Thursday
In case the one-day delay drove it from your mind, today is the first day of classes for the spring semester. Be sure to show up! It’s a two-day week; you really have no excuse not to.
Club Congress and Optimist Club present Super Stereo, a five-piece “”futurepop”” group from Tempe. The group will be celebrating the release of the music video for its single “”Life Passed Me By”” in intergalactic dance-beat fashion. Doors open at 9 p.m. Admission is $3, but free for Optimist Club members. 311 E. Congress St. 21+
If classes are already weighing you down, or your spirit feels heavy after this weekend’s tragic shooting, consider looking for solace in meditation. Every Thursday, study topics in Buddhist philosophy and meditation. This week’s class will focus on “”The Power of Imagination in Tantra.”” 7 p.m. $10 per class, or $40 for a five-class card. Tara Mahayana Buddhist Center, central location, 1701 E. Miles St.
Friday
Take a Steward Observatory Mirror Lab Tour and see the enormous telescope mirrors being built right here at the UA. The whole process, from making giant molds to polishing the mirrors to a perfect sheen, takes place on campus. Tours begin at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Call ahead for reservations. $15 adults, $8 students.
Do you like watching strangers make fools of themselves? Then head to Laffs Comedy Caffe, 2900 E. Broadway Blvd., for a Comedy Hypnosis Show. Hypnotist Don Barnhart is sure to keep believers and skeptics alike pleased with his combination of improv comedy and hypnosis. Show starts at 10:30 p.m. $10, $15 for preferred seating.
For the first of the two-night 16th Annual Wooden Ball, head to Club Congress. The Wooden Ball features local bands, both new and veteran, in mostly acoustic performances. The ball has become a Tucson tradition, the first such event having taken place in 1987. Performances start at 7 p.m. $5. All ages.
Movies opening today: “”The Green Hornet”” and “”The Dilemma.””
Saturday
Climbing enthusiasts can watch competitive rock climbers from all over the Southwest vie to make it to the American Bouldering Series divisional championships. Admission is free for spectators. Rocks and Ropes, 330 S. Toole Ave. The first qualifying round for the youth climbers begins at 7 a.m.
The 16th Annual Wooden Ball continues at Plush and features more local bands in acoustic performances. Doors open at 7 p.m., show starts at 7:30 p.m. $5. 340 E. Sixth St. 21+
Want to relive your geeky high school days? The Loft Cinema hosts its monthly screening of “”The Rocky Horror Picture Show””, complete with live actor performances from the Heavy Petting shadow cast. This “”mother of all cult classes”” begins at midnight. General admission $6, members $5. 3233 E. Speedway Blvd.
Sunday
What better activity is there for a beautiful Tucson Sunday than a hike at Saguaro National Park East? At 2 p.m., join fellow cactus enthusiasts for a 90-minute guided walk that will explore the life cycle of the saguaro cactus. Free with $10 park admission. 3693 S. Old Spanish Trail.
Rock isn’t something that can be taught. Rock is something you are born with. Six bands made up of rock-imbued Tucson students will shake the walls of Club Congress at the 2011 Arizona Daily Star Battle of the Bands final showdown warm-up. Join Alisha Peru, Tyler Scruggs, The Opposables, Wrest, Dark Aeturnis and Manic After Hours this Sunday. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the show is free. The final showdown will take place on Tuesday at The Rialto Theatre.
Monday
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, give back to the Tucson community. Several groups will be engaging in service projects today. Join the UA Communication Club and IABC-Tucson in the Thomas W. Keating Bioresearch building at 11:30 a.m. to put together “”comfort kits”” for Tucson’s homeless community. Or, if you’re brave enough to wake up at 8 a.m. on your day off, the Tucson Audubon Society needs help removing harmful buffelgrass from Julian Wash, near Lauffer Middle School, 5385 E. Littletown Road.
Enjoy a blend of athleticism and entertainment; see the Harlem Globetrotters perform at 2 p.m. at Tucson Convention Center, 260 S. Church Ave. Tickets start at $19.
Tuesday
The Beowulf Alley Theatre Company will perform “”Old Time Radio Theatre,”” a play based on those old-timey radio shows we college students are too young to remember. 7 p.m. $8 adults, $5 for the first two children under 13. All subsequent children get in free, so bring the whole neighborhood. 11 S. Sixth Ave.
Even though America fought a war to be rid of some British traditions, one U.K. trend that’s taking hold in the good ol’ U.S. is the pub quiz. To try your hand at this fun way to exercise your brain and/or get drunk, head to Club Congress for the Geeks who Drink pub quiz. Quiz starts at 8 p.m. and it’s free to play, plus there are prizes to be won! 21+
