thursday 11|21 Arty Minglings THIRD THURSDAY The Monterey Museum of Art throws a monthly party for the Thursday after-work crowd, and today''s is one to catch. Blackstone Winery will be pouring the hootch, Monterey Marriott''s dishing up the chow, and Dizzy Burnett and Grover Coe will be strumming great jazz oldies on the guitar and bass. Oh, and then there''s the art. If you haven''t seen the fabulous Pirkle Jones photography exhibit yet, you owe it to yourself. His crisp, unforgiving images of mid-century California laborers will take your breath away. Also, visitors tonight get a sneak preview of the Artists Miniatures 2002 show opening tomorrow, an annual fundraiser where local artists donate tiny paintings that are raffled off in January to benefit the museum. Mix, mingle, and enjoy.

5-7pm. 559 Pacific St., Monterey. Free, except for wine. 372-5477.

All Hail Queen Kalisa

CANNERY ROW SWEET THURSDAY Kalisa Moore''s "La Ida Cafe" is the longest running business on Cannery Row. A bordello in John Steinbeck''s day-immortalized in his Cannery Row-the cafe still stands next to the Wing Chong Market, across the street from Ed "Doc" Ricketts''s Lab, vestiges of bygone days in Old Monterey. Latvian-born Moore took over and renamed the joint in 1958, and has since fed, sustained and mothered two generations of local artists, writers, fisherfolk and idlers, doling out her sage advice and good cheer along with whatever else was needed. She hasn''t slowed down-she still runs the cafe, is president of the Cannery Row Foundation, and is usually behind anything that happens on the Row. Tonight, the Row honors Kalisa by crowning her Queen. The fun starts at 5:30pm, with a ceremonial re-lighting of the La Ida Cafe sign, then everyone troops over to the Hopkins Marine Station for a lecture and crowning, then back to La Ida''s for beer, pizza and general carrying-on. Expect tall tales of the old days from some of those whom Kalisa has helped over the years. Beer milkshake, anyone?

5:30pm at La Ida Cafe, 851 Cannery Row; 6:30pm lecture at Hopkins Marine Station, Monterey Boat Works Auditorium, 32 Cannery Row; 7:30pm party at La Ida Cafe. Free. 372-8512.

Short People Got A Reason

TOO SHORT Todd Shaw, as his mother called him, is a classic indie hero, in a West Coast rapper kind of way. Born in LA but raised in Oakland, he recorded three albums on his own under the name Too Short before 1986''s Born to Mack caught the attention of the gentlemen at Jive Records. Too Short retired at the age of 30 after five of his next six albums went platinum, but now he''s back and Shorter than ever. Tonight''s show is billed as comedy. (See story, pg. 40.)

Call for time and price. Planet Gemini, 625 Cannery Row, Monterey. 373-1449.

Don''t Ask, Don''t Tell

RANDY''S HOUSE PFLAG BENEFIT Tinseltown director Ralph Senensky (Star Trek, Dynasty, Mission: Impossible, The Rookies) moved to Carmel 11 years ago and started directing local theater in 2000. This season Senensky brings his vision to Unicorn Theatre''s West Coast premiere of Randy''s House. Written by a Duke University drama professor, Randy''s House tells the story of a gay professional couple who moves to a conservative town, where they immediately become the target of a shrill anti-gay movement. Based on a true story, the play explores the town''s painful secrets and the wounded, and wounding, nature of bigotry. Tonight''s premiere is a benefit for PFLAG, the Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. The play is performed every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night through December 21.

8pm. Carl Cherry Center for the Arts, Fourth and Guadalupe, Carmel. Thursday''s premiere $20. Regular season tickets $15/$12 seniors and students. 649-0259.

friday 11|22

Reach Out and Tosh Someone

ENSEMBLE MONTEREY Talk about a man who loves his work. Local composer and pianist Stephen Tosh has managed to crank out over 200 compositions for chamber and symphony, including some oratorios and operas. Tonight he presents the premiere of his Piano Quintet, gracing the event by performing on the piano himself. Afterward, a sextet of Ensemble Monterey''s gifted musicians, drawn from symphonies and chamber orchestras on both sides of the bay, performs Tchaikovsky''s lively Souvenir of Florence. John Anderson conducts.

8pm Friday and Saturday. Friday: Madonna Del Sasso Parish, 320 E. Laurel Dr, Salinas. Saturday: Church of Religious Science, 400 W. Franklin, Monterey. $22/$18 seniors and students. 333-1283.

