DELI, one of the newest galleries in the Square, is a clothing and lifestyle boutique which also uses its space to feature a monthly installation of rotating artists. “What makes DELI unique is not just the concept behind the store; it’s our involvement in the art community here in Pioneer Square. Every month we feature the work of local artists that we unveil at the Artwalk on the first Thursday of each month,” says Max Heigh, owner of DELI.

Tonight, DELI will also be hosting a party to celebrate the launch of its new website, shopdeliseattle.com, which will feature the DELI Art Series: a line of tees with designs chosen by DELI’s past, present, and future featured artists. The t-shirts will be available exclusively at the DELI store and online shop beginning this evening. Complementary beer, wine and food; first 100 guests receive a “swag bag” of goodies.

5:30 - 9:30 p.m. // DELI boutique, 87 Yesler // RSVP to info@deliseattle.com

7:30 p.m. // Pacific Science Center // $5: Free for members and students with I.D.

DECONSTRUCTING SEATTLE: Roc DeMent Gallery presents local artist Mateo Zapata Zachai’s discombobulated but verrrry familiar photography. Reminiscent of Lichtenstein and Chuck Close, it’s a wonder that no one beat Zacahi to this seemingly simple yet sharp method. The work reveals its layers the longer we stare. Running through January 3.

6:00 p.m. // Roc DeMent Gallery 306 S. Washington St., #104 // Free

TWISTED ALASKA: Four characters dance memory on a minimal stage, choreographed to music only slightly more accompanying than the set. Experimental, experiential, they’re expressing a story, but the audience will hardly feel it’s being told for them. With Alaska, theater artist Diana Szeinblum has created and wonderfully mixed four unique, intensely recollecting players.

8:00 p.m. // On the Boards // $24

Brian was an affable man who you could trust when he handed you a pint of a freshly tapped beer from the brewery. When he wasn't at the pub or inside the brewery, he was at festivals offering conversation to those that listened. His advice came from years of being in the industry (fifteen of which were spent with Diamond Knot), and he was an open book. Brian is survived by his colleagues Pat Ringe and Bob Mophet as well as countless, loyal employees, friends, family, and fans. You will be missed Brian, but through each pint we will never forget you.
Cheers.

Info on services after the jump.

Brian Sollenberger Services

Friday November 6th, 2009
9:00 AM Public Viewing
10:00 AM Funeral Services

Evergreen Washelli Funeral Home
11111 Aurora Ave. North
Seattle, WA 98133
Phone: 206-362-5200

Grave Site Service Procession following Funeral
Abbey View Memorial Park and Cemetery
3601 Alaska Road
Brier, WA 98036
Phone: 425-483-0555
1:00 PM till 3:00PM

Reception
Mukilteo Boys and Girls Club (Food will be provided)
1134 2nd St
Mukilteo, WA 98275-1722
Phone: 425- 347-3183

Toast to Brian following the Reception
Diamond Knot Brewing Co. Production Facility
4602 Chennault Beach Rd. Ste. B2
Mukilteo, WA. 98275
Phone: 425-315-0703

Ryther Child Center is a behavior health care center for children ages 6-12 who are suffering from the effects of sexual abuse and neglect, and who might be struggling with mental illness and chemical dependency. The residential program--a 10-acre campus up in North Seattle--uses a family-centered approach to treatment: children eat family-style meals, have their own bedrooms, and receive specialized treatment individually and in groups. If you cannot attend the Sips & Shoes event, you can make a donation to support Ryther’s here.

Sunday, November 8 // Grand Hyatt Hotel, 721 Pine Street // 4:00 - 7:00 p.m., registration opens @ 3:30 p.m. // tickets $40. Proceeds benefit Ryther Child Center.

THE LIFE AQUATIC: The aspiring marine biologist in all of us owes a great debt to the achievements of Mr. Cousteau. His contributions to the development of scuba gear alone led to great advancements in underwater exploration. Vashon Island author Brad Matsen reads from Jacques Cousteau: The Sea King tonight. Let's hope that he doesn't leave out the pirate raid and revenge plot against the shark that killed his partner.

7:30 p.m. // Town Hall // $5

MR. NOVEMBER: Chase Utley is en fuego. He can't be stopped but will Andy Pettitte be able to contain him on short rest? Pedro Martinez is fully rested but will he be able to overcome A-Rod's post season rabbit's foot that is Kate Hudson? All your questions will be answered when World Series Game 6 is played tonight.

