Thankfully when I jumped on the Facebook train, I didn't do the whole "import people from my email contact list." And now, I don't get inundated with emails from Facebook, making suggestions about who I should FB "befriend." When my friend asked me WTF was going on with all of these spammy friend request emails, I knew it had to be happening with others — and it sure is.

Be It Facebook, MySpace, or whatever is out there, is it expected that we use these social networking websites as a way to self-promote ourselves?

How often have you taken a dance lesson where the instructor either has to tell someone to start/stop the music, or they had to run back and forth to press stop and play on the CD player? As a dance instructor, I need full control of my music while I keep my attendees engaged in the lesson. I hate inefficient use of time, and any time I have to run back and forth is just a poor use of time.

I always use technlogy to make things easier, and at JSmoothSalsa I've always made it a point to research technology to see if anthing can make our lessons the best possible. In this guide we will let you in on one of the most important aspects of our lessons: Music Control.

MP3 @ 192 kbps - The most obvious and first is that you need music if you are going to teach a dance class. You can either use actual CDs or you can use digital versions in the form of MP3s. Now before you start converting all your CDs to MP3 you gotta know something... not all MP3s are the same. Take for example iTunes.

At default, if you install iTunes and stick your first CD in to copy.... iTunes is defaulted to rip your music to the lowest possible size, which always results in lost in quality. You want to rip your music to something which retains the same quality as the CD.... because if you don't the song won't have the same oomph if you try playing it over to a big sound system. For us, all our songs are compressed at MP3 at 192 kps, the highest possible quality for an MP3. WinAmp 5.x - I don't like iTunes.... plain and simple. The reason why is because iTunes is marketed to people who really do nothing but press stop and play. With WinAmp and its library of plugins, I have the most control of my music on the fly. I can change the tempo or speed of the music, I can enhance the audio on the fly if it sounds a bit muffled, I can even have two of them opened up and play two different playlists in two different rooms!

PC Laptop - Strictly a preference, any laptop is fine as long as it has enough horse power where it won't skip a beat.

Logitech Wireless DJ - If you are going to be far away from your receiver, you'll need a wireless music player. Not all wireless transmitters are the same, as some of the cheaper ones are suseptible to interference. In addition, you want one that can do both RCA (red and white audio cables) and headphone cables. 

 

 

Ahh, office dating. Not only is it naughty & exciting, it's also dangerous and problematic. Do you really want to be known as the office bicycle that gives everyone a ride? Do you really want to be known as office trampoline that gives a good jump? No! All these things can hurt you for that office promotion.... or an easy work environment.
I'm not saying you should not have one... heck i'm sure there are plenty of office cuties at your workplace like mine... I'm saying you gotta be discrete about it. Even if you... ahem.... believe that they want to have a long-term relationship with you... and really aren't looking for some quick bang for the buck... and that you're special... and different.... really.
1. No Physical Contact.
Unless it's a handshake. No hugs! I know you've had a tough week, and you need that hug to REALLY get over hump day... just save it and do some humping after work. They call it hump day for a reason.... a reason I hope that has something to do with humping.
2. No Hanging Out With One Another.
Even at lunch! Any time you are around one another you are bound to be tempted to smack their ass or to make some fish kissy faces or something. Heck you probably be trying to feed one another all cutsie. Just save it and put something else in each other's mouths after work. I was thinking apple pie but you can think whatever you want.
3. No Talking To One Another.
Unless it's work related. I know you read the magazine article about how if you want some action at the the end of the day... you gotta stimulate their mind... you gotta get them all excited throughout the day until they just... can't... maintain themselves and BAM! It's hump day all over again. No, if you wanna do that keep it via chat or email.. if it's a secure line. And don't save your chat sessions ok? Quit leaving a paper trail... unless you want to sell it off to the department called "Penthouse Letters".
4. No Driving To or From Work Together.
Unless you have a carpool set up. I hate to break it to you... but people talk at work. And if you roll into work together... in one car.... and you live in San Francisco... and she lives in San Jose... the opposite side of work... they will talk. They will wonder. They will know..... it was hump day for you two last night.
5. No Late-Night Meetings.
Unless it's non-work related... and not at work. I know, you want to be adventurous and have mad hump-day-hump on your desk... in your cube... or in the company gym.... but c'mon. Do you really think you can get away with anything at work? They got cameras... and especially they got janitors. You know what? I bet I could have some great stories to send to Penthouse if I was a janitor. I could be that janitor that walks into a couple humping away and I can say "Oh don't mind me. I just wanna watch." I can make millions with my stories. Millions.
6. No Photo Postings on Facebook/MySpace/Twitter/f

"Yes, we're on facebook. But I don't care about your cat. And stop poking me.

In the pre-internet days, neither of us would have even thought of calling each other friends. We'd have called ourselves friends of friends who met once and yet, for some reason, kept sending each other grammatically challenged, inappropriately flirty letters with photos of ourselves attached. Police might have gotten involved.

A new marketing study has found Mac owners tend to think they're more extraordinary than the average Joe. They're also more likely than PC users to whiten their teeth, drive hybrids, drink Starbucks coffee and eat organic food. Andrea Gardner reports.

Just days ago, I informed the community that I was looking towards them for donations. We've recently launched a community website called www.network.jsmoothsalsa.com. It takes some extra money to run the website, and I was skeptical on whether anyone will help out.

However skepticism was put to the side when Robert and Mai, two attendees of our salsa lessons, donated $150 (one hundred fity dollars) to the website!  I was suprised that anyone would donae that much money!

Thanx for all the lessons, funs, water bottles, parties etc... we are very grateful for all your tireless effort and enthusiasm.

Best Robert & Mai.

It is because of their generosity that our community website, jsmoothsalsa.com/network (also www.network.jsmoothsalsa.com) that we will be safe to say that the community website will be online for another year.

It was probably one of the saddest moments in my life.

East San Jose: the deadliest place to live on this side of the Pacific. You can't go 10 feet without seeing bullet casings, bullet-riddled walls, and blood. Darker than any of the east-side of towns (East Palo Alto, East Los Angeles, East Sunnyvale) I fear for my life every time I drive home.

 

It's all about the birthday person on a birthday right? Last night was Jeison Aguilar's birthday... the same man that help start club Azul on Wedsdays, Havanisimo, and Timba Saturdays.

 

Last night at the Glas Kat was Guillermo "Mr. Maracas" birthday celebration. There was appetizers, there was cake, but more importantly it was a day to recognize the 81 year old's years of contribution to the salsa community.