I've heard stories about pets who eat their way through candy-stuffed Easter baskets. Some cats are stealth and manage to smuggle single jelly beans when no one is looking. Some dogs quietly root through the loot, gingerly picking out Peeps and no one's the wiser. Other animals are not so sneaky. They're found, buried muzzle-deep, in empty candy wrappers, colored Easter grass gracing their faces like a frizzy plastic halo.

I've been told tales of kids being rushed to the hospital for emergency jelly-bean-ectomies … those sugar-encased nuggets slip into nostrils with almost no effort. Pulling them out, however, is often a job for professionals with very long tweezers.

But here's the thing. Good stories like these turn into great stories when there are photos to prove they actually happened.

So show me. Send in your photos of Easter memories … Shots of the Easter egg hunt that turned into a riotous stampede once the kids heard there was cash stashed in the blue eggs … Jacob finding a tiny, fuzzy, live Easter duckling in his basket … Grandpa dozing through Easter service … The time you freaked out your nephew with plastic Easter egg eyes …

Hop to it! Unearth images of past Easter festivities, or create new memories to share. Then click this link to upload your pics. The contest runs through midnight, March 30.

  

OK, so, technically, I'm not Irish. But my paternal roots are set firmly in Butte, Montana, and therefore I am entitled to a lifelong honorary membership in the Erin Go Braugh Club.

St. Patrick's Day celebrations in Butte are legendary. Partying starts before breakfast and pretty much doesn't stop until everybody passes out. Revelers spill out of the bars and take over the streets. Mothers lock up their children and the police put in serious overtime.

I left Butte when I was just 6, and so my experience with these debaucherous goings-on is purely second-hand. My little brother and I “summered” with our dad, in Butte. Dad had a restaurant that that was attached to a bar, and although it will kill my mother to find this out, we used to climb up on tavern barstools and listen to the locals recount shining moments of Irish glory. Trust me, if there's one thing Butte people know how to do, it's how to get shalalee'd. If there's another thing they know how to do, it's how to party with such aplomb that their stories are still worth telling months later.

For years I've been wanting to get back to Butte to experience one of these monumental Leprechaun festivals first-hand. But before I do, I need to get in a little practice. It would be a black mark on the family name if I couldn't keep up with the natives.

I've heard that a certain faction of the Spokane population could give the Montana folks a run for their money. And so, my friends, I share with you a list of local places to prime the pump. Because on St. Patrick's Day everyone's Irish. But only the strong survive. You'll notice that unless St. Patrick's Day falls on a Saturday, it's one of those holidays worthy of multiple observances. Pace yourselves.

If you know of other places around town that do St. Patrick's Day up right, let us all know!

PARADES
The 32nd Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade hits the streets of downtown Spokane on Saturday, March 13. The fun starts at noon.
This parade is open to total community involvement, and they accept entrants until the morning of the event, so you never know what to expect. But one thing is certain … It's always lively and it's always a blast.
Put on by non-profit group The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, the parade honors all things Irish while raising donations for local charitable organizations. Volunteers will be collecting canned food along the parade route, so bring a bag of groceries and support Second Harvest Inland Northwest. They'll also accept cash donations, so if you can spare a little of your Green Beer money, do it!

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Downtown Coeur d'Alene gets the green on at 4, when the 5th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade rolls through.

PARTIES
C.I. Shenanigan's celebrates in a big way with specials that stretch from Parade Day (Saturday, March 13) through St. Pat's Day. You'll find them at the east edge of Riverfront Park, on the river.

Click here to get a full lineup of their party specials … Lamb Stew, Corned Beef & Cabbage, Green Beer, Irish Whiskeys and so much more.

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O'Doherty's Irish Pub is everybody's favorite watering hole on St. Patrick's Day … It's conveniently located on the parade route so get there early if you want a seat! They make it easy … Doors open at 9 on Saturday.

On Wednesday, the official St. Patrick's Day, doors open at 10. There'll be live Irish music all day, plenty of green beer, plus great food and drink specials, too! Do yourself a favor and don't leave without trying a Butte Pastie … O'Ds does 'em almost as well as my grandma!

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MarQuee Lounge will be a hot spot Wednesday night.

