For the longest time, I thought I couldn't have oats. That is what the doctors told me, as many of you non-gluten eaters have heard as well.
Well! I came across these Semper oatmeal cookies and I was semi-skeptical (I reaaaallllly wanted to eat them no matter ;) as the box stated "gluten-free".
Semper, the Swedish based, brilliant food company, has other great products - so I thought "Why not?". I put my trust in them and tossed it in the grocery basket.
Before I went on to open the box, I thought I shouldn't tempt fate, so I did a little research. It seems - apparently we CAN have oats, as long as it is just pure oats.
Unfortunately, a lot of factories house wheat, barley and oats under one roof, so normally we can't have it. Well, I gave these a try - and wow! How I've missed oatmeal cookies!
They even had little chocolate chip bits of sweet tease enjoyment! If you find these at your grocery store, I suggest eating the whole box of these in one sitting (not really ... maybe in two ;)
Besides Chanel having the most beautiful Haute Couture pieces, I am in love with the wonderful quality of makeup and perfumes of this fashion house. But, I wanted to put a little spotlight on the glossy, sexy, black Chanel acoustic guitar with the clean etching of "Chanel" written across the back.
That, I would love to own ... maybe in this lifetime. Even just sporting the carrying case - it is beautiful by itself!
Right now I am rocking a lovely Gibson Songwriter acoustic, but I think this Chanel guitar would be something I would have in some sort of glass cabinet, as I would imagine she wouldn't sound as good as she looks.
Maybe I would play it once if I was privileged enough to play for Coco herself. She is probably rolling in her grave as I type these lines. I wonder what song she would like to hear? Something lovely, classique and French, I'm sure :)
Looking at pictures of her, she seems to have a slight stubborn streak, but I bet she was a big softy at heart. Look at Coco, all bad-ass, sporting that lit cigarette. It sure sets the Parisian ambiance.
I would love to have a glass of Merlot with her over a late lunch, to hear her thoughts on Chanel, her empire, and what it has become - now. She resembles my Gramma, in a way.
Some of you may know I am not a huge fan of birds. I love the beauty of birds, but I enjoy them more at an arm's length. I personally love ravens!
Did you know that these birds are actually quite brilliant? For example, they throw nuts and shells on the road so that cars crush them open as they drive by.
Crows don't do that, but did you know these birds have different dialects like we do, depending on the area where you live? I wonder if they draw out and slow their sqwaking in the deep South? Hmm... :)
Well, for feeding the "pretty" birds, I found this really cool bird feeder here at the pet store on Saturday - called the "Egg Feeder" by "The Nuttery". It turns out that particular brand out of the UK has bad business ethic according to the REAL designer J Schatz from New York.
The UK Nuttery house bought up a huge amount to recreate the feeder themselves.
Not Nice!
J, this fantastic designer and his extrordinary egg design, keeps those pesky (but cute) squirrels from getting the good eats from the early birdies!
So, I will hold out on the fake (as should anyone else) and will wait until I move back to purchase the real deal from Mr. Schatz himself! I will personally be buying the big robin egg (above) colour!
Although I also love the over-sized Olive ;)
He also makes cute Egg bird houses! In Easter pastels! Can't wait for next spring! :D
Yes! I finally decided on keeping this machine, as I was a little hesitant on the Candy Apple Red colour (I pondered the matter for an entire weekend).
It is actually better than the Artisian models (same as the Architect). I REALLY wanted the Gloss Cinnamon and Boysenberry (purple) - but this was a limited edition colour and I will find ways to match it with my future kitchen.
I have been dreaming of owning one of these for a very long time and I am excited to move just to hook this up and make some gluten-free goodies! I love this model because the finish on the body is beautiful, and the glass bowl is such a nice touch and less industrial looking. Tres classique!
I see myself putting on some hot Dior red lipstick and a pearl necklace ... now, all I need is a really sexy apron to complete this "Pleasantville" look! :)
P.s That rocking horse in the background (in the picture below) my Grampa made just for me on my 4th Christmas :) It means more than you know. I rode with my buddies (imaginary Michael Jackson and Pippi Longstocking) on that thing for years! Miss you Gramps :)
Today I was really searching for my Fruitella fix ( I only like the strawberry kind) - and as I couldn't find them at this particular store, I opted to "settle" for these Maoam chewy treats.
Well, I was in for a treat when it seemed that I unwrapped my invitation to a kamasutra-styled fruitful party!
First of all; what type of character is that green guy on every package and why does he feel the need to party it up with lemons? They probably have mental breakdowns, as they are emotional basket cases anyways.
