back to school

Omg. Still at work with a bunch of monkeys.

the end of summer....

So...summer finally is almost on its way out and I am getting ready for the fall. My lease just ran out....and I am moving out of here in 15-20 days. Nan just moved into college, mel is starting school again after a long couple of semesters, and I am stressing out at work. It's a good thing summer won't necessarily end for me as I'll be dts 24/7 till end of November.

On the braces front, it's been 6 tightenings, almost 5 months and my open bite is still there. The only difference I noticed is that the spacing on my upper arch is starting to close. I would post a pic right this second but I am trying to eat my oatmeal and type my breakfast before I have to run out of here and go to work. I have an appointment next week to adjust my back brackets and add some to my "p7's" ---- "YAY". Every time I get anything like that adjusted, my entire mouth is swollen for weeks and I can't eat anything without it feeling like someone hit me with a crowbar.

I will try to update more....as I've been awfully busy at work and trying to move out.

work update

I have a month of orientation and 2 weeks of my first assignment under my belt...and let me just say....I am crazy-stressed-out.

The learning curve is insane. I have two big projects, one big sale to work on, all while balancing my after work life! Not to mention my lil sis is moving to Rutgers, I'm moving dts for the fall, and I have to paint/pack up my apartment.

The worst part is that I am sitting in an isolated wing of the building with three chronic complainers. I was positive and optimistic before...but I've noticed that in my two weeks there that I have already started the complaining.

I think I am going to sign us all up for group yoga after work. Maybe that will help!

whoa, whoa, whoa

take a look at the picture when I first got my rubber bands (two blogs ago) and my last blog. My smile is totally different and open.



oh.my.god.

open bite mania

I really think my ortho is purposely ruining my teeth so he can fix them. My teeth were moving so fast and my bite was starting to feel better by month three. Now, I have a huge open bite (something I've never had before) and crazy effin rubber bands. It doesn't even help that at my last adjustment the assistant and the ortho were both like "oh damn...".

Look at these pictures and tell me if you think I should say something to my ortho......

I have crazy jaw pain, a cut up tongue, and a severe headache....

The above is a pic of me and my rubber bands before I start drinking the pain away.

rubberbands

Suck.

bands!

I'm officially doing the rubber-band-teenage-thing. At my ortho appt, I was told my powerchain gave me a slight open bite so now I need rubber bands. How long I will have them: forever. Who knows? Prob for a few months or god knows how long. It seems like my ortho's treatment is like backwards. I thought most people get rubber bands towards the end of their treatment instead of after the first 3 months?

Who knows..

here's a pic of my dental work:



(note: this is not my teeth, just an image I borrowed from google search)

first cleaning in braces!!

Had my first cleaning today. It went surprisingly well. I got there a half hour early and they saw me right away for my xrays (it usually takes like 1 hr before they take my xrays). I told them I would step out to get my furry brows done instead of waiting around. I got the brows threaded....finally cleaned up! Came back...was brought into the room and given my cleaning. I must say it was my first cleaning with braces on....and it was really pleasant. I had an abnormal piece of something in my gums that they ripped out. Other than that it was very gentle. No blood...no sensitive gums or anything. It's prob because I had a different dentist > Dr. Bloom >> the cutest asian lady ever!!!

Just thought I share my thoughts about my teeth since this blog is about my life with teeth issues. Stay tuned: tomorrow is my date with the ortho!

seaside madness

We were on ouy way to the theater to watch a Dark Night and we are stuck in traffic in seaside right before the bridge. Apparantly to power lines are down and we are stuck in traffic for the next two hours.

Why do I keep mixing alcohol with braces? It only results in utter embarrassment.

ay ya ya

I just biked two miles in 5 mins to beat the friday night cover at sawmill. Of course we get there at 929 and cover doesn't start for a whole other 15 mins. Ah well, I needed the work out...badly.

yay for interns

sorry. had to remove post for censorship reasons.

career gal

I started working f/t in the new LIT program and so far I like it! It's very busy and a lot of work and running around but I am enjoying it thus far. I met my partner in crime for the next two weeks and he is pretty OK. I get a laptop tomorrow and hopefully I'll be up and running pretty soon.