From 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. drink specials and DJ MC Squared will help you get your jig on.

Wa-hoo! It's the world's first. And I found it! Am I a lucky girl or what?

My decorating style is best described as eclectic minimalism. I find just as much charm in shabby old bookends as I do glittering chandeliers, and I don't do knickknacks. But sometimes I walk into my uncluttered surroundings and think, “This space feels stark raving naked.”

On days like these I go to Real Deals. OK, actually, if I think my rooms need a little dressing up on a Thursday or a Saturday I go to Real Deals. On any other day of the week I have to tell my space to cope with its Plain Jane status until Thursday or Saturday, because the store is only open two days each week. You guessed it, Thursday and Saturday.

The store's tagline is “2 days a week. 2 good to be true.” At first I thought this was a horrible idea. Seriously? Two days a week? Who does that? But after my first visit I realized this whole limited-access approach to shopping was a brilliant marketing ploy. By offering cool, distinct stuff at jaw-dropping prices, they've created a shopping destination worthy of a spot on my calendar.
 
Every time I go, I find just what I'm looking for, which is amazing, because I usually have no idea what I'm looking for. Enticing vignettes showcase different styles – everything from log cabin chic to black velvet loveliness – that make it easy to imagine what the goods will look like on my lonely walls, or arranged cleverly on a mantel. Obviously it'd be someone else's mantel because a.) I don't do “arrangements” and, b.) I took a sledgehammer to my fireplace years ago.

Speaking of someone elses … I often hear people say it's impossible to put a price on friendship. Take a whirl around Real Deals and you'll understand why this sentiment is just plain wrong. I've found magnificent gifts at Real Deals for less than the price of a latte. My pals have absolutely no idea I'm able to buy their friendship for so very little. And that's a bargain at twice the price.

Saturday my Mom, Mom-in-Law and I visited Real Deal's new location at the corner of Pines and Trent. None of us really “needed” anything, but that didn't stop us from walking out with bags bursting with bargains.

We made out like bandits. Cutesy garden signs, delightful picture frames, decorative wicker balls, scented candles in mini Mason jars, retro-ish lunch boxes, sofa-length wall mirrors … we just couldn't stop. It's a good thing I didn't drive the pickup to the store Saturday or I would have hauled home an awesome distressed-loking black dining room table and chairs.

My favorite kitschy find of the day was a small yellow sign, painted with red letters that say: “When life gives you lemons … break out the tequila & salt!” Is it super cute? Yes. Do I know where I'm going to hang it? No. But who cares … the $1.44 price tag made the sign downright impossible to resist.

Find Real Deals at 12305 E. Trent. They're open Thursdays 10-5 and Saturdays 10-3. You can reach them by phone at 509.922.4419.

Einstein Car Wash on Sullivan has awesome super sucker upright canister vacuums that they let you use for free. The idea, I'm sure, is that you'll clean the innards of your car either before or after you pay for a trip through their car wash. But sometimes, like the day after I failed to stop at home for the truck before visiting Aslin-Finch to pick up a straw bale and so threw the bundle of dry grass into the back of my carpeted SUV, I filch a free vacuum and scram.

Yesterday karma caught up with me.

The car was gnarly, inside and out, thanks to a recent trip to the Washington coast. Two teenage boys in the back seat, a day at the beach and a ride over a slushy Snoqualmie Pass left our rig in such a sad state that for the past three weeks I've been expecting to find “Wash me!” scrawled across the back window.

So after work last night I finally turned into Einstein's and set about sucking sand from the seats, the floors and the ceiling – I don't want to know how it got up there. I'd just moved from the back seats to the front seats and was aiming the nozzle at the center console when it happened.

Mingling there in the drink holder with some loose change was a bright pink Post-it note. I don't know how long it had been there but I do know I'd written someone's name and phone number on it. I know this because I saw the name and number flash before my eyes before being sucked up into the nozzle. I also know that phone number had to be important because I'd taken the time to find a Post-it note on which to write down the number instead of scribbling it on a stray gum wrapper. Forty-six cents is all that was left behind.

Crap. Whoever that number belonged to was expecting a call from me. Either they needed something from me (that I no doubt promised I could handle) or they were going to do something for me (something important, as evidenced by the attention I'd paid to writing the number on a real piece of paper). And now that call would never come.

