Chess players of all ages and skill levels are welcome instruction from the chess players of Dudley Square, so come down and manipulate those little pawns. 6 to 8 p.m. Dudley Branch Library, 65 Warren St., Roxbury. 442-6186. FREE. Also on November 9 and 12.

Through Sunday, November 8, if interested in helping the hungry and tasting some funky vegetables not often served at area dining halls, stop by a few local restaurants to partake in the Annual Collard Greens Festival. Some extra special collard greens are dished up for every lucky patron as part of the Food for Free initiative (a Cambridge based hunger relief organization committed to providing fresh food to nutritionally-vulnerable people in the community). Middle East Restaurant, 472 Mass. Ave., Central Square East Coast Grill, 1271 Cambridge St. Redbones Barbecue, 55 Chester St., Davis Square Asmara Restaurant, 739 Mass Ave., Central Square.

Get out those "worn-in" khakis and your Patagonia retro fleece and find those prep-school roots by dropping by the Paradise for a little drumming action by the different-is-better band, Rusted Root. Make sure you're prepared for some mind altering bongo-bashing as this band goes crazy looking for some kind of ethnic background through some funky rhythm and jarring lyrics. Paradise Rock Club, 967 Comm. Ave. Boston. 562-8800. Ticket prices vary.

Impress your Spanish TF with a little Latin lovin' after session at Temporada Latina, a haven of fabulous salsa and merengue dance instruction between 8:30 and 11 p.m. at Ryles Jazz Club (second floor). Drive your next date wild with some quasi-Lambada moves straight out of Dirty Dancing. 212 Hampshire St., Cambridge. 876-9330. $10-12, $7-10 after 10 p.m.

It'll be a big night in the local sports bars, as the Bruins take on the Mapleleafs at the Fleet Center. If the idea of an entire night surrounded by rowdy drunk people screaming at talking pictures seems a little old, why not go to the game itself? All it takes is a phone call and $20 to $75 depending on how well you want to see the puck and how much money you want to save for the after-party. Pre-game it at Fours Boston at 166 Canal St., North Station T-stop. Then head over to the rink. Just be sure you root for the right team. 7:30 p.m., Fleet Center Call (617)931-2000 for tickets.

Granted it's not on the First Night's curriculum, but Claudio Monteverdi's L'Incoronzione di Poppea may still be one hell of a cultural experience. Forego a night at the Grille and hustle over to the Agassiz for the Harvard-Radcliffe Early Music Society and the Harvard Baroque Chamber Orchestra's presention of Monteverdi's final opera 8 p.m., Agassiz Theater, Radcliffe Yard. Tickets $7.

Well, Monet in the 20th Century at the Museum of Fine Arts isn't going anywhere for a while, but if you don't hurry, you might miss the fascinating exhibit, Egyptian Funerary Arts and Ancient Near East Galleries. It really doesn't get much better than this. Embalmed crocodiles, ancient death masks and true to life (no pun intended) mummies are all on display until November 8. 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. 267-9300 $10, seniors and students $8.

If you are sick of the dirth of attractive mates at Harvard, don't despair. Dick Syatt's Singles Dances are every Thursday. Even if you are satisfied with the dating scene, go as a joke. It's fun. 8 p.m. village Green, Rt. 1 North, Danvers. 978-443-8131, $3-7 cover.

FRIDAY 6 NOVEMBER

VES concentrators interested in getting out of Gund Hall and the Carpenter Center should take note of this architectural gem: Frank Gehry, an archictect from Santa Monica, California, is visiting MIT this semester. He is delivering "Current Works," a lecture with Dean William Mitchell and James Glympf of Frank O. Gehry and Associates. Reception follows. 7 p.m. Wong Auditorium, MIT Tang Center, 2 Amherst St. 253-7791. FREE.

Decide to kick back on Friday night to avoid the crowds of couples infiltrating the Square? Simply slip back to the era of leg warmers, Belinda Carlisle, and He-Man and bask in the nostalgia of 80s night on Mix 98.5 FM. From 7 p.m. to midnight, get into the groove with a little Thriller and sounds of the evercool Bangles.

The Boston arts community has been waiting anxiously for three years. Finally, the wait is over--the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum's Blue Room is reopening. The room holds several of the Museum's most noteworthy 19th-century acquisitions, including Manet, Delacroix, and Courbet, as well as letters and photographs of such notables as Emerson, the Jameses, Oliver Wendell Holmes and George Santayana. Tues. to Sun. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 280 The Fenway, Boston. 566-1401. $10 adults, $7 seniors, $5 college students, free for those under 18.

Get your weekend off to a swingin' start with the masters of modern jive themselves. The novelty of the jitterbug shows no signs of wearing off any time soon and the Cherry Poppin' Daddies are still going strong. Catch them at the Roxy for yet another stimulating Swing Night. 9 p.m. 279 Tremont St. 338-7699. $10 Cover.

Midterms aren't funny. But the Comedy Connection is. One of the funniest comedy clubs around, with a full bar, food and national headlines, this is something every Harvard student needs to go to. This weekend provides the perfect opportunity with Frank Santos, an R-rated hypnotist headlining. 245 Quincy Street, 248 9700. $15.

At last, a movie that truly captures the essence of Harvard intellect. If you've been watching Happy Gilmore on video every Friday night, now's your chance to absorb the latest of Adam Sandler's comic genius. The Waterboy, long awaited by the masses, arrives in a theater near you tonight. Check local listings for theaters and showtimes.