Win Passes to Queer Fashion Week

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The Pink Egg Media team is proud to announce a “Queer Fashion Week” giveaway. The QFW will be held in Oakland, California on April 16-19, 2015.

How can you win the passes? IT’S EASY AS 1-2-3!

  1. Answer this question:What does Queer mean to you?
  2. Email your answer, name and contact info to: kim@pinkeggmedia.com.
  3. Take a photo of yourself looking gorgeous and dashing at the Queer Fashion Week events and post on Pink Egg Media’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pinkeggmedia with hashtag #queerfashionweek

WHAT DO YOU GET? 

  • First giveaway package:  Queer Fashion Week VIP All Weekend Pass – 2 ($300 value)
    • Thursday QFW Welcome Party & Proud Queer Bay Area Release Party
    • Friday FASHION ¡EXPLOSION! Show
    • Friday FASHION ¡EXPLOSION! Afterparty presented by DJ Lady Ryan
    • Saturday GENESIS: RIP the Runway Festival
    • Saturday Night GENESIS REloaded Afterparty
    • Sunday Designer Trunk Show
    • Guaranteed seating at all runway shows
  • Second giveaway package: Queer Fashion Week General All Weekend Pass – 2 ($200 value)
    • Thursday QFW Welcome Party & Proud Queer Bay Area Release Party
    • Friday FASHION ¡EXPLOSION! Show
    • Friday FASHION ¡EXPLOSION! Afterparty
    • Saturday GENESIS: RIP the Runway Festival
    • Saturday Night GENESIS REloaded Afterparty
    • Sunday Designer Trunk Show
  • Third giveaway package: Queer Fashion Week General All Weekend Pass – 2 ($200 value)
    • Thursday QFW Welcome Party & Proud Queer Bay Area Release Party
    • Friday FASHION ¡EXPLOSION! Show
    • Friday FASHION ¡EXPLOSION! Afterparty
    • Saturday GENESIS: RIP the Runway Festival
    • Saturday Night GENESIS REloaded Afterparty
    • Sunday Designer Trunk Show

Deadline for entries: Must be submitted by Wednesday, April 15 at 12 pm (PST) for consideration.

Rules and guidelines:

  • By sending your answer to us you hereby abide by the rules, guidelines and decisions by Pink Egg Media.
  • If you are chosen Pink Egg Media will send you instructions on how you get your passes. This is why your accurate contact information is essential. 
  • If you are chosen and we email you, you have until Thursday, April 16 midnight (PST) to respond. If you have not responded by the given time, another person will be chosen to receive the giveaway package. We will not send a reminder. 
  • All supporters of Pink Egg Media residing in United States who are 18 years or older at the time of entry are invited to enter.
  • No purchase necessary.
  • Pink Egg Media holds the right to end the giveaway before its original deadline without any prior notice.
  • Pink Egg Media holds  the right to disqualify any entry as I see fit.
  • Pink Egg Media holds the right to add or change the giveaway as we see fit.
  • Submissions must not contain any content or material that: infringes upon or otherwise violates the copyright, trademark, trade secret, or other intellectual property or proprietary rights of any person or entity; is defamatory or constitutes an invasion of privacy; is unlawful; would reasonably cause harm or injury of any kind to any person or entity; or  discriminates against any person or entity in any manner whatsoever.
  • Submission must be in English.
  • Submissions not meeting all rules and guidelines will be disqualified.
  • By submitting to Pink Egg Media you retain the rights to your works while granting Pink Egg Media the unrestricted, royalty-free, perpetual right to use, reproduce, communicate, modify and display the works (in whole or in part) for any purpose without any fee or other form of compensation, and without further notification or permission.

Pink Egg Media Announces Sponsorship with Queer Fashion Week

Pink Egg Media is delighted to announce a landmark sponsorship with Queer Fashion Week (QFW), an entire week of fabulous events showcasing designers, hairstylists, and makeup artists who are creating fashion for all types of bodies and genders.

The first ever Queer Fashion Week will be held in Oakland, CA on April 16 – 19, 2015. More than 25 designers will be unveiling their latest creations from accessories, evening wear, lingerie and undergarments, outdoor wear, urban wear and more made for the fashionista – feminine to the masculine of center and everyone in between.

