Ruby Patino of NO LIMITS FITNESS will bring to you her brand of fitness that has been a staple for THE LOS ANGELES DANCE CENTER’S weekly schedule.  Ruby’s very active in the community and has been an active supporter of CSOAF (Community School of Arts Foundation) which does their yearly ZUMBATHON and is prominent in promoting health and fitness such as the yearly Get Up! Get Moving event.  Ruby Patino will also feature her NO LIMITS STUDENTS Yessenya and Jovita.

Angela Correa, who is a four-time participant in the monthly fusion events will bring her exciting style of Zumba that has brought her a tremendous following of loyal supporters.  Angela teaches at 24 Hour Fitness in Mid-Wilshire and Groupx 24 Hour Fitness in Downtown and is very active in community events and awareness and most recently appeared alongside Ruby Patino in this year’s ZUMBATHON for CSOAF.

Jerod Williams and Candice Vega (first time participants in this event) will bring an intense style of Latin Jam which combines the latest in Latin Music, Hip Hop and Reggaeton with Cardio.  This high impact workout class is featured every Saturday morning at THE LOS ANGELES DANCE CENTER.  Jerod (along with his co-partner Candice Vega) recently participated in the Get Up! Get Moving event and have been actively promoting JP Santana’s Latin Jam Workout brand for the past two years and evolved from being students to first-time instructors.

There you have it, folks.  Exciting Instructors, FOUR Amazing Workouts and TWO Dance Stages.  The holidays are upon us and while you are making that Christmas List and checking it twice why not do your body right by giving it a proper workout all the while having fun and meeting some cool and fun people.

TICKETS for the event are $12.00.

RSVP on this event’s FACEBOOK PAGE

LIKE OUR LOS ANGELES DANCE CENTER FACEBOOK FAN PAGE BY CLICKING HERE

Ruby Patino, Angela Correa, Candice Vega and Jerod Williams will be selling tickets as well.  Feel free to hit them up for your pre-sale ticket.

See you on the dance floor!

For those of you who know me know that I am a sucker for great scenery.  I have developed a deep appreciation for my surroundings so wherever I go, I always pay attention to my environment because you never know what exciting visuals could take your breath away.  Lucky for me, I haven’t had to go too far in my travels to appreciate what’s around me.  By the way, these photos are ALL MY PHOTOGRAPHY.

Downtown Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA. Young Professionals and Exciting Hotspots

Downtown Los Angeles is where I spend a majority of my time due to my job.
Architecturally, Downtown L.A. has by far one of the most beautifully structured buildings I’ve seen.  The way the city lights up at night is absolutely amazing.  There are times I catch myself after I get off from work looking at the sun setting over the horizon.

Escape to Paradise: The Island of Maui has the most amazing landscapes

About four years ago, I went with friends to the Island of Maui and I have to admit, that trip changed my perception on life and taught me how to enjoy all the beauty around me.  There were a lot of firsts for me on this trip.  First time on an island, first time parasailing and first time letting the burlap on my head down and just relaxing for a change.  Being in the Botannical Gardens made me feel like I was on top of the world.

Just six hours away from Los Angeles, Mammoth Lakes is the best place for skiing and snowboarding aficionados

I was introduced to Mammoth Lakes, CA by a few co-workers who have a penchant for skiing and snowboarding.  I have to admit I had no desire at first to do anything involving the cold, but once I strapped myself onto my first snowboard, I was immediately hooked and had such a blast learning how to maneuver through snow and graduated from the bunny slopes up to the intermediate slopes.  I will conquer the advanced slopes one day.  The beauty of this place is that it is six hours or so away from Los Angeles.

Point Mugu is a perfect place to go beach camping and listen to the surf over a late night campfire

Recently, I went beach camping with friends at a place just 30 minutes outside of L.A. called Point Mugu in Malibu.  What makes this place magical is being able to pitch a tent on a cool, breezy night while listening to the surf.  This place is peaceful and you tend to get lost in the moment.

During Christmas Time, the Courthouse Square in this sleepy town is lit up every year

And last, but not least, Marshall, Texas during Christmas time.  Even though this is a sleepy town with absolutely nothing to do, the town lights up when Christmas time is around.  Every year as I go back home to visit family and friends, I look forward to seeing the courthouse square lit up and the Christmas tunes playing throughout the town.  There’s even a local ice-skating rink.  May not be much, but it does put a smile on my face during that time of the year.  Never forget where you come from.

The moral of this blog is to appreciate what’s around you, stop to smell the roses and be thankful for this wonderful gift of life no matter if you are in an exotic locale or in a small town.  There’s beauty everywhere.  One love!