All looks and packaging aside, these did give me my fix. I was a happy girl and lived the rest of the evening happily ever after :)
Here is some key advice from none other than Sharon and Fred from British Columbia, Canada! Hopefully you can take this advice home with you and live it every day, like I do :) According to Fred "Brad has been reported to be smoking the Hasheesh with Quentin Tarantino!"
"I think I will sleep on the couch tonight" - Brad's voice as Darth Vader.
Dear Sharon,
Your laugh is pure nightmare material. Don't stop laughing though, you truly make my day!
"Brilliant" is the first word that comes to mind after watching this Italian show with guest artists Muse play. It seems that they got a little bothered after learning the producers wanted them to lip-sync and pretend to play all the instruments for their television performance.
So, lead singer Matthew Bellamy took his skillz to the drums and drummer Dominic Howard decided to be the poster boy and rock lead vocals and lead guitar while Christopher Wolstenholme traded his bass in for a guitar and a sweet synth and it was all pure entertainment!
The graphics between camera changes are so awful and "cutting edge" it almost reminds me of those "Be A Star" videos, where you can make yourself a star in a music video booth with your best friends at the amusement park, deciding on your favourite song - which is, unfortunately, not sung by the actual artists (already hilarious).
Then you jam out in front of a green screen where I am sure there is only about 3 different backgrounds to choose from - as I've seen Endoplamic, Sockboy and djthrusst do a version of Metallica rocking the SAME body surf crowd! I promise it was pretty awesome though ;)
Here is a perfect example of what I am talking about, below! The guy in the white hat obviously dreamed of this video moment and worked out some sweet moves. I hope to dance as good as him one day, until then, I will study his foot (and arm) work.
This post is in memory of my last post which was written and ready to be posted yesterday, until the dreaded Internet would NOT connect at Pearson (Toronto Airport) for me! Grrr City! I am not going to change my message, but I am sitting and waiting in Heathrow, London, now :)
Original post below;
Well, it was such a short and hectic week here in Canadaland. I enjoyed seeing friends and family for sure :) I did get to indulge in my maple syrup smothered over Canadian bacon/ham combo this week, which is complete comfort food for me.
Now, I am at the Toronto airport, flying over to Heathrow, London - one of my favourite airports to stop in and waste a few hours making Piccadilly circles around the place - visiting all the pretty shops.
Then I’m off to Sola Airport near Stavanger - and a quick ferry to Tau to pick up Beatrix and Tobias, my cats who’ve been at camp for a week ;)
Can’t wait to be home in Canada for Christmas!
However, now it’s back to Norway to watch the highly anticipated Season 2 of “Twin Peaks”. Have YOU met Bob? ;)
Tonight I had a wicked Japanese dinner in London, Ontario - at Ichiban Sushi House! I must say that I have been quite impressed and never disappointed with the freshness of the seafood that they use in this chain.
I usually opt for something boring, but enjoy stealing my favorites (like white tuna) from the Man's plate ;)
It's a great place to eat if you are gluten intolerant, but you have to stay away from all the soya sauce - which is in everything ...
Maybe next time I will take a small vial of my own gluten-free soya sauce to enjoy the fish proper!
If you have an Ichiban in your area, I say check it out - as it is fun to sample and it's the only place I've seen where they serve you a wooden Viking-styled boatload of sushi!
If you ever decide to stay in Berlin, Germany, for a weekend - you need to stay at The Circus Hotel. I must say that the service is above and beyond my expectations and the rooms are quite affordable, considering it is in the center (Mitte) of the city - and a brand new hotel.
We had a 2-floor apartment, seperate from the rest of the building across a magical courtyard (moreso at night). It was such a cosy house to stay in.
The hotel restaurant, so good it is open to the general public, also had a wonderful staff.
They learned about my gluten intolerance the night before and had a table waiting for me by morning.
I heard; "Michelle? We have been expecting you for breakfast" and they had a large tray of English muffins and bread ready for me - even a bowl of gluten-free cereal was provided. Not a bad way to start your day ;)
The circus hotel also rents out Smart Cars and Segways to get around town quickly. We took the S-Bahn and the U-Bahn around town - as it was quite easy and very efficient.
The hotel also had a DVD library of local movies. Of course I grabbed a couple I was already obsessed with, just for the experience :) You need to watch "Goodbye Lenin" and "Run Lola Run" if you haven't already.
I watched the latter movie when I was 12 years old. So good! Both soundtracks are amazing. I watched "Goodbye Lenin" just because all the music was composed by Yann Tiersen, which made this movie even more beautiful.
Back to The Circus Hotel; it was a little weird - because in our room I discovered only 2 pictures on the wall. One of a lady biting another naked lady and a stamp from Canada. Verrrry Interesting, Eh?
Being home means creeping my ancient (not really) computer! I discovered 16 year-old photos of me with platinum blonde locks and rocking chain-link styled tops in my old band.
