FUN WITH FRANCES >>>

Some people just make you curious. You want to see how their minds work, what their thought processes are. You want to go through their stuff. Now's your chance. Beginning the first Monday in April, Puyallup artist Frances Buckmaster will open her downtown Puyallup artist's studio/gallery for local artists to work together on a regular basis. Space will be available by subscription. A one-session fee will be $15 for three hours of studio time. Those making a prior purchase of 12 sessions will receive a 10 percent discount.

For more details, call Buckmaster at 253.831.6005.

WHAT WE'VE FOUND TODAY >>>

Nerd Alert! Whatever happened to the cast of Revenge of the Nerds?

RIP: Cory Haim

Rosemary Ponnekanti reports that MLKBallet founding director Kate Monthy will move after MOVE! #16.

The Weekly Volcano's jetpacks are ready.

X Sigma Partners LLC introduced a new iPhone app 'Tiger Text," inspired by the Tiger Woods scandal, which allows users to permanently delete texts that have already been sent.

Fuhgeddaboudit being mayor. Mayor Pringle of Belmar, N.J., announces that he will not run for re-election this November after 20 years of office, after he made fun of Jersey Shore guidos in his blog.

Bank of America is ending overdraft fees on debit cards. Really?

Seriously? Halpert from The Office is playing Captain America?

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2010 >>>

1. The Purcell Brothers - Evan and Ryan — will perform at 7 p.m. inside the Tempest Lounge.

2. South Sound companies that exhibit successful, innovative approaches to utilizing or developing technology for the purposes of business sustainability will be given SHIFT Awards from 5-8 p.m. inside the Theatre on the Square.

3. Fresh, the film that celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system, screens at 6 p.m. inside the Rausch Auditorium on the University of Puget Sound campus.

4. The Golden West Restaurant and Lounge presents Bluegrass Night hosted by Shotgun Red every Wednesday at 6 p.m.

5. Machina Mageddon, Fallen, State of Murdoch and City By Sea will rock Hell's Kitchen at 9 p.m.

LINK: Movie showtimes in the South Sound

BLACK AND WHITE, YET NOT >>>

Austrian Michael Haneke can be a frustrating filmmaker. His film Caché (2005), while fascinating, moved at a slow pace with an ending that could be maddening to viewers who expect answers out of their mysteries. His latest work, The White Ribbon (Das weisse Band) - a black-and-white drama set in a small German village on the eve of the first World War - also moves at a snails pace, and again, you're given only the suggestion of what the events you witness mean. Yet, it's more than clear how things will end.

The White Ribbon opens at The Grand Cinema Friday.

As Roger Ebert describes it, The White Ribbon "tells a simple story in a village about little people and suggests that we must find a balance between fear and security." Ebert loved the film, tagging it with four stars, and applauding its cinematography - as did the Academy, which nominated the film for Christian Berger's chilly cinematography. The film also received a nod for Best Foreign Language Film.

LINK: Roger Ebert's review of The White Ribbon

RUMORS WE HEAR >>>

The word out of the Firwood Rock Lounge camp is that their liquor application MIGHT be finally granted (although it doesn't appear on Liquor Control Board's approved application list). They say they're also waiting for their cabaret license to be approved.

Taqueria El Guadalajara, the Mexican joint located in Tacoma's Stadium District, will be moving inside the Neighborhood Market building at 3002 Sixth Avenue at the end of the month.

GET OUT OF THE HOUSE AND BE HAPPY >>>

Your mother and I just want you to be happy. Not unreasonably, irrationally happy, but moderately content. Why can't you play miniature golf with the other teenagers? And why do you refuse to wear pastel?

What do you mean by "hanging out with other artists"?

I don't know about this Tacoma Art Place and their crazy ideas about letting you learn about pottery wheels, photography, sewing, and making ripped paper collage paintings. (And why do I speak so stiffly?) Spinning clay on a wheel and playing with photos in the dark? Oh, this all sounds very strange. Why can't you just paint flowers?

What? The non-profit art center is hosting Community Free Day? Did you say free? Oh, very well.

[Tacoma Art Place, Saturday, March 13, 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., list of free classes here, 1116 S. 11th St., Tacoma, 253.238.1006]

WHAT WE'VE FOUND TODAY >>>

Obama rolls up his sleeves, literally, and pleads with Congress to move forward on a health care bill.

Totally Toyota: A man in California was finally able to stop his over-accelerating Prius after 20 minutes alongside California State Patrol at 90mph. We didn't even know they could go that fast to begin with.

A chef serves cheese made from his wife's breast milk.

Apparently, there is a trend in some gay nightclubs to have Avatar themed dance parties.

Dumb or clever? The homemade centrifuge:

And a good morning to you.

TUESDAY, MARCH 9, 2010 >>>

1. Hazel and Vine play an all-ages show with Lybecker and The New Divide at 7 p.m. inside The Cake Room.

2. Pierce College Fine Arts Gallery shows Korean artists from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

3. The Auburn City Hall Gallery will hold an artist reception for Mick Klass and his urban night photography work from 5:30-7 p.m.

4. The Centre at Norpoint hosts a Beginning Climbing Class from 6-7 p.m. Participants will learn how to correctly put on a harness, tie appropriate knots, handle rope, use belay equipment and properly communicate with climbing partners.

5. The Hub hosts a Trivia Night with cash prizes beginning at 6 p.m.

LINK: Movie showtimes in the South Sound

DAMN! >>>

I leaned back in my chair and looked up at the water spots on my office ceiling. The drips turned silent, and seemed to be working in unison. Suddenly, the drips took on the aspect of sand in an hour glass, bringing to mind the idea of time.

I thought of the passage of time - time's role in the measurement of our personal achievements, time as an ever-diminishing quantity in our lives.

I thought of an old Pink Floyd song.

Then Intern Ted jauntily bound into my office, like a leprechaun. He sat opposite me and asked, "What's up, Pappi?"

"Oh, just thinking about my life, you know, failures, successes, that sort of thing," I replied.

"Well, speaking of success, I have some big news: Did you know Jamal from MSM Deli won the trip to Dublin on Doyle's dime?

I peered out the window and saw several of my employees catching snowflakes on their tongues. I thought of the two Jameson bottles I was lucky enough to have had the last shot of within the last year - thus entering me (twice) in the annual Doyle's drawing for a free trip to Dublin - the same trip that Jamal from MSM Deli has apparently scored.

"Get out!" I yelled at Ted.

YOU'VE ALMOST MADE IT >>>

You have dragged your weekend-weary, sorry self through the first day of work-week drudgery. It wasn't easy, though, and you deserve a little reward. When you buy a martini at Toscanos in Puyallup during the month of March, the café and wine bar will give you the hand-painted glass the drink comes in. Every week features a new glass so collect them all.

Interesting concept, huh? Sounds like just the after work reward you were looking for.

[Toscanos Café & Wine Bar, 437 29th St. NE, Puyallup, 253.864.8600]

LINK: Weekly Volcano's boozy section