Art, plus UVA on the ice

If you don't like music, sports, food, or the outdoors, you'll be pretty bored in Charlottesville.

Then again, you might be bored anywhere.

Friday night was First Friday for art around Charlottesville. Galleries stay open late and offer a nice spread of snacks (cheese, cracker, veggies, cookies) and wine — maybe even a musician or two. All for free. Every month.

A friend and I met up at McGuffey Art Center, a huge art co-op. Art gawkers and studiers were holding cups of wine were chatting and animatedly nodding their heads. Artists hung out in their studios, talking with visitors or working on pieces. Glass, printmaking, painting, you name it.

I really liked the giant portraits of children making faces by Cat Thrasher, a new photography show called "Child Face." Click here to see one of my favorites, an impish wide-eyed look from a small girl. This and other current exhibits run only until Nov. 22.

First Friday is definitely worth, in my book, a repeat visit.

But this weekend also included the Virginia Film Festival.

And, randomly, hockey:



The UVA team plays at an ice rink anchored at the end of the downtown mall. On Friday, they played Virginia Tech, our friendly archrivals from down the road.

If you need an escape from studying, few activities produce better adrenaline rushes than sports. I love the energy of hockey, how quickly your blood gets flowing even in the chilly room. "GO! GO! GO!," you find yourself yelling. (A good stress reliever, too, come to think of it...) And watching the puck fly across the ice (well, if you can see past the irksome pillers) is simply hynoptizing.

Check out the rest of this year's schedule. (Students are free; normal folks are $5.)