The commute isn't so bad...about 20 or so mins a day if absolutely NO traffic.

On my first day, I met with a bunch of execs and vps from HR and went out to a welcome lunch. OF course I ordered the most expensive thing AND got sick from it. Why do braces make things awkward?

Tomorrow I have a meeting all day...so time to sleep as I need to be on the road by 7Am!

just in...

Just got a blackberry..so expect posts ALL THE TIME!!!!

ty

2nd adjustment!

I've had braces for 7 weeks. Today was my second adjustment.

I got a new power chain, a new top wire (the other one was too long), and two rotational ties on my bottom two molars.

My teeth hurt like HELL when she was putting the powerchain on...but nothing like ice cold seltzer to ease the pain.

So good news: I am brushing well--no big stains.
Bad news: my teeth aren't closing as fast as they want--though i noticed a difference.!!

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

I am starting a career in approximately 10 days! EEK! Nervous and excitement....all at the same time.

Oh, and I get my adjustment tomorrow!! Can't freaking wait. I hope the ortho has good news to share!

Last of the Klan....

excited >>>>
The youngest of the fam graduated from high school today. tear. sniff. sniff.

boy oh boy am I getting old...and I only JUST graduated from college!

Stain?

I think my bottom right molar is stained. It looks like it has a tiny white spot and some yellow. Does anyone think it could possibly be a cavity? My teeth don't ache, hurt, or are sensitive with hot/cold things so I don't have any reason to think its a cavity. Plus, I brush my teeth like 6 times a day and floss like crazy. Hmmph.

Another ?. . . Anyone know if you can get implants put in while you are in the process of having braces? I don't want to wait anymore, and I REALLY want to get this issue out of my life already.

Brace Face Diet....Parte Dos

This is what I ate today....

Breakfast - 1 Thomas Light Multi grain English Muff w/ 1 tsp smart balance light and 1 tbs of blueberry jelly = 100+50+50=200 calories
snack- 1 zico coconut water (plain) = 60 calories
Lunch- 1 small Chicken Noodle Soup from Fresco's (don't know the calories so I'll estimate) = 300? calories + 1 Motts unsweetened apple sauce = 50 calories + Inko's White Tea = 100 calories?
total lunch =450
Snack 2 - 1 Fage 2% yogurt with Peach = 120 calories (didn't finish all of it)
Snack 3 (after work) - 3 Chocolate CHIP cookies = 700? calories
Snack 4 (after after work) 2 tbs of Rita's Mango Ice = 50? calories
Dinner - Salmon, Rice, Gandules, Green Bean Salad = 600 calories...
Snack 4 - rice pudding = 250 calories.

total 2430
minus 0 exercise
equals 2430


god.

point proven. I need a diet.

The Brace Face Diet...

I noticed I've been eating nothing but junk and super processed foods. Today I estimated the amount of calories I ate.....almost 2000.....most of which is either fat or sugar.

For example, today I had 2 Otis Spunkmeyer cookies as a snack (340 calories total). Of course, I HAD to have ice cream and crushed oreos for desert after my fattening dinner (three shrimp/crab raviollis sauteed in garlic and oil with spinach/peas = about 500 calories).

Now that I realized that I am on the fast track to becoming fat and lazy.....I have decided to start my diet this Monday. I will try to slowly slide off the goodies this week/weekend and hopefully on Monday I won't have a mental breakdown.

This means...........no more Park Bakery Powdered Custard Donuts for me on weekends. Sniffle. Sniffle.

OUCH!

My teeth hurt. My right side molar/wisdom teeth/gums are killing me. I'm not sure if its because they are moving or because I ate two cups of kettle corn yesterday night.....owie!

