Capturing that Memory!

 Whether it is a groom intimately stealing a kiss from his new bride for the first time or a 4 year-old getting his face painted with his favorite character, it is the photographic moment and shot that will carry these memories through a lifetime.  During these events, a photographer usually has one opportunity to capture these moments on camera. They have mere minutes to grab the image from time in the right angle, with the right aperture and with the right style!  This takes a lot of skill and responsibility.  So who do you entrust this responsibility to? And what discriminating factors do you use to determine if a photographer is the right fit for you? 

Q spoke with our resident photographer Ellice Boone of ES-Photo (www.esphoto.com , www.facebook.com/esphotoLA) Q has worked with Ellice for over 6 years and on countless weddings, marketing campaigns, and corporate events. We wanted to know what she feels are the three factors people should look for in choosing the photographer for their event so we could share this knowledge with our clients. She detailed the following:

Factor One: Style & Quality of Work

Everyone has a different style and aesthetics; this translates in their work and taste. Meet with a few photographers so you can compare different styles, also look online and get a feel for what you are drawn to individually and, if applicable, as a couple.  Ask yourself, do you want photos that are more posed and traditional or are you looking for someone to just be a fly on the wall and capture the day as a journalist in documentary style? Do you like the images to be real and raw or do you like images with heavy retouching and photoshop work? Once you cultivate your style and preferences, you will be able to pinpoint the photographer whose shooting style most matches that preference.

Tips concerning Style & Quality: When you are meeting with photographers make sure to see books or images from one entire wedding not just their best shots. Ask if they are retouching all of their images or just a select few, and do they charge an additional fee for that? You want to make sure the books and the prints they are showing you are what your finished products will look like.  

Factor Two: Personality

The personality of the photographer is important. You have to like the personality of the photographer who is shooting your event. The photographer leads you through the event and guide you through all of your photos and many of the important moments.  If you don't feel completely comfortable with your photographer it will be difficult for he/she to capture images of you that are natural and spontaneous. Even worse, if you clash with your photographer or he/she comes off rough around the edges, this could accentuate the stress of the day and create more tension and stress which you definitely don't need! Trust your intuition when it comes to this.  Your gut is usually right in leading you in the best direction.

Tip concerning personality: You want a person who is professional but feels like a friend. The connection usually can be felt instantly and does not need to be cultivated. Ask yourself, do I want to share the entire day with this person as my shadow?

Factor Three: Budget

Of course we all wish budget was not a factor but it does play an important role when determining your photographer.  Some brides go into sticker shock when they see the prices of having even a simple wedding not to mention the wedding of their dreams. With that being said you need to have a realistic view of what your budget is for your wedding day or any event.  Be honest with the photographers you meet and find out all that their packages entail.  It is good to break things down so that you can actually compare apples to apples. Find out how many hours you will get, how many shooters, and exactly what product you will get after the wedding (albums images on DVD, website, proofs, etc.)   The biggest mistake couples make when choosing a photographer is basing their decision solely on price.  If you go with someone just because that individual is giving you a great deal and ignore that he or she may not be your best fit, you may regret your decision later.  If you love someone’s work, personality, and his or her vision is on the same page as yours, do what you can to make things work.

Tip concerning budget: Sometimes photographers who are a little out of your budget are willing to adjust things or customize a package that fits your needs and is closer to your price point.  Sometimes by simply taking out product or time from a package you will realize you can make things work within your budget, and most photographers can get creative with numbers if you are open with what you want and where your price limit is. 

After the food has been eaten, the guests have left, and the flowers and décor are broken down, the day becomes pictures in your memory.  The real tangible picture images become the preservation of the fine details, the sincere moments, and the joy that day brought you.  What is important is to have great shots that convey this importance and that you can take pride in showing days, months, and even years after.

Is your 2011 New Year’s resolution to exercise more?

What better way to start the New Year than meeting new friends, becoming one with nature, and exercising! The Q team has fallen in love with Stacy White’s Trail Mix exercise. Trail Mix is this weeks Q thing to do to jump start your New Years’ exercise goals and reboot your soul synergy! It is a beautiful way to start 2011!