5:00 p.m. // FOX Network

IT'S A LITTLE BIT FUNNY, THIS FEELING INSIDE: E. coli's not one of those infections you can easily hide. Elton John's show tonight was cancelled due to a serious case of the bacterial infection. It's rescheduled for December. Given all of the advancements made since the Rocket Man's been burning out his fuse, food safety needs to catch up. For everyone still in the mood to catch a live show, Nectar's putting on a benefit for the PCC Farmland Trust. Check out Beggars & Saints, Harmonic Superkill, Bill Matthew's Fremont Drumming All-Stars and support a company that's working towards a safer food supply.

8 p.m. // Nectar // $2

Not that we need an excuse to dine at any of Ethan Stowell's restaurants--hello, How to Cook a Wolf--but unloading our cork collection in the name of the environment and a newsworthy discount is as good as any. From November 1-December 31, pack your pockets and purses with corks to dine at any Ethan Stowell restaurant and receive one dollar off your check for every cork, up to 25.

Your corks will be contributed to the Cork Re-Harvest program, a cork recycling effort organized by Willamette Valley Vineyards, Whole Foods Market, WVV's Oregon and Washington distributors, the Rainforest Alliance, and Western Pulp Products.

Willamette Valley Vineyards is a pioneer in cork recycling. As the first winery in the world to be certified by the Rainforest Alliance for using 100 percent Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified cork, WVV is also the first winery to launch a cork recycling program of this kind--one with zero increase to its carbon footprint.

Cork is a renewable, biodegradable, and environmentally-conscious resource. It has the potential to completely disappear, as winemakers are increasingly turning to aluminum screw caps and plastic bottle stoppers while recycling cork is commonly neglected at the cost of preserving cork forestlands. Do your part and recycle your corks with the Cork Re-Harvest program, where donated corks will be transported to Western Pulp in Corvallis,Oregon and made into wine shipping containers.

Drink up, donate and dine with your corks at any Ethan Stowell restaurant: Tavolata, Union, How to Cook a Wolf and Anchovies & Olives. The discount honors up to 25 corks per table, now thru December 31, 2009. Valid on both drinks and food.

Celebrities, on the other hand, hold the attention of the masses throughout the year. The great majority, it seems, do so with little to add to our lives. Though it never was an unyielding prerequisite, talent and celebrity frequently no longer have all that much to do with one another.

Almost mirroring his throwback predilections for the age of Judy Garland and decadent grandeur, Rufus Wainwright is one such individual whose tremendous talent is, we would argue, worth every ounce of his international celebrity. In between his New York recording sessions, we were able to catch up with Rufus for a phone interview in advance of his performance at Benaroya Hall this Sunday. (Tickets available here. Joan As Police Woman will open.)

Rufus Wainwright- Photo by Alex Lake

Now that you’ve been headlining for just over a decade, what should audiences expect to see now when contrasted with seeing you around the turn of the millennium?

This show is a between-acts extravaganza. Presently, I’m making a record here in New York--a solo, piano voice record, and at the same time I’m also mounting the opera Prima Donna from London in the spring, in Toronto in June, and in Australia. So I’ve got this varied schedule, shall I say in an artistic sense. The shows that I’m doing presently are kind of to pay my rent [laughs]… I gotta go out there and sing for my supper. Also, it’s a very scaled down, intimate voyage through my life as a working musician, a troubadour and as a commenter on the world we live in, in both word and song. It’s also a great chance for me to test some of the new material.

Congrats on the completion of your opera. As you’ve mentioned your career has been a unique and unusual one to date, and people will either love your work or hate it. What do you love most out of your catalogue, if forced to choose?

[Laughs] Well…That’s a hard question. [laughs] I do feel that unfortunately like most pop artists, even though they make incredible records throughout their career or their first record is really great or whatever, I fell into the category of the mysterious second album. Poses, I don’t know if it’s my best album, because of its ethereal quality, which I think really captured the way my life was, a very blissful period when I didn’t really know too much about what I was doing but was very much entrenched in the artistic milieu, the decadent artistic milieu. And that’s something you can’t really capture again. So I think my second album is a very spiritual and mystical album. I don’t know if it’s my best one but there’s definitely something there that I’ll never have again, which is, I guess youth.

You’ve been both a devoted champion of American culture and at times a fierce critic of some of the policies of its governments and beliefs of its people. What words of encouragement can you offer to those disgusted by the passing of Proposition 8 and here in Washington a referendum (R 71) where "Protect Marriage" wingnuts are looking to negate same-sex benefits?

A while ago I had no opinions whatsoever on gay marriage and I wasn’t at all pro or against and didn’t really know much about the subject. I was more concerned about my own personal ego or whatever. But now I’ve had a wonderful boyfriend Jorn, we’re going on five years and we are running into real logistical problems. He’s European, so if I want him to stay in the country, I can’t marry him and give him citizenship, tax benefits, medical stuff. I’m running into actual, gritty issues. It’s frightening. So, it had to come more personally to me. It’s a battle we must win and eventually we will because it’s about evolution and it’s about getting smarter.