The lists of designers include Crookid Mindz, Haute Butch, Im.Butterfly Creations, Immigreat Designs, Inner Diva Styles, Kreeps in Disguise Co., Lady Lovers, Note 2 Self, Pascual Keyng, Play Out Apparel, LLC; Qwear Fashion, Saannti, Sambi Fashion, Sharp Suiting, Show & Tell Boutique, Shades Company, Clothing, Size Queen Clothing, Speechless Vulgarity, Split Personality Designs, Stuzo Clothing, SunSun, SX Couture, Thuy Custom Clothier, True Life Clothing, and Vagina Jenkins.

The sponsorship is part of Pink Egg Media’s ongoing commitment to lifting small business especially those owned by women of color.

Kim Rescate, co-founder of Pink Egg Media explains, “We are excited to be part of this unique event.  We feel that it’s an important endeavor. It’s difficult for some of us ordinary folks to easily find clothes that embody gender variance. We look forward to seeing fashion that transgress the gender norms.”

“It’s exciting to be a part of something ground breaking. We’re often judged by our appearances when that’s what makes us unique. It’s great to be part of a celebration that embodies the true meaning of diversity, being able to present yourself the way you want without judgement.”, said Ana Pines, co–founder of Pink Egg Media.

“Queer Fashion Week is excited to have a media partnership with Pink Egg Media.  Their support of QFW has been invaluable and we appreciate all their efforts on behalf of QFW.” added Christine De La Rosa, QFW’s producer.

About Pink Egg Media
Pink Egg Media is a multi-disciplinary communications leader. The company offers press relations, advertising, content marketing, activation, promotional and digital media delivering comprehensive business solutions through content creation, community building and communications with measurable results. For more information, visit our website at www.pinkeggmedia, follow us on Twitter at @pinkeggmedia, and become our fan at facebook.com/pinkeggmedia.

About Queer Fashion Week
Queer Fashion Week is the brainchild of Miz Chris, one of the preeminent producers of queer events in the US.  Having produced butchLYFE alongside the What is Butch? Movement for over 600 queers in the Bay Area last year, she saw the need to move beyond a singular fashion show and create an entire WEEK full of fabulousity.   The mission of Queer Fashion Week is to showcase designers, hairstylists and makeup artists who are creating fashion for all types of bodies and genders.

About fiveTEN Oakland Events: fiveTen Oakland Events brings quality events to Oakland throughout the year. Pulling together a group of diverse artists, DJs, performers, vendors from many different parts of the local and national community to celebrate Oakland and the East Bay! This strives to bring excellent and unique experiences to the community mixed with the hottest venues in Oakland we guarantee that your fiveTen experience will be unforgettable. For more info: www.queerfashionweek.com

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Contact:
Kim Rescate, kim@pinkeggmedia.com
Ana Pines, ana@pinkeggmedia.com

Day in the Life of a Nonprofit Communicator – Kim Rescate

Posted By Kristina Leroux, Community Engagement Manager on Aug 25, 2014

Here’s the latest installment in our series on the “Day in the Life” of nonprofit communicators, where we ask you to describe your day in your own words.

Kim Rescate is a lover of food and a runner (’cause of all the food). Though her passion for most things geeky is certainly a main driving force in her life, she also loves traveling and snowboarding. Kim works in communications at Alliance San Diego, but hopes it leads to a recurring role in Doctor Who, or Lost Girl. Continue reading

Love Hope Strength: A night of exotic oddities

SAN DIEGO – I received a somewhat cryptic email saying that Love Hope Strength (LHS)  would like to invite me to a night of culinary oddities, exotic beasts and enigmatic strangers. They plan to transform an empty warehouse into a market inspired soiree guaranteed to test the wits and tempt senses of the attendees. The invitation also said that there will be live music, unexpected encounters and complimentary Dos Equis. An invite from a stranger about an event I know nothing about? I’m in!

Bazaar_Noir

After I sent Ana’s and my RSVP, I  received further instructions. Location and entry information were only released to confirmed guests. We put the address on the navigation and eagerly drove to see what adventure awaited us. When we passed by the block, we saw a line forming in front of Block No. 16 and deduced that that must be the location of the “secret” bazaar.