Grinching Towards Christmas

A CHRISTMAS CAROL Jeffrey Heyer stars as Ebenezer Scrooge, everyone''s favorite (and the original) Christmas grouch, in a new adaptation of Charles Dickens'' classic tale of poverty, ghosts, and redemption. This re-writing by Israel Horovitz-whose film Three Weeks After Paradise on the World Trade Center attack was broadcast earlier this year on Bravo-maintains fidelity to the original story, while underlining its universal lessons. David Parker joins Heyer as the Ghost of Jacob Marley in the Western Stage production opening tonight.

8pm. The Western Stage Main Stage, 156 Homestead Ave., Salinas. $12-$25. 755-6816. Show runs through Dec. 14.

saturday 11|23

Simple Joys for Simple Girls and Boys

BAUM & BLUME''S LIGHTING OF THE TANNENBAUM It''s one of those quirky Carmel Valley things. For 35 years now, the family-run Baum & Blume caterers/restaurant/gift shop has thrown open its doors the weekend before Thanksgiving for a public party, and lots and lots of people show up. The Valley''s a friendly place. From 11am to 7pm both days, there will be artists, musicians, wine-tasting, cooking demonstrations, hors d''oeuvres, and all kinds of projects and mayhem, capped by the actual lighting of the traditional tannenbaum, or Christmas tree. On Sunday, artist Will Bullas will be there signing tee-shirts and Deric Wenzler will hold forth on orchid lore and practice; Saturday around 3pm, Di''s Craft Demo holds a workshop on making gift bags out of corrugated paper. Strolling guitar players abound.

11am-7pm, today and Sunday. 4 El Caminito, Carmel Valley Village. Free. 659-0400.

Have Yourself An Upscale Little Christmas

CARMEL HOMECRAFTERS MARKETPLACE Ocean Avenue is the place to go today to browse homemade crafts and a juried art show against a backdrop of quaint little houses and ocean views. Exhibitors/sellers are from the tri-county area, so you know you''re getting local goods from your neighbors. The bake-sale, moms and hippies vibe many Christmas craft sales give off will most likely not be in evidence here, but a variety of beautiful and undoubtedly classy handcrafted items will.

9am-3pm. Ocean Ave. between Lincoln and Junipero, Carmel. 626-1255.

Books ''R Us

LIBRARY OPEN HOUSE Now that Salinas voters have defeated Measure O, the utility tax repeal, libraries look less like endangered species than they did a few weeks ago. But why not pump a little more life into ''em? The Children''s Room in the John Steinbeck Library will be center stage for a library open house today, featuring fun activities for the whole fam. The event celebrates National Children''s Book Week and the library''s fourth annual first grade library card drive. At 11am, P&T Puppet Theatre presents a Prince and Princess Puppet Show featuring Rapunzel and The Princess and the Pea. The Grapes of Wrath essay contest awards will be presented at 11:45 am. Essays examined the social issues raised by John Steinbeck''s 1939 novel as they apply to present-day Salinas. The Friends of the Salinas Public Library will award first, second and third place cash prizes.

11am-1pm. John Steinbeck Library, 350 Lincoln Ave., Salinas. Free. 758-7448.

sunday 11|24

Autograph Heaven
THUNDERBIRD AND PG MUSEUM BOOKSIGNINGS Living in such a pretty place, it''s easy to see why ordinary people are inspired to create, and why writers and artists are inspired to move here. Today large quantities of writers-who-have-been-thus-inspired will sign copies of their books at two venues-six of ''em at the Thunderbird Bookshop, and eight at the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History. At the Thunderbird, Ric Masten will sign his book of poetry, Let It Be A Dance, along with Pacific Light, which has photographs by Douglas Steakley and text by Masten. David Gubernick and Vern Yadon, the Wildflowers of Monterey County team, and Ray March, who wrote a book of golf stories, round out the day. Over in P.G., books on our native flora and fauna are featured, with appearances by jade diver Don Wobber, Big Sur to Big Basin author Pam Verduin Cain, and others, including Vern Yadon, who will hop over from Carmel to the museum he once headed.

2-4pm at Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, Forest at Central, Pacific Grove, 648-3116; 3-5pm at Thunderbird Bookshop, 3600 The Barnyard, Carmel, 624-1803. Free.

Musical Winter Wonderland
MONTEREY COMMUNITY BAND CONCERT Even if the sky refuses to snow here very often, we can still have winter traditions. The winter band concert, now in its 17th year, is one of those things, now in its 17th year. Richard Robins conducts a variety of music from Civil War-era to Walt Disney songs-not the same shmaltzy Christmas songs you hear every year. Best of all, it''s free, so you can bring the whole family and save some money while getting some lite culture.

2pm. Monterey Peninsula College Concert Hall, 980 Fremont, Monterey. Free. 646-3866.