Are there memories in particular that stand out when you think about playing Seattle or just memories about Seattle in general?

I remember seeing some very straight but totally homoerotic lumberjacks at four in the morning somewhere. And it was one of the most enthralling visions of my West Coast existence. I always remember Seattle as a very sexy, rough and tumble town.

As Wells states in the press release, "This has not been an easy decision for us. We have struggled, along with independent bookstores across the country, for the last decade to keep our bookstore profitable and healthy. The economic downturn of the past year, combined with the rapidly changing world of bookselling, has led us to believe that this is the most responsible decision."

Very sad news...though we all buy books from cheaper venues such as Amazon at one point or another, our heart breaks a little each time we hear that a great local bookstore is closing, or otherwise hurting due to the economy.

Wells also mentions the possible move of Elliott Bay Book Company to Capitol Hill, but states that this was not a deciding factor in the close. "We wish Elliott Bay Book Company and all Seattle independent bookstores the best of luck in this challenging time," he says.

So why is Bailey/Coy closing before a potentially good Christmas? Besides having declining sales for the past couple years, the store spent the last year paying off much debt to book wholesalers and banks, and is in a better spot to close now than they would have been previously.

Starting this week, the bookstore will be knocking all of its prices down by 20 percent until the end of the month in a closing sale, and book cards and gift certificates will only be redeemable during this time. If you're interested in showing some support and saying your final goodbyes--now is the time.

Wells relays his condolences and gratefulness to the community by saying, "We would like to thank the customers and friends who have come through our doors in the last two decades. Our bookstore is a community that includes all of you. We urge you to continue to support independent business and especially independent bookstores. It makes a world of difference. Again, thank you to all of our customers, to the hundreds of authors who have read in our store, to all of the Pacific Northwest bookselling community and book lovers everywhere. We are honored to have been part of your lives."

Bailey/Coy, we will miss you greatly; this was a goodbye we weren't yet prepared for. Thank you for always having a superb staff on hand and an awesome selection of books to choose from. We're glad that you have been a part of our life.

7 p.m. // University Book Store, 4326 University Way NE // FREE

THE HULK WRESTLES LIFE: Hulk Hogan will be in town tonight promoting his latest tell-all, My Life Outside the Ring, and Third Place Books makes it very clear on their website: SIGNING ONLY. So in case you didn't catch up on enough of the Hogan drama in the past couple years and you're in dire need of having your very own almost thirty-dollar book signed--tonight is your night! Expect plenty of muscle flexing and a line, most likely a very long one.

5-7 p.m. // Third Place Books (LFP), 17171 Bothell Way NE // FREE

DATE NIGHT: Your girlfriend will love you for taking her to see Beeswax tonight--we promise. Touted as "a humorous and heartfelt look at family, responsibility, and relationships," Beeswax is the third feature film from "mumblecore" movement writer-director Andrew Bujalski. If you enjoyed Bujalski's previous films Funny Ha Ha or Mutual Appreciation, make sure to put his latest on your short list because it will only be showing until Thursday.

7, 9:00 p.m. // Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Avenue // Tickets: $6-9.00

Tonight, Silent Movies Mondays at Paramount Theatre presents 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The first film in the November series Adventure Stories to Silent Classics, which includes The Adventures of Prince Achmed (11/9) and The Lost World (11/16), this is of course the 1916 silent version of Verne’s sci-fi classic, so don’t expect the 1954 Walt Disney take with full-color Kirk Douglas. The ’16 version may not have Disney’s extraordinary, still-jaw-dropping, giant squid scene, but tonight it has something better, the music of Mighty Wurlitzer Organist--and first time Paramount Silent Film organist--Jim Riggs.

6 p.m. // Paramount Theatre // $12

7:30 p.m. // Benaroya Hall // $65

FREAKONOMICS 101: Good heavens, economics is boring. Good thing Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner (ridiculously named duo, no?) are extremely efficient at tricking us into forgetting we're learning. They're back with a second dose of their clever figuring with Superfreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance.

7:30 p.m. // Town Hall // $30

MASTER OF MEDIOCRE THRILLERS: Zomg you guys, remember John Saul?! Remember when you felt you'd outgrown R.L. Stine by 3rd grade, raided your mom's bookshelf, and started showing up at elementary school with crap like Creature, Suffer the Children, and The Unwanted? Rediscover your roots!

