why i envy people who have perfect teeth.

today i went to an orthodontist who did a full x-ray on my mouth and i found out (after had been told i have none in the past) that i have a wisdom tooth. :( i went to an orthodontist because i've been putting off getting a tooth implant for many years (because i was scared shitless of having something drilled into my gums) and now my teeth have shifted which has created more problems.

here are the procedures i need done:
*gum grafting (because i have a thin gumline) (hopefully never)
*braces again for 2 years (approx $4,000)
*new retainers made (approx ($350)
*surgery for tooth implant ($2,000)
*tooth implant ($2,500)
*wisdom tooth removed (who knows)
*i also want to replace two or three mercury fillings (approx $350 or $400)

i have neither health insurance nor dental insurance and the cost of all of these procedures is going to be over $10,000. so starting today (which is good because i went shopping yesterday), i am not spending money on anything that isn't a necessity. the worst part is... i've already had braces on my teeth for over 4 years... that's why i had huge cavities on all my back molars. but i don't mind the fact that i'll have braces, it's the gum grafting i am NOT looking forward to.

i could go another route and not have any orthodonic work done and just get a bridge (to cover the gap), but that will ruin two healthy teeth and my bite will still be off which will cause jaw and possibly more tooth problems in the years to come.

so i am hoping i will be hearing from the IRS soon because (hopefully) i will be receiving some sort of compensation in lieu of my biological father falsely claiming me on his tax returns for many years... which, this year, prevented me from receiving a stimuulus check.

what i had for lunch...

medium sized original with three toppings: strawberries, raspberries and pineapple.

on my "lunch break" from working with my favorite boss dave, i stopped at pinkberry in beverly hills. driving in beverly hills SUCKS. especially during tourist season. i watched a car attempt to pull out of a parking spot onto beverly blvd. he, of course, was blocking the road but mr. angry man had to pull up right behind him and laaaay on his horn. the guy backing up acknowledged him, then proceeded to back up even further (in attempt to get out of the way) but in doing so, wound up backing right into angry man's car. thus, making him even angrier.

back to me and my lunch... pinkberry and i have an odd relationship. it's sort of become my guilty pleasure. the first time i've ever tried it was back in march when my friend lindsay was visiting me. before then, i never had any desire to try pinkberry... it seemed too trendy and i couldn't understand why it was such a popular place when it only served three flavors... none of which are pink. so i got an original (because the green tea sample tasted nothing like green tea) and it tasted like sour milk... not so much as spoiled milk, but sour -- as if it was trying to taste like lemon but couldn't overcome the pungent taste of plain yogurt. i couldn't even finish the small and rick took one spoonful before tossing it in the garbage. lindsay, on the other hand, got the coffee flavor with raspberries and LOVED it.

so flash forward to me working a promo on a hot day, somewhere within walking distance from a pinkberry. i went there on my break, i tried it again... and it wasn't so bad!! so i'm guessing it's an acquired taste. it's not a habit i go out of my way for (yet) and i'm hoping it will never become one because a medium original with three toppings is almost $6... and that seems pricey for almost-sour-tasting frozen yogurt so i usually opt for no toppings. rick still thinks it tastes awful. and lindsay thinks i'm blatantly addicted. i still think pinkberry is waaaay overrated but i'm not going to lie, i sorta look forward to eating it now. O:)

highly social weekend (and a record of my spending)

saturday: drove to rick's parents house at 10 am so he could go pick up a refrigerator for his mother since his parents are in mexico. now this is the funny part... i got up, put my glasses on, gathered up some stuff and left. on the way there (it's about an hour away) i started falling asleep in the car. and once we got to rick's parent's house, i took a nap. i guess i tired from... sleeping?! i have no idea -- but it was the best nap ever. i woke up around noon or 1 pm, i forget. then we went to the mall to buy rick's dad some dress shoes. i wound up blowing $68 at victoria secret. thank goodness we passed the store because i forgot about the semi-annual sale!! which isn't really a sale at all... it's just when VS decides to price items with a 10% markup instead of 30%. and sometimes even the "sale" prices aren't that great. ($27.99 for a BRA... on sale?! you kiddin me???) underwears are marked down to $3.99... but with tax (7.25%) they wind up costing $4.28 per pair which isn't really a deal because you can buy underwear there for 5 for $25 alllllll the time. yet women (like me) go NUTS and spend LOADS of money during the semi-annual sale. when i was at the cash register i could hear other people's totals and all i heard was $105... $117... $87... etc. .