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We arrived with our neon-colored clothes and wondered why the other attendees were all wearing black. I read the invite again and it said “bright colored clothing – strongly discouraged”. I totally misread it!!! It was too late to go change and after all, the party must go on.

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After getting stamped, we were given cards and were told to always keep them on hand throughout the night. We realized that each card was different when we caught a glance of the cards of the other attendees, ours said “Exotic Wildlife”. There were only a few people that were wandering around the two bars, so we decided to grab Dos Equis beers and explore.

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Photo by: Kim Rescate

There’s a band set-up on stage and a dancer on the second floor walkway above the bar. On the left, there’s an entrance to a small room with a smaller bar and a food cart. The food offering in this cart was Duck Tongue Tacos. We grabbed two and settled next to the bar to get ready for this first taste. We hesitatingly ate the tacos.  They were a tad slimy for our taste buds. “We’re not eating those again!”, we said in unison.

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Photo by: Kim Rescate

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Photo by: Kim Rescate

On top of the counter of the small bar, there were forms and pamphlets for bone marrow donations. Thousands of patients with blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma, sickle cell and other life-threatening diseases need these transplants. The odds are 1 in 20,000 of identifying an unrelated compatible bone marrow donor. For patients of minority heritage, it is even higher.

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Photo by: Ana Pines

After talking to the bone marrow donation representative, we went back to the main area bar and settled in one of the booths. I’m not really fond of conversations about blood and surgery so it made me cringe a lot and, to be honest, a little dizzy. While we were talking, a few more people sat in our booth. I placed my card (the one we received when we entered the warehouse), on top of the table while we chatted away. This guy started lingering next to me. I thought he was just resting or maybe waiting for someone but he grabbed my card. He then pointed at it. I thought for sure he was doing a magic trick. So I stared at the card. But nothing happened. I was confused and asked him what he’s trying to tell me.

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Photo by: Ana Pines

He introduced himself as “The Disruptor”. He asked me why I don’t have any punches on my card. I replied that I didn’t know that it had to be punched. He said, “Why are you doing what you can do at home when you can explore?”. I agreed and asked how and where to get the card punched. “You must look at everything. Explore. When you get all four punches, I will take you to a new level”, he replied and bid us goodbye. I told the group that joined us what “The Disruptor” said and we went to explore.

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Photo by: Ana Pines

Of course, the Duck Tongue cart was one of the places that we could get our cards punched. I grabbed another taco and was going to force myself to eat it again. But Ana and I just looked at each other and I sneakily threw it out. Yuck! Just could not bear to taste the sliminess again. If only the hole puncher guy had been there the first time!

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Photo by: Ana Pines

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Photo by: Kim Rescate

We passed by the bone marrow donation area again and realized there’s a small hallway on the left side of it that led us to a back area. There were a lot more people there, exploring three carts, a tent and another bar. Ana found the second “clue”. We had to touch a HUGE snake that wrapped around this woman’s body. I can’t say that seeing a snake is one of my biggest fears but I definitely will run away if I see one on a hiking trail. Ana is braver than I am, she caressed its scaly body. I touched it with the tip of my pinky and nearly ran away.

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Photo by: Ana Pines

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Photo by: Kim Rescate

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Photo by: Kim Rescate

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Photo by: Kim Rescate

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Photo by: Ana Pines

The next one we tried was Bánh mì. It was spicy and delicious. I’m a little confused why this was considered an “exotic” treat because we’ve eaten these sandwiches often at Vietnamese Restaurants. I walked away after I grabbed my sandwich and the woman gave Ana a piece of paper with “About the Boy” handwritten on it. She told her that she had to find “The Regular”. After we ate our Bánh mì’s, we waited in line for the next cart.

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Photo by: Kim Rescate

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Photo by: Kim Rescate

Little did we know, we were about to eat cricket tacos. We were having too much fun waiting that it felt almost too soon when we got to the front. I actually didn’t even know the tacos were made of crickets. I took a photo of Ana’s food. “How am I supposed to eat this now that I’ve seen it”, she exclaimed after she saw the photograph on my phone. I didn’t look at the photo, grabbed hot sauce, poured it all over the taco and just ate the whole thing without thought. It was crunchy. For some reason, it reminded me of pork rinds. I glanced at the photo afterwards and all of a sudden I felt something stuck in my throat. Was it the wings of the crickets?! Holy crap! I grabbed a Dos Equis and rinsed my mouth. Thinking about it now, I still feel that feeling of their tiny  wings stuck in my throat.