In an effort to set the world back in order, I did the right thing and paid for a car wash – the most expensive one they had. As top-of-the-line multi-colored foam coated the windows I hoped I was doing enough to charm the universe, and the person I was supposed to call would see this post and understand why I hadn't gotten back to them.

If it's you, call me. You have my number.

There's a new feature on Spokane7.com that combines two of my very favorite things: Eating and saving money.

The Dining & Entertainment Deals page features new offers from awesome local establishments every two weeks.

Right now Aloha Island Grill, Frontier West Restaurant & Bake Shop and Atilano's Mexican Food are offering $10 certificates for just $5!!!

That's a 50% discount! I'm no math whiz, but this seems like a mighty fine deal to me.

Click here to take advantage of these sweet savings. Don't dilly dally … there are only a certain number of certificates available each week … you snooze you lose, baby! And don't forget to check back on the 15th, when a new round of deals will be yours for the taking.

THIS:

PLUS THIS:

EQUALS NOTHIN' BUT TROUBLE.

It should be noted that if you're drunk enough to think driving a keg is a good idea, you're probably too drunk to drive home. Oh, and you're gonna have one hell of a hangover. Yee-haw!

Friday night a bunch of us went out to the new Northern Quest Resort & Casino for a fundraising dinner and auction. It’s the first time we’d been out there since all the big (and I do mean big) renovations happened. That gargantuan oasis of all things fortuitous glimmered through the dark like a spinning disco ball. I was actually tingling in anticipation, a phenomenon that usually only happens at dessert tables and baseball games.

You know how sometimes things look awesome on the outside but once you get inside you wonder what all the fuss was about? Yeah, that was not the case in this instance.

We unwittingly parked our car as far away from the entrance we needed as humanly possible. Which meant we had to walk from one end of the resort to the other, stopping three different times to ask for directions, because the grand expanse of the place is completely disorienting. Wait, that’s not entirely true. I had to stop three times to ask for directions. There’s no way Eric was going to do it, but he has evolved enough that he’s perfectly comfortable asking me to ask for directions.

Along the way we passed a buffet, a couple sit-down restaurants, a food court, a room filled with electronic gaming machines (and a haze of cigarette smoke), two gift shops and a couple of night clubs. There are two other bars that we didn’t see (which means maybe we didn’t actually walk from one end of the resort to the other … good god, there’s more?). Come to think of it, we didn’t see the resort hotel either (good god, there is more).

One of the clubs we passed was Liquid, which, I think, is a slinky clothes and too-much-cologne-required dance club. Our casual-comfort style probably wouldn’t have gotten us through the door, but I felt myself wanting to give it a try. Not because of what might be inside, but because the outside was so very cool. Colored walls of water cascade from the ceiling into pools at the floor, and blue-hued glass marbles surround the club’s exterior like a glittering moat. Alas, I’d left my short skirt at home, and so we walked on to our banquet hall.

The event was a total success and we had a lovely time mingling and bidding. But the highlight of my night came on my first trip to the bathroom. The resort has outfitted their facilities with … get this … toilet seat condoms!!! A simple wave of the hand or push of a button and Voila!, a fresh plastic sanitary seat cover whirls around the seat and stops just in time for you to sit down. OMG!  Coolest thing, evar!

I ran back to our table after this amazing discovery, almost bursting with the exciting news. My mom jumped up and ran to the loo for an immediate inspection. But Heather, my sister-in-law, who’d already made the toilet’s acquaintance, was far less enthused about the whole thing. “What if they’re like those cloth towels in truck stop bathrooms? You know the ones that are on a continuous loop? What if you’re actually getting recycled toilet condoms?”

I squealed in disgust just as Eric chimed in with a solution. “You know what you need to do? You need to go in there with a Sharpie and put an ‘X’ on the plastic. Then stand there and push the button over and over again. And hope you don’t see that ‘X’ come around.”

I feel better not knowing. But you can bet I’ll be packing a Sharpie the next time we visit.

Spotted on a shelf at Value Village this afternoon … a pocket-sized personal torture device. What's next, an at-home embalming kit?