Gizmo and the Brace Face

GiZmo, my sister's yorkie, doesn't seem to like any form of orthodontia. He barked and lunged at my mouth when I was petting him. Then he bit my other sister's lip (who has metal braces) and went at her braces. I think it might be something to do with his love with shiny objects.

Here is a picture of us on our way to get my brows threaded.....



Gizmo is sad here...he doesn't like my brace face expression nor does he like the car ride as he puked upon exiting the car. eww. doggy barf.

pure embarrassment

Do you know what is embarrassing? When you are speaking and the braces are causing your mouth to crust. ARGH!

I had a really important interview today and of course, the crust was forming. I hope they can see beyond the crust and braces and see how valuable I am and will be (when i get rid of the brace face).

come get on the powertrain!

Super excited!!!! Went to the ortho today to fix what I thought was a broken ligature but is actually called a "rotational tie" and ended up with an earlier tightening than expected aaaaand the cool, and one and only, power chain.

What is a power chain? Well its a bunch of ligatures (those O-rings around the bracket) connected together to close the gaps in your teeth.

What does this mean for me?? Well, it means a whole lot of soreness and being achy! I really thought they wouldn't hurt because my braces didn't hurt after a week. But what do I know? I've only had braces for 3 whole weeks.

The scary news is that the ortho didn't mention anything about my teeth moving or anything...so I am guessing the power chain is because my teeth are going to take a long arse time.

I can't wait to actually eat something and floss later tonight!

Daily Update....

An upward shot...

Daily happenings..


* Called the ortho...getting my wire/ligature/tie fixed tomorrow.

* Worked like a maniac alllll day---a good solid 9 hrs of work including training an 80 yr old on how to make rate quotes on a new piece of tech called the comp

* Witnessed one of my coworkers take a dump in the bathroom, not wash her hands, and then have her touch things all over my desk. Can you say Revenge?

*Became annoyed by "Vicky" my original Atrium mgr b/c she claims that DESIGNING and CREATING a SALES PITCH ppt is "ADMIN" and I do "NOT" deserve extra $$. Guess what Vicky? GO F yourself. GDWTW! <~ I will paypal you a dollar if you can guess what that means.

*Got Dinner at a local college fast food joint....and flashed my best braceface smile when I ordered..causing the cashier to give me a strange look.

*PEED like 20 times, pooped 2x

*Got my hair pulled out by a freaking indo on the train...train jerked, he wasn't holding on to anything, lost balance, fell on my hair, great.

*Roasted a bunch of YAMS for the weekend....wegmans style.

**Engaged in a deep conversation on why the dirty coworker is soooo slow.

*Had about 1283 thoughts today about ways that Gizmo will die if Mel doesn't take responsibility.

*Winced at the idea that I am paying my second cash installment to the ortho tomorrow of $$$850...EEEK

I hope my ortho says my teeth have been moving a lot tomorrow...but I doubt it. They don't feel like they are doing ANY moving at ALL :(

doggy lesson

NEVER EVER EVER FEED A PUPPY ALCOHOL or GRAPES (OR THE WORST CASE SCENARIO=VINO).

Poor Gizmo, I <3 you.


On another note.....I have a darn sinus infection. Boogies and braces do not mix!!

sinus infection and braces

I think I caught Nan's darn sinus infection/tonsillitis. My throat is killing me and my sinuses are acting up. Great. I have to go back to work with a face full of braces, a terrible sore throat, and boogies.

graduation

The RBS commencement ceremony was this past Tuesday...a very rainy day. At first I was a little anxious/ticked off because I left my house later than expected and almost missed the new "tradition" of walking from the law center to NJPAC. WHOOPS. Thank god J's serious driving skills and running through the courtyard got me there a minute after the cutoff. Of course I see crazy T O Neill, the social retard of a career counselor, and she gave me a surprised look as if "oh, you weren't lying about being a RBS student".

My parents, which is typical of them, were a half hour late even though I told them the grad started an hour early. Both sets of grandparents didn't come. :( Went out to lunch at Don Pepe...my first real meal and sitting a restaurant. I learned a good lesson that I should NOT stuff my face with seafood because it will make my mouth sore.

