Archive for "Health"
Jenni is Officially a Cougar – JK
Posted on November 25, 2010 by Ching under Family, Health, Shopping.
I’m posting these photos in honor of Jenni’s 30th birthday. She looks like she’s 12 but, as of midnight tonight, she’s really 30. I guess, just like Dr. Begnoche, she is Dorian Gray-ish that way. =P
I normally have several options for working out on Sundays. I can either do Step and Iron at the East Central Genesis at 10:15 AM, Step and Core at the North YMCA at 1:00 PM, or Zumba at the North YMCA at 4:00 PM. Jenni decided to have her birthday lunch at noon, though, which made it difficult to do the 10 AM or 1 PM workouts. I guess I could have done the Zumba, but I was feeling rather unmotivated that day.
Here are some of my favorite pictures from last Sunday:
This is a photo that Brian and I took of our ourselves using Jen Teves’ iPhone 4. We were playing with her front-facing camera. It really makes taking selcas so much easier. I think my next digital camera will need a front display screen.
An awesome photo I took of Jenni and Q. I actually managed to make her look wholesome. =P I think she should make this her new profile picture on Facebook.
The two Jennifers: Jenni and Jen Teves. This was taken before the other Jennifer, Jennifer Cannady, arrived.
Jen and Armando brought the most delicious tiramisu cake. Yum!
Here’s another picture of the cake without the candles.
Gotta post this photo of Jenni and me, just for mom.
We got Jenni a Stoli gift set for her birthday because we’re sick like that.
Logan and Jenni – another possible Facebook profile picture.
Mom and dad showing us that they know how to salsa.
Mom and dad — you guys really need to come out to Suede with us one night! How about next Friday, December 3rd? No Suede for us tomorrow night because we’re going to be in Kansas City this weekend. I’m dragging Brian to Midnight Magic at Legends (Village West). Since he’s being such a good sport about it, I’m rewarding him with a couples massage at his favorite massage place (Serenity) when we return. See, I’m really not the evil wife that you think I am. LOL.
We’re busting out the flannel-lined jeans for the first time this season since Legends and Country Club Plaza are both outdoor malls. We’re also wearing sneakers. I figured since I’m missing my regular Thursday night Zumba class, this can double as my workout. We’re going to be doing a lot of walking after all.
Speaking of working out, I felt really guilty for barely working out last week and then skipping on Sunday that I had to make up for it by working out three days in a row. I did Muscle Pump (45 minutes) and Step (45 minutes) at North YMCA on Monday night, followed by an hour of Zumba at the Downtown YMCA on Tuesday (Thanks for trying it with me, VH!), and then another hour of Zumba at the East Central Genesis yesterday (Gina’s class). I think I really earned my Thanksgiving “pig out” this year!
Anyway, I was hoping that VH would be my workout buddy. Brian doesn’t really like my fitness classes and only reluctantly goes with me because I beg him to… I need an honest to goodness workout buddy like I had in my friend Divina years and years ago. I thought VH could be it, but she already has a set workout schedule. Unfortunately, it includes Yoga (something she loves that I’m not really too fond of). Don’t get me wrong. I like Yoga because it makes me feel like I’ve just gotten a deep tissue massage afterwards. It makes your body feel really good.
Except, I had the misfortune of trying an advanced Yoga class a couple of weeks ago. You know me. I’m not that flexible. Well, I was trying to imitate this old man behind me, while doing one of the Yoga poses (it’s one where you start out on your hands and feet – downward facing dog? – and then you take an arm off the floor and then stick one of your legs up and out; I don’t know what it’s called and I’m pretty sure I was doing it wrong), and I fell over. Brian and I both busted up in quiet laughter. Brian was smart and kept both feet on the ground instead of trying the more advance move so he managed to keep his pose even though he was struggling from laughing at me. I was an idiot and tried to copy the guy behind me, though. I figured, if he could do it then I could too. I was wrong. It was pretty embarrassing, actually.
The worst part is that Brian and I kept cracking up while trying our best not to laugh. It took a good 30 minutes before I was finally able to regain my composure. Needless to say, I’m not going to be doing Yoga for a while. At least, if and when I try it again, it will have to be a beginners class. LOL.
Gosh, I totally got sidetracked on this blog. Where was I? Oh, yeah. Happy 30th birthday, Jenni!
xoxo,
Ching
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Ching’s Productive Day Off
Posted on November 13, 2010 by Ching under Health, Life, Tips.