We have a few I Spy books scattered around the house. They're these awesome Scholastic picture-riddle books filled with a couple dozen colorful pages that at first glance look like a junk drawer threw up and somebody took a picture of the mess. But when you take a minute to really look at what's on the pages you start to notice things … safety pins, yo-yos, egg beaters, thimbles and other seemingly random objects all integrated into carefully orchestrated tableaux.

These books have been laying around the house for over a decade and we never get tired of them because it seems every time they're opened a new surprise shows up.

I get the same feeling when I walk into Zola. Most of this downtown bar's finishes have been salvaged from nearby demolition sites and everywhere you look there's something that'll make you point and get all “omigod, that's so awesome” high-pitchy.

One of the upstairs seating areas features seats crafted from vintage tilt-a-whirl buckets (but be warned, it gets hotter than hell during the summer so dress skimpy if you're planning to hang out up there). Old license plates cover a few of the walls like industrial-strength shingles. Salvaged windows and doors section areas into private-ish party rooms.

The place is probably one of the coolest, most eclectic bars in town, but understatedly so. Understatedly? I totally made that up just now.

Last night a few of the girls were hanging out in the back of the bar where a huge boat has been tipped on its side and fashioned into one of the most unique sitting areas I've ever seen. Bench seats that are so wide I had to sit criss-cross apple sauce all night because there was no way my hobbit legs were touching the floor are littered with big pillows. Opposite the boat, red velvet sofas sit against an exposed brick wall and sconce lights made from old mailboxes lend a warm glow to the whole get-up.

Zola serves awesome food – their French fries are SO worth blowing your diet – and they have an awesome daily happy hour from 4-6, with $1 PBRs, $3 wells and $5 tapas. Plus there's live music on the stage every night but Sunday and Monday.

Truly, it's one those places that you want to show off to your friends when they come to visit because you can totally say, “See, I told you Spokane was cool.”

Find Zola at 22 W. Main. They're open every day at 4 pm. Just in case you need it, their phone number is 509.624.2416.

The Indigo Girls will be at the Knitting Factory on March 18.

Spokane 7.com is giving you a chance to win a couple of free tickets to the show. I know, it doesn't get much closer to fine than this.

Click here to enter your info on the contest page and then sit by the phone until March 15 to see if you're a lucky one.

And that’s how Eric and I found ourselves at Picabu Bistro this afternoon.

Tucked away in an unassuming corner of the Rosauer’s parking lot at 14th and Lincoln, the exterior looks like it might have been a bank during the late ‘70s. But inside – even with spring-like sunshine streaming through the big windows at the front – Picabu exudes a casually cozy, intimate vibe.

If I was hungry when we pulled up, I was starving as soon as I walked through the door. Good god it smelled amazing in there. Spicy and savory and succulent all at the same time.  

Since the theme for the day was trying new things, I went with a wrap – the Spicy Chicken Chop – which is something I wouldn’t typically choose because I’m more of a bread girl. Let’s just say I’ve added another carb to my favorite’s list. This wrap was HUGE (as in, big enough that I plopped the second half, untouched, in a to-go box without a single worry that I might feel hungry as soon as I got in the car) and stuffed with chicken chunks, black beans, onions, red peppers, organic mixed greens and blackened ranch. I have no idea what blackened ranch is, but it worked.

I also surprised myself by passing up the French fries (my all-time favorite food, ever) and ordered a side of the Louisiana Black Bean Chili topped with feta and cilantro. So tasty I almost didn’t regret skipping my customary deep-fried potato side.

Eric went for the Cactus Burger and fries (thank heaven, because a guy at the next table had fries on his plate and if Eric hadn’t ordered some I totally would have filched a few from that stranger’s lunch). This burger was even HUGER than my wrap, and it was smothered with pepper jack, mixed greens, tomato, red onions and a hamburger “goo” that consisted of  a spicy pepper, onion and bacon mix. That goo was so “gooey” we ate it off his plate with a fork after it seeped from the whole wheat bun. And the fries? The best I’ve had all year. And that’s sayin’ something.

My man capped off this intrepid meal with a cold pint of Irish Death. He says it’s his new must-do brew and I totally would have had one myself were it not for my damnable Lenten vow to take a break from tippling.

