It's leap year! 10 things to do with that extra day

Friday is leap day -- that quadrennial event in which we have a bonus day to play, peruse or ponder our lives. OK, so most of us will just go to work like we do every day.

But think about it. If you truly had an extra day that you couldn't spend working, what would you do?

Disappointingly, quite a few of you would do something productive, like cleaning your computer files, according to an online poll at Yahoo! (which offers a multitasking life expert to give advice).

But for those less ambitious -- and lucky enough to have a day off -- here are some better things to do on Feb. 29.

Shopping that's not a drag (or is it?)

Seattle Men's Chorus and Seattle Women's Chorus preview a one-of-a-kind rummage sale, filled with the castoffs from "over 280 queens, straight guys and their sisters (plus all their families and friends)." In other words, stuff that's nicer than what's in your closet now. Preview party is 6-10 p.m. Friday; sale runs 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday and 7 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, 113 10th Ave. E., Seattle; $25 (206-388-1400 or www.flyinghouse.org).

Hands-on physics

Why do Post-it notes stick and Teflon doesn't? How does a column of foam stand up? "Strange Matter" is one of those exhibits that sucks you in and makes you linger — longer than it takes for crystals to grow before your eyes. Visit the ultimate hands-on exhibit 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday or until 6 p.m. on the weekend at Pacific Science Center, 200 Second Ave. N, Seattle; $6-$11 (206-443-2001 or www.pacsci.org).

Choir boys!

All the world loves a choirboy — those little innocents with the high voices and the high mischief quotient — and the most famous ones of all are the Vienna Boys Choir. One of their four touring choirs comes to the intimate Kirkland Performance Center, where you'll have a good view of all the singing (and acting — there's usually a little staged comedy). One show only, and it starts at 8 p.m. Friday at Kirkland Performance Center, 350 Kirkland Ave., Kirkland; $20-$47 (425-893-9900 or www.kpcenter.org).

Or see a little less

If the choirboys are too, well, like choirboys, leave the kids home and catch a burlesque show at Columbia City Theatre, 4916 Rainier Avenue S. More campy than smutty, Friday's cabaret is hosted by the elegant Tamara the Trapeze Lady and features vaudeville, burlesque, aerial and more. Show starts at 8 p.m.; $20 through brownpapertickets.com or $25 at the door (206-605-9920 or www.trapezelady.com).

Celebrate the frogs

Because they leap. And also because several species are facing extinction. It's as good a reason as any to visit the Woodland Park Zoo or Seattle Aquarium, both of which are offering events and programs Friday to promote amphibian conservation. Zoo events, which include a tour through the amphibian exhibits, take place 10 a.m.-2 p.m., 5500 Phinney Ave. N., Seattle; free for kids ages 3-12 dressed in frog-themed gear or just wearing green, otherwise it's $8-$11 (206-548-2500 or www.zoo.org). At the aquarium, test your leaping skills against a frog's. Hours are 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 1483 Alaskan Way, Seattle; $10-$15 (206-386-4320 orwww.seattleaquarium.org).

Go indie

For indie rock cut raw, check out Seattle-based the Hands, who play Neumo's Friday and celebrate the release of their self-titled CD. Bandmates John Healy, Eli Chuckovich, Jordan Lock, Michael Tyler and Cary Davis met while attending The Evergreen State College in Olympia. The music starts at 9 p.m., 925 E. Pike St., Seattle; $8 (206-709-9467 or www.neumos.com).

Get jazzed

Leap into love all over again — with your partner and with romantic jazz singing — at the Frank DeMiero Jazz Festival with Los Angeleno Ernie Andrews. A crooner in the deep-throated Billy Eckstine vein, Andrews is a suave and swaggering singer who has been in the business for more than five decades. World-renowned bassist Jay Leonhart and the Kennelly Keys All Star Band join him in a concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Edmonds Center for the Arts, 410 Fourth Ave. N., Edmonds; $15-$50 (425-275-9595 or www.frankdemierojazzfestival.com).

War-stained glass

This glass art is greater than the sum of its pieces. Seattle-born Army chaplain Frederick McDonald collected bits of stained glass from bombed-out churches in World War II in hopes of turning the artifacts of war into something beautiful. Although McDonald died before his vision for a traveling exhibit was complete, some 13 artists helped bring it to life. "Remembered Light: Glass Fragments from World War II, The McDonald Windows," is on display 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday; and noon-5 p.m. Sunday at the Washington State History Museum, 1911 Pacific Ave., Tacoma; $6-$8 (888-238-4373 or www.washingtonhistory.org).

Peek inside the music biz

Author Dan Kennedy offers a comically twisted view of what it's like working for a major record label in New York (a job the book jacket describes as "This Is Spinal Tap" meets "The Office"). Kennedy, a former Seattle DJ, will read from "Rock On: An Office Power Ballad," at 7 p.m. Friday at the Sunset Tavern, 5433 Ballard Ave. N.W., Seattle; free (206-784-4880 or www.sunsettavern.com).

Get your stitch on

Don't laugh. Sewing is to this decade what macramé was to the '70s. And for those who love the needle and thread, there's no bigger paradise than the Sewing & Stitchery Expo going on this weekend. Besides the seminars and exhibit booths, the show features a celebrity seamstress. The expo runs 8 a.m.-6 p.m. through Saturday and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday at the Western Washington Fairgrounds, 110 Ninth Ave. S.W., Puyallup; $10 at the door (866-554-8559 or www.sewexpo.com).