Calendar: Schuyler Colfax and monkeys

Check out the beard. That guy used to be one of the most powerful men in all the land: Schuyler Colfax, 29th Speaker of the House of Representatives and 17th Vice President of the United States. I've been reading up on ol' S. Col in preparation for my lecture, "Hail to the Obscure: Forgotten Vice Presidents of the United States," as part of the monthly, very fun lecture series Nerd Nite. What are the two shocking secrets about our 13th VP, William Rufus DeVane King? I will tell you. It's at the lovely Galapagos Art Space in Dumbo, Brooklyn, February 12 at 9pm. And hey, if you arrive at 7, they're doing some kind of weird preshow event, something called a "quiz game." I have no idea what that can possibly entail, but I might give it a whirl. Buy tickets here.
Then, a week later, I return to 92YTribeca for the next edition of Kevin Geeks Out, the monthly multimedia event hosted by Kevin Maher. I did the Holiday Grab Bag edition in December, and it was stupid fun; this time, the theme is Monkeys, and I'm hoping there'll be at least a couple of screeching howlers in the room. I'll be challenging a few audience members with monkey—and yes, okay, apes too—trivia (I'm thinking about slowing "Shock the Monkey" to half speed). Plus, the café at the venue serves excellent food. Friday, February 19 at 8pm; tickets are going fast, so click here. February's going to be interesting.