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Photo by: Kim Rescate

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Photo by: Kim Rescate

Our next stop was a large tent which we thought the lady with the crystal ball was in.  We were supposed to go see her after we received four punches. When we entered, they told us to look through rectangular holes and handed us wireless headphones. We had to share one hole because the other ones that were available were too high for us. There was a woman inside walking around. She was wearing white lingerie that glittered in the light. She also had a pair of white wings that she used during  part of her performance. It kind of reminded me of Victoria Secret models when they walk down the runway with their wings. It was an interesting performance art with catchy music played through the headphones.

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Photo by: Ana Pines

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Photo by: Kim Rescate

After we managed to find our way out of the tent, we started looking for either “The Regular” or the woman with the crystal ball. For some reason, we thought she’d be walking around carrying a ball. When we reached the main bar near the front entrance, we noticed a woman in the corner with a crystal ball on a table. We found her! There was a short line so we decided to wait instead of looking for “The Regular”. We were able to watch the band, grab some drinks, and had a couple of lollipops with insects in them.

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Photo by: Ana Pines

What looked like a short line took forever. We saw the woman with the crystal ball grab a couple of women and disappeared into the crowd. The line did not move at all. We waited for nearly half an hour. Even though there were only three people in front of us we decided to cut our loses and just go to the bar area to watch the band. They had interesting takes on cover songs. We enjoyed watching them for a bit then we called it a night. When we were leaving we saw the people waiting for the woman with the crystal ball leave the line.. She just left without telling those people that it was over. Messed up!

We loved the experience. We look forward to more “secret” adventures. As Helen Keller said, “Life is either a great adventure or nothing”.

Love Hope Strength (LHS) is an international, music-centric cancer charity dedicated to saving lives one concert at a time. Their mission is to save lives, right now, with the advances that have already been made in cancer care. To learn more about LHS, visit lovehopestrength.org.

Game on!

SAN FRANCISCO – GaymerX 2013, formerly known as Gaymercon, is going to be held on August 3 – 4 in San Francisco. It is the first gaming and tech convention geared for LGBTQ community. It will feature gaming panels, booths, a cosplay competition and parties. There will also performances by Aethernaut, F3RAL, Zeke Mystique and Crashfaster.

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Website: www.gaymerconnect.com

The weekend gathering will take place in San Francisco’s Japantown District at Hotel Kabuki and Hotel Tomo. According to its event page, they chose this particular location because “the atmosphere was so much more welcoming and festive than other places in the city. We want a place where people can have a really fun experience and where people can be comfortable expressing themselves. The Kabuki will be our central spot for all our events.”

We are looking forward to hanging out with other gamers at the convention. A couple of the programming that we are really excited about is the panel about navigating problematic fandom spaces and the live action roleplay event (LARP). Hope to see you there!

General Admission Badge – $45
Buy Tickets
Access to all Panels, Dealer’s Room, Gaming Rooms, Saturday Night Dance, and convention areas. $60 at the door.

VIP Badge – $135
Buy Tickets
Access to all Panels, Dealer’s Room, Gaming Rooms, Saturday Night Dance, convention areas, Friday night VIP party, T-shirt and swag bag. Will not be available at the door

Nukes and Aliens

LAS VEGAS – We visited The National Atomic Testing Museum, an 8,000 square foot permanent exhibit in Las Vegas that provides multiple viewpoints on the work conducted at the Nevada Test Site and its impact on the nation.

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The museum included numerous artifacts and is designed to be an interactive experience. Many of the exhibits include touch screens, audio interviews from former workers from the test site and various other multimedia components.

During our visit they also had an exhibit dedicated to the enigmatic Area 51:Myth or Reality. Area 51 is located in the southern portion of Nevada, northwest of Las Vegas. Situated at its center is a military field. The intense secrecy surrounding the base has made it a frequent subject of conspiracy theories and unidentified flying (UFO) folklore.

