Can't Miss It: Thursday

OPEN MIC NIGHT: It's been a while since Seattlest has gone out to Ballard for the Scratching Post Open Mic at Mr. Spot's Chaihouse, but it was always a nice, even blend of really talented folks singing and reading (and, of course, the usual occasional acts that make you wonder why you torture yourself at an open mic if you're not performing). Plus, it's free, they have beer and wine, and the best chai in town, that side of Traveler's.

7:30 p.m. sign-up, 8 p.m. show // Mr. Spots Chaihouse // Free

INSPIRATIONAL: We love stories like this, because they make our girly, Cancerian ass cry, they're so inspiring. Photojournalist Alison Wright was so critically injured in a Laotian bus accident that they weren't even sure she'd live. But, she did, and she climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, and wrote a book about it. Take that, odds! She'll be at Elliott Bay Books reading from her memoir, Learning to Breathe, tonight.

7:30 p.m. // Elliott Bay Books // Free

FILM SALOON: Are you a raging film geek or aspiring filmmaker? Tonight is your night, then, at Northwest Film Forum. They hold a Film Saloon regularly to discuss topics important to films and filmmakers. Tonight, the topic is "Adaptations and Revisions," or what cinema has done to adapt other artforms for the screen. This sounds incredibly fascinating to us, but we will be otherwise detained tonight. We would appreciate it if someone went, though, and took notes for us, because it's information we could use. Thanks!

7 p.m. // Northwest Film Forum // $3 members, $5 general

"Clockwork Reduction" at Northwest Film Forum, by Seattlest Flickr user axis42