Instructor Stacy White always had creating a fit female body in mind, but when she created Trail Mix she could not project the magnitude of the soul synergy of the work out and the dramatic physical body transformations that would result. What started as a hiking workout over three years ago has grown into a full-body workout that conditions muscles, burns calories, builds endurance, and, most poignantly, transforms the soul!

The peace and joy of working out in a beautiful natural surrounding, being at one with nature, and marveling in the support and company of the wonderful girls who attend feels more like hanging out with friends than working out! But, the beauty is that, while you may feel like you are having too much fun to be working out, you are, and getting results too! Most people see results within three sessions. The hour long interval workout takes place entirely outside: jogging and walking up trails or steps, doing tricep curls using rocks as weights, and stopping in serene areas to do lunges. Since the ground is so uneven, your body is naturally trying to create stability as you are jogging the trails. This produces muscle conditioning of the core, abdominals, and the buns! The inclines also build endurance and provide a cardio workout too!

“I find myself at one with nature,” says Stacy White. “The openness of your mind and being so engaged in the moment produces amazing results on your mind and body, specifically your butt, legs and soul!” The plush foliage and opulence of your surrounding as you hike the trails is so enchanting you fall in love with nature and are left inspired. Stacy has even lost over 30 pounds herself doing this workout!

The sheer relationship building, physical results, and beautiful surroundings are what make this workout the only one of its kind and something every woman needs to experience at least once. Seeing brightly colored wild parrots fly above as you do sit-ups or deer scamper as you are jogging up an incline is an environment that turns working out from a mundane task to a portfolio of moments that will forever be etched in your mind.

Ditch the treadmill and hand weights, let’s see the results that nature can produce! TO LIVE!

Contact Stacy White to register for Trail Mix: Email- stacy@raksafitness.com Phone-818 288 7282 and join her facebook (Joy Stacy)!

Drop-in Rate: $10.00 Monthly Package: $50.00 per month includes unlimited Trail Mix.

Simplicity is a virtue!

Are you decorating for the holiday? Bringing out from storage everything from the stuffed big belly Santa to the Christmas snow globes you have been collecting since you were ten? When decorating for the holidays, people tend to excessively fill their home with everything holiday, making it look like a Christmas store rather than a chic home. This year keep in mind two things when you go to decorate your home, “less is more” and “simplicity is a virtue.”

Below are five simple tips from the Q design team to decorate your home for the holidays in style:

1) Create a color palate: A consistent color scheme is key to any design, whether you are decorating your home for the holidays, for everyday use, or for a party. Once you pick your color palate, whether you want to be traditional with red and green, classic with white and gold, or modern with white and silver, keep consistent and carry it throughout your home. For example, if your colors are gold and white, put an extra amount of gold ornaments on the tree to capture the eye’s attention, then carry the gold to the dinning room table arrangement with gold and white candles, and to the mantel with only white Christmas lights. This does not mean you can’t use red anywhere. It just means the most prevalent colors should be gold and white and use the red as more of an accent.

2) Wrap with Style: If you put a little extra money into your wrapping paper, the presents themselves can serve as décor pieces. It does not cost a lot to wrap nicely. You can get regular Christmas paper or solid colored designs and just get nice wired ribbon to create fun bows. Make the ribbon consistent with your color palate and it will really dress up your tree and your home, whether it is sparkling silver, glitzy gold, or radiant red.

3) Create groupings: When adding accents to your house, designers like to display the holiday accents in grouping or vignettes. The small groupings become accents that work together. For example, if you like candles, put them in groupings of three or five on your coffee table or dining room table. Putting them in groups rather than letting them run solo makes a stronger impact, and when you continue the groups throughout your home it makes for consistent and chic design. Or, if you collect Santas, display them in small groups of three on the entertainment center. Or, if you collect gold ornaments, put some in a beautiful dish as an accent on your coffee table, in clear vases on your mantel and on your tree. People’s eyes will be drawn to the consistency throughout.

4) Personalize: A great way to bring Christmas to your home is with photos. Print photographs of past Christmases and put them in a nice photo album (bound in your color scheme) and place it on your coffee table, open for all to share in the memories. Or, print black and white photographs of past Christmases or family members (or friends) and place them in frames of your accent color on your mantel! Personalizing the items makes it very unique, and allows you the liberty to create custom holiday accent pieces that are not only consistent with your color scheme, but also are conversation starters and reminders of wonderful family (or friend) memories.