(All photography by Jerod Williams)

I know it’s been a LONG while since I’ve posted on my personal website.  With the entire summer completely booked taking exercise classes, achieving personal goals and writing my screenplay, there really wasn’t enough time to BLOG as I was B-U-S-Y.  But now, I’m back in action and ready to write to my heart’s content again.

I wanted to personally announce to everyone that myself and my Latin Jam Workout colleague and partner-in-crime, Candice Vega, will be teaching LATIN JAM WORKOUT at THE LOS ANGELES DANCE CENTER every Saturday morning at 10:30AM.  We want to invite you to come out and jam with us.

Established in 1928, The Los Angeles Dance Center stands as one of the LARGEST dance spaces in Los Angeles and is home to many cutting edge exercises such as No Limits Fitness and Latin Jam Workout

I can’t even begin to tell you how passionate I feel about teaching at THE LOS ANGELES DANCE CENTER.  It’s a dance space that has sentimental value for the Saturday Morning Latin Jam Crew and we would love to share it with all of you.

The space has a wonderful and historic background and it’s one of THE LARGEST dance spaces in the Los Angeles area where many dance and workout events have been hosted in.  The journey to get to this point has been a wonderful one and the learning process for me as well as Candice is still ongoing.  Both Candice and I are grateful to have the experience of growing as instructors as well as good friends and we, in turn, would like to give back and share this wonderful workout with you guys where not only we have achieved teaching certification status, but also achieved weight loss goals and living an overall healthy lifestyle through fitness.

Latin Jam Instructors Candice Vega and Jerod Williams teach every Saturday Morning at the Los Angeles Dance Center at 342 1/2 N. Ford Street.

We’ll be teaching here every Saturday morning at 10:30AM, so feel free to drop on by and come sweat with us.  We are right next to Party Planet Supplies and LaFarfala Cafe on N. Ford St. just south of Cesar Chavez.  Classes are $5 and we have a class package available at (4 Classes for $20 with your fifth class FREE).

The address of THE LOS ANGELES DANCE CENTER is 342 1/2 North Ford Street, Los Angeles, CA  90022 (right off the 60 and 710 Freeway).

We are to the far right entrance right next to Party Planet Supplies on 342 1/2 N. Ford Street. Street parking is right across the street

NO LIMITS FITNESS instructor Ruby Patino has a weekly class schedule of Zumba, Body Sculpting and Step Aerobics all at The Los Angeles Dance Center

We have also started a Facebook Fan Page for THE LOS ANGELES DANCE CENTER that we urge you to LIKE so that you can be informed about not only our class, but also another exciting instructor, Ruby Patino and her NO LIMITS FITNESS weekly classes.  Again, come out and work out with us in this historic dance space which stands at the heart of East Los Angeles.  One love!

SCENARIO:  Saturday Morning Ritual

It’s 10:30AM and just like clockwork, I do my usual Saturday morning ritual and attend my Latin Jam Workout class out in East Los Angeles @ The Los Angeles Dance Center.  By the way, if you are ever in the area, come join me for class.  Latin Jam is fun, exhilarating and definitely will keep you in a shape other than round.  (Digressing here.)  After my rigorous one hour smackdown that Mistress Toni hands to me on a silver platter, a small group of us make our way over to our favorite café to grab a healthy smoothie and discuss our hectic week and simply unwind.  While on our way, there is a one-stop shop party store that has just about everything you need for any type of party you would want to throw.

Every time I walk by this shop after dancing my ass off, I encounter who I like to call Luxy (a/k/a Luxurious).  I don’t know what it is about this mannequin, but she grabbed my attention immediately with her appearance.  It’s not the way she was dressed, nor is it the way she was strategically placed in the front door when you enter the party store establishment.  What drew me to this mystical being, you ask?  The hair flip, the flip that makes you go “HAY!”  It’s a statement.  It’s a ‘tude.

Luxy (a/k/a Luxurious)

She got flip for days.  The flip is hot, the flip is silky, the flip is luxurious and it’s got an attitude that says “Yeah, I’m fly, what, I know I look good.” 

Luxy at another angle

Piss her off and she’ll probably scream “I want you out of my life FOREVER!” while working her neck.

I know, people (and this is for those who know me), it’s the simple things that provide entertainment.  Every Saturday morning I look forward to seeing Luxy in the window after I do my class.  She’s sheer comedy even if I have a bad day.  If you find yourself in East Los on a Saturday morning, drop by and take Latin Jam with me and feel free to swing over afterwards and give a shout out to Luxy while grabbing a post-workout beverage.  Your body and funny bone will thank you.