We called ourselves "Igneous" at that time.
I'll be sure to fill you in and tell you a little more about my Ellemusic making in the future, (I've produced all my songs in my bedroom) but for now I must go to sleep!
What a ridiculously, busy day today! I haven't had a chance to sit down until now, and it is past my bedtime!
All is well here in Canadaland. Lots of people to see, and things to be done while I am home this short week ;)
Last night, Endoplasmic and Moxy showed me the funniest cat auto-tuned song - that I wish I wrote myself. If T-Pain and Lil' Wayne were cats, or undisguised themselves to who they really are, this is what they would sing - and it would be a #1 hit. Seriously.
You guys cut the crap and unmask yourselves! I want to throw this on my ipod and blast it through the city.
Time difference with jetlag has taken over my life at the moment and I can't seem to keep my eyes open for the life of me! Right now, I am rocking out and about to pass out at The Signature Sandman Hotel, right by the airport. I wonder if Neil Gaiman ever stayed here?
I love staying at this hotel as they have apples lined up by the elevator every day, whenever you are feeling a little peckish. They also have a Moxie's restaurant attached. Tonight I went out with my brother Endoplasmic and his girl Moxy to "The Keg" for some delish steak. It was a wonderful, belated birthday dinner :D Thank you!
Well, if you ever stay in Toronto I definately suggest staying here at this hotel, as the rooms are extremely spacious with seperate rooms in your suite (which is not too badly priced, at all) - it's like a tiny house! You won't be disappointed!
So, we went into Shoppers Drug Mart today, and came out with some Norwegian VOSS water! Funny thing is we were just at the LCBO to get my Cointreau for tasty Cosmos - and found that Italian wine "VOGA", that totally stole the whole Voss bottle idea.
Then I thought; "I wonder if Voss will ever come to Canada?". Then of course I found it, I bought it, I drank it - and it was delightful. In Norway, I've only had it in glass bottles, but this was in plastic! Interesting :)
Yes! I am off to Canada for a week to catch up with the family and town gossip. I can't wait for some good ol' Canadian breakfast and - as Twin Peaks' Special Agent Dale Cooper puts it at his best; "Nothing beats the taste sensation when maple syrup *claps hands* collides with ham."
A man after my own heart :) Maple syrup on Canadian bacon sounds pretty tasty too! Should be an adventure. I still have things to tell you to check out in Berlin! There is always tomorrow :D
Wow, what can I say ... I am in a different time zone, but this morning I learned that none other than the super talented Patrick Swayze has passed, aged 57. I was thinking about him Sunday night as I was watching Hale & Pace (hilarious British duo) do a rendition of the Chippendale's.
And then I thought about the SNL version of Patrick Swayze and Chris Farley doing a version of their own and thought; Wow - I love Patrick ... too bad Chris Farley died at that point. And NOW they are both gone.
Patrick was epic - I fell in love with him in "Ghost". I wanted to be his best friend to witness him rip a guy's throat out with his bare hands in "Roadhouse". Not to mention his wonderful ways of "Dirty Dancing".
I've never met Swayze, but he looked like a very down-to-earth man. A very gentle soul (the horses love him :)
He was still married to his wife (married since 1975 like my parents) and had solid morals. He died quietly and in peace, with his family there - and I think he was ready to say goodbye. Well - he did it with grace.
I guess we can start singing "oooooh myyyyy loveeee ... my darlin'" He might just appear, now :)
Rest in peace, you brilliant man. I am so happy to have lived and experienced your amazingness within your lifetime.
Check out this awesome track from Patrick; "She's Like The Wind", below.
For the longest time, I thought I couldn't have oats. That is what the doctors told me, as many of you non-gluten eaters have heard as well.
Before I went on to open the box, I thought I shouldn't tempt fate, so I did a little research. It seems - apparently we CAN have oats, as long as it is just pure oats.
Well, for feeding the "pretty" birds, I found this really cool bird feeder here at the pet store on Saturday - called the "Egg Feeder" by "The Nuttery". It turns out that particular brand out of the UK has bad business ethic according to the 
I see myself putting on some hot Dior red lipstick and a pearl necklace ... now, all I need is a really sexy apron to complete this "Pleasantville" look! :)
Yes! I am off to Canada for a week to catch up with the family and town gossip. I can't wait for some good ol' Canadian breakfast and - as Twin Peaks' Special Agent Dale Cooper puts it at his best; "Nothing beats the taste sensation when maple syrup *claps hands* collides with ham."
A man after my own heart :) Maple syrup on Canadian bacon sounds pretty tasty too! Should be an adventure. I still have things to tell you to check out in Berlin! There is always tomorrow :D
