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Getting the kid ready for kindergarten made me realize something: back to school preparations can be similar to getting a home ready for the dark seasons. With a young human, back to school means buying basics — undies and shoes — as well as the fun things like new sweaters and
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Art in the Alley Tonight between 5 and 8 p.m, hang out at Ruby Collection in downtown Tacoma, get ideas for your sumptuous fall home, and check out goodies ranging from silk screened items to music to chocolate. Emerging local artists to be featured at tonight’s event will be Howard Leggett (silk
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Dave Graham and Tracy Marie weren’t actually dates last Saturday at the Sanford and Son One Night in Bangkok Prom, but they looked so darn cute together they could have been. Dave’s suit, color-coordinated from tie to toes, was a Mr. Mac Ltd find. The satin in Tracy Marie’s backless bodice
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At last Saturday’s prom night gowns and shoes vied quietly for attention at Sanford and Son, and what really commanded attention was all the fabulous prom hair. Tracy Marie’s seriously sweet belle-of-the-ball modified beehive that Renee created was impressive, it’s true, but the style that most dropped my jaw was
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Oh, happy errands Some days just make me happy, like last week as I had a list of bizarre errands ranging from “stamps” to “super glue” and including “dog toy” “bird seed” and “something Tacoma.” I parked my car in Proctor and started walking. First stop, the ever-helpful post office where I
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Steak is a splendorous thing. With the right cut and a skilled chef, a good steak ranks among life’s great pleasures. There are few places that can properly coax true, transcendent glory from a hunk of USDA Prime. If you want the best, go to Peter Luger in Brooklyn. If
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Like every good beer story, this one starts with a bet. I was sipping a brew at the Fish Bowl in Olympia with a member of my posse when we had a heated debate about beer. At issue was the fact that I make money drinking beer and he was talking
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Tea murder Any woman of standing in the Victorian era had to be on her toes in the afternoons, when it was considered de rigueur to serve tea and social chitchat in the parlor without notice to whomever showed up on the doorstep. High tea, featuring light finger sandwiches and other
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The world as I know it has momentarily turned upside down. My fabulous chef has quit. He’s moving on, and I couldn’t be more devastated. The man is dependable, incredibly talented, and more importantly, he’s a really nice guy. The task to replace him should have been daunting, but I
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Thursday, Aug. 16: Clos LaChance wine tasting, 5-8 p.m., $5, Vin Grotto Café & Wine Bar, 813 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.722.5079. Thursday, Aug. 16: Tacoma Singles Wine Tasting, 7-9 p.m., Mountaineers Club House, 2302 N. 30th, Tacoma. Saturdays: Wine tasting, 2-5 p.m., Wine Bank, 7017 27th St. W., University Place, 253.564.1101. Tuesday, Aug.
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After the League of Liberal Libations grabbed two open spots during the Rolling Thunder Bowling Experience laser and music thingy at Tower Lanes Saturday night and strapped on our snazzy rental shoes, we placed a friendly little wager: The losing team must buy the next round. And even with a
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A significant part of my childhood consisted of sitting with my family in front of a large, wood-enshrined television watching shows like “I Dream of Jeannie” and “Get Smart” while eating TV dinners on TV trays and drinking Grape Nehi. As I sat on the yellow shag carpet of my
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There are healing, mind-expanding and therapeutic properties of theater that are often overlooked by educators these days. In a time of increased pressures on getting students to pass standardized tests that were developed in some educational version of a cookie factory, the dramatic arts are among the first courses to
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THE CORN Mazed and confused The corn is high at the Rutledge Corn Maze, where folks are losing themselves left and right as fall descends. This year’s 3-mile labyrinth is in full swing seven days a week. Checkpoints are provided throughout the maze with easy-to-understand maps and directions. Escapes average about one-and-half
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Last week I wound up in an unexpected conundrum that was completely fucked up, but I pulled through like a champ. It all started Monday with some starry eyes that I had for a dress I found online. I bought it and went along on my merry way looking forward to
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“Camp”: Nobody knows what the word means but, like, everyone knows what it means. Especially when it comes to film. Camp movies act as a bond between all moviegoers, from the most apathetic philistines to the snootiest film historians who stopped watching American films in 1977. Almost any film can be
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Anyone who knows me at all can attest that I’m not that big of a hard liquor drinker. Sure, I’ll throw down Cadillac margaritas and Ketel One and cranberries, but other than that, I stick to beer and red-headed slut, Washington apple or vitamin C shots. I know those shots are pansy-like,
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He’s not the kind of guy who promotes himself shamelessly, choosing instead to sit in the background while his friends do the socializing. But Tim Kapler’s about to come out of the shadows in a first solo-show big way on Thursday, when his latest works will hang at the Sanford &
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If you happen to be in downtown Olympia when The Black Front Gallery is open, stop in to see Julia Gfrörer’s exquisite pencil drawings. They’re simple and easy on the eye, and it won’t take you long to give them the kind of thorough study they deserve. But I bet
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It’s a noisy world these days — especially in America’s rapidly growing urban centers. In Tacoma, new residents and businesses are often at odds over normal, although sometime noisy, business activities such as live music and public events, which grate on the nerves of longtime residents and suburban refugees. City
