Pomplamoose

These two are fun to watch and listen too. They are already a hit on YouTube. (I'm a little late to the party.) Do yourself a favor today and watch them. You won't be disappointed!

They are on YouTube, MySpace and iTunes. And their own website: http://www.pomplamoose.com/

Tons of songs covered as well as originals. Her eyes are mesmerizing.

Vegan Gluten-free bread, Take III

I finally had success with a loaf of gluten-free bread in the breadmaker! Did I think to photograph it? No! I used a Bob's Red Mill package that had all the ingredients in the bag, even the packet of yeast. It rose really nicely and tasted OK. It was fairly dense and a little rubbery compared to bread I'm used to eating. I also realized that I usually eat sourdough bread, which is essentially yeast-free, and I could really smell the yeast in this bread. I also noticed (TMI warning here...) that it seemed to make me gassy. Could it be the yeast? Ironic since gas seems to be one of the main problems that people with gluten-intolerance have.

I enjoyed being able to have toast like a normal person, and even had a veggie burger. I didn't enjoy the gassiness. The price is also about the same as buying a loaf of GF bread in the store--more than $5, so there is no $ savings by making it at home, just freshness.

Do your best? Or just DO!

I've written a longer essay on my business blog Organize in Harmony called The Sour Notes of Perfectionism. In it, I relate what I'm learning in my singing class to the perfectionism I see in myself and my clients around organizing issues.

Here I'll distill that thought....

We often hear people say "Just do your best." Well, I've come to realize that I get stuck on the "best" part and can't get to the "do." If I can't do it "right" or whatever I think right is, I don't want it to be seen, heard, read, whatever.

I'd like to change that to "Just do." (I know, it's awfully close to who-know-who's "Just do it" campaign.)

Just do. Do, even if it's imperfect. Do, even if it's not your best. Just do. Just start, just do and go from there.

Find your comfort around being imperfect, about being human, about being normal. (Whatever that is!)

Only the nose knows...

So, the official update in my nose is....wait and see.

I had a couple MRI's and they found a "thing" on my olfactory nerve. They think it might be an arachnoid cyst*, but they haven't told me that for sure. And it's very small. (If you go googling these on the internet, you will find really big ones in people's heads.)

They want to do another MRI in a few months and see if there is any change.

That's where we are.

The stinky smell comes and goes. And we will wait and see!

At least it's confirmation that I am not crazy. Well, on second thought, that might not be true. It's only confirmation that I was not imagining a smell! Well, that's not exactly true either, because my brain IS imagining a smell since something is pressing on the nerve and there is not an actual thing in my nose that smells bad.

It might MAKE me crazy....:)

*I was really fascinated when the doc used the term arachnoid cyst. I first imagined a spider-like cyst with all eight of its legs wrapped around my olfactory nerve, clinging on like crazy. But, when I looked up how the term "arachnoid" came to be, it is not describing the shape of the cyst, but it is a cyst that is in the arachnoid membrane of the brain. It is called arachnoid because that membrane looks like a spiderweb.
Arachnoid Mater http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arachnoid_