We decided to go through Area 51 first.  We were handed our mission files as well as two security clearance passes. The walk-thru exhibit included testimonials, existing evidence, photos, and old news reports relating to the subject of extraterrestrials.  In light of all the evidence we still ask ourselves the question, are aliens real or not? Why is Area 51 such a secret? It’s fun, educational, entertaining and interactive. It leaves you still pondering but assured that there are people out there trying to explain the unexplainable.

Photo by: Kim Rescate

Photo by: Kim Rescate

After being debriefed and “cleared” to leave Area 51, we entered the museum. It covers periods from the first experiment at the National Testing Site on January 27, 1951 to the present. Near the “Fall Out Shelter” is the “Ground Zero Theater” which simulates the experience of observing an atmospheric nuclear test.

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

We watched a video in the theater presenting different perspectives regarding the nuclear testing program. Workers talked about the effects that the tests had on them as well as the people that were allowed in the beginning to watch the detonations. Officials also spoke about the moral dilemmas that they experienced during and after the testing sessions. Many of the volunteers are foundation trustees of the museum and were part of the testing facility crew so we were getting a first hand account.

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

We spoke with Ernest Williams who is 83 years old. He emphasized that many people fear Atomic testing due to their lack of understanding. The museum is their way of educating the public about the reasons behind its existence. The exhibit also included footage of protesters and facts about the damages that it caused. Regardless of which side they were arguing for, each person truly believed that they are doing so for America’s sake.

Photo by: Kim Rescate

Photo by: Kim Rescate

When they realized the dangers of detonating the bombs above ground, tunnel containment vessels were created. The first underground nuclear test codenamed “Pascal-A” was detonated on July 26, 1957 at the bottom of a 499-foot open drill-hole. As the testing guidelines in Nevada became more stringent, weapon laboratories made efforts to reduce radioactive fallout by using the lowest test yield possible through reduced fission yield or clean technology, and by underground explosions. The explosions contained underground offered hope for eliminating fallout. Tests prove that although it still vented radioactive material, the amounts are small in comparison to aboveground testing.

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Atmospheric testing was conducted in the Christmas Island and Johnston Island area of the Pacific until the United States signed the Limited Test Ban Treaty in 1963. Today, safety is the main concern throughout every step in the planning and execution of an underground nuclear test. The last known underground test was conducted in December 2012, codenamed POLLUX. This subcritical experiment involved a sample of plutonium bomb material. Officials stated that the test was carried out to provide for the secure storage of nuclear warheads.

The Nevada National Security Site (N2S2), previously called the Nevada Test Site (NTS) contains 28 areas with 400 miles of paved roads and 300 miles of unpaved roads. In 1992, the Department of Energy estimated that more than 300 million curies of radiation still remained in the area at the time, making it the most radioactively contaminated places in the United States.

The National Atomic Testing Museum contains an immense amount of information that one can read, watch, hear and explore for hours. It’s a great way to spend an afternoon away from The Strip and learn a bit about our history. For more information, visit www.nationalatomictestingmuseum.org.

Location:
755 E Flamingo Rd‎ Las Vegas, NV 89119

Hours:
Monday-Saturday from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Sunday from 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Contact:
info@nationalatomictestingmuseum.org
702-794-5124

 

Inside “The Walking Dead Escape San Diego” with Pink Egg Media

Have you ever watched a zombie movie or TV show and thought to yourself, “I’d definitely survive, I can totally outrun everyone and kick some zombie butt?” AMC has created an obstacle course for you to test these skills.

Photo by: Kim Rescate

We grabbed our cameras and headed to Petco Park to experience this year’s The Walking Dead Escape. We have previously participated in their inaugural event. This year, they changed the course and everyone is required to check in his/her bags before proceeding to the entrance during their Wave time. We joined the Wave at around 8:20 p.m. It was starting to get dark which added to the eerie ambiance.

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

The first stop was a briefing of the situation, a soldier told the group about the outbreak and then led us forward. Zombies came at us almost immediately forcing everyone to go back and head up the stairs. We ran through broken gates and saw missing person signs everywhere. It was pure chaos.

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

The first obstacle was crawling underneath a chain-link fence with zombies trying to grab you from above, limbs and disemboweled bodies scattered all over the floor. We had to crawl past another zombie that was blocking the barricade to get out.