5) Think dual purpose: Some of the best designs are rooted in functionality. If you are not much for knick-knacks but still want to spruce up your home for the holidays, there are plenty of options. You can get nice throws and pillows in solid colors consistent with your holiday color scheme that will accent your home, such as a nice cranberry red throw or pillows which add some holiday color but also provide a purpose of warmth and comfort. Also, you can get nice glass containers with lids filled with festive colored munchies, like red and white candy canes or red licorice. This creates visually beautiful pieces with holiday flair while also providing a snack and yummy delight for guests or family members. An abundance of candles is also a great way to bring the holidays into your home. You can get cinnamon or pine scented candles that not only make your home pretty but also delight your sense of smell with fragrances of the holidays. If red and green are your color scheme, you can even keep bowls of red and green apples everywhere, which are not only pretty in design but also great to eat.

The above 5 are essentials for transforming your house into an inviting home for the holidays. If you need specific advice for your holiday décor or have questions for our Q team design experts, post a question or a comment and our Q team would be glad to help.

Let Q, help you create a holiday design that makes your guests say, “What a clever idea?”

Winter wedding or event? Let Q help you choose the florals and color scheme!

Feeling traditional? White roses for a winter wedding and bright red florals for a holiday inspired event are both trends that are done every holiday season. Just because everyone does it, does not mean you have to! In fact, be original, add your own flair, and steer clear of this trend! Even if you plan a winter white wedding, you can change it up. Maybe do as Marilyn Monroe did for her nuptial to baseball player Joe DiMaggio in the Winter of 1954 and use white cymbidium orchids!

Detouring from red or white all together, specifically in December, would also be a financially smart decision since red and white florals are in high demand for Christmas parties and floral distributors tend to hike up the prices during that period. Instead of keeping traditional, the Q team suggests changing up the color palate this winter. Make Navy or Colbalt blue as you base, since blue is a very wintery color, and choose an accent color of maybe rich fushcia or rich purple to mark your occasion. Keep with rich colors rather than pale colors since pale colors scream spring. Colors with stronger pigment are more robust and are more consistent with the winter.

Let Q help you choose a color theme! Write us and a Q Team member will work with you to help you choose.

A list of flowers in season in winter!

FLOWER	COLOR OPTIONS	MONTH AVAILABILITY
Amaryllis	Red, White	Winter Months
Anemone	Blue, Red, Pink, White	January-May, August-December
Bachelor’s Button	White, Pink, Red, Blue	Year Round
Bells of Ireland	Green	January-October
Calla Lily	Numerous colors, most common in white, minis also available in numerous colors	Year Round
Cameliias	White, Pink	Winter Months
Carnations	Numerous colors	Year Round
Casa Blanca Lily	White	January-October
Cosmos	Numerous colors including Pink, White, Brown	Winter Months
Daffodil	Yellow	January-April
Delphinium	Blue, White, Purple	Year Round
Eucalyptus	Blue, Silver	Year Round
Forget-me-nots	Blue	Winter Months
Gardenia	White	Year Round
Gladiolus	Numerous colors	Year Round
Heather	Pink	Year Round
Jasmine	White	Winter Months
Lily of the Valley	White, Pink	Year Round
Narcissus	White, Yellow	Winter Months
Orchids	Numerous colors including Pink, White, Purple	Year Round
Poinsettia	White, Red	Winter Months
Protea	Pink	Year Round
Ranunculus	White, Pink, Red, Orange, Yellow	February-May
Rose	Numerous colors	Year Round, premium in February
Scabiosa	Purple, White	Year Round
Star Gazer Lily	White, Pink	January-October
Star of Bethlehem	White	Winter Months
Sweet Pea	white, pink, red/coral, lavender/purple	December-May
Tulip	Numerous colors, including white, pink, yellow, red, and purple	December-April
Waxflower	White, Pink	Winter Months

Forget about chasing the next big event. This weekend make a brilliant dinner your thing to do at West Los Angeles’s Waterloo & City!

