CRASH COURSE True Renaissance men (or perhaps today we should say “Renaissance people”) spend years mastering their broad-ranging interests. But for us wannabes, the Bayou City offers a shortcut to enlightenment the weekend of September 19-21. Well-roundedness 101 starts on Friday with a lesson in art. The Blaffer Gallery examines photo-realist Chuck Close in the exhibit “Chuck Close Prints: Process and Collaboration”. On Saturday, study either dance or music. The Houston Ballet performs The Sleeping Beauty, the classic tale of a good girl, an evil fairy, and a handsome prince with magical lips, while the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion rocks with shiny, happy R.E.M. Sunday’s classroom is Reliant Stadium, where the young Houston Texans open their home season with a midday contest against the Kansas City Chiefs. For your science component, squeeze in a trip to the Johnson Space Center before the weekend is up. Aspiring da Vincis can expect their diplomas in six to eight weeks. (See Houston)