after our mall excursion, rick and i picked up some crazy chicken (el pollo loco) and ate it at his parent's house while watching "50 first dates" on TV. then we met up with rick's friend james and james's wife and their daughter at a free outdoor concert... it was EDDIE MONEY!! i dunno how old Eddie Money is now, but his voice still sounded really good. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Eddie Money, he sings "Baby Hold On [To Me]" "Two Tickets to Paradise" and "Take Me Home Tonight" among others -- all of which i am SURE you've heard at one point (or multiple points) in your life. we stood really far from the stage (it was at a huge park) but it was still a good time with a 4th of july vibe.

after the concert, rick and i went back to james's house for rootbeer floats and vanilla ice cream with blueberries. (can you guess who ate what?! haha). i know i've mentioned this in the past, but james's wife sarah is one of thee nicest people i've EVER met. she's #2 on my nice meter. (#1 is mrs m, my former 2nd grade teacher turned close family friend). people like sarah (and mrs m) are rare, but i'm sure you know one person who is SINCERELY nice to EVERYONE... we're talking pure, selfless, unbiased niceness here. these people are all heart. not one ounce of deception or manipulation. anyway, i've hung out with sarah a few times now and i had a feeling she might enjoy etsy.com, so i told her about it. within a few minutes we were online and i was showing her my shop and other people's items that i adore. one minute led to twenty minutes and twenty minutes led to an hour... i never knew sarah was into thrift shopping or craft making!! (her medium is polymer clay) so now we want to do a craft night. :) i'm bringing shrinky dinks.

sunday: rick and i woke up relatively early to attend a birthday brunch at la paz for rick's friend mike's wife jessica. (got all that?! haha). la paz is a mexican restaurant that has money tacked to the ceiling; a collection of antique bicycles (also suspended from the ceiling); and a mexican/american buffet on sundays complete with mariachis that serende every table. of course, i wound up eating the most un-mexican food there -- belgium waffles piled high with fruit, hahaha.



after brunch, rick and i made a pit stop at our apartment before heading to dodgers stadium to meet up with his friend jonathan to watch the dodgers beat the indians. it was about 104 degrees and because i assumed we'd be in the sun all afternoon, i decided to wear long pants and close-toed shoes. bad idea. luckily, we were seated in the shade but it was still sweltering. and we had a bit of a walk since parking cost $15 and dodgers stadium doesn't accept debit cards or credit cards and rick and i didn't have any cash on us. but hey, saved us $15.

monday: went to the post office, put gas in my car (gas prices are ridiculous here. i've seen it as high as $4.86 and as low as $4.53 this week). then i went to the mall and spent even MORE money in victoria's secret. this time my total was $71. i bought two beach coverups (like i needed more of those) and a looooong comfy sweatshirt (as if i will need to wear it anytime soon) but everything was on sale. i also bought a nice, long-ish purple and white striped tee-shirt from express (on sale for $10) and a rainbow striped tank top from forever 21 ($14) that will look great in polaroids. i get major buyer's remorse... i ALWAYS feel bad after i go shopping and usually regret having spent any money at all. i was thisclose to returning that sweatshirt to victoria's secret while i was still in the mall but it was the only one left and i could picture myself all curled up on the couch wearing it. on my waya home, i called my friend lindsay (who is even more of a shopaholic) who consoled me by saying... "pffft, $100?! i spend that on my lunch break." haha, thanks lindsay.

polanerd adventure to the middle of nowhere

yesterday i went on a little polanerd outing with kim and chinako.

sanctuary adventist church
Originally uploaded by jena ardell.

our first stop was a cute abandoned cottage in the middle of the nowhere lancaster, california. kim had driven past this place but never had the nerve to explore the interior alone. (i don't blame her).

left to rot
Originally uploaded by jena ardell.

the cottage was a MESS. there was the usual evidence left behind by one too many drunken minors -- beer cans and bottles, smashed walls, bullet holes and broken tile. (just so you can get an idea of how dirty the place was...) but this house had a terrific blue room and hardwood floors... the perfect backdrop for kim's brilliant idea.

hole in the wall
Originally uploaded by jena ardell.

we shot some photos then kim didn't waste any time tossing polaroids around the room, covering the floor with the "bad" shots she no longer wanted. chinako and i couldn't believe what she considered to be her "bad" shots... but apparently kim has very similar perfected versions of the photos she left behind. chinako and i hoarded a few we couldn't bare to leave behind.

we proceeded to shoot hundreds of photos around the house and took turns lying among the polaroids on the floor. although the floor was visibly dirty, it didn't seem so bad.