Brian says I don’t know how to relax. He’s probably right. Instead of sleeping in on Thursday, like a normal person, I ended up getting up early just as though I was still going to work that day. I packed my day with appointments out the kazoo. I’m surprised I didn’t wear myself out.
My day started out with earning the mayorship at Kellogg Clinic where I’m getting laser hair removal done. Misty and I participated in a really awesome Groupon deal where you get three hair removal sessions for only $99. The sessions are normally $150 each, so it was a HUGE savings. I ended up getting two Groupons (the maximum you could buy for yourself under this deal), thinking that I could use all six sessions on my underarms. It turns out that you have to use each Groupon on a different body part. It makes sense because then you have to buy additional sessions to get the desired results.
Misty and I are both doing underarms and bikini. We’ve used up our underarm sessions and the results have been pretty amazing. We’re both thinking that we didn’t really have to go anymore. Except, I still have a few little hairs left and I think that maybe two or three more sessions should do the trick. It’s quite expensive, though, and with our Vegas trip coming up, it might just have to wait for now.
I started my bikini laser hair removal the other day. The downside of the bikini (aside from the fact that it hurts like hell – I don’t know how Misty does it – I don’t think I could ever get used to that pain – I thought it hurt 10X more than when he did my underarms) is that it’s normally $200 a session, so there is a $50 up charge each time. This is on top of the $99 that you’ve already paid for the Groupon (I really wish I would have known this because it makes a difference for a tightwad like me). Although paying $249 for three sessions of laser hair removal that usually costs $600 still gives you almost 60% savings.
Another downside is that, while getting additional sessions on my underarms is optional, additional sessions on my bikini is pretty much guaranteed. Brian told me that his coworker’s daughter who had her laser hair removal done at the same clinic went for 15 sessions before she was done. She didn’t use any Groupons, so she actually spent $3000 on it. She’s a professional volleyball player so she’s getting a lot of mileage out of it. For me, I’m just thinking that I could save a lot of money by not going to get my bikini waxed anymore. I think I spend about $2000 a year on waxings, a fourth of that on bikini. Since I’m cheap and usually stretch out my bikini waxings to eight weeks or more, I only go about five times a year on average (unless I’m going on a trip which prompts an extra waxing visit, but then I usually get my entire body waxed at that time). I’m guessing that I’ll need at least 10 more sessions after my first three so I’m estimating a payback period of five years on this kind of investment. I think it’s a wise decision, but coming up with the money to do it is a whole other endeavor. Maybe I need to start selling some magazines or having bake sales (Brian will do the baking, otherwise it won’t be edible) or start up a collection or something. Don’t worry, I won’t pretend to have cancer or anything. LOL.
So anyway, after my laser hair removal, I went straight to my teeth whitening appointment at Wichita Family Dental. This was another Groupon deal. What can I say? I’m a Groupon junkie. It’s sad because every time a Groupon comes out (which is everyday except on weekends, btw, for those of you unfamiliar with it), I find myself thinking “Can I use this?” because I really, really want to get in on it. So beware. Once you get started, it’s very addictive.
Speaking of Wichita Family Dental, I was very impressed with their office. Even though they’ve been at this location (which is within walking distance from our place, btw) for about ten years, the place still looks new. The interior and exterior are clean and nice, but that’s all pretty blasé. What impressed me most is that the dental assistants used iPads for patient charts. How high tech is that?
They also had flat screen monitors at every station so that you could look at your teeth photos and x-rays while you’re laying in the chair. I’m thinking now that they might even be able to play The Office on Hulu while you’re getting a root canal or something. How cool would that be? Brian is going with me today when I return for a cleaning and follow-up appointment. This way he can check out the place himself. Only nerds like us would be impressed with this stuff. LOL.
After the dentist, I spent a couple of hours getting pampered at Beau Monde. I hadn’t had a facial in a long time so I had scheduled it last month. I had gotten a $50 gift card from my in-laws for my birthday which I was thinking I would put toward my facial initially when I thought I was going to get a cheap $30 pedicure with Darcy. She bailed on me to spend the day with her beau, though.
I was pretty much left to my own devises. I didn’t want to have to leave Beau Monde and drive elsewhere for my pedicure after my facial and I had that gift card so I decided to splurge. The $30 pedicure turned into $48 (after my 10% discount, because I’m a bargain-hunter even when I splurge; although the discount didn’t even cover gratuity because I gave her $10 – blech).