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

We went up the escalator, past the hallways and encountered zombies in cages. We had to slide against the wall because they were so close and were trying to reach out to grab us. We crawled under another set of barricades and ran past Hospital Hell. We navigated through Undead Doctors and destroyed equipment without a single safe spot to catch our breath.

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

Once we survived that infected area, one of the guards asked everyone to stand against the wall to avoid fainting from fatigue. After catching our breath we proceeded around the corner, we had to climb up 3 wire crawls and 3 wooden overs. With the undead trying to grab us every time we climbed down, there was no time to stop. The long run down the ramps was inundated with zombies blocking our every move.

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

We ended up outside the stadium where we had to climb up and down 2 obstacles. Once we made it through we had to climb over more barricades and go through two cargo containers. Then up the stairs we went. We were able to take a moment to chill out as the undead are unable to follow you up.

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

At the top of the stairs, we were unsure where to go because the only entrance forward seemed to be blocked by six walkers. We made it through by distracting them towards one side and running past them on the other.

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

Up the ramp, we hid in the corner from several walkers and waited for them to wander out of our way. There were only four us and it would have been too hard to run past them in that tiny space. A few feet from this hallway, we also waited a while to crawl through a chain-link obstacle because there were two zombies at the end. It would have been impossible to get out without getting infected. After a few minutes, one of them figured out how to get underneath the obstacle and started coming towards us. After she got out and moved to one side we crawled as fast as we could, slid down the next two obstacles and just kept moving.

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

We had to work as a team to go through the next hallway because it was such a tiny space (the width would be comparable to three people, shoulder to shoulder) and there were walkers everywhere. We were unsure we’d make it through.

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

After escaping from that hallway, we ran past another set of the walkers and navigated through numerous large boxes of medical supplies that the undead could hide behind. We had to climb a few more barricades before the final obstacle. Broken cars, smoke, walkers and road signs try to stop us from getting out uninfected. We dug deep and just went for it. We jumped over tires, went around smoking cars and ran as fast as we could.

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines


Video by Kim Rescate

We stopped to catch our breath around the corner before heading into the Quarantine tent. We were separated into two lines. The infected and the uninfected. I was deemed infected so I waited in line with about five others. Ana tested clean and was able to get out of the tent. When it was my turn, I was told to go into another tent. The doctor said that since the test result showed that I was infected, there’s no other choice. She took out a handgun and shot me in the head…execution style!

Photo by: Ana Pines

Photo by: Ana Pines

The whole course took us about half an hour, including the waiting. If you’re a fan of The Walking Dead, this adventure is not to be missed. Even if you’re not, going through these obstacles provides an adrenaline rush!

Kim Rescate and Ana Pines

Kim Rescate and Ana Pines

There are three ways to participate in The Walking Dead Escape. Be a survivor, which is what we did. You can be one of the Walkers by embracing the inevitable and becoming one of the undead. If you’d like to watch from the sidelines and cheer on the Survivors (or the Walkers), you can sign up as a spectator. For more information, visit http://www.thewalkingdeadescape.com/

“The Rat Pack is Back!” at Rio Las Vegas

Go back in time to an era when Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop and Dean Martin were Kings of Las Vegas with the show “The Rat Pack is Back!”  The Lon Bronson Big Band Orchestra opens the show. Live music, classic songs, dancing and good ol’ fashion improv-style comedy will surely transport you to the “golden” days of Vegas. Bishop starts off  the show with a monologue to warm up the audience and get the giggles going.

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My favorite part was Martin drinking from an enormous Martini Glass singing, “That’s Amore!”. Davis sang and performed the emotional Mr. Bojangles. And to end it all Sinatra sang the classic, “My Way”. The personalities leaped off the stage and transported us to the Sands in the 1960’s when these fellas were the epitome of Vegas. It’s a great outing for multi-generational groups.

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The cast includes impersonators of Frank Sinatra (Brian Duprey), Sammy Davis Jr. (Kenny Jones), Joey Bishop (Mickey Joseph) and Dean Martin (Drew Anthony). Long-time veteran show producer Dick Feeney is the creator and producer of the show.

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There are several options when purchasing tickets including General, VIP, and Golden Circle. We sat in the Golden Circle, which brought us closer to the stage with drink service. You can also opt in to include dinner at The Carnival World Buffet. No matter what day of the week you’re in Vegas, you can stop by and see the “pack” at The Rio as this is one of the few shows that perform seven nights a week. Shows starts at  7 p.m. You can purchase tickets at www.ratpackisback.com or by calling the box-office at (702) 777-7776.

