A sport you can learn in a just a few minutes, requires very little skill, and is traditionally played while sipping cocktails? We’re there! Pétanque — pronounced pay-tonk — is one of the most popular outdoor games in Europe. The object of the game, which originated in France in the…

THU 3 Owing to Hurricane Wilma, stuff is a mess, stress is high, and nothing is stable, so you should probably call to verify the status of all calendar listings. We found a few Night & Day picks for you, but we’re also offering some special in-the-dark and “snow day”…

THU 27 Few directors are as capable of polarizing an audience as David Lynch. Many cineastes worship his enigmatic imagery, deliberate use of sound, and anything-but-linear plot lines. Typically a Lynch movie will cause average moviegoers to scratch their heads and mutter curses under their breath. His films undoubtedly capture…

Note: Owing to Hurricane Wilma, many of this weekend’s events have been postponed or canceled. Please call ahead to confirm. Angel readings, pet psychics, and healing crystals might sound like fodder for a segment on The Daily Show, but this weekend’s Mystical Fair — packed with lectures and demonstrations of…

Note: Owing to Hurricane Wilma, many of this weekend’s events have been postponed or canceled. Please call ahead to confirm. THU 20 What is Latin beauty? Is it the sultry dark allure of Salma Hayek or the blond glow of Jennifer Lopez? What about the kooky colors of Celia Cruz…

THU 13 Hollis Liverpool is more than a calypso singer; he’s a historian of the art form. His stage name is The Mighty Chalkdust, a reference to his three decades as a teacher. He is a professor at the University of the Virgin Islands, an author of compelling Caribbean academic…

Is there life after New Times? For alum Sean Rowe, there almost wasn’t. While recovering from a run-in with a train — yes, he was hit by a train, he’s fine now, get over it — Rowe realized it was time to write the damn book and make the transition…

THU 6 The long-awaited party season is finally here, and tonight you can toast to a fabulous fall at the eighth annual March of Dimes Signature Chefs & Wine Extravaganza presented by Miccosukee Resort & Gaming. Too many cooks won’t spoil this party as Chispa’s Adam Votaw will lead team…

THU 29 Where can a country girl find a decent hoedown? Thanks to the friendly folks at the Main Street Café (128 N. Krome Ave., Homestead), every Thursday night we can slip into our dungarees, Frye boots, and sassy Stetsons to enjoy a heapin’ helpin’ of classic country music. With…

The strong bond between people and animals cannot be denied. Pets are part of the family, and those who don’t have human children love their pets as much as any parents. Thousands of residents along the Gulf Coast chose not to leave their homes in advance of Hurricane Katrina’s strike…

THU 22 Dude, you’ve been sporting a soul patch and toting around that ragged copy of On the Road since you left Evergreen State College in 1993. Don’t you think it’s time to update your look and your book? You can take care of both issues tonight when Miami Living…

THU 15 Formed in 1992 in a lush little Florida college town we like to call Gainesville, the three Pez-loving pop-y punk bandmates of Less than Jake spent a few years tinkering with their identity, and by adding a few members and an addictive ska beat, they soon won over…

THU 8 Artists find inspiration in the strangest places. “I was walking behind a very, um, obese lady, and she was wearing purple spandex,” says New York photographer Daniel Aubry, who pauses to laugh. “And I imagined her as a mound, or pile, of cheeseburgers.” From that thought Aubry conceived…

Dogs donning diamonds are a girl’s best friend this weekend at the International Gem & Jewelry Show. Featuring the largest selection of fine jewelry, watches, beads, precious and semiprecious gemstones, crystals, gold, and sterling silver, the show has some bling for the whole family, even the dog. “There’s a gem…

The calendar gals need to see the words gift bags on an invitation before we can be bothered with dolling ourselves up for a party. Peg Samuel, founder and president of Social Diva, totally understands that. “We only write about things we’ve personally approved,” says Samuel of her Website and…

Fill up the tank and get out of town while the roads are free from out-of-state license plates. Since the calendar gals are often strapped for cash, we’re going to see the Florida Keys in a day with just a few dollars. The key (har, har) to doing the Keys…

She was lost in experiencing the hugeness of the National Museum of Natural History with her five-year-old daughter when she missed our scheduled phone interview. “My senses were so overloaded,” says Hollis Gillespie, author of Confessions of a Recovering Slut. Fans of Gillespie’s “Mood Swing” column in Atlanta’s Creative Loafing,…

Jacquelyn Jackson Johnston noticed the stray animal problem in her Little Haiti neighborhood as soon as she began working on her Faktura Gallery space. Curly-tailed feral dogs and fierce alley cats darted from behind overflowing Dumpsters and abandoned car parts. “I rescued the first dog about a month ago,” says…

Boom! Bang! Ooh! Ahh! Yes, it’s the Fourth of July, the time of year when the corn is knee-high and everyone’s a pyromaniac. And there’s no shortage of free activities for those low on cash after stocking up on toys like bottle rockets, sparklers, and firecrackers that will be scaring…

It’s summertime in Miami, and those of us who remain in this sultry city are here because we have to be. There’s no house in the Hamptons or lakeside cabin in Minnesota for us to escape to. But that’s no reason to sulk. It’s time to embrace the heat and…

“We’re here! We’re queer! Get used to it!” the marchers shout as the Springfield Gay Pride Parade rolls past the Simpson house in an episode of The Simpsons. And little liberal Lisa Simpson shouts back, “You do this every year! We are used to it.” If only everyone could be…