The Calendar Girls: Picks, kicks and plugs for January 12 to January 18

SAT | JANUARY 12

(ART)
Gali Rotstein is not your conventional housewife. She loathes the term, admits she doesn’t know what it means, and wonders why her “housewivery” has made it impossible for her to be an artist. According to one female filmmaker, “To be an artist one must look like an artist, live like an artist, starve like an artist, and work only 20 percent of [their] life for paint supplies and a roof for a very long time.” Since Rotstein married well, her art was relegated to a simple “hobby.” She vents her anger, frustration and confusion in “Requiem for a Housewife,” an edgy series of artwork reflecting her woman/mother/artist-hood. Check out this emerging artist at her opening reception tonight. 6-9 p.m. Bergamot Station, Lois Lambert Gallery, 2525 Michigan Ave., E3, Santa Monica. (310) 829-6990. ” target=”_blank”>http://www.loislambertgallery.com.

(KIDS)
Treat your kids to a fin- and fun-filled day at the Los Angeles Zoo’s “Pinniped Party,” celebrating northern American elephant seals and other winged feet marine mammals. The festivities will include two screenings of the documentary “A Seal’s Life: The Story of the Northern Elephant Seal,” crafts, animal feedings, keeper talks and the opportunity to help build a kelp forest. 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Free with admission to zoo, $5-$10. Los Angeles Zoo, Griffith Park, 5333 Zoo Drive, Los Angeles. (323) 644-4200. jking917@aol.com.

(SINGLES)
Head to the shoreline for Dinner at Woody’s Wharf with Jewish Single Parents and Singles Association. 6 p.m. Dutch treat. Woody’s Wharf, 2318 Newport Blvd., Newport Beach. R.S.V.P. to (714) 771-4623 or e-mail ras9877@aol.com.

SUN | JANUARY 13

(PARENTING)
” target=”_blank”>http://www.alicerene.com.

(HISTORY)
When was that first spark ignited that became the current fiery tension between Poles and Jews? Will it ever subside? Is there a future for Jews on Polish soil? The UCLA Center for Jewish Studies’ International Conference, “From Past to Present: The State of Research in Polish Jewish Relations,” aims to address these and many more questions through small, seminar-style sessions and large public events with leading scholars, public officials and diplomats. A photographic exhibit titled “Polish Heroes: Those Who Rescued Jews,” will accompany the two-day conference. Through Jan. 14. UCLA Center for Jewish Studies, 302 Royce Hall, Los Angeles. For a complete schedule of activities, visit johnseeman@aol.com.

(THEATER)
What’s a writer to do during an insufferable writer’s strike? Turn to the theater, as television writer Jon Ross (who also hedges his bets as a comedian and actor) did with his new play, The Cavalier Jew. A solo show that examines his personal search for meaning and fulfillment closely examines the divergent paths he and his brother took in the aftermath of their “unorthodox Orthodox” upbringing, “with one landing in heathen Hollywood and the other in the Holy Land.” 8 p.m., through March 16. $15. The Fanatic Salon, 3815 Sawtelle Blvd., Los Angeles. For tickets, call (800) 838-3006 or visit