THURSDAY 19 NOVEMBER

Start your weekend right by hanging out with a little, elderly British nun. Sister Wendy Beckett (a.k.a. Sister Wendy), has become something of a cult figure because of her discussions of artwork on BBC and PBS. Although she does all of her work by examining reproductions and postcards in her cottage in England, Sister Wendy's analysis is quite thorough. Today she will be at the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum to talk about "The Ideal Museum." 6:30 p.m. 280 The Fenway, Boston, 278-5102. Tickets $7 general, $5 member and seniors, free for students.

For you faithful FM readers who journeyed to the Tsongas Arena last night only to discover that the Tori Amos concert you had traveled so far to see had happened the night before, this listing's for you. Before you can write a depressing, angst-ridden song about missing your chance to see your idol perform, Tori will take the stage tonight for real this time--we swear. 8 p.m., Whittermore Center Arena, University of New Hampshire, 128 Main St., Durham, NH. 603-868-7300. Tickets $26.50, students $17.50.

Have MIT, Wellesley or BU ever lived up to your expectations of college life beyond Harvard? Try something a little different: Framingham State College. Tonight's selection in their International Film Series is Landscapes in the Mist, an example of Greek cinema (with the obligatory English subtitles). Following the movie, film critic Dr. Arthur Nolletti Jr. will lead a discussion. 7:30 p.m., College Center Forum, Framingham State College, State Street, Framingham. 508-626-4968. Tickets $6, $4 seniors and students.

Its that time of year again when cries of "Ooh. Ahh. City Step! City Step! City Step! City Step!" can only mean the annual wardrobe switch from the reign of the littleblackdress to that of the longblackdress. As Van Morrison once said so profoundly, "Its a wonderful night for a moondance," so slip into your black tie-best and get ready to catch some rays at Moondance: CityStep Benefit Ball. 9 p.m. to midnight. Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont St. 496-2222. Tickets $15.

If you can't get enough of those Xena Warrior Princess, episodes, the Hillel is sponsoring a discussion on Women's Physical Equality with martial arts champion Rebecca Rakow '01. Though the talk has been advertised as "G.I. Joe Move Over, Barbie is in the Ring," men should not feel excluded from coming. 6 p.m., Hillel's Rear Dining Hall, 52 Mt. Auburn St. FREE.

Swanwhite opens at the Agassiz. Posters say "may not be suitable for children," which hints at inclusions of gratuitous sex and violence in an otherwise wholesome fairy tale concept. It's bound to be a crowd-pleaser. Dress is creative black tie. 8 p.m., $4 students, $6 general.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra is celebrating Seiji Ozawa's 25th anniversary this year, opening its season with Petrassi's Concerto for Orchestra No. 5, SaintSaens Piano Concerto No. 2 and Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 3. First Nights' matriculators will enjoy an upscale evening which calls for discriminating musical analysis. Pricey but classy, a romantic evening accompanied by the strains of the BSO is a surefire way to impress a dating prospect. 8 p.m., Symphony Hall, 301 Mass. Ave. $24 to $74.

For those who invariably tote around a copy of The Fountainhead--rife with the requisite pithy marginalia--will savor this lecture presented by the Harvard Objectivist Club. Dr. Gary Hull will speak about "Neo-Puritan Assault on Sex and Pleasure"-- offering a wonderfully diametrically alternative to the excessive, hedonistic pleasures of CityStep's Annual Ball. Why would anyone dance the night away in unnecessarily opulent getups when one could consider, instead, "the fusion of Plato, Christianity and Kantian - inspired nihilism"? Gosh.

One of Boston's newest emags, Stuff@night, is throwing its first anniversary party. The ads say, "All of Boston's Kens and Barbies are invited to a fabu Hollywood Extravaganza." Bonus points awarded for plastic hair, driving up in pink Mattel sedan and use of wanna-be Californian slang? 10:30 p.m., Avalon, 15 Lansdowne St.

Listen to some West Coast sensibility tonight when author T.C. Boyle reads from his book Stories. Known for his extravangant, irreverent personal style, Boyle has become an bad boy icon for 20-something readers. Boston University Law School Auditorium, 765 Comm Ave, Boston. 7 p.m. FREE.

Looking to escape the collegiate mayham of Harvard Yale? India Song, a play by Marguerite Duras about love, memory, loss and colonialism in 1930s Calcutta goes up this Thursday at the Loeb Ex. The show runs through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are free and can be picked up at the Loeb.

FRIDAY 20 NOVEMBER

Some combinations were simply destined to be together. Like make-your-own waffles and Sundays, formal wear and banjo music make the perfect couple. Maybe the people in Deliverance never sat around sipping tea and listening to music, but that's just because they didn't stop by Black Tie Banjo. 2:30 to 4 p.m., Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Ladies Committee Gallery, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston, 617-267-9300. FREE.

How many of you answered the roommate application form question on musical tastes with, "I'll listen to anything but country?" But Mary Chapin Carpenter is about as far from the 10-gallon hat and high-heeled boots stereotype as possible. Genre-bending as only a Brown graduate can be, Carpenter was a favorite on the D.C. acoustic scene before making it big on country charts. Next you're going to start digging line dancing. 7:30 p.m., Orpheum Theatre, One Hamilton Place, Boston. 423-NEXT. Tickets $23.50 to $33.50.