down the road from the cottage was some sort of compound. all of the buildings appeared to be abandoned but there were cars and dogs and seemingly normal outdoor table with a pitcher of water, iced tea, glasses, binoculars and a pillow. running 1/8 mile along one of the buildings was this creepy fence covered in skeletons of mythical creatures. skulls and bones were wired to the fence to create things like a devil and an angel. near the end of the fence was the "skeleton" of this alien creature

after i showed my boyfriend photos of the skull fence he said, "ohmygod jena, haven't you ever seen the texas chainsaw masacre?!"

summer heat
Originally uploaded by jena ardell.

we drove further into lancaster county and stopped at a beautiful poppy field. i shot some awesome polaroids of chinako lying on a mexican blanket kim had burried in her trunk.

then we ventured further into the middle of nowhere to the infamous sanctuary adventist church AKA: the kill bill church. when we got there there were three guys taking photos with their camera phone of the church (which is a fully functioning establishment).

total fucking badasses
Originally uploaded by jena ardell.

all and all, a wonderfully sucessful and fun trip. i shot 420 digital photos and 25 polaroids. of those, a selected set can be viewed here. check them out!! some of the photos taken that day can be purchased in my etsy shop: http://jenaardell.etsy.com/

inbox full

i usually have to delete a text message in order to receive one because i never delete them... some are just too amusing to delete. here some of more recent ones:

06.07.08
andrea: Oh! I love it! And i think i just mooned the guys fixing the wires.

06.01.08
mom: I'm at aunt roses for dinner. she's drunk. THE END. LOL HELP!!

05.18.08
ricardo: Yea. but i'm not into yoga n don't have half a brain. i would like to make love @ midnight but i can't stay up that late.

05.18.08
zac: I made it home. Sleep tight don't let the stick bugs bite.

05.12.08
lindsay: heidi is a jackass.

(she was referring to heidi montag).

04.19.08
ricardo: HOLY SHIT! THE CAT JUST ATTACKED ME!

04.14.08
ricardo: ill let it slide. youre lucky youre too cute. Thanks. love you.

03.26.08
ricardo: i had a dream that the dad from '10 things i hate about you' was trying to pimp you out!

03.22.08
kevin: P.S. Ur cat needs to join an 80's hair metal revival tour with its sweet vocal skills.

JENAARDELL.BLOGSPOT.COM GOT A FACELIFT!!

...or i just finally created my own header. regardless, it looks pretty spiffy. :)

i revamped my environmental blog too!!
CHECK IT OUT AT: ENDSECONDHANDSMOKE.BLOGSPOT.COM

SONGS I'M ADDING TO MY SUMMER 2008 MIX:
R.E.M - Supernatural Superserious
No Doubt - Leftovers
Jason Mraz - I'm Yours
Alanis Morrissette - Underneath
Jack Johnson - Banana Pancakes
All Saints - Pure Shores (always on my summer mixes)
Bob Marley - Three Little Birds
Al Green - Here I Am (Come and Take Me)
STP - Interstate Love Song
Mazzy Star - Fade Into You
Kaiser Chiefs - Rudy
Beck - Earthquake Weather
Lenny Kravitz - I'll Be Waiting
Radiohead - House of Cards

my most recent ebay purchases

i'm like an addict... but i can't help it if i still wished it were the late 90s!! seriously though, ALL of these items are things i was buying/would have bought in the year 2000. i guess i haven't changed...

i finally retired my old roxy wallet that i've used for the past 8 years... (not by choice, it was falling apart) and i purchased this gem - a pristine roxy wallet circa 1999-2000. i figured if i'm going to replace my favorite wallet, might as well replace it with something similar:
i have these shoes in white/lavendar and black/hot pink... now i have them in gray/pink: i have a thing for straw bags. i love how they look but i rarely use them for fear of ripping them. stupid, i know. this one will look great in photos. :)
they don't make this style anymore. :( i have a pair of periwinkle/white platform vans (circa 1997) that are very similar to this and are probably my favorite pair of shoes everrr. i used to have these shoes in white and another pair in navy, but they got pretty beat up and i had to toss them. in 2005, vans made second-wave of platform sneakers in three colors. i bought the white/pink when the first came out and now i'll have the blue/yellow.
here is something else that's been looong discontinued. roxy's "hula" perfume. according to roxy, their "first" scent called "roxy" was launched in summer 2007... which is an utter lie because their first fragrance was roxy "hula" which was launched in 1998!! back when roxy clothes looked more like surf clothes... but i regress.in addition to these items, i've also purchased polaroid film, vintage issues of LOOK magazine and 51 issues of workbasket magazine circa 1950-1970.

oh dear, i need to stay away from ebay.