Nonetheless, food was good and the atmosphere was great, and I am a new RBS alumnae.

Picture of my braces/smile after a full week of being brace faced >>>

Ortho Crazzzzzzy

Went ortho-crazy today and walked around Target's dental section. I didn't find much ortho-friendly products, but I did manage to grab a few essentials.






On another note, this is by far the cutest picture EVER:




Courtesy of Cuteoverload.com

GODDAMN ACCESS

Sometimes things happen because they aren't really meant to be.

Thank god for three things:

1. I won't have to be chummy with a social retard
2. I won't have to worry about sweating 9 hrs a day all summer long
3. That hopefully someday I will select the perfect combination of numbers and win me some lottery money!

Day 4: Graduating to Soft Foods

After 3 full days of eating pureed foods or liquids (soups, smoothies, milkshakes), I am pleased to announce I have graduated to "soft foods". I had the insides of a very soft burrito, a sweet potato (microwaved until it was tiny), and some french fries. Oh, and Babybel cheese.

Now that I have put some actual substance in me, I think I will return back to the gym on Monday. I am planning on doing some serious practice on chewing this weekend. Macaroons, Fresh Mozz, Meatballs, and Pizza. You name it, I'll eat it.

I know all of you are probably saying "stop whining and suck it up", but I will tell you...missing two molars and having a wire cut up your entire cheek till the point its raw and bloody will also prevent YOU from eating too.

About that wire...I finally got it cut so it won't hurt me and give me chipmunk cheeks anymore. Thanks to Dr. Silverstein, who was covering my ortho while he wallows in the sun for a whole week, for removing the extra wire.

Now, if only you can convince Justin to correct his openbite....and get braces too!!!

Day 2: Lessons Learned

Two lessons I learned today:

1. Don't brush/pick your teeth in the floor's bathroom at work--use the private office bathroom.
2. Don't EVER use scope when you have ceramic braces--it WILL MAKE YOUR ENTIRE MOUTH BLUE.


Day 2 with braces has been a very unique experience. Upon entering work, my boss and colleagues immediately tried to catch a glimpse of all of the work going on in my mouth. My successful attempts to keep my mouth closed were going well until the boss jr. (the son) called me into his office for a "chat". Thank you boss jr., I can tell by your immediate "smirk" that you were enjoying my pain.

The best was when I went to my bf's house and watched everyone tear down on turkey, yams, and a good hunk of bread while I was in a corner quietly sipping on some canned soup. yumm.

I must say, the best experience today by far, has been the middle aged Asian woman in the bathroom today who asked me all about my braces and for my ortho's name and number because my braces looked "nice". After telling her my story, she said the only thing that could make me smile all day: "good for you, you deserve nice teeth!". Thank you kind Asian lady on floor 12 of the financial center. Thank you.

NEWS FLASH!

I can't bite!!! My molars don't meet!!! GAH! Looks like soup and water for me.

Here is a recap of my daily food intake for the day:

Pre-Ortho: Thomas' WG English Muffin with butter/jelly & Half a FAGE 2% w/ Peach.
Post Ortho: BK Small Vanilla Milkshake (lunch)
Dinner: Split Pea Soup (a pureed version) and Seltzer (Soda/Tea is a no-no!).
Dessert: Kozy Shak FULL FAT Rice Pudding ................which was absolutely deeeeeeelicious and 5x better than the sugar free version.

Tomorrow will be a full day of work and interacting with people.

Can't wait.

Brace Face: Day 1

The longest two years of my life started today at 9:15 AM. I was originally scheduled to get ceramic braces, but changed my mind and opted for the metal--thinking I would get the same type as my sister and every other orthodontic patient in the U.S.

Since my teeth aren't that bad, just a few spaces and a overbite, I figured it wouldn't look so bad since my sister's looks pretty nice and small (esp considering our small teeth).

