Can't Miss It: Wednesday

BEGLEY VISION: We don't know about you but we are stoked about this visit from Ed Begley, Jr., who wants to tell us all about--and write his name on--his new book, Living Like Ed: A Guide To Eco-Friendly Life. It's not clear if Ed bicycled up here from L.A., but you know he could have. The Siskiyou Pass would have been a challenge on a bike this time of year, though, so maybe he stuck with his electric car or jet or what-have-you. The great thing about Ed, really, is that he's (in)famous in L.A. for riding that bicycle--you know, holy shit! a bicycle! A man is riding a bicycle! L.A. could just choke on its exhaust and it wouldn't bug us. If Ed was out of town at the time, we mean.

6 p.m. // Not a Number Cards & Gifts, 1905 North 45th Street // FREE

ITALIAN GALLEONS: The U of O's Vincenza Scarpaci makes a northward trek to the University Village Barnes & Noble to talk about her book The Journey of the Italians in America. She has collected immigrant stories from 35 states. You really can't go wrong hanging around with Italians, even if you aren't one yourself--they're like the Irish that way--so we suggest you go, adopt a hungry look, and see how many people offer to make dinner for you. Extra credit: dig up a copy of The Unprejudiced Palate, which contains an Italian immigrant story of its own, set here in Seattle.

7 p.m. // University Village Barnes & Noble, 2675 North East University Village Street // FREE

BAROQUE OPERA: Claudio Monteverdi's 1640 opera deals with Ulysses’ return home after his two-decade Odyssey. It's a little awkward because his wife has a houseful of hopeful suitors, so Ulysses goes undercover to sort shit out. In this production from Baroque specialists Opera Atelier, South African artist William Kentridge has put a dying Ulysses in a Johannesburg hospital, and stirred in video projections and life-sized puppets.

7:30 p.m. // Moore Theater, 1932 Second Avenue // Tickets: $10-$85