I really prefer Samantha at Beau Monde, but she only works on weekends. You can get a good deal on last minute appointments if your schedule is flexible, though. If you check the Beau Monde web site on a day when you have some free time (in my case, I was off work on Thursday), they’ll usually post appointment times for the day that have not yet been filled and offer 10% off the regular price of the service to entice people to book.
Anyway, it turns out that the tech who did my pedicure actually worked with Brian at T-Mobile back in the day. They both worked there when it was still Voicestream. What a small world! We figured this out because Brian forgot to pack a lunch that day and so he came home on his lunch break. He stopped by Beau Monde on his way back to work. Brian who is awful at both names and faces wouldn’t have known any different had she not recognized him first.
The rest of my day was spent watching The Secret
It was yucky and rainy and all day and it’s the kind of weather that makes you want to stay in rather than go out. I told Brian that I would wish for better weather and that it will happen. Anyway, it was still raining a little bit when we got off work and went to his parents’ house for dinner. When it was time to go home, it had stopped drizzling. By the time I got ready to go out, it was a little chilly but actually nice enough that I could have worn a dress to the club if I wanted. By the time we got out of the club, it was nice (i.e. I probably could have walked to the car without putting my jacket on). It’s amazing that you can harness the power of the universe to make things materialize or come into fruition.
You all probably think this is hokey, and some of it is; but this truly is amazing and powerful stuff. So anyway, besides getting a lot of stuff done on my day off, I actually did some learning too. Imagine that. Oh, and to top it off, I got all of our laundry done in one day. Am I awesome or what?
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Brian at CORE
Posted on November 1, 2010 by Ching under Health.
Brian was a good sport and actually did CORE with me on Sunday. I did my regular Sunday step class. Pam’s kid had football so Rebecca subbed again. I enjoy her routine so I actually like when she subs. Her CORE class is a lot tougher than Pam’s, though. It makes me realize how out of shape I really am. Brian hung in there, though.
Of course, we undid all the good of the workout that day by having ice cream. At least we just shared and didn’t each get one. That would have been worse.
Incidentally, I’m now the “mayor” of the Baskin Robbins around the corner from our place. What’s that tell you? I should just give up trying to lose weight because, at this rate, it will never ever happen. LOL.
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So Much for Confidentiality
Posted on October 23, 2010 by Ching under Health.
Brian, Jan and I went down to the health fair at work the other day. We just had a quick lunch and headed down to the atrium to check things out.
Jan got to do some kind of digital allergy demo.
Brian and I were curious about our blood types so we did that. We got blood tests before we got married almost ten years ago, but somehow we’d forgetten our blood types. Brian did his first.
Brian’s blood type is A+ which is the most common blood type of all. I was still teasing Brian about being common when I got my result. My blood type is A+ as well. No wonder we’re so compatible! LOL.
Brian said that he had read somewhere that since we both have the same blood type then our offspring will have zero chance of birth defects. What a revelation! I mean, after all, that’s the only thing that’s been keeping us from having kids all these years. (I’m being fascetious.)
Incidentally, there was an EMPAC booth/table at the health fair. The lady at the booth said “Hi. We are EMPAC…” and was about to tell me all about their services when she looked at me and then looked at the name on my work badge and then looked at me again and said, “You’re familiar with our services.” It felt awkward and I wasn’t sure what to say so I just replied with “Yes, I am.” There wasn’t much to say or do after that so I simply moved on to the next booth.
I mean… Come on, man! Might as well tell everyone in the room that I’m emotionally unbalanced. So much for confidentiality!
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Time for your Meds!
Posted on September 23, 2010 by Brian under Health, Sex.
This has got to be the single greatest medical achievement in human history!
It was announced today on CNN’s web page that Women who perform the act of fellatio and swallow semen on a regular basis, one to two times a week, may reduce their risk of breast cancer by up to 40 percent, a North Carolina State University study found.
In 1991, 43,582 women died of breast cancer, as reported by the National Cancer Institute. The research consisted of two groups, 6,246 women ages 25 to 45 who had performed fellatio and swallowed on a regular basis over the past five to ten years, and 9,728 women who had not or did not swallow. The group of women who had performed and swallowed had a breast cancer rate of 1.9 percent and the group who had not had a breast cancer rate of 10.4 percent.
Men, it is our duty to convince your wives your girlfriends to perform fellatio on you at least two times a week. You will be saving their lives. Show them this article, it is scientifically proven that we can help them.
Update: This is all a hoax, and from what I can see, an old one. Sorry guys, I was so hopeful for our futures.
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