After the two hours were done, I went to rinse my mouth and look in the mirror. Total shock and a severe wave of depression overcame me. I quietly walked back to the patient waiting room and sat down in the corner. About a minute later, it hit me: I would have to go to work with the infamous metal mouth. People always say it doesn't look that bad, but I think the assistant had it in for me. This was BAD.

When they brought me into the room to tell me how to clean and what I can/can't eat, I sobbed like my life was over. After an hour of sobbing and arguing that they used the wrong brackets on my teeth, my trusty bf came in and used his lawyerly tactics on them. He talked down the extra $ 500 fee to remove the WRONG brackets off of my teeth to ZERO, and talked the doctor into letting them change my brackets THAT morning--instead of waiting a whole week.

Here are the pictures of my smile, with all types of crazy dental appliances.

I have ceramic braces now. The pain is just starting to come in. The humiliation has subsided. And tonight I am having an entire bottle of Las Brisas (pinot grigio) to toast a full two years of being uncomfortable, in pain, and eating soft foods.

butterflies..

..in my tummy.

so. darn. nervous. I have an interview in two hours for a job I really want. In two days I will have a full mouth of metal and all the nice things that come with it...soup...chapstick...and tylenol. My bf SWEARS braces don't hurt..but that's probably because he has HUGE chompers and a high tolerance for pain.

Thank god this interview was moved to today, I wouldn't want braces ruining my chance of having an awesome job at the union.

just found out my ortho has a patient website.

OH MY GOD. My pictures are disgusting. I needed braces badly ...about a good 12 yrs ago. Tsk, being a 20-something with a full load of metal is going to suck, but the benefits will be GREAT. For one, I would be able to actually break down all of my food! Woot!

So this is my mouth closed.


Please mind the tea stain on my front tooth.

This is what my upper looks like:

Um that dark spot on my lower right corner may be a cavity. My dentist told me in January during my annual cleaning that I had TWO small cavities on my newly formed wisdom teeth. When I went back a few weeks ago to get a cleaning and this prob fixed before i sign my soul to the devil, he thought I was craZy and said I must have made up the whole having a "cavity". Who the hells makes cavities up anyways? And if people do...WHY? Seriously, I really hope that is some sort of food from the lunch I ate before this picture was taken.

Crushin'

Dear Ketttle Corn,

You smell so good and taste oh so yummy. When I think of you I get chills. Your nutritious self satisfies me oh so much. I will miss you. My braces won't care about my cute crush on you. Farewell. I will see you in around 18-24 months.

Love always,

Grabella

Loop'd .....by Lupus

Hoboken's Art & Music fest this weekend turned out to be a perfect day of binge eating. After arriving at 1, the wonderful scents in the air immediately captivated me and as a result, led to my afternoon of overeating.

I haven't mentioned it before, but I am scheduled to get braces on the 12th. Yes, Braces. Yes, metal. No, I can't get invisalign--I have serious problems that can only be cured with metal braces and possibly a ton of rubber bands.

So, to get back to my story...I ate everything I could that I wouldn't get to eat for the two years.

As I was stuffing my face and feeding my belly, I noticed people staring at my lil sis. WHY? Well she has been loop'd by a thing called lupus.

Yes people, it's a real disease. It's incurable, and it totally sucks. It takes over your body and treats it like a foreign object. Unfortunately, the side effects make you feel like a foreigner in your own body. The tell-tale rash, the fevers, the weight gain (from the meds), the uncontrollable growth of hair in odd places, the LOSS of hair on your head, etc etc.

GOD PEOPLE. STOP FUCKING STARING. We should force people to make donations to the lupus foundation just for looking.

No matter what people say, my sister is pretty no matter whaaaaat!

Bottle Caps for Samples

Donate whatever plastic bottle caps you can find to an Aveda store till the end of the month and get free samples for their new line of eco friendly hair products.

OH, yes. Forgot to mention.........Phillips crab cakes (from Costco/Shoprite) are the BEST crabcakes everrrrrrr.