7:00 p.m. // Third Place Books // free

With the last day to mail in ballots quickly approaching, supporters on both side of the issue are searching for every last vote. A new poll has Ref 71 up 51% among likely registered voters and up 55% among those who have already voted. The Washington Bus, a nonprofit to mobilize young voters, will be knocking on doors this Halloween to canvas for registered voters who haven't yet sent in their ballots and advocating for a "yes" vote on Ref 71. Toby Crittenden, the Washington Bus communications director describes the effort as a "Trick-or-Vote," noting that Halloween is one of the only days of the year when knocking on stranger's doors and asking for something is expected.

If you find yourself face-to-face with a Washington Bus canvasser on Saturday, and don't support Ref 71, you can always take a cue from Mr. Colbert and tell them: "I don't believe it is a choice, I believe you're born thinking gays don't have the right to get married....the gays have no right to out those people." Let's all keep it in the closet this Halloween, folks.

• Phillyist was all about the World Series this week: hating on the opposing team; waxng nostalgic; and generally getting psyched. Although the Phillies trail the Yankees one game to two in the Series, Phillyist remains optimistic: they have God on their side.

• Gothamist learned that Vespa owners are resorting to illegal measures (okay, scraping off their vehicle ID numbers) to keep their scooters on the street, not that it'll help.

• Seattlest indulged in some Washington State-sponsored earthquake disaster porn.

• Torontoist checked out the planned designs for a forthcoming subway station in the northernmost part of their city, which looks an awful lot like how people in the 1960s imagined things like subway stations would look today.

• Bostonist celebrated our beer epiphanies, just in time for pumpkin brews.

• Shanghaiist worried about the state of Chinese youth after a cellphone
  video showing a vicious schoolyard beating in Shanghai was uploaded to the internet. According to one survey, one in four kids in China have faced similar violent incidents.

• LAist found out just how crazy the subway in LA can get thanks to a video called "Crackhead Hooker Maces Kid."

• SFist witnessed two things fall apart this week: the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, which shut down after a cable snapped and struck traffic, and Mayor Gavin Newsom's gubernatorial aspirations.

• Londonist attended a vigil against hate crimes, prompted by the recent death of the victim of a homophobic attack.

• Chicagoist focused on the more light-hearted things in life, celebrating the magic of Kelly Clarkson and pets.

• DCist visited the Washington Humane Society to get some ridiculously adorable photos of some of the pets currently there waiting to be adopted.

• The University of Washington is planning to offer a three year degree program to students who enter with 45 credits.
• Washington State has spent more than $1.4 billion in federal stimulus money.
• Microsoft cancelled its sponsorship of a TV variety special with “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane.
• A local woman was in an altercation with the ubiquitous Obama-Hitler-mustache protesters.
• And finally: “Nation's Morons March on Washington State.”

Ah, how we love Lydia Davis.... We're so excited that she will be here in Seattle next week to speak on the subject of "A Beloved Duck Gets Cooked: The Influence of Innovative Forms." Yes, we know that this premise may sound strange, but if you've read her work, you understand--this woman is quite the odd duck herself, and we absolutely love her for it.

Once married to another favorite author of ours, Paul Auster, Davis has been a prominent female voice in literature since the 1970s. She is most well known for her off-beat, humorous short stories--some of which are only a sentence or two long. Davis has won many outstanding awards for her work, and currently teaches creative writing at the University of Albany, SUNY in New York.

Her latest collection, rightfully titled The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis recently came out this past September to a hail of critic acclaim. James Wood, a writer for The New Yorker, says of Davis in a recent review, "Finally one can read a large portion of Davis's work, spanning three decades and more than seven hundred pages, and a grand cumulative achievement comes into view--a body of work probably unique in American writing, in its combination of lucidity, aphoristic brevity, formal originality, sly comedy, metaphysical bleakness, philosophical pressure, and human wisdom. I suspect that The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis will in time be seen as one of the great, strange American literary contributions, distinct and crookedly personal, like the work of Flannery O'Connor, or Donald Barthelme, or J.F. Powers."

That being said, even if you were only planning on making it out to one SAL event this year, we'd highly recommend that it be this one. With her wonderfully unique and powerful voice, Davis will be sure to impress us with a fun and quirky, unforgettable lecture. Elliott Bay Book Company will also be on hand at Benaroya Hall selling Davis' latest collection along with her previous works so that you won't miss getting a signed copy. And really, nothing beats a signed copy!

This past Sunday we learned Dick left us, and with it, a large hole in the hearts. He remains in the thoughts of those that knew him and his labors. This Monday the craft beer community asks you to honor Dick by visiting the brewery and restaurant (if you are heading south) or raise a pint in his honor. If Dick was here today, he would be sharing that pint with you and no doubt making you making you laugh in the process. You will be missed, Dick Young, and we will never forget you.

