What You’re Doing This Week

What are you doing this week? Niteside offers up some suggestions:

Food Day (and night) aims to "push for healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable, humane way." Local restos are offering special food items or incentives; for instance, Paolo's (1303 Wisconsin Ave. NW) is serving dinner made with locally sourced farm-fresh ingredients. See complete schedule here.

Author, motivational speaker and pastor Joel Osteen signs his new book "Every Day a Friday: How To Be Happier 7 Days a Week" at Barnes and Noble (555 12th St. NW). Customers must present a Barnes & Noble or bn.com receipt for Osteen's book in order to receive a wristband and enter the book signing line. 6 p.m.; free admission with book purchase.

Busboys & Poets (1025 5th St. NW) hosts Science Cafe: Two Artists and Their Science. Painter Nana Bagdavadze and sculptor/educator Rebecca Kamen discuss how artists embrace scientific ideas in their work. 6:30 p.m.; free admission.

Dupont's annual High Heel Race is one of the District's quirkiest traditions. Dudes in heels (and, generally, drag) race down 17th Street from R to Church, in front of JR's Bar & Grill (1519 17th St. NW). The race itself (9 p.m.) is only about a minute long, but this event is all about the pre-party. Go early to snag a spot, and watch 100+ drag queens mingle and/or strut. Costume creativity abounds, from hot pink Britney wigs to patriotic bikinis and Baltimore-style beehives. 6-9:30 p.m.; free.

Judy Norsigian discusses the updated version of the classic "Our Bodies, Ourselves" at Barnes & Noble (4801 Bethesda Ave., Bethesda). The book forever changed the landscape of women's health and sexuality after its first publishing in the early 1970s. 7 p.m.; free admission.

Get serenaded by the timeless music of R&B/soul singer Lalah Hathaway at Birchmere Music Hall (3701 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria) and enjoy a performance of songs from her latest studio album "Where It All Begins." 7:30 p.m.; $59.50.

Head to Hudson (2030 M. St. NW) for the Get Your Pink On cocktail party benefiting the fight against breast cancer. Enjoy $6 pink drink specials and pink-themed snacks, including pink doughnuts and pink cotton candy, while listening to tunes spun by DJ Yola Monster. Wear pink to score an additional 10 percent off your bill at the end of the evening. 7-11:55 p.m.; no cover.

Helix Lounge (1430 Rhode Island Ave. NW) hosts a pumpkin-carving contest, featuring prizes and seasonal cocktails. The first 30 guests or groups will each score a pre-scooped pumpkin; carving tools will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Prizes are a $50 gift certificate for "Spookiest Pumpkin" and a one-night weekend stay at Hotel Helix for the winner of "Most Ghoulish Gourd." In the spirit of the contest, try a pumpkin martini. Happy hour prices include half-price burgers, $6 cosmos, $3 Yuengling drafts and $2 PBRs. Carving contest 6-8 p.m.; no cover.

Popular and weirdly timeless electronic artist Moby (and friends, of course) will be performing at the Fillmore (8656 Colesville Road, Silver Spring). 7 p.m.; $30.

There's something strange in your neighborhood: a 1984-era movie showing in theaters, in 2011. "Ghostbusters" has returned to the big screen for three Thursdays in October -- and this is your last chance! Locations include Regal Gallery Place in Chinatown, and several locations in Maryland and Virginia. Check theater locations here.

Why should pets have to miss out on Halloween? Dress up your dogs and bring them over to the Jackson 20 courtyard (480 King St., Alexandria; enter on Royal Street) for the Doggie Howl-o-ween Costume Party. Prizes will be given for Most Glamorous Get-Up, Best Overall Costume, and Best-Dressed Couple (pet and owner). Proceeds will benefit the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria. $10 to enter; registration 4:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.; contest begins 6 p.m.

A History Haunt at Tudor Place (1644 31st St. NW) offers a guided tour through a "ghostly garden," complete with ghost stories. After the tour, stay for "chilling" cocktails (their term, not ours) and refreshments. here. 7 p.m.; $10; 21+; advance registration required.

Laugh riot duo Shawn and Marlon Wayans take the stage at DC Improv (1140 Connecticut Ave. NW), Friday through Sunday. The Wayans brothers found fame with film hits like "Scary Movie" and "White Chicks," and have starred in TV shows "In Living Color" and "The Wayans Bros." 8:30 and 10:30 p.m.; $45; +18 only.

If you missed "Cool Hand Luke" at Screen on the Green this summer, here's your next chance. Head to the American City Diner (5532 Connecticut Ave. NW) for a screening of this classic prison flick. Paul Newman scored an Oscar nomination, and George Kennedy won for his supporting role. 8 p.m.; free admission.

Get your fill of an eclectic mix of vintage reggae, ska, rocksteady and dubstep at Marx Café (3203 Mount Pleasant St. NW) for their monthly event Soundclash. 10 p.m.; no cover.

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