You’ll find Picabu at 901 W. 14th. They’re open 7 days a week from 11am-9pm and they don’t take reservations. But if you want to give them a call for any other reason, the number is 509.624.2464.

Forgive me Father, for I almost sinned. It's been 6 days and until this afternoon I was holding up fairly well. Then this Pabst billboard blindsides me.

My mouth started to water and for a minute I thought my brain was trying to tell me I really needed a beer.

But in the next minute I figured the increased salivation was more likely a result of my body's recall of those gnarly hurls that always seem to end the evenings I spend with PBR. And so my dry spell continues.

I've seen two Pabst billboards around town. This one is on the corner of Second and Browne, and the other is across the street from Bluz at the Bend, at Market and Illinois. If you know of any others. let me know. I'll go take photos and post them here. Then all us good Catholic kids can use the photos as a reminder that sometimes it's OK to say no. At least until Easter.

Mother Mary, pray for us.

Two words … Centennial Trail

Days like today remind me just how lucky we are to live in this great city. The sun is shining, the river's flowing and locals are soaking it in, out on the trail.

Three words … Get out there!

Four words … You. Kids. Dogs. Bikes.

Five words … What are you waiting for?

  

Typically we won't stick around for a table if there's a wait – our short attention span constantly reminds us that there are plenty of other places to eat within a few-minute's drive of wherever we are. Wednesday night was different. Even though the  neighborhood eatery was packed with a comfortable mix of hungry families, swooning sweethearts and neighborhood regulars, we stuck around.

Ferrante's Marketplace Cafe's quaint gift shop offered enough distraction to keep us hanging around until a table opened up. Checking out sweet little baubles – handmade jewelry and cards, books and baby stuff, body lotion and home decor – helped pass the 15-minute wait. I'm pretty sure the pinot we sipped while browsing helped the time float by even faster.

Ferrante's is set up for order-at-the-counter service, so if you're in a hurry (or are waiting for a table), you can order as soon as you walk in the door. But even if you wait to order until you're sitting at your table, food makes it to the table pretty quick. If you just can't wait to eat, ask them to scoop you up a little dish of gelato, there are about a dozen different flavors to choose from every day, and there's nothing wrong with eating dessert first. There's nothing wrong with eating dessert before AND after, either.

Eric ordered a pasta dish with plenty of lemon zing, chicken and capers. I decided on one of their white sauce pizzas with pepperoncinis and spicy sausage on a cracker-thin crispy crust.

Both tasted amazingly fresh, light and filling, which always has a tendency to make me feel like I'm eating something healthy, even if there is a gooey layer of cheese smothering the entire thing. Eric finished his, but I boxed up half my pizza to take home because there was no way I was leaving without a scoop of that dense, creamy Triple Dutch Chocolate gelato. (And good gawd was it worth it … like eating frozen brownie batter with a spoon.)
  

You'll find Ferrante's at 4516 S. Regal (in the strip mall with Albertson's and Rite Aid). They're open 11a.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesday thru Saturday. Their number is 509.443.6304

Jed Conklin, a local freelance photographer (whose name you most likely recognize from his years as a Spokesman-Review photojournalist) is blogging about his Olympic experiences up in Vancouver.

Check it out … his work is brilliant!

Here's a shot I borrowed from his blog:

Although my addiction to Wii Sports Resort has turned me into a wicked table tennis champ, I've never been what anyone would consider athletically gifted. I am, however, one hell of a cheerleader. And I'm a sucker for just about any sport, so long as there's good-spirited competition and a human-interest angle to sink my teeth into.

Which means that the 2010 Winter Olympics are just about my favorite contest on TV since The Amazing Race. I love it all … figure skating, snowboarding, bobsledding, speed skating, the luge and its even more-insane cousin the skeleton, skiing and, yup, even curling (although I still don't know what the point of this particular “sport” is).

Each Olympian has proven they're one of the best athletes in the world, and the commentators do an excellent job filling us in on the sacrifices and triumphs these participants have made to get to the pinnacle of sporting perfection. Thanks to these plentiful backstories, I feel justified in cheering for the underdogs, hoping harder for the athletes overcoming the greatest struggles. Every unexpected conquest seems a victory for anyone who's ever beaten the odds.