This week’s Q Restaurant of the Week:

Ever been to a British gastropub? Do you even know what that entails? If you visit Waterloo & City you will get to experience first hand the relaxed English pub style setting and high quality artistic gastronomic cuisine a gastropub has to offer. It has a wonderfully decorated dining area and a bar area off to the side with flat screen TVs and even a pool table room. Executive Chef Brendan Collins, formerly of Melisse and Palihouse, and Carolos Tomazos, proprietors of Waterloo & City were inspired to create a place where people could eat in a comfortable setting, dine on exquisite food, and throw back a few beers. They succeeded in this venture!

Guests Compliments:
Guests love the presentation, freshness of the food, and varieties of flavors in the dishes Chef Collins creates. People notably love the eclectic nature of the menu. The incredible beer selection comprised of German, Belgian, English, Scottish, Irish, French, Canadian, Italian, American, and even Brazilian beers is also highly praised. Patrons rave about Waterloo’s dessert menu so don’t skip the sweet course!

Menu Favorites:
Favorites on the menu include:

Appetizers & Plates
*Tuna Tartare, Fried Piquillo Pepper, Avocado
*Arugula, Grilled Figs, Smoked Almonds, Parmesan
*Curried Chicken Meatball Pizza, Mango Chutney
*Pappardelle, Red Curry Lobster, Coconut, Mussels, Lime

Mains
*Prime Pork Chop, Black Pudding, Green Beans, Apple Sauce
*Farmers Market Veggies, Goat Cheese Zucchini Beignets
*Maine Scallops, Fennel, Lemon Marmalade, Fried Capers
*Lamb Burger, Gruyere Cheese, Pickle Relish, Rosemary Fries

Desserts
*Hot Chocolate Pudding, Dulce de Leche, Caramelized Banana
*Sticky Toffee Pudding, Milk Ice Cream, Salted Caramel
*Vanilla Panna Cotta, Red Fruit Consomme, Raspberry Sorbet


Complaints & Recommendations:
The high stools in the bar section of the restaurant have been deemed uncomfortable by some patrons, so request table seating in the dinning area.

The Logistics:

Waterloo & City
12517 West Washington Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90066-5505
(310) 391-4222
www.waterlooandcity.com/
Hours:
HAPPY HOUR : Daily 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
DINNER : Mon – Sat 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m., Sun 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
SUNDAY LUNCH : Sun 11:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
LATE NIGHT : Thurs – Sun 10:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m., Fri & Sat 10:00 p.m. – Midnight
BAR : Sun – Thurs 5:00 p.m. – Midnight, Fri & Sat 5:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m.


Parking:
Free lot parking.

Gold Class Cinemas makes going to the movies feel like an event!

This week’s Q Thing to Do:
Do you feel like dinner and movie but are craving something a little more upscale? Gold Class Cinemas is the alternative to the typical standing in line and crowded theater movie-going experience. With lavish micro-suede reclining chairs, a call button for cocktails, and a maximum of only 40 people in the theater, everyone feels like a VIP!

Gold Class Cinemas is a perfect night out with friends or dating experience. There are no lines or grabbing seats since you reserve your seats ahead of time. There are no bad seats in the room either; even the front row is 25 ft from the screen! Instead, on arrival you can have a drink and grab a bite to eat in the comfortable lounge if you choose. The Cinema is paired with affordable high-end dinning, complete with a full bar featuring an extensive wine list and assorted beers. If you prefer to avoid the lounge, you can even order food and beverages from your seat 5-10 minutes prior to movie start time. In addition to there only being 40 seats rather than the standard 150 in a typical theater, the seats are also equipped with a table for your food and beverage. As the final touch of coziness and an added perk, you can even request a blanket and pillow for your ultimate viewing pleasure. Who wouldn’t want to chow down on some gourmet popcorn and see a movie like this!

Some Menu Highlights:

Small Plates
Spinach, Artichoke, and Gruyere Croquettes 11
Blue Cheese Potato Chip Fondue 13
Shrimp Limoncello 15
Crispy Calamari "Steak" 13

Bigger Plates
Roasted Portobello Slider Trio 14
Spinach and Artichoke Pizza 14
Chicken Picatta Trio 14
Anchor Bar Chicken Trio 14
Chicken and Smoked Bacon Pizza 14
Grilled Pressed Cuban Sandwiches 11

Sweets
Death by Chocolate 9
House Made Donuts 8
Big Brownie Ice Cream Sandwich 11
Strawberry Angel Bowl 9

Libations
Extensive Global wine list
Assorted Beer
Signature cocktails and more!


