Weekend-ist Feb. 13-16: Erotic art and art cars

Busy weekend a-comin'. Today is the unlucky day, tomorrow is the love day, and Monday is President's Day. If you have some time off, Houstonist has some ideas for you.

All Weekend

• Galveston's Mardi Gras festivities kick off at 6 p.m. tonight and last until Fat Tuesday, Feb. 24. The Krewe of Aquarius and the Krewe of Gambrinus, bothy located in Galveston, will be hosting their parades on Saturday. Click the link for a full schedule of events.


• Broken Heart Erotic Art Show Opening , 7 p.m. at Aerosol Warfare. Local and national artist explore their feelings on love, lust, and the pain that comes from a broken heart. Works include personal photos, sketches and even some collage all dealing with the emotions of being "turned on". The show runs through March 7.

Saturday

• 9 a.m. — Lone Star Hiking Club will hike through the Lone Star Hiking Trails of Sam Houston National Forest. Meet at the LSHT Parking Lot #14, Fire Tower FM 2025, 6.3 miles north of US59. Cost for the hike is free but it's $15 a year to be a member of the club.


• 2 p.m. — "For the Love of Gelato" tasting at The Coffee Groundz. Sample some of Houston's favorite artisinal gelato made by Trentino Gelato


• 8 p.m. — St. Jack's Day Illuminated Art Car Processional in honor of Jack Updyke, the Patron Saint of Art Cars. The official color for this event is blue The ride starts at Jimmie's Ice House and ends around midnight.

Monday

• 7:30 p.m. — Ha Jin, National Book Award-winning author, will speak at the Hobby Center as part of the Inprint Margarett Root Brown Reading Series. Jin, a Chinese immigrant, won the National Book Award in 1999 for an English-language book he'd written after only speaking English for 12 years. He is touring in support of a new novel, "A Free Life." Tickets are $5, with free rush tickets for students and seniors.

Photo courtesy of flickr user groovehouse