring you:

• A Hello Kitty small rolling suitcase - $3!

• A 6' Crocodile Hunter cardboard cutout - $10!

• 32" Phillips Flat screen TV - $150 OBO!

If the links to these items aren't working, that means the product has been removed from Craigslist, usually because it has been sold.

After work last night, I drove around Tacoma for about 20 minutes trying to find some place with cheap and relatively healthy food. Besides the standard fast food fare (side note: Taco Bell's Crunch Wrap Supreme is delicious and likely was created in T-Bell's temple of awesomeness), there really isn't anything open past 10 p.m. on a weeknight. I pulled into the parking lot of a Chinese place on Sixth, but changed my mind when I got a look at the sketchball decor. I eventually settled for Fujiya sushi at Stadium Thrift Way.

Where do you guys eat after 10 p.m. in Tacoma? And don't say Shari's.

After stuffing my face with a fat-a-licious spicy chicken sandwich from a certain national fast food establishment, I decided it was time to balance out the damage with a trip to Tacoma Boys to buy a few natural products.

My quest, in particular, was to buy a basil plant in hopes I can actually keep one alive. I've attempted this twice before, ruining the plant in new and interesting ways both times. I picked Tacoma Boys because you can get five herb plants for ten dollars (two dollars a piece for you English majors). Then, I opted for one plant instead of five because I prefer to not kill living things en masse, but one at a time. If you're interested in other herbs, they have some nice rosemary, lavender, sage and thyme plants. Saw no parsley and the chives looked a little defeated.

Then I went all Giada De Laurentiis and bought some fresh mozzarella, romano and garlic so I can make pizza with my new basil plant (as in eat it, not prepare a romantic dinner alongside it). Except when I went all Giada De Laurentiis, I wasn't being videotaped with a softening filter and warm lighting. I was also not getting paid.

I'm happy to report, the goods all came to the low, low price of ten dollars and I got to stand next to some fairly intoxicating strawberries while I waited in line.

The trick now is to keep this plant alive in my apartment window so I can continue to enjoy its tasty leaves. This site says basil is "surprisingly easy to grow." I say basil is surprisingly easy to leave out in a windstorm and surprisingly easy to forget to water.

Internet shoppers meet your match. A friend recently introduced me to this hysterical Web site called Woot!

The Web site sells one item each day until its sold out. On Friday, that item was a random bag of crap. Other days it's been a DVD player for really cheap or an mp3 player, again cheap.

Beyond that it's run by a bunch of people who have a total irreverence for traditional business, which I love. Here is a bit from their FAQs section:

Will I receive customer support like I'm used to?
No. Well, not really. If you buy something you don't end up liking or you have what marketing people call "buyer's remorse," sell it on eBay. It's likely you'll make money doing this and save everyone a hassle. If the item doesn't work, find out what you're doing wrong. Yes, we know you think the item is bad, but it's probably your fault. Google your problem, or come back to that product discussion in our community and ask other people if they know. Try to call the manufacturer and ask if they know. If you give up and must return it to us, then follow on to the next FAQ entry.

There is no Tacoma connection. But I think can anyone can appreciate a Web site that advertises a bag of crap – and then sells out.

On Paul's good word, I finally visited Junior Bizarre. The teency retail space on Broadway has a not-overstuffed array of hand-picked vintage clothes.

I loved the house dress selection, but was a little intimidated (me? in that?). That is, until co-owner Emily stepped in to help. She suggested a nice green number and gave me some much-needed advice.

I went home with a $9 dress and a Jenny Lewis-like feeling. Top that.