I've been to numerous establishments that offer these crab cakes and they never lose their consistency.


:)

its not easy being greeeen

Long time since I've posted. I've been busy with work, cooking, cleaning, and trying to find time to sleep. I've also started going to the gym. I noticed my once very strong lean legs are now completely the standard hourglass figure and have changed from muscle to looseness.

Quick updates: I received a letter notfiying me that I've been on Dean's list for the past couple of semesters. Woooot. Nan's Rutgers tour with my father was a disaster. My father met Justin's mom. Surage is a maniac and keeps calling the house. I got my teeeeeth cleaned. I fell in love with cinnamon puffins <3 <3 <3. annnnnnd I spend the weekend down the shore and ended up only tanning my back side of my body. How cute.

listed

ehlo.

The last couple of days have been really hectic. I went to the stinky METS game on Wednesday with my sisters and my dad. The only thing I like about the METS is the orange vintage looking baseball caps they sell in the shop. That's about it. The game ended up being a disaster for me at the end as I got lost on the subway and had to take multiple trains for a total of 3 hours to get back home to good 'ol Jersey.

On work:

The girl I am replacing was finally replaced, and I began working by myself (at last!) for all of Thursday and Friday. I like this much better. I am still going to laugh inside my head at my new colleagues and how 95% of their work involves computers and simple systems that can be learned in little time and how they still can't manage to turn a computer on or open a word document. Seriously. Thursday morning, the windows welcome screen "press ctl + alt + delete to sign in" really perturbed them so much that they have manage to waste an hour of my precious life by screaming on top of their lungs on how much they hate "B" for locking everyone out of the computer. I feel sorry for them.

On Life:

Well, my parents are a tad bit mad at me right now. MY father is so rude to me and so emotionally unavailable that I got so mad at him and warned that I wouldn't take care of him when he is old and brittle for making me suffer emotionally/mentally for all of these years. I'm not sure if he means to hurt me so much, or even knows if he is hurting me, but his upbringing (and lack of father and mother) is probably the cause of his constant neglect and root cause of his lack of sensitivity. My mom's menopause isn't helping either. She is constantly bitching over how I am "ungrateful" and "mal agradecida" (her words exactly). Look, IF I WERE ACTUALLY UNGRATEFUL, I definitely wouldn't be visiting home all the time, buying them small tokens of appreciation, calling them 4x a day. The fact is I am very grateful for my upbringing. Though it led me to basically go from child to adult and lacked the love and tenderness I needed, the truth is it actually made me into the person I am today. It prepared me for life and taught me how to take care of myself--emotionally, mentally and physically. So dad and Mom...I'm sorry to say such horrible words. But the truth is that when you two are old and brittle, I'll probably be the only one out of your 5 wonderful children to take you in and take care of you because of the shit you put us all into. And I'm very grateful for that.

Are you writing this down?

Best question all week. I started temping today. In one word, it sucks. I hate it. I don't know how I will do this all summer long (or at least until I get a job). The funniest thing was the 30 minute tutorial on how to look up email addresses on Outlook. Now I don't know about you, but most people born after 1975 actually were born with email and a personal web page. Pfffft.

I _ NEED_ TO _ WIN_ THE _ LOTTERY.

After wasting away part of my life, I trekked home on this wonderful thing called mass transit. Its amazing how many CREEPS have jobs.

It's funny. I always said to my sig other "Everything is perfect! Don't Worry!" while I was still in college. About a week after I completed my last business class, I was hit with reality. Worry. Worry. Worrry. How will I pay my loan? Car insurance is how much? Can I borrow some money? God damn.

And this is why I temp.

And so it begins..

Hello.

After realizing my time on the internet revolves around checking my email every 5 seconds, checking status updates on facebook, and looking at the weather for the week, I decided to start a blog.

Why? 'Cause I just graduated from college and am slightly bored. Oh, and to document my life for my stalker friends who can't pick up the phone to say "hola!".

What is this blog about? A whole lot of NOTHING. Enjoy.