Amy Warren, LMHC / WQ Mag Columnist's Blog (229)

 Documentary Feature Competition: Fake It So Real

As a teenager in love for the first time, I surprised myself and everyone around me by thoroughly enjoying a date to a professional wrestling match…you know, the kind with gross characters, elaborate costumes and much fake ado. To those…

Photo by Kim Conner Wqmag.com

At Wednesday’s Kick-off Party for the Sarasota Film Festival, Tom Hall predicted that Christopher Plummer will receive a best supporting actor nomination for his performance in this year’s closing night film “Beginners.”  If last year’s films are any indication of the quality of this…

Make your next salon service count as a donation to the American Cancer Society. This year’s Relay for Life kicks off with a Style-a-Thon at Inspirations Salon on Sunday, March 27^th and Monday, March 28^th. Payments for any hair service during the Style-a-Thon will be donated to the American Cancer Society’s signature fundraising event, Relay for Life on April 9^th and 10^th. You can receive a hair cut, color or even the frizz-relieving Keratin…

Especially in the beginning of relationship, fantasy plays a big part. We meet someone, there’s chemistry, and within our head, we often imagine the person to be all we hope him or her to be. We begin to act as if he or she is that person. When that happens, we are engaging in fantasy. Before we know it, we can become embroiled in a relationship with someone we don’t truly know in spite of the long, heartfelt conversations and spark-firing chemistry experienced in the beginning. It is…

The Sarasota Film Festival, which takes place April 7-17^th, 2011, is proud to announce that writer/director Mike Mills’ Beginners, a Focus Features release, has been selected as the Closing Night Film of the 13^th Annual Festival, to screen on Sunday, April 17^th. In addition, Beginners star Christopher Plummer will be in attendance at the Festival to receive…

When I received an invitation to Royal Tea, I just couldn’t resist the opportunity to get dressed up and steal a couple of hours away from the office to indulge in the British tradition. The picturesque Powel Crosley Estate was the perfect venue for…

Pursed lips, silence, slammed cabinets or doors, and emotional and physical distancing are a few examples of how some people in relationship convey negative feelings, such as anger and hurt.  In other words, many people convey their negative feelings in a passive-aggressive manner rather than directly…and it is not in the least bit helpful to the relationship.

It is your responsibility to speak openly and honestly about any negative feelings you have towards your partner. It…

The application of acrylic nails typically contains many potential hazards to women’s health. For years, the price of beauty has potentially cost women their health. Now women finally have an alternative. They can have acrylic nails without the formaldehyde, toluene, MMA and toxic odors. Yet buyers beware, these health-protecting acrylic nails are not the ones…

Christmas is a time of giving and receiving, but are you a good giver and receiver?  The gift exchange actually says a lot about your relationship. Many people are good at being either a giver or a receiver, but not both. Healthy relationships involve mutual giving and receiving -- cherishing others with special gestures and also allowing oneself to be cherished. This holiday, observe yourself to see how comfortable you are with both giving and receiving and look to see what it means about…

Once people have a landed a relationship, they often forget to use the skills that helped them attract their mate in the beginning. In the initial phase of love, people employ lots of positive relationship skills like giving compliments, arranging special dates, creating romance, being affectionate, keeping in frequent communication and planning surprises. Most people do these things in an attempt to win someone’s heart. Other people are charmers whose superficial charm soon fades. Yet even…

Many people complain about either under or over-cooking salmon. Here's a surefire way I've found for perfectly cooked salmon. You may use whatever preparation you like. Here's one suggestion for a savory spice rub with a little sweetness to balance it at the end:

Mix:

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground…

Whenever someone shouts “I should kill you....This is so #$*! good, I should kill you!” and then kisses and hugs the chef, it makes you want to eat the food, right? Thankfully, that’s the mindset of my fellow food-loving friends. After watching Stanley Tucci’s 1996 film Big Night, one of my gourmand friends was unable to shake the thought. A mission was set in motion to find a chef to create the…

A friend shared this recipe with me from the September, 1997 issue of Cooking Light magazine. At only 185 calories a cup, it's a delicious low-calorie meal in itself.



Ingredients:

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (about 10 ounces)

1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 tablespoon chopped seeded jalapeño…