Seize the Day

By KATHLEEN LANG

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 6, 2000

THINGS TO DO

Aspiring writers, find out how to get published on http://www.iuniverse.com when local author Olmond Hall leads a discussion at 7:30 p.m. today at Barnes & Noble, 11802 N Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa. Olmond also will read from his first published title, the humorous murder mystery Mansion on the Hill. Free. Call (813) 962-6446.

Chomp into a Speaker's Night Talk on one of the world's oldest creatures at 7 p.m. today when Alligators -- Natural History and Management is presented at Chinsegut Nature Center, Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, 23212 Lake Lindsay Road (County Road 476), north of Brooksville. Free. Space is limited. RSVP at (352) 754-6722.

Sarasota offers treats for the ear and palate today at two different venues. The summer season at Florida Studio Theatre opens with Side by Side by Sondheim, an anthology of songs by Stephen Sondheim performed by Erin Meredith Eichberg, Robert D. Mowry, Lauren Mufson and Tom Treadwell, today through June 24 at the Sarasota theater, 1241 N Palm Ave. Tickets are $18-$28. Call (941) 366-9000. Or if tasty fromage is on your mind, sample cheese from around the world at 7 p.m. today at Cafe L'Europe, 431 St. Armands Circle, Sarasota. On the plate are Irish Cashel blue, Spanish idiazabal, French Camembert and more, as well as a selection of wines. The cost is $15, plus tax and gratuity. Reservations recommended. Call (941) 388-4415.

THINGS TO VIEW

The History Channel commemorates D-Day with a daylong marathon starting at 10 a.m. that includes Save Our History: National D-Day Museum. The one-hour documentary special from 7 to 8 p.m. profiles the stories and artifacts behind the scenes of the National D-Day Museum, which opens today in New Orleans. Other programs include Onto Rugged Shores, Tales of the Gun and Eisenhower: Warrior and President.

Tonight NBC premieres the summer replacement comedy M.Y.O.B., which revolves around a teenage runaway who winds up on her uptight aunt's doorstep in California. Mind Your Own Business stars Riley Veatch (Katharine Towne, But I'm A Cheerleader). 9:30 p.m.