"Metrosexuality" -- the love a man shares with his scruffing lotion and his Prada pants -- is now officially a Houston trend. How do we know? A local bar promoter has turned it into a theme night. Today is Solero's first Metrosexual Thursday. Future Thursdays will feature fashion shows and art exhibitions, but you'll want to start attending ASAP and make friends with the DJ so he'll know what entrance music to play when you arrive. Cancel that post-workout pedicure and spend the evening trading style tips with men who aren't afraid to compliment each other's shoes -- over brightly colored cocktails, of course. 9 p.m. 910 Prairie. For information, call 713-227-2265 or visit www.solerorestaurant.com. $5.
Friday, November 21
Comb the litter off your cat's backside, wipe his crusty eyes and clip his claws to the quick -- it's time for the Cat Fanciers' Association International Cat Show. At this "Westminster" of cat shows, feline owners of every stripe can show off their flabby tabbies for fun 'n prizes. Enthusiasts can also discuss clumping versus cedarized litter with others who care. The highlights of the event will be the breed awards and the coveted "Best Cat in Show" award. Will this be the year the sphynx -- that creepy hairless breed -- finally beats the Persian longhair? 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, November 22; 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, November 23. George R. Brown Convention Center, 1001 Avenida de las Americas. For information, call 1-877-232-7469 or visit www.cfainc.org. $8; $6 for kids and seniors.
Saturday, November 22
Let's make one thing clear: Most folks don't want to peer into your meat freezer, no matter what impressive hunting spoils it may contain. If you're looking to show off your sporting prowess to an appreciative audience, haul your best-dressed kills to Texas State University for its annual Kill It 'n Grill It Cook-off. Participants will barbecue the best of what they've brought low with their own hands and compete for prizes in barbecue-pit showmanship and cooked-meal deliciousness. Squeamish grill masters can compete in the Bought It category with store-bought meat, and the truly squeamish can enter the meatless Grew It competition. Note: The organizers of the event wish to remind you that even if Granddad's recipe for armadillos on the half shell is legendary, no roadkill can be used in this event. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Bobcat Stadium parking lot, Aquarena Springs Drive at Post Road in San Marcos. For information, call 512-245-3322 or visit www.txstate.edu/agriculture. $35 to enter; $5 to eat.
Sunday, November 23
Men, there's way more to proper etiquette than the maxim "Don't spit while you're on the treadmill." In fact, there's a whole panoply of arcane rules out there that you weren't taught in shop class -- and they might smooth out the bumps in your business and personal relationships. Peter Post, the great-grandson of etiquette maven Emily Post, is stepping in to help men mend their brutish ways with his new book, Essential Manners for Men. He'll be signing copies at Crane & Co. Papermakers today. Why will he be holding court at a fine stationery store? It's for your benefit: You'll want to make an extra purchase when you learn that fold-over notes are for women's use only. 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Galleria IV, 5135 West Alabama. For information, call 713-621-8788. $19.95 book; free signing.
Monday, November 24
Lately, it seems like the world of entertainment is being overrun by amateurs. Reality shows, televised talent competitions, amateur porn -- have the professionals all taken the year off? Now that we've grown accustomed to finding enjoyment in the unpolished antics of folks who may as well be our friends and neighbors, it's the perfect time to face down the potentially painful Open Mike Night at the Laff Stop. Try to keep a straight face as a bevy of unpaid clowns-about-town stammer, shake and break out in a flop sweat. Or, you brave soldiers out there can take the stage yourselves and try out your patented office banter on an actual audience. Although there's no drink minimum, you may want to belt back a few, simply as schlock absorbers. 6:45 p.m. sign-up; 7:30 p.m. performances. 1952 West Gray. For information, call 713-524-2333 or visit www.laffstop.com. Free.
Tuesday, November 25
Beyond his enormous talent, beyond the surefooted way he glides between musical styles, beyond the secret of whatever he did right (or wrong) to land America's Sweetheart as his bride, Lyle Lovett has lessons for all of us about driving in Texas. He shares some of his extensive knowledge of our local roads on his new album, My Baby Don't Tolerate. At his concert today at Jones Hall, nod your head in true understanding when he sings, "Interstate 610 / Highway 45 / Some drunk redneck / Barely left me alive," and "Thirty's fine / Oh but thirty-one is a crime / And they all / Have a gun." 8 p.m. 615 Louisiana. For information and tickets, call 713-629-3700 or visit www.ticketmaster.com. $26 to $47.
Wednesday, November 26
Today is Thanksgiving Eve, and we at Night & Day wish to remind you that starving yourself today will only lead to stomach shrinkage and extra discomfort following tomorrow's gorging. If you want to be inspired to eat today despite what's coming tomorrow, we suggest you go see Brasil Cinema's outdoor presentation of the 1966 film Hunger (Svält). A hungry writer in Copenhagen would rather starve than accept charity. He will earn his bread through his chosen work or have none at all. But when our protagonist finally receives a newspaper assignment, he finds he's too weak to write even a word. What delicious irony. 8 p.m. 2604 Dunlavy. For information, call 713-528-1993. Free.