The Logistics:

Location:
Gold Class Cinemas/One Colorado Pasadena
42 Miller Alley
Pasadena, CA 91103
626-639-2260
http://goldclasscinemas.com/

Cost:
Movie
$29 per person for non-members
$22 per person for Gold Class members (Gold Class Membership is free).

Food & Beverage
Depends on selection.

After a weekend full of parties and various Halloween events, a cozy place to meet or work like Panini’s Coffee House is the perfect alternative!

This week’s Q Restaurant of the Week:

When you don’t want another over sugared Coffee Bean coffee or over roasted Starbucks’ coffee, visit Panini’s Coffee House! The atmosphere is comfortable and welcoming, inviting you to stay there for hours talking or, alternatively, setting up shop and making it your office away from home. Their coffee is the best on the Westside and the service staff is very warm and friendly. It is always easy to find a table inside or outside, there are usually sports or news playing on the TV, and you are never rushed to leave. Good food, great coffee, and an inviting ambience, why make anywhere else your local coffee hang out?

Guests Compliments:
People love the cool vibe of Panini’s Coffee House, the great food, and the fact that it is never overly crowded.

Menu Favorites:
Favorites on the menu include: Italian Eggs, Prosciutto and Formaggio Panini, Turkey Burger, Pine Nut and Goat Cheese Salad, Cobb Salad, Seafood Salad, Tortilla Soup

Complaints & Recommendations:
Some patrons think Panini’s Coffee House is a little costly for a coffee house. If this is a concern, the portions are rather large so if you are on a budget you can always bring a friend and just share something!

Tips:
If you buy a Venice High School Community card, they have a buy one get one free drink special, which you can use an unlimited number of times during the year.

The Logistics:
Panini Coffee & Cafe
4325 Glencoe Ave
Marina Del Rey, CA 90292
(310) 823-4446
http://paninicoffeecafela.com/

Parking:
Free, relatively uncongested lot parking.

Halloween Costume Party Event: Murder on the Dance Floor! Come to Woo Lae Oak for this Fundraising event for Mito Aviles’s West Hollywood Campaign

This week’s Q Thing to Do:

Did you ever watch those old movies where the characters attended a costume ball and danced the night away with a masked stranger?! Did you think, that looks fun and sexy? Well here is your opportunity to attend the costume party Murder on the Dance Floor and support a good cause! On Friday, October 29^th, 2010, Mito Aviles is hosting a costume party event at the Woo Lae Oak Restaurant in Beverly Hills. It will benefit his 2010 campaign for West Hollywood City Council.

Murder on the Dance Floor will be a night packed with fun and entertainment. Design master ChadMichael Morrisette, who is internationally known for creating displays that are eye-popping and controversial, will transform the Woo Lae Oak Restaurant into his artistic vision of a Halloween murder dance scene. The room will be filled with the sounds and beats of music played by the talented and inspiring DJ Phyliss Navidad. From 10:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m. guests will be able to dance the night away, socialize, and savor some tasty libations.

The highlight of the night will be a special performance by the legendary Venus D Lite (www.venusdlite.com). Venus D Lite looks, sings, and dances like Madonna. Who better than the Queen of pop to work the dance floor!

Costume is required! Check out the highlights, get your two free drinks, and have a great time!

The Logistics:

Location:

Woo Lae Oak

170 N La Cienega Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
(310) 652-4187

www.woolaeoakbh.com/

Timing:

October 29 at 10:00 p.m. - October 30 at 2:00 a.m.

Cost:

A $25 admission donation gets you 2 free drink tickets.

Fundraiser for:

Mito Aviles

West Hollywood City Council 2011
www.mitoaviles.com

V-Lounge delivers Opaque- Dinning in the Dark: A perfect date idea for that special event!

This week’s Q Thing to Do:

Awaken your non-vision senses! Bring your date to a new realm and experience, “Dinning in the Dark.” It will inevitably be a date to remember! The concept behind this dating event is that, with the lack of ability to utilize your visual sense, all your other senses then become heightened, specifically your sense of hearing, smell, and taste. This will create the atmosphere for a roller coaster of taste sensations for your palate and an attention to your dates’ voice and articulation like you have never experienced before while dining. Not to mention that with it being dark, who knows what you can do with touch?!