Funeral Services will be held at Sticklin Funeral Chapel (11:00 AM) on 1437 S. Gold Street in Centralia, WA, with a graveside service to follow in Chehalis at the Claquato Cemetery. Cheers.

Seattle’s vintage clothing and boutique stores are some of the best places to find pieces done by local artists.

We stumbled upon these slips while browsing the racks of the fifties-femme shop Pretty Parlor on Capitol Hill, and brought one up to the counter along with a simple question: "Who made this?"

The color richness and quality of design led us to assume the slips were printed, so we were startled to learn that the flowery prints were drawn by hand, and therefore each slip was a unique piece, that they were completely wearable and washable and would not fade.

Along with the fact that each slip itself is already a vintage piece, the whole concept comes together to solidly promote the former underthings to a more prominent clothing status. Yes, yes, we like these very much indeed.

Let’s hear from the artist, Julia, on the process of putting Sharpie tip to slip.

Tell me a little about yourself.

I was born in Seattle, in the Madrona area. Both my parents are artists and teachers, and I started drawing all the time when I was really young, pretty much as soon as I could hold a crayon. I went to the Seattle Waldorf School in North Seattle/Lake City for K-8 and the curriculum there is VERY art-based. Then I went to The Northwest School, did a lot of art there, and started to kinda figure out what types I liked better then others. I graduated from NWS spring 2009 and I'm going to Western Washington University for now, and I really like it so far. I'll be trying to get into the art program as soon as I can so I can figure out where to go next!

What gave you the idea to start drawing on slips?

I first got the idea because I had this kinda weird slip lying around at my house that had gotten nail polish spilled on it, and I was trying to figure out how to wear it/fix it. I just got out the Sharpies and started turning the nail polish dots into flowers and it just kept going until the whole bottom was covered in Sharpie flowers and designs. I think like a year and a half ago or so, my sister and mom went into Pretty Parlor and my sister was wearing it, and they decided that they wanted to carry them, which was great.

Image courtesy of the artist

It takes about 5-6 hours to do the regular full slips and anywhere from 3-5 hours for the shorter half slips or tops. Pretty much the process is: sit down with a huge box of sharpies and start drawing. I don’t sketch or anything, because a lot of the time the style of a particular slip will change as I work on it. I just put flowers of vines or whatever in the places I think it will look interesting and flattering. It’s basically a process that makes slips wearable as more then slips which I think is fun and interesting.

I get the slips or tops or whatever from pretty much anywhere. I get a lot from Value Village and Goodwill. Anna, the owner of Pretty Parlor, sometimes gives me plain slips from the store; I draw on them and then give then back. They can pretty much come from anywhere, which is cool because that makes them all different and it allows me to price them differently.

Do you take custom orders?

I have never done a custom order except for friends. I would be totally interested in doing that though; it would be fun if someone had something in mind that they were looking for, or had something they wanted the drawings on. The only problem for me is that it is sometimes hard to find slips.

Can your slips be seen anywhere else besides Pretty Parlor?

I have had them sold at another store in Madrona called Jaywalk for about 2 years or so before they went to Pretty Parlor, but they didn't sell as much there because there isn't enough of a sorta high-end client base and not enough young people. So right now the slips are only at Pretty Parlor.

For more information or to place an order, you can contact Julia at cylenceisavirtue@aol.com

THEY WANT BLOOD: The 16th annual Archie McPhee blood drive is today. If you’ve ever wanted to trade your sweet heart juice for a spooky gift, then hightail it to Wallingford. Of course, all the blood raised today goes into the general pool for the Puget Sound, which needs over 600 donors a day. We can’t help but wonder if there’s a diving board. Guaranteed Vampire-free. No word about leeches. Donations are by appointment. To set up your time, come by Archie McPhee or call (206) 297-0240.

Noon-6:00 p.m. // Archie McPhee (1300 N. 45th St.) // FREE

NIGHTMARE FUEL: Would you like to hear a story? One that chills your bones and tickles the dark belly of your brain? Then you simply must make the acquaintance of the Degenerate Art Ensemble. Tonight and tomorrow, they’re weaving Sonic Tales out of music, surrealistic dance, and hallucinatory visuals. We plan on taking a trip without leaving our seat.

8:00 p.m. // The Moore // Tickets: $22

MONSTER MASH: We know Halloween offers up some of the city’s best parties, but if you haven’t yet figured out plans, may we recommend JUICE, Seattle’s best dance party? Featuring three of Seattle finest DJ's--DJ Darek Mazzone (KEXP), DJ Rhythma (WNYE), and special guest DJ Kid Hops (KEXP)—JUICE will move your body and your mind. If that wasn’t enough, we have it on good authority that Orkestar Zirkonium will make a special midnight appearance. If you like your séances with fat bass, then bust out your Houdini costume and make the scene.

