It's summer. It sucks. The sweat thing? No good. Just getting in the car is like passing through the gates of hell. The sweat forming along the scalp, along the waistband and, for the ladies, in that special crevice just under the bra. In the course of 24 hours, it becomes necessary to take approximately 2.5 showers just to regulate one's body temperature. Slathering limbs in gelato sure would work well...and taste even better, but it's not exactly cost-efficient. Paciugo offers the next best thing: a summer sampling of Gelato Frizzante, a sparkling gelato beverage (with a base of San Pellegrino sparkling water or soda) in four fruity flavors. We've already cooled off just trying to decide between the black cherry swirl and the orange. Sampling continues through August 6 at 32 Highland Park Village, 5509 W. Lovers Lane, 5750 E. Lovers Lane and 975 W. John Carpenter Freeway in Irving. Call 214-654-9501.
Friday, July 22
Forget the harnesses and "flying" through the air. We want our Tinkerbell and Peter Pan legitimately airborne. We want real takeoffs and real landings. And it's hot out, so why not see it all on ice? Local skaters bring the classic tale of Neverland to The Americas Ice Garden, 700 N. Pearl St., for three shows of Peter Pan on Ice (10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.). We'd be perfectly happy to be part of a standing room only audience if it meant our Tink could pull off a triple lutz sans safety cord--just like she would in our dreams. Admission is $5 for individuals and $3 for groups. Call 214-720-8088, as shows sell out quickly.
Saturday, July 23
Yeah, it's great watching the Food Network. You get to see professional chefs wreak havoc on the freshest available produce and never even get to smell one single whiff. Then you can go into the kitchen and pray like hell you get the techniques right while craning your neck into the living room, rewinding the TiVo again and again. Oh, and don't forget about how you have to substitute ingredients because the ones they're using don't survive this region's summer too well. There has to be a better way--at least just for one Saturday. This time, try an American Institute of Wine & Food Chef Cooking Class with Tom Fleming of Old Hickory. Chef Tom will take students through summer recipes using fresh ingredients from the farmers market right downstairs. He won't use anything that you can't go right out and get after class. Now that's a real Saturday cooking show. Sign up for the Saturday class (11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.) at http://www.aiwf.org/dallasftworth/. Classes are $25 at Dallas Farmers Market Resource Center, 1010 S. Pearl St. Call 214-653-8088.
Sunday, July 24
Dear Tom Sawyer, I've been meaning to write you for some time now but just never got around to it. Now that ICT Mainstage is doing a production of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (based on the novel by Mark Twain), I finally decided to put pen to paper. Years ago, you helped with a family disagreement. Thanks so much for offering evidence, creative and unintentional as it may be, that proved useful in convincing my father that it was perfectly fine for my then-boyfriend to wear frayed "clam-diggers" (or "high-water" pants) to a family function since skeet were being shot and straw and tobacco were being chewed. Your stories somehow allowed my father to overlook the fact that the year did not begin with an 18 or that there was no imminent need for wading. Thanks ever so much. Hope to see you (in your short pants) at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through August 13, plus 8 p.m. August 11 and 2:30 p.m. July 24, July 31 and August 27 at Irving Arts Center, 3333 N. MacArthur Blvd. Tickets are $12 to $17. Call 972-252-2787.
Monday, July 25
We thought, "Fine, OK. We'll give it one more shot." It's not so much that we hate all things Dickens, it's just that the combination of a particular English class group project and that horrendous Ethan Hawke movie has made our memories of Great Expectations far from great. So we walk up--Dickens in hand--only to realize that this Great Expectations Book Club is for those expecting something a little more life-changing. You know, like a baby. Those with due dates that have nothing to do with Dickens term papers, head to Barnes & Noble at Stonebriar Centre, 2601 Preston Road, on Monday at 7 p.m. The book club meets once a month. Call 972-668-2820 for selections.
Tuesday, July 26
The coolest thing my grandmother ever did was let me cook with her. When you're 6 years old and your 13-year-old sister and cousin won't let you play in the attic with them, your world feels like it's falling apart. Mom and Dad aren't there to lay down the law and Granny's house doesn't have the cache of toys yours does. So when she puts you up on a chair in front of a bowl of batter and folds an apron in half around you, suddenly you've become very important. Ah, the empowerment of cooking. Your kids will thank you, too, if you put them in the Sapore Catering Culinary Day Camp for kids age 6 to 9. The camp meets from 9 a.m. to noon Tuesday through Friday at 713 W. Magnolia Ave. in Fort Worth with lessons on general kitchen safety and preparing tasty recipes from the heart. Class size is limited, and registration (required in person) is $125. Call 817-846-0588.
Wednesday, July 27
The name of Q Cinema's movie night terrifies us. See, we haven't donned a pair of shorts in 10 years. Since May 29, 1995, in fact. And even then, we were wearing tights. Thus, Q Cinema's Our Shorts Are Showing: Best-of-the-Fest Edition made us a little squeamish, 'cause, well, we thought we'd be required to wear the skimpy little things. Then we found that it's all right because Q Cinema is showcasing the best short films from the seventh annual Fort Worth Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival. Titles include Speak Up, Clay Pride, dare, Billy's Dad Is a Fudge-Packer and Recruiting. The screening is outdoors at Hot Shots, 651 Jennings Ave. in Fort Worth, and admission is free. Because the venue is a bar, minors 18 to 20 will be required to pay a $5 cover charge. We'll be there...in our capris, thanks. Call 817-462-3368 or check out www.qcinema.org.