Luxy along with her compadre can be seen at the Party Store between La Farfala Cafe and The Los Angeles Dance Center. Drop in and say "Hay!" to Luxy when you get the chance

It’s a long-corridor down a hallway with diamond-patterned navy blue and burgundy carpet with mocha walls and blue doors; the interior of an apartment complex.  A rancid smell is coming from an apartment and an older man, late 40s, walks out of his apartment with a small stainless steel bowl with the name GISELLE (as in supermodel GISELLE BUNDCHEN) on it with what appears to be cat food in the dish.  Following behind him is a white, fluffy Persian cat.  He places the bowl by the door and it is clear that said smell is coming from the bowl.  Conversation begins to ensue when the neighbor three doors down (that’s me, by the way) wonders what is going on.

ME:  Excuse me, but I couldn’t help but wonder what is that smell?
NEIGHBOR:  I warm up Giselle’s FRISKIES with a little bit of olive oil in the microwave just like she likes it.
ME:  (stunned)  Cat food?  In the microwave?
NEIGHBOR:  Yeah, she loves it!                                                                                

(Neighbor pets cat like Dr. Evil from Austin Powers leaving me speechless as I walk away giving neighbor the stank eye.)

The lengths one goes through when you have a pet has gone from simplistic to just plain outrageous.  I have no problems with anyone who treat their pets as if they were children because pets need love too.  Sometimes there is such a thing as taking your obsession with your four-legged friend to a level that leaves even the next person perplexed, such as this case where my neighbor warms up cat food in the microwave.  Who does this?  Why on God’s green Earth did this guy think it was cute for him to warm up FRISKIES in the microwave and leave a rancid stench in the hallway? 

Needless to say, it must be all the rage in Kitty-dom to have your food baked at a certain degree in the microwave, but c’mon, really neighbor?  Warming up cat food in the microwave for your finicky feline and making the apartment complex smell like ASS is neither cute nor funny.  Cut it out or someone will evict you PERMANENTLY.

Clint Eastwood graces the cover of Andrew Zuckerman's book Wisdom: The Greatest Gift One Generation Can Give To Another. Available online for purchase at Amazon.com

We all walk through life doing our mundane daily routines and neglect to acknowledge our surroundings.  Once a monkey wrench gets thrown into the works, our mojo is off-kilter.  I have to admit, I’m one of those people who have a set routine and if it gets altered in any way, shape or form, it’s all downhill from there.

I go about my normal day of driving the congested 101 and fighting traffic to get to my parking structure in downtown Los Angeles.  I park, I take the elevator and I go through a rat maze of a building to make my way across the bridge to get to next connecting building to get to work.  However, on this particular morning, there was a different type of construction going on.  There were display stands strategically placed in the walkway that had large photographs of various prominent people (all over the age of 65) such as Madeline Albright, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Clint Eastwood, Nelson Mandela and Robert Redford just to name a few.

Andrew Zuckerman's Launch to promote Wisdom

Somehow this display, even though it was annoyingly placed in the walkway where maneuvering was a serious issue to get to the escalator, spoke to me.  Not only the photographs, but also the various quotes enlarged on the walls and on the steps as I descended down them.  It took a moment for me to register what was going on and why this display was there.  This time, I took an hour during lunch and decided to explore this exhibit aptly entitled WISDOM by Andrew Zuckerman.  The concept is actually brilliant as the exhibit combines world leaders with influential people who have made an impact in society. Each one shares their own personal view of life lessons through personal reflections and/or quotes.  There’s even a book that is a condensed version of the enlarged quotes and photographs called Wisdom: The Greatest Gift One Generation Can Give To Another out on display that can be bought for $50.  Right now, Amazon has it as a deal for $31.50.

This particular quote was found on the steps of the Bank of America building in Los Angeles, CA.

If you are in the Los Angeles Area or your nearest metropolitan area and you just so happen to stumble upon this exhibit, take a few moments of your time to be aware and read an excerpt or two or better yet click on the link and view the film trailer at (WisdomBook.org).  You will definitely be enlightened.

55 Degree Wine, located in Atwater Village (Glendale, CA). Photograph by Jerod Williams

If your love for wine runs deep, then 55 Degree Wine is the place to be.  With a vast selection of choice wines that spans from all parts of the globe (a majority of them from Italy), this establishment prides on any type of liquor to suit your mood and wet your palate.  Located in the heart of Atwater Village, 55 Degree Wine has become quite the hidden gem where you can enjoy a great bottle of wine along with tasty food and cheese pairings.

Now, before you lambaste me and make your way over to this place and say, “What the hell is Jerod talking about?  There are no tables, there’s no place to sit and is the place next door?  Does he sit with the wine in a paper sack outside in front of the store?”  What makes this place unique is on the outside, it does look like your standard liquor store with wall-to-wall wine and beer. 