10:00 p.m. // Baltic Room // Tickets: $10

EAT FOR STRENGTH: Many, many years ago, a man named Alfred Packer joined an expedition on an ill-fated trip into Colorado Territory. Very lost, and very hungry, they did what was necessary to stay alive: they sang showtunes and ate each other. Cannibal, The Musical is Trey Parker’s (co-creator of South Park) first foray into the hilarity of terrible choices. And as you might imagine, we are huge suckers for songs about unnatural love between a man and his horse, snowmen, and breaking bread over a broken torso.

Through November 1st (Friday & Saturday 8:30 p.m.; Sundays 7:00 p.m.) // Unexpected Productions // Tickets: $15

A tie, the saying goes, is like kissing your sister. So adept at kissing their sister the Sounders have become that the MLS might well consider moving the team to Mississippi.

Thursday night's 0-0 result against the Houston Dynamo was Seattle's 12th draw this season, but by far the worst. A physical, bloody, frustrating match that gave Sounders fans a Ljungberg-sized migraine, and now forces the team to win on Texas turf November 8 to stay alive.

Seattlest watched from New York City at an East Village bar called Nevada Smith's, which despite its reputation as the city's premiere soccer pub, had Game 2 of the World Series on 14 of its 15 TVs. We huddled intently in front of the rogue soccer TV along with two other Sounders supporters, a blip of Rave Green among the pin-striped ruckus. We also found a lone, bright orange Houston fan who we adopted into our pod because we are good, nice Seattleites, and not at all because she was sort of cute.

Back to the tie though, which Times' columnist Steve Kelley accurately describes as more of a loss. With three straight wins leading into the game, another revved-up record crowd at their backs, and an opponent they'd beaten twice before, the Sounders should have won.

Yes, the officials made some questionable calls--the biggest one a foul called back at midfield that negated a Sounders goal. Head referee Ricardo Salazar might've missed Day 2 of referee school when they teach what "advantage" means.

But the Sounders had their scoring chances, with one shot cleared just before crossing the end line, and another glancing off the crossbar. With 14 shots total and nine corner kicks on the night, you'd hope at least one makes it into the back of the net.

Head Coach Sigi Schmid downplayed the tie, saying, "You always want to win at home. Don't look at it as a missed opportunity. We played the first half of this series and didn't get a goal. We have to get a goal in the second half of the series now."

Somehow the Sounders need to shake off Thursday's inability to finish and find those clutch goals that won each of their final three regular season games. And they have to do it in Houston, where the Dynamo have but one loss, the impermeability of their net kicked up a notch.

So good news, we just watched the last Sounders tie of the season. They have nine days to wash the taste of sister-mouth away.

From here on, it's win--or let someone else claim the MLS Cup on the Xbox pitch.

Although the simulations were released this April, consider them the antidote to the sight of Seattle lit only by the flames of waterfront fires. Rather than showing major roads collapsing into flames in excruciating detail, these move with the serenity of a pod of whales. Accompanied by music we swear we've heard in an acupuncturist's lobby, these depict the new bridge options as efficient, utopian dream. The camera begins at a bird's-eye view of the I-5/520 intersection on a beautiful cloudless day, then zooms in slowly to show traffic moving steadily across the bridge, following cars across the mirror-still water. It all looks like the perfect morning commute. Option A:

That's not to say the possibility of Michael Bay-level disaster doesn't exist for the 520--both the Evergreen Point Bridge and the Portage Bay Bridge are as vulnerable to earthquake damage as the Viaduct. Do not click that link unless you relish the aforementioned coppery taste of panic.

Halloween is Saturday (in case you don't have a calendar, television, or friends) so why not treat yourself to some dress-up after time spent corrupting small children's stomachs with sugar? Besides the usual costume party spots that feature killer beer there’s a battle of the bands for the “Golden Cowbell”. Or you can always live life nostalgic by stopping by a neighborhood corner to look at the largest grim reaper in Seattle. Happy Halloween.

Cheers

Brews & Ghouls

Beveridge Place Pub (6:00 PM to Close), West Seattle neighborhood. 6413 California Avenue S.W. “Have your dog wear a costume. Enjoy liquid treats. Win prizes (including cool glassware and BPP T-shirts)!”

Brouwer’s Cafe (8:00 PM to Close), Fremont neighborhood. 400 N 35th Street. Costumes, Giveaways, DJs and 64 different beers on tap. What more can you ask for?