Competitions run through February 28, a lot of them televised locally on NBC and USA.

How about you … are you a fan of the Olympics? Take a second to cast your vote in our latest poll. (You'll find it over there on the right side of the screen, under my picture and the ad.)

Do you have a favorite story behind the glory? I want to know what it is! Leave a comment and get the conversation started …
  

Spied on a bench at the Walmart pharmacy (just sitting there as a lonely reminder of what could have been):

• One bottle KY Natural Feeling Liquid
• One bottle KY Touch Massage 2-in-1 Warming Liquid
• One First Response Pregnancy Test — with enhanced technology for early results
• One Easy-2-Install Maximum Security Keyed-entry door knob — perfect for the boudoir

I don't even want to think about which pharmaceutical remedy the purchaser was waiting for while he gathered this collection of bow-chica-bow-wow.

Lock and load, baby. Lock. And. Load.

Have you checked out the sweet smooch pics readers have been submitting to our latest Fabulocity photo contest?

It's amazing how a few shots of kiddo and canine canoodling can restore your faith in all things warm and fuzzy.

You have until midnight Monday to send in your precious puckers. Come on, show us some love!

Each time I go to Chaps I tell myself this will be the day I order their signature baked oatmeal. Everyone swears it’s the heartiest, tastiest stuff they’ve ever eaten, but each time I approach the counter something other than, “I’ll have the Chaps Baked Oatmeal” comes out, and I wonder if my subconscious has discovered a way to keep me in a state of constant craving.

Saturday morning my chum-since-high-school, Michelle, and I moseyed out to Chaps with a hankering for custard-style oatmeal. But neither of us could deny the fact that our mouths started watering when the friendly fella behind the counter suggested Pumpkin French Toast. I put in my order, it was a no-brainer. The Banana French Toast was just as tempting, and my famished friend was not about to let the opportunity pass her by.

Michelle planted herself on a pink church pew and I sat across the old farmhouse table on a black ladder-backed chair. We drank water from half-pint canning jars and sipped rich, black coffee from sweet pink “chapsgirl” mugs. Our French toast – hearty slabs of scratch pumpkin and banana bread – came topped with a generous dollop of soft, cinnamon-y cream cheese. A heap of grilled red potatoes and a couple thick slices of meaty bacon sealed the deal. It was pretty much like eating dessert with a side of meat and vegetables. That’s right, a perfectly balanced meal.

There’s no denying this place does comfort food up right. But Chaps brings much more than emotionally gratifying cuisine to the table. A witty collection of bodiless bovines, vintage furniture and distinctively chic accessories help create a homestead hominess that feels cozy, comfortable and instantly familiar, even to city slickers.

It’s a place that, although you never leave hungry, you always leave wanting more.

Chaps is located about 10 minutes outside downtown. Take I-90 exit 279 south toward Pullman/Colfax; travel 195 about 2.5 miles and veer into the Latah shopping plaza: 4237 South Cheney-Spokane Road; 509.624.4182

Mom and I hit TJ Maxx yesterday for a little retail therapy — bargain-style.

Theme for the day? Color!

Sheer flowy scarves in bright pastels, knit tops in vivid jewel tones and bikinis in shades so cheerful I almost look forward to swimsuit season. Almost.

And then there were these racks of glorious handbags in all the colors of the rainbow.

Punxsutawney Phil might have jinxed us with 6 more weeks of dreary winter weather, but nothing says we can't wave the radiant colors of spring in his smug little face.

Yesterday I got an email from Cindy Wiedmer, a local designer who owns JL Warren Interiors. Eric and I have worked with Cindy in the past, and are fans of her inspired creations. This Friday you'll have a chance to become an admirer, too, when one of JL Warren's projects is featured on HGTV's Bang for Your Buck.

The show features three homes in one city that have undergone a major transformation, all for the same amount of money. This particular show will highlight Spokane master bedroom renovations, each presented by a different local designer. An area real estate agent and an HGTV celebrity designer (in this case the adorable David Bromstad) tour the chosen homes, then determine which project netted the homeowners the most bang for their buck.

Tune in to HGTV this Friday evening – at 6:30 on Comcast HD Channel 674, or at 9:30 on either Comcast channel 68 or 674 – to see which master bedroom was the most bangin'.