V Lounge in Santa Monica offers “Dinning in the Dark” Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights from 6:30 p.m. -10:00 p.m. The talented servers are trained to serve in the dark, bringing you your appetizers, entree, and dessert of choice in pitch black darkness. The food is notably superb with a wonderful variety of flavors. Plus, whether you choose the mango panna cotta or chocolate lava cake, how can vanilla whip cream in the dark ever end without a smile on your face?

In addition to this unique experience and a great meal, guests are invited to stay to mingle and dance in the V-lounge after their dinning experience. This entire package makes it the perfect dating experience. A full night of entertainment from eating to dancing! Try it and let us know what you think?!

Note: Special discount info below.

Menu:

To Begin: Salad Course
Your choice of:
Baby Green Salad, baby arugula, red oak, Frizee,
and Bibb lettuce. small bite of vegetable Spring Roll
OR
Heirloom Tomato Salad, 'Coastal Organics' tomatoes with basil, grilled Houlimi, extra virgin olive oil and sea salt. bite of prosciutto and melon

Main: Entrée Course

Your choice of:
Roasted Herb Chicken Breast
with garlic broccoli spears with parmesan
OR
Seared Ahi Tuna Steak
with vegetable salad and sticky rice
OR
Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Rigatoni
roasted eggplant, zucchini, and onions with Feta cheese
OR
Filet Mignon topped with spinach, garlic, roasted pepper
and shitake mushrooms

Something Sweet: Dessert Course
Your choice of:
Mango Panna Cotta with coconut crème anglaise
and fresh fruits
OR
Warm Chocolate Lava Cake, with fresh berries and vanilla whipped cream

The Logistics:

Location:

Opaque at The V-Lounge

2020 Wilshire Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90403-5608
(310) 829-1933

www.darkdining.com

http://la.darkdining.com/

Cost:

$99.00 (+tax/tip) per person

INSIDER INFO: Groupon is offering 50% discount at Opaque, two for the price of one (making it $99.00 for two)

Parking:
Parking is available behind the building.

What event are you planning to celebrate this week? The Glendon Bar & Kitchen may be the perfect venue for your festivities.

This week’s Q Restaurant of the Week:

Whether you are celebrating a friend’s birthday, a going away party, watching Monday Night Football, or just grabbing drinks for happy hour, the Glendon Bar & Kitchen has garnered a great reputation for providing yummy food, intoxicating libations, and friendly service. All that wrapped in a bow of impeccably designed décor and an inviting atmosphere!

Guests Compliments:

Guests are raving about the super attentive and friendly service staff. Everyone from the bartenders to the servers to the managers are welcoming, even the bus boys are enthusiastic and happy! The ambient lighting and combination of bar and restaurant seating, as well as, mini lounge seating upstairs all set a great tone.

Menu Favorites:

Favorites on the menu include: the Sweet Potato Fries served with a Cinnamon Pecan Aioli, An Apple Salad, Cajun Calamari, The Sliders, California Crab Cakes, and Fleur d Sel Carmel Cheesecake.

Complaints & Recommendations:

Parking is a notable grievance about this location, as with the majority of locations in Westwood. There are some lots in Westwood that are cost effective and some that aren’t, just be strategic in the ones you choose. In addition, people think that it is a little costly for some of the portion sizes. As with most restaurants, you can ask your server about the portion size prior to ordering the items of your choice. That way you won’t be hit with any surprises.

Tips:

Happy Hour is a great way to experience this restaurant. They have awesome food and drink specials, including $5.00 martinis and half off on some food items.

The Logistics:

Westwood Location:

The Glendon Bar & Kitchen

1071 Glendon Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 208-2023

http://www.glendonla.com/

Hours:

Lunch 11:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

Dinner 5:30 p.m.-10:00 p.m.

Bar (Bar menu and drinks) 10:00 p.m.-2:00 a.m.

Happy Hour Weekdays from 4:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.

Parking:

Structured parking next door is costly $2 every 15 minutes. The lots near the movie theaters are more cost effective for longer visits.

Lesbian and Gay Speed Dating Fundraiser: Are you Single & Ready to Mingle?

