Five Things You Need to Know Today: Senior Art History Lectures, Social Network Seminars and Homemade Valentines

1. Katrina and the Waves scored a one-hit wonder in 1985 with “Walking on Sunshine.” John Denver once sang about how sunshine on his shoulders makes him happy. And of course, who could forget The Beatles' classic “Here Comes the Sun?” Add these songs to this week’s iPod’s playlist and put them on shuffle – the National Weather Service has called for clear skies until Saturday evening. And as for today’s temperatures, highs are expected to reach 27 degrees. Northwest winds will gust to up to 10 miles per hour, so don’t forget to wear a scarf –and some sunglasses, of course – during your morning commute. (Very Cary Grant or Jackie O., don’t you think?)

2. The best part about learning is that it doesn’t stop when school ends. There’s so many fascinating subjects in the world that you’ll never grow bored so long as you have curiosity, a keen intellect and, of course, the resources of the Scarsdale Senior Lecture Series. Today, Professor William Kloss of the Smithsonian Institute will be presenting a video lecture series on the history of Romanesque sculpture and architecture. Kloss’s lecture will be followed by a discussion session, and a take-home study guide will be given to each participant. The Senior Lecture Series will be held at 1:15 p.m. at the Girl Scout House on 31 Wayside Lane. To register, call (914) 722-1150 or visit the Village website. Tickets are free.

3. Who doesn’t remember that episode of the Simpsons when Lisa hands Ralph a homemade Valentine? And if you’re not a Matt Groening fan, who doesn’t remember the first time a child, significant other, family member or friend gave you a piece of cardboard showered with stickers and glitter… and you somehow thought that the glue-smeared, marker-scented atrocity was the most beautiful thing in the world? Give children the chance to give someone a Valentine from the heart this year by taking them to the Scarsdale Library’s Valentine’s Day crafts activity.  The event will take place from 4 – 5 p.m. Children ages 3 ½ to 7 are welcome to attend

4. You can’t read any newspaper article these days without somehow skimming a sentence about Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Twitter or how social media is eventually going to take over the world. (Well, hey, at least computers beat the apes.) Tonight, find out how technology and social media are transforming life – and learn how it can transform yours – by hitting up guest speaker Robert Hellman’s discussion at Pace University Westchester. From 5:30 – 7 p.m., Hellman will be delivering a lecture entitled “Use LinkedIn and Other Social Media to Get the Job You Want.” Find out more by visiting https://secure.www.alumniconnections.com/olc/pub/PCE/event/showEventForm.jsp?form_id=68540 or calling (914) 733-3415. This event is free to the public.

5. When you think about wetlands, you associate their marshy grasslands with lizards and birds, not swimming pools and driveways. So what happened at last night’s Board of Appeals meeting when a Village resident requested to obtain a Special Use Permit to construct a swimming pool on Village-owned wildlife? Find out later this evening by reading a Patch writer’s recapitulation of the meeting’s minutes.