Education of the Modern Doctor: Marcus Welby vs. House 
SPECIAL EVENTS
Retro surf vibe
Jeff Divine had the kind of job that makes 9-to-5ers green with envy. Hired as staff photographer for Surfer magazine in 1971, Divine traveled to beaches across the world, documenting the sun-and-sand-loving surf culture that many would give their first born to be able to enjoy full-time. See the fruits of Divine's supposed labor in The 70s: Surf Photography by Jeff Divine and Classic Boards from that Era, a photography and vintage-surfboard exhibition on view at the Oceanside Museum of Art, 704 Pier View Way, through Sept. 2. The museum will celebrate the show at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 9, with a beer-and-pizza reception and an intimate performance by The Surf Kings. $10-$15. 760-721-2787 or www.oma-online.org.
MUSIC
Cheek dancing
Why change? Really, when jazz from the '30s and '40s is as good as it is, why change it at all? San Diego singer Fran Hartshorn sticks to traditions and belts out oldies but goodies like "Cheek to Cheek" on her first solo jazz album, Introducing Fran Hartshorn, which she'll be celebrating and showcasing at 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 11, at the Birch North Park Theatre, 2891 University Ave. Taking her cues from Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae and the like, Harshorn relies on simplicity of lyric and boldness of voice to bring back that old nostalgic jazz-singer sentiment. 619-239-8836 or www.wirediva.com.
BOOKS
Get real
What's the easiest way to immerse yourself in Chinese culture? And, no, getting takeout every night doesn't count. One way is to stop by downtown's San Diego Chinese Historical Museum, 404 Third Ave., for a lecture and book signing by John Jung from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 11. The author and retired psychology professor will sign Chinese Laundries: Tickets to Survival on the Gold Mountain. Jung's new book is a social history with firsthand accounts of the societal and legal discrimination many Chinese immigrants faced and overcame. 619-338-9888 or www.sdchm.org.
FILM
Sweet
CityBeat watches short shorts! Especially when they're free! One night only, Friday, Aug. 11, at midnight, the Ken Cinema will feature a collection of San Diego short films, including Walkie Talkie Memories by Cherrie Lim, Xombie Movie by Deygo Chums, The Plunge by Jocelyn Jacobs, Arron Soto's Omega Shell, The Boulevard Shorts from Natalie Anderson, Ian Schlater's awesomely titled Three Girls Named Bunny and more. Co-emceed by Erik Borowitz, who has a pair of films on the bill, the event won't cost you anything but a few hours' sleep. The theater is located at 4061 Adams Ave. in Kensington. Get there early--it's only free until it's full, and then it's sold out. 619-283-5909.
BALBOA PARK
Some light
Still don't quite grasp the significance of The Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the San Diego Natural History Museum? It's difficult for the average religion-free Joe to understand why a display of really old pieces of paper would be so important to so many people. That's why the San Diego Art Institute's Museum of the Living Artist is opening Contemporary Scroll Visual Exploration, a juried visual-arts show that attempts to explain the History Museum's exhibition in a right-brain sort of way. Stop by the Museum of the Living Artist from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 15, when juror Betty-Sue Hertz explains everything in even greater detail. The museum is located in Balboa Park. www.sandiego-art.org.
THEATER
Heaven and back
Socialite Susan Trexel has the perfect antidote for the doldrums. She simply runs away from them. A little while ago, she took off for Britain for that very reason, and she came back with the urge to save humanity through a new religious movement she ran across. Now, she's off to the races, pouring this latest take on God's Word down the throats of her hoity-toity pals and the rest of the country--except she doesn't realize she's using religion to bail out again, this time from her boozy husband and wacky daughter. Susan and God opens in previews Friday, Aug. 10, at Lamb's Players Theatre, 1142 Orange Ave. in Coronado. $14-$52. 619-437-0600 or www.lambsplayers.org.
NIGHTLIFE
Good folk
Lou and Virginia Curtiss have been holding their famous front-porch jams at their shop, Folk Arts Rare Records, for the last 40 years. The crowds that show up for the open jam session tend to ebb and flow, but lately there's been more flow than ebb, so Lou and Virginia have decided to move the party to a more suitable and sizable location. From 6 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 8, stop by Kadan, 4696 30th St. in Normal Heights, for what the Curtiss family is calling Folk Arts Rare Records Singers Circle. Bring an instrument--the jam happens every Wednesday from now until Lou and Virginia say otherwise. 619-282-7833.
DANCE
For the planet
Nothing gets a message across more efficiently than dance. Well, OK, other media may be better, but Eveoke Dance Theatre's new show about the environment is sure to be engaging. Rise--The California Earth Project uses dance theater to tell stories of people fighting for environmental justice in California. You'll learn about issues like air quality, asthma in Long Beach and National City, wilderness protection in the Algodones Sand Dunes and nuclear waste disposal in Needles. It's heavy stuff made a little lighter. Rise opens at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 10, and continues at 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sundays through Aug. 26. $15-$20. 619-238-1153.
ART
The mix
If you picked apart Jason Sherry's collages, analyzing each object, you'd run through the gamut of emotions. Sometimes the artist lets you off easy, making you smile with pieces that feature simple, funny subject matter, like the red and rotund Kool-Aid man. Other times, the more serious Sherry makes you squirm by using World War II imagery combined with what look like letters from a Yiddish Scrabble set. See what new emotions Sherry will inspire in Feels Like the Third Time, a group show featuring new works by Sherry and other local artists, including tattoo man Rob Benavides, screen-printing queen Kelly Orange, cowboy junkie JW Caldwell and more. The show opens from 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 11, at the Art of Framing, 3333 Adams Ave. in Normal Heights. E-mail beautifulwaste@gmail.com, call 619-563-9770 or visit www.theartofframing.net.