Are you over the bar scene? Have you tapped out your resource of friends of friends to date and found that online dating is just not for you? The solution -- try speed dating! You can have up to 19 one-on-one dates in one night, each date lasts about 5 minutes and is over with the ring of a bell.

Q2DSpeedDating.com is hosting a lesbian and gay speed dating night this Thursday, October 14, 2010. All you have to do is come ready to participate in some great conversations. You will be introduced to a series of matches for you to be wooed and impress. At the end of the night, your list of “best fits” will be submitted, and within approximately 48 hours, will be emailed to you. As an added bonus, this week’s “date night” is simultaneously a fundraiser for candidate Mito Aviles who is running for West Hollywood City Council 2011. A $20.00 donation gets you access to cool people and refreshing cocktails, as well as, exposure to interesting and available singles.

The 411 on Q2D’s MITO 4 WEHO Speed Dating Fundraiser:

Date: Thursday, October 14, 2010

Time: 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

(Doors open at 7:00 p.m.

Speed Dating begins promptly at 7:30 p.m.)

Location: Woo Lae Oak Restaurant

170 N. La Cienega Blvd.

Beverly Hills, CA 90211

Cost: $20.00 Donation to the Mito 4 WEHO Campaign

Benefiting Mito Aviles for West Hollywood City Council 2011

To Register Visit: WWW.Q2DSPEEDDATING.COM


For More Visit:
www.mitoaviles.com
www.woolaeoakbh.com
www.Q2DSpeedDating.com

Ballroom has waltzed its way into Agoura Hills!

Agoura Hills Dance & Performing Arts Center: Intro to Ballroom

When you watched Pamela Anderson shake her tail feathers with partner Damian Whitewood on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars last season, did you think “I can do a better job than that?” Or, “I wish I could do that?” Either way, the opportunity awaits to set a goal and achieve it! Damian Whitewood is virtually knocking on your backdoor with his arrival in Agoura Hills! He and his partner, Peta Murgatroyd, are now teaching Ballroom dancing at the Agoura Hills Dance and Performing Arts Center.

As loyal fans learned in Season 11, Damian Whitewood began dancing at age 10. He has received Championship titles in Ballroom and Latin American styles and was a semi-finalist at the Blackpool International Championships in the UK. After retiring from competition in 2000, he toured the world for 9 years as a cast member of the show “Burn the Floor.” In 2010, he ended his world tour and was recruited by TV, appearing on the American and Australian versions of “Dancing with the Stars” and “So You Think You Can Dance.” Much like her partner’s dancing success, beautiful Peta Murgatroyd has competed in ballroom dancing competitions since age 16 and has placed in many competitions. She is classically trained in Ballet and has been dancing since age 4. She, too, has appeared on the aforementioned TV shows. What a great duo?

Ballroom Dancing is a full body workout. Unlike workouts that allow your mind to wander to your life’s trivialities, dancing requires your mind and body to work in sync to perform the movements and steps. The rapid pace keeps your heart rate up and the calories burning, while improving your flexibility, muscle tone, and endurance.

Damian plans to begin the session with the Cha Cha this Friday night. Since it is accumulative learning, dancers are encouraged to enroll in the entire series, however, walk-ins are welcome too. You can come alone and they will partner up dancers, which is a great way to meet new people and challenge yourself. You can bring your teenager and get some good old-fashioned parent/child bonding time, as well as, provide them with a unique opportunity to dance with a celebrity ballroom champion. Or, you can bring your spouse and spark up a new romance on the dance floor! The new season of Dancing with the Stars starts on September 20^th. How fun would it be to make this season interactive and learn ballroom dancing simultaneously with the celebrities. You can enhance your viewing pleasure, get an amazing full-body cardio workout and, most of all, meet new people and have fun! Strap on those ballroom heels and let’s Cha Cha!

Wednesday 5:30 p.m.

Ballroom / Kids 10+

8 week course

Foxtrot, Salsa, and Swing

Begins Sept. 8th

Thursday 6:30 p.m.

Intro to Ballroom / Teen & Adults

8 week course

Foxtrot, Waltz, Rumba

Begins Sept. 9th

Friday 6:30 p.m.

Intro to Social Dancing / Teen & Adults

6 week course

Salsa and Cha Cha

Begins Sept. 10th

· Registration/ info: Call 818-991-9993 or see web-site www.​agourahillsdance.​com/