Here's a shot of Cindy with David Bromstad and the happy homeowners, Roe and Sue Breesnee.

So last night I call Eric to the table for dinner and I get a, “Keep it warm, babe, and come in here … Spokane's on Cops again!”

And there they were – a few of Spokane's finest, dragging a pair of grimy burglars out from a Shadle-neighborhood garage. Warmed the cockles of my heart to realize that although Spokane has its share of bad guys, they always seem to be far less belligerent than the goons in Albuquerque, Tulsa or Cleveland.

That's right … even our crooks are polite.

But, puh-leze people, let's keep it PG. I saw enough tonsil hockey at the roller rink to last me through the decade.

Click here for all the details. And then get busy. Tis the season for smooching.

I had an hour to kill between the end of The Big Lebowski and the beginning of the Zags game. So I flipped through the channels and landed on the Food Network — a channel that can effortlessly suck me in for hours. Tonight I caught a fresh episode of Ace of Cakes … an episode that featured an engagement cake for a gal from Spokane! Her fella is a romantic firefighter who wanted to surprise her with a cake highlighting her home town, so the Charm City Cake crew created an edible diorama of Riverfront Park, complete with the Clock Tower, the Radio Flyer and a menagerie of marmots. They even went so far as to pronounce Spokane just right.

The show airs again tonight at 10 and at 1 in the morning. Catch it again on Valentine's Day, at 5. 

SPOILER ALERT: She said yes, even though her dude managed to leave the ring at home on the big night. Can you blame her? Cake = love.

They look even cuter when fashioned out of fondant.

Although dozens of you submitted photos of your terrified children making nice with Jolly Old St. Nick for our Scary Santa contest, only a handful were brave enough to send in photos of just how terrifying your work space is. I'm chalking up the smaller photo collection to the fact that most of you with grody work spaces simply couldn't locate your camera amid the stacks and piles and puddles of the daily grind. The idea that you're more comfortable inviting strangers to laugh at your kid's horrific holiday memories than putting your own dirty little secret under the microscope is just too unsettling.

Fabulocity reader Lecia took the liberty of submitting a snapshot of her co-worker's office, and we were mesmerized. Copious coffee cups, enough shoes to outfit a basketball team, and pile upon pile of God only knows what. We proudly bestowed the limited-edition 7 beach towel to Lecia, and hope she opts for some creative draping in that office, or keeps it on hand for an emergency sopping-up of whatever's lurking in those receptacles of liquid refreshment. Bravo!

Next week we're opening up a whole new photo contest. Details are on the way, but for now let me just say this: It's OK to kiss and tell …

But a hug'll cost you 4 all-season radials.

It's grey. It's gloomy. And it's Monday. This day needs a little comfort. So I start flipping through my mental Rolodex … where can a girl go to get her hands on some hot, steamy soup – like, now?

A few spots popped into my head right away:
Conley's Place in the Valley (served with a damn tasty slab of Fred Flinstone-proportioned cornbread)
Maggie's South Hill Grill (made fresh, in-house, every day)
Madeleine's in the heart of Downtown (blissful Tomato Basil Bisque, every day)

OK, that's three. I've had 'em all (no, not all today), and every single spoonful was divine. Now what?

These drearies plan to hang around awhile and I'd really love to add another favorite place or two to my drizzly-day pick-me-up list … whattaya got?

  

Came across this little good-time nugget while cruising Facebook today. Talk about a great way to double your trouble tonight …

Start your Saturday night with a visit to STIR Martini Lounge (on the north side at 7115 N. Division), and get a FREE No Cover/VIP Pass ($10 savings) to MARQUEE (522 W. Riverside, downtown). This special offer is valid for this Saturday, Jan 23, with purchase of any cocktail, beer or menu item at Stir; limit 1 pass per person.

Cheers!

I just turned on the TV. The thrill of seeing my hometown on national television will never grow old.

U.S. Firgure Skating Championships are on now. The Zags game is on at 5. And the Women's Finals take over the screen at 9.

Seriously, an amazing way to put our fantastic city in the spotlight.

Yay, Spokane! We. Are. Awesome.