Monthly Archives: January 2016

Okay, so the holidays are over, and the social calendar is pretty much shot until Groundhog’s Day. (Around here, watching Sid Vicious rise from his grave, look down at his shadow, and realize that he has to wait six more weeks until spring is an essential step toward knowing that winter is finally over.) You’re so burned out from holiday shopping that the thought of going near any crowded retail venue gives you hives, you’ve already seen every movie released into the January Sargasso, and even responded to trailers for the new Warcraft movie with enthusiastic bellows of “LEROOOOOOOY JENKINS!” It’s too cold to go swimming and too warm to go skiing, all of the interesting outdoor activities face horrendous weather at any time, and most indoor events require getting off the sofa, peeling the cats off your feet, and dealing with the same rainstorms, fires, floods, tornadoes, Christmas tree bonfires, and occasional Pearl Jam cover bands that keep you away from outdoor activities. When you’ve seen everything even remotely interesting on NetFlix and you’d sooner read a copy of D magazine than turn on terrestrial radio, what to do?

WELL, you have options, even if you didn’t know it. Make time in the calendar now to be in downtown Dallas on January 22. That evening, from 7 to 11 p.m., the Perot Museum of Nature & Science hosts its regular 21-and-up Social Science late-night event, and this month’s subject is “Glow”. It’s a tie-in to the Creatures of Light exhibition, with the advantage of a cash bar, and it’s already full of activities. The one addition will be a demonstration of fluorescence in carnivorous plants with the help of a trusty shortwave UV lamp, as well as presentations of what fluorescent blooms are available. (Considering that my aloes think that spring is already here, this may or may not include blooms that fluoresce so strongly that the glow hurts your eyes.) Tickets are going fast, so get in while you have the chance.

Incidentally, for those who can’t make it to Social Science, a smaller version of the same presentation will be available at the next Midtown ARTwalk on January 16, so come by for a preview. Either way, it beats staying home to watch Seinfeld reruns, eh?