SESSION @ DU VIN, entertainment by a changing weekly showcase of local jazz musicians; 7 p.m. Wednesdays; Brasserie Du Vin, 111 Bethel St.; no cover; information, 545-1115, www.brasserieduvin.com.

Q. I saw a recipe for pumpkin walnut flapjacks from the Mirror Lake Inn in Lake Placid, N.Y., and I would like to make a more healthful version for my family visiting New Year’s week. Can you help?

Watching this year’s dire financial news, I had one thought (besides mourning my 401k):

Sure, we’re glad that Britney Spears isn’t in danger of being forcibly committed anymore and that Samantha Ronson has persuaded Lindsay Lohan to sober up and stop showing her firecrotch.