Axe Wielding Maniacs

Skylark Cafe and Club Halloween Battle for the Golden Cowbell West Seattle neighborhood. 3803 Delridge Way S.W. 98106 (206) 935-2111 “The winners will be awarded the coveted Golden Cowbell™ and bragging rights until next year.”

Relive your fears

Jason’s 18-foot Reaper (All Day), Greenwood neighborhood. 3rd Avenue N.W. & N.W. 76th Street.

After a flurry of demonstrated community concern, the sale of the Capitol Hill OddFellows building to developer Ted Schroth was finalized in January of 2008, and his company seemed to want to put the whole uncomfortable matter behind them when touting the glorious financial potential of the space:

"The OddFellows Building presented us with an incredible opportunity to restore one of the neighborhood's most cherished icons," said Ted Schroth, the project's developer. "It has been an exciting and rewarding project to be a part of, and we are very excited about the tenants who have already chosen to make the building their home. We are looking forward to finding the right mix of remaining retail and office tenants to share in this remarkable piece of history."

The other side of the story is what happened to the arts organizations who could no longer afford to rent space in the building. Former longtime resident Velocity Dance Center doesn’t mince words when addressing the situation on their website: "Velocity's 13-year home in the Odd Fellows Building was sold to a developer in 2007, rent was raised 300 percent, and all non-profit tenants were priced out of their home." But without much other choice, Velocity set about finding a new home, and eventually secured the former Capitol Hill Arts Center space a few blocks away.

But the new space was uninhabitable in its current state, and at this point Velocity management received a crash course in fundraising. Costly renovation efforts on the space were delayed, and delayed. The Velocity Forever Capital Campaign was established to mitigate fundraising. And finally--triumphant trumpets!--Velocity will be hosting a long-awaited groundbreaking celebration tonight to mark the official demolition kick-off of the project. The party will include toasts, performances, and a walk-through of the space; possibly some kooky sledgehammer dancing and a hearty dose of fiddlin’.

On a related note, after the resounding success of September’s Single Ladies Dance Off fundraiser, Velocity and Century are teaming up again to present an open-call Michael Jackson Dance Off competition and party next month. To enter, send an email to office@centuryballroom.com that includes:

• Video (via YouTube), doesn't have to be great quality
• Name of the song you (or your group) will dance to

RULES:
Length of Routine: No more than 3 minutes

Folks can enter to be judged in any of the following categories.
1. Best actual representation of original choreography
2. Largest group
3. Best costuming/makeup
4. Most Original

Good luck!

Velocity Dance Center Groundbreaking // tonight, 5:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m. // 1621 12th Avenue // Free

Michael Jackson Dance Off // Saturday, November 14th, 9 p.m.-1 a.m. // Velocity Main Space (West Hall) @ the OddFellows building // $17 advance, $20 day of. All proceeds benefit Velocity Dance Center and the Century Ballroom.

But during the transition, the current month's participants, Spur and Branzino, prepared full meals--only to have all but the featured dishes all but lost to the world like hidden tracks on an album. One of those dishes was one of the best in memory.

This month's song was "Fruit Nut" by XTC, from their Apple Venus Volume 1 album. Spur chefs Brian McCracken and Dana Tough served up lots of fruits, accompanied by ingredients with nutty qualities to them. The "Local King Figs" looked simple enough on paper, but the taste was simply out of this world. The Kings were the last of the season and were boosted by the nuttiness of arugula and speck (porky goodness that alternates between tantalizingly sweet and salty, as well as soft and brittle), the tang of chevre, and the sparkly pop of champagne vinegar.

Figs are a seductive fruit, long associated with fertility, sex, and love--many claiming that they are a powerful sexual stimulant. All we can say is that with their creamy consistency, Spur's figs oozed sticky sweetness that made us gluttonous for more.

(The City Arts issue featuring Spur and Branzino is out now. Note that the editorial team made a mistake in designating a Dish-Off winner. Dish-Off is non-competitive until the year-end playoff issue; both of these restaurants are true winners.)

(As a child, it was our long-held dream to work at Dick's. In this economy, our dream may yet come true).

Turner, a television writer and producer who lives in L.A. now, has bestowed a wonderful gift on old-school Seattleites of a certain age by resurrecting many happy memories of the 1970s and 80s Seahawks in his book. "My goal was to bring people back," Mark tells me. "Like a sports time machine."

(As a child, we remembered our locker combination by which number corresponded to the jersey number of which mid-80s Seahawk. "33-10-20" we'd remember as "Dan Doornink-Jim Zorn-Terry Taylor." We still sometimes use this method to remember girlfriends' birthdays.)

Our idea is that Mark and us will sit and watch old Seahawks game footage on YouTube. What we don't account for is that this will bore to catatonia the two female Sasquatch Books publicists who've been dispatched to keep an eye on us.

