The dark-at-5 p.m. days of standard time are again upon us, even though the thermometer still keeps reading 70 degrees. But there will be no rest for the weary this month, with what may prove to be a rollercoaster ride of an election kicking us off and the gluttonously delightful holiday of Thanksgiving rounding us out. And these are good things. They help keep us perky when the deep freeze forecasted for this winter sets in.

Need some activities to pencil into your November calendar? As always, DCist is ready with a few monthly suggestions.

Suggestion No. 1: Each year DCist has friends that panic when parents make their first holiday visit, upsetting the parent/child balance of parents cook, child eats. When you can barely cook a frozen pizza how do they expect you to handle a turkey dinner? Help for the cooking impaired can be found from most county or city adult education programs, as well at Bethesda’s L’Academie de Cuisine and Arlington’s Sur La Table (Pentagon Row). The Post’s 2003 cooking class listings even includes instructors that will come to your home for hosted lessons.

Suggestion No. 2: Too many large meals, happy hours and candy binges filling up your calendar? Solidly defendable excuses to overindulge highlight the final two months of the year, and why deprive yourself. DCist is concerned for your health and doesn’t want you to go into debt buying larger pants in 2005 so our final suggestion for the month of November is to work in a little time for some exercise. Washington Running Report offers a calendar of 5K+ races (you can jog or walk, we won’t tell) throughout the area. Many benefit various charities, a nice bonus for the year-end tax write off. Oh, and the helping of humankind and all too.

Enjoy your November DCers!