55 Degree Wine has a vast majority of wines and beer from all parts of the world.

It isn’t until after 6PM when you have paid for that perfect bottle is when you have the option to either go home and drink your wine in peace with the one you love or head towards the set of stairs that descends into an underground dark room where 55 Degree Wine has an intimate sitting area with a sexy vibe.  This place is also available for hosting private parties and exclusive wine tastings.

At night, 55 Degree Wine turns their cellar into an intimate sitting area that is great for wine and conversation

I highly recommend any of their Portuguese wine as well as wine from Norman’s Vineyard. 

Andy of 55 Degree Wine.

Another really great thing about this place is their patrons and their working knowledge about the wines and beer in their establishment (which is very rare) so ask and you hardly ever go wrong.

Again, if you are an aficionado who can lap up wine like a cat, visit 55 Degree Wine. You won’t be sorry.

For more information, visit their website at 55 Degree Wine. Tell ‘em Jerod sent you.

Photo Courtesy of Getty Images

Can I say that the Grammys did a fantastic job of pairing five soul-stirring women (Yolanda Adams, Martina McBride, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson and Florence Welch from Florence and the Machine) whose voices embodied the iconoclastic Aretha Franklin as they performed classic hits in her honor?  These ladies were simply amazing as they each brought out the soul in all of their renditions.  Christina really needed this validation since she was panned so severely for ruining our National Anthem at this year’s Super Bowel (I mean, Bowl).  Well, none of my picks made it.

I have to also say that Cee-Lo Green’s collaboration with Gwyneth Paltrow on “Forget You (aka “F**K You”)” was absolutely brilliant. 

Photo Courtesy of Getty Images

His choice of using the Muppets playing the band brought out the playful side of the performance and even Gwyneth rocked it out; mad props to her as she seamlessly went from actress to singer before our very eyes.  However, Cee-Lo’s bold choice in costume made him look like an oversized peacock.  Other than that, clearly it was the best and most memorable performance of the evening.

How about the country music group Lady Antebellum dominating the Grammys this year for their song “Need You Now” by winning SONG and RECORD OF THE YEAR.  If you didn’t know who they were at first, you will now and I’m pretty sure this week a plethora of people will head over to iTunes and download the “ultimate drunken booty call” song of the year and add it to their Music Library. “It’s a quarter after one, I’m all alone and I need you now!”

As if Lady Gaga couldn’t top any of her other entrances she’s done in the past (i.e. The MEAT dress, Kermit The Frog as her date, blood spurting out of her during her dramatic performance of PAPARAZZI, etc.), she has outdone herself once again and appeared on the Red Carpet in an iridescent EGG!?!?  She baffled reporters big time as to how in the hell were they going to get their interview with the Grammy-Nominated performer.  By the way, her new song “Born This Way”, disappointed as she sampled Madonna’s “Express Yourself”.  She’s much better than that.



Other noteworthy performances were Usher (who puts on a great show always), Eminem & Dr. Dre, Bruno Mars and Janelle Monae and Katy Perry (even though it was just okay). 

Alright (sigh), I guess I’m going to have to go and download Arcade Fire and Esparanza Spaulding to find out who the hell these people are since they won the major honors this year.  No need to download Lady Antebellum, don’t need it right now.

CHAPTER

They say that every moment and every step taken in life is a chronicle.  Essentially, you are writing your scenario, you are writing your own book and every book has a beginning which starts molding and shaping who you are and the circumstances surrounding you include several moments and those moments become chapters.  What would be in your book?  Is your book comedic, a dramatic, a fast-paced action flick, a timeless romance or is filled with sorrow and regret about loss and what could have been?  What genre would your book be?  When you think about it, your book can only be written by one person:  YOU.  

The cool part about writing your own book is controlling what goes in it.  We all want to focus on the things we love to do; the things that make us happy and have a purpose for getting up in the morning.  Some of us are successful at doing it, some of us are still finding our groove and some of us are stuck in reflection.  Your book should say you’ve accomplished everything in your life you intended to do without lack or limitation.  Your book should create an indelible imprint on the ones that will remember you.  Your book should be a blueprint you (as well as the ones who love you) can continue to build on for the rest of your life.  As far as the ending goes, a predetermined destiny which you have no control over so in other words, do all you can in life because the next day is never promised.

So the moral in treating life as a chapter is, whenever you hate the direction of where your book is heading, there is such thing as revision:  REVISE, REVISE, REVISE.  There may be moments happening around you that are devastating, but harness strength from the pain and continue writing. In life, as well as, in your book, there’s a do-over.