All Over Albany

The week ahead

Here are a few things to keep in mind, look forward to, or keep busy with this week, from the weather (not so December-ish), to holiday movies, words, the stage, and chilling out...

Weather

Here's the paraphrased forecast for this week:

Monday: Maybe snow and rain, mid 30s.

Tuesday: Cloudy, low 40s.

Wednesday: Maybe rain and snow, mid 30s.

Thursday: Sunny and 30.

Friday: Cloudy and 40.

December, what happened?

Hanukkah

The Jewish holiday Hanukkah ends its run of eight nights at nightfall Wednesday. Hanukkah commemorates the re-dedication of the temple in Jerusalem in 165 BCE, and a miracle in which a supply of oil only large enough to burn for one night lasted for eight -- thus the eight nights of Hanukkah. (It's also the reason the holiday is typically celebrated with fried foods such as latkes or donuts.)

Christmas movies

Love, Actually
Monday: The Palace is showing Love, Actually. Christmas is all around... Monday 7 pm -- $5

The Muppet Christmas Carol
Tuesday: The Cohoes Music Hall is showing The Muppet Christmas Carol. (Michael Caine plays Scrooge.) Tuesday 7 pm -- $5

It's a Wonderful Life
Looking ahead to Friday: The Palace is showing It's a Wonderful Life. The old classic in an old movie palace. Friday 7 pm -- $5

Words

Front Parlor
Monday: The Front Parlor storytelling series is back at the Olde English in Albany. This month's theme: "Getting Lucky." Monday 7:30 pm

Nitty Gritty
Tuesday: The Nitty Gritty poetry slam series is back at the Low Beat in Albany. Tuesday 7 pm

Stage

She Loves Me
Tuesday-Sunday: This is the last week for Capital Rep's production of She Loves Me. "This confection of a musical is based on the timeless story by Miklos Laszlo that also served as inspiration for the classic film The Shop Around the Corner and more recently You've Got Mail." Tuesday-Sunday various times -- $25 and up

Carol of the King
Thursday: A touring show called Carol of the King will be at Proctors. "Bringing the two biggest things in the world together, Irish dance and Christmas, to turn an age-old tradition into the first ever Irish dance Christmas spectacular the whole family will enjoy." Thursday 7:30 pm -- $20 and up

Cooking

It could be fun to take a break this week and take a cooking class with a friend (or by yourself). Gio Culinary Studio has classes this week about Mexican street food (Tuesday), the Feast of the Seven Fish (Wednesday), and Italian street food (Thursday).

Skating

The ice skating rink at the ESP recently opened for the season, and if you're looking for some midweek fun, you might think about stopping by for an evening skate (or day skate, depending on your schedule). The rink is open Monday-Sunday 11 am-8 pm (closed 3-4 pm for maintenance) -- weather permitting. It's free to skate. Skate rentals are $4 / $3 for kids / free on Fridays.

Swinburne: The city of Albany's Swinburne Skating Rink also recently opened for the season.

To do list

1. Christmas is next Monday, as you might have heard (thus the slow week.) Finalize plans and prep for Christmas cooking/entertaining/visiting/travel.

2. If you're thinking about going out on New Year's Eve, it's a good idea to line up reservations. (Don't wait.)

3. Spend time with family and friends.

4. Try to find a moment or two to relax.
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These are a just a few things for this week, not a comprehensive list. Look for out "Stuff to do this weekend" list for the upcoming weekend on Friday.

Know of something people should be looking forward to this week? Please share!

photo: Douglas C. Liebig