On Friday night I went to Chabad of Irvine. It's one of the bigger branches in Southern California, with a facility they just built. After services, I stayed at a family who has an extra home in Irvine, along with the one in Tustin. Bear in mind, there's not much around Tustin for more traditional Jewish people, and due to the sabbath, noone drives. It was a lot of fun, with around 15 people, of all ages, and great food.

Saturday night was probably one of my longest nights in Salsa. My friend Jamieson came over from about an hour south, around 9, and we drove in my car to the Mayan (www.clubmayan.com). Before we left, he warned me not to wear jeans, although he had forgotten that sneakers weren't allowed either. So, we took the half hour trip back to my place, and took his car back to the Mayan (along with his dance shoes).

Last night there was a salsa competition, leading up to the finals next weekend. The groups were good, although the largest (more hip hop like group) happened to win. I didn't think they were the best quality, but they got the crowd to cheer. Here's a pic:














Like I mentioned before, the Mayan is big, it happens to have 2 other rooms (electronic, reggaeton, and hip hop), on top of a big salsa room. I think it's a good place to go when you want to take a big group, but not everyone dances Salsa.

After the Mayan, Jamieson , Stephanie (who we met up with) and I went to La Granata around 2 in the morning. It's open on Saturdays until 4 AM, although we left around 3:30 AM. The dance floor is nice, it's laid back, wasn't as crowded, and there are a lot of nice and good dancers there. I probably had more fun there, since it was easier to get dances, and watch good dancers.

Tonight I'm going to Londance for Sunday tango, which I always look forward to. Then it's back to reality on Monday. Throughout the weekend, Hassan has been spending time with his parents who are visiting to help his sister move in. I've not met them, although the evidence of furniture and food abound in the condo.