PRE-TURKEY ACTIVITIES: Take a break and stay out of the kitchen tonight:

• Downtown Culver City's Third Wednesday Neighborhood "Pre-Gobbler" Happy Hour 
• Howl at the Moon Thanksgiving Eve Party

After all the feasting on Thursday what are you going to do? If you are entertaining out of town guests check out these things to do that will keep everyone stuffed and happy. 

• Woodland Hills Outdoor Ice Skating Rink
• 1st Annual Long Beach Gobbler Tennis Tournament
• Holiday Global Bazaar
• Free Thanksgiving Bagpipe Concert
• Los Angeles County Tree Lighting at the Music Center

WALK IT OFF:

• Innovation in the Golden Era - Film History Walk
• Van Nuys Historic "Walk It Off" Tour
• Green Doggie Thanksgiving Dog Hike at Rocky Peak 

FEELING BOOKISH? Along with November being  National Novel Writing month, we think the best way to enjoy a clear autumnal day is by curling up with a good book and a cup of hot cider. One of our favorite places to avoid the chill is The Last Bookstore located on Spring Street in the heart and hub of Downtown. With 16,000 + sq. ft including its recently added on Labyrinth of Books in its mezzanine area, this is every bibliophile's dream come true. You can spend countless hours wandering through the wide aisles or sit for a spell in one of their comfy, vintage chairs. A performance space offers public readings, demonstrations and discussions with artists (check their schedule of events). Have too many books taking up shelf space? You can sell them here. There's also a record store and a coffee bar just in case you need to take a break from perusing over 100,000 books in their $1 section. Find the perfect gift on your holiday list and support this local bookstore in an age of e-readers. We guarantee you'll feel all warm and fuzzy inside. 

SHOPPING & HOLIDAY EVENTS: Don't let the holidays sneak up on you (well how could they really with all the Black Friday ads out there). But there is more to the holidays than snagging a good deal.  You'll find great alternatives to big box shopping as well as get the jump on holiday themed events on our annual happy and hefty Holiday Guide.  Speaking of shopping, if you're in Old Town Pasadena on Friday Charles Phoenix (who contributes his retro slide each week to Eye Spy LA) will be hosting the tree lighting at One Colorado.

Anyone up for a good flick? Thanksgiving week you'll find classics like: the Wizard of Oz, Singin' in the Rain, Gone With The Wind and more on our Film page.  

If you prefer to consult the charts before you go anywhere, check out Cici Psy-Chic's monthly event picks that will align with your sign in the Eyestrology Event Forecast.

See all of this week's Editors Picks or view the full Eye Spy LA Calendar 

TIP: you can find events and other things to do near you - you'll find neighborhood and regional calendar links at the bottom of all Eye Spy LA web pages.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! --Andrea Kirk (editor@eyespyla.com)

"Avenue Q": Foul, Fuzzy and F**king Fun...for Adults by M.R. Hunter

Finally! A musical that takes us back to childhood by reminding us how to get through the daily crap and bullshit with peppy numbers, cheerful animations and cute, cuddly talking heads. DOMA Theatre Company's 2012 season closer lands them on firm footing, (ironic with its menagerie of legless characters), in an intimate setting that compliments this kind of show and rivals the bigger venues with its up-close and personal effect. Remember watching Saturday morning cartoons with your nose inches from the TV screen? Award-winning Richard Israel directs as if he had that guilty pleasure in mind and it works so well in this space, every audience member feels directly connected to the action and advice given onstage.

Whether you need career advice, a kick out of the closet, emotional clarity in relationships or just wanna relive your childhood, DOMA's "Avenue Q" is the place to be...for adults. 

READ THE FULL REVIEW 

BREASTY BILLBOARD, SOCAL, 1955 by Charles Phoenix

National Novel Writing Month: Have You Started Yet? by Mark Share

November 1 marks the start of the annual National Novel Writing Month. Tens of thousands of writers will sign up at www.nanowrimo.org for free and log in their progress toward 50,000 words, which is the length ofThe Great Gatsby, and considerably more words than required to create briefer masterpieces like Of Mice and Men, Heart of Darkness, or Goodbye, Columbus. 

But at least 50,000 words is the goal in this marathon to create an unfiltered and unfinished first draft of your novel. That's about 1,700 words or seven pages a day for 30 days if you're the type who diligently writes the same amount each day for 30 days. But most people, according to anecdote, will take days off and make a big push at the end of the month. So if you're reading this today, you're in plenty of time to grab the Macbook and an espresso.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

 
Happy birthday to these celebrity November Sagittarians: Scarlett Johansson (11/22), Robin Rene Roberts (11/23), Katherine Heigl (11/24), Ben Stein (11/25), Rich Little (11/26), Jaleel White (11/27), Jon Stewart (11/28), Don Cheadle (11/29), Mandy Patinkin (11/30)

SAGITTARIUS - Fearless

CAPRICORN - Hot or Fake
AQUARIUS - Remain Objective
PISCES - Reassess Your Goals
ARIES - Ducks
TAURUS - Riding High
GEMINI - Go Party
CANCER - Quality over Quantity
LEO - Mistletoe
VIRGO - Good Works

LIBRA - Meld

SCORPIO - Peace of Mind  

It's the final push from Thanksgiving to Black Friday all the way up to Christmas and Hanukah. This is an excellent time to explore a new neighborhood, shop at local boutiques and attend seasonal festivities. Most signs will do better if they stick to a budget and practice frugality. Find ways to save by attending free events, using coupons or visit swap meets. Due to crowds, traffic and overall congestion, tempers might wear a bit thin. Remember the spirit of the holidays by not being a Scrooge. The next few weeks are optimal for starting your new year's resolutions

Read your full EYESTROLOGICAL Forecast

Eye Spy LA has been the online Local's Guide to L.A. since 2003. Content is written, edited and maintained by locals and focuses on local and nearby events and the local creative community.

Editorial policy: Eye Spy LA editorials are stories written about places, entertainment and events that we go to. The opinions are those of our editorial staff and the writer of the piece. Calendar listings are ads posted by the people producing events and activities in the local area. Each week we pick and recommend events and other things to do based on our experience or sometimes because they look particularly unusual, unique or in some other way interesting. We do not recommend them based on any fees they may or may not have paid us for advertising.

You'll always find the latest events & activities plus commentary about where we've been at eyespyLA.com - updated daily. 

Andrea Kirk, publisher (editor@eyespyLA.com)

 EYE SPY LA CONTRIBUTORS:

M.R. Hunter - editorial and reviews

Mark Share - reviews

Kelly Hargraves - dance and reviews

Abby Abanes - food adventures

Charles Phoenix - retro slide of the week