(As a child, we worried far less about keeping females entertained.)

The publicists excuse themselves, and we are ready for some football. The game--the 1987 Seahawks' wild-card playoff against Houston. If you are old-school Seattle, you know the game and are already groaning.

(As a child, our sixth-grade home room teacher Ms. Merriman began class the day after this game with a long diatribe against the instant-replay officials who had failed to rule Fredd Young's interception a legal catch.)

Mark moved down to L.A. during this very football season. "Pre-internet, pre-Sunday Ticket," he remembers with a shudder. To get his Seahawks fix, he haunted dingy L.A. bars, usually the only Seahawk fan among a sea of Giants or Cowboys adherents. "I'd end up sitting in a corner, looking up at some small monitor," he says.

(As a child, we watched all Seahawks games on our family's 17-inch Sony Trinitron. If you asked us to watch a live game on a 17-inch TV now, we would spit in your face.)

The grainy YouTube video we're watching on the Seattlest 13-inch MacBook turns out to be less a game and more a collection of Brian Bosworth highlights. In one, Bosworth comes to the sideline with a giant tear in his jersey and begins to rip it off. Mark comments: "Look at the equipment guy! He's like 'Brian, hold on, we don't have another jersey, don't'... And then look at the guy's face when he rips it off! He looks devastated." You had to be there, but it's very funny. Turner brings this approach to the book. It's not just about what happened on the field, it's about the quirks of the players, the coaches, the organization as a whole. It's this type of stuff that binds fans together, and makes the book come alive.

(As a child, we got a "Boz flattop" at the Fantastic Sam's at Oak Tree Shopping Center. As a pale child with a small, misshapen head, you could not design a worse hairstyle for us. We feel that as a matter of professional pride, the hairstylist should have refused our request. For this reason, we have never returned to Fantastic Sam's.)

For example: In recounting the Seahawks' memorable 37-0 ass-housing of the Raiders in 1986, Turner recalls a typical gaffe from announcer Frank Gifford:

The network displays a graphic showing Raider quarterbacks (Jim) Plunkett and Marc Wilson have had identical starting records since 1981. Announcer Frank Gifford, known to occasionally fumble with his mouth, wonders aloud if you call that "charisma." (My friend Richie and I crack up over this Giff goof. We thought maybe he was thinking of the world "karma," but that doesn't make sense either. To this day, I can't figure out what Gifford meant.).

A chef instructor once tried to convince his class that it was impossible to create a new dish, that every idea they thought to be original had been done before. To the chef’s credit, few could have imagined the changes brought about by the evolution of food science. But for all the innovative efforts being put into encapsulation, powders, and gels, there is a lack of creativity with regard to their names. We miss the days when a dish was named after the person that inspired it rather than its ingredients. We can’t fault chefs for being motivated by high quality ingredients to create a beautiful dish. However, "Oysters and Pearls" will never be as romantic as Pommes Anna, Peach Melba, or Pavlova.

These classic dishes all have a story behind their names. For example, Pavlova is named after the ballet dancer Anna Pavlova. There is an ongoing debate as to whether the dish originated in Australia or New Zealand, but given that kiwifruit is a large commercial crop for New Zealand and a common garnish for pavlova, one might be inclined to side with the Kiwis. However, the fact that the word kiwi holds several different meanings in New Zealand makes it hard to credit them with being original. The origin of the word is from the Maori language and refers to the bird, but the name became a popular term for New Zealanders during World War I. As for the term being applied to New Zealand currency, well that’s just getting carried away.

In this country we can refer to the fruit simply as kiwi and suffer a greater chance of confusion over the shoe polish than the bird or people. This time of year we have our own variety of kiwi available at the farmers market. Hardy kiwis, the size of a table grape, are grown in Port Townsend and available for only one month of the year from Green Water Farm. So get thee to the farmers market this weekend or you may miss out.

WORLD SERIES GAME 1: It's the defending World Series champs against the reigning payroll champs. We're cheering on Ibañez with the hope that he will someday return to Seattle where we spell his name right.

5:00 p.m. // FOX network

BLACK HOLE SUN: We all know the equation but what does it really mean. Fulvio Melia is a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Arizona. He will read from Cracking the Einstein Code: Relativity and the Birth of Black Hole Physics.

7:30 p.m. // Town Hall Seattle // $5

CLASSIC CREEPS: Is there anything more creepy than a double feature of Bob Hope horror flicks? There are only two more days to find out. The Cat and the Canary and The Ghostbreakers are being featured in brand new 35 mm print. BOO!

7:00 p.m. // The Grand Illusion Cinema // $10