Thank you for The Nicky Awards Nominations!

We’re honored to receive the following nominations for The 38th Annual Nicky Awards.

PEM_onlinemedia• Pink Egg Media – Outstanding On-line Media •

ana_businesswoman • Ana Pines – Outstanding Business Woman •

kim_business • Kim Rescate – Outstanding Business Woman •

ana_personality • Ana Pines – Outstanding Female Personality •

kim_personality • Kim Rescate – Outstanding Female Personality •

sapphiccinema • Sapphic Cinema •
Presented by San Diego LGBT Center
Hosted by Women’s Resources and Pink Egg Media

Voting ends August 18, 2013 at www.nickyawards.org. Please vote for us!

About Nicky Awards
The Nicky Awards is one of the West Coast’s oldest LGBT community awards. During the early 1970’s gay communities in major cities like San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles, began to establish community award show to honor outstanding achievement in the GLBT community.

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Ziplining over Bootleg Canyon – Flightlinez

Many people think about the strip, gambling, drinking, dancing and unmentionables when they hear the words “Las Vegas”. It’s no wonder the phrase, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” got popular. However, for adventure seekers there’s so much more away from the infamous strip.

One of those adventures starts at the office of Flightlinez located in Boulder City, NV about 25 miles southeast of the Las Vegas Strip. If you don’t have your own transportation Flightlinez will shuttle you from Excalibur Hotel.

When we arrived at the Flightlinez office we did a weight check-in and then signed mandatory waiver forms. An instructor came out to get a head count and started to set-up the necessary equipment in the adjacent room. Once everyone was ready we headed into that room to get our gear (harness and helmet) on and went through a safety demonstration.

A zipline is set-up in the room as it is on the canyon. Another instructor is harnessed in and pushed the few feet of line available to demonstrate sitting, where your hands should be, and the most important piece of advice, “when in doubt, spread your legs out”. There are “brake boxes” at the end of each line to help stop you on the platform, depending on your speed, you may swing up towards them and hurt your knee or thigh hence the importance of “when in doubt, spread your legs out”.

 Flightlinez demonstration demo

We then loaded up in a small van that took us to The Red Mountains. The instructors had quite the sense of humor and kept us entertained along the way. When we got there, everyone was given a pulley to carry during the 15-minute hike up. The pulley may be a bit heavy for some. If so, let one of the guides know, they’ll carry it up for you. The guides also carry backpacks full of water bottles to ensure everyone stays hydrated.

There are 4 zipline platforms covering just over a mile and a half of the canyon. The first one is 1,852 feet long, has a 400-foot drop at a 17% grade and can get you flying up to speeds of 60 mph. The last line is the shortest at a quarter of a mile.

Scared? You shouldn’t be. The instructors will help you with whatever you need if you just let them know. Want to turn back?  No problem. Your shoulder hurts a little bit?  They’ll get you a ladder to help you in and out of the harness without putting any pressure on it. Pulled on the break too hard and now you’re stuck on the line? An instructor will come out to pull you to safety.

The views are amazing so you’ll want to bring a small camera that can fit securely in your pocket to take pictures of the hike up. The harness also has a pouch where you can place small items. You’re not allowed to take pictures while in flight unless its “hands free” because you’ll need to reach up and grab on the break handles with both hands when told. Also, we know what will happen if it slips and falls 400 feet…bye-bye camera.

If you want to remember the thrill and show off to your friends on Facebook, a photographer travels with the group to take pictures. They also include pictures of the mountain and any wildlife spotted such as bighorn sheep and several different species of lizards. You can also rent a Go-Pro, which they’ll secure on you to record your adventure. The entire trip ranges from 2-2.5 hours on the mountain and is great for all ages. The oldest was about 70 in our group. She searched the Internet for something more exciting to do because she was bored with the activities her senior group had planned. We allotted 4 hours for the whole event including travel time to/from our hotel. It was an adventure that you’ll be sure not to forget.

Photos below provided by Flightlinez

To purchase tickets, verify pick-up locations and weigh-in restrictions: http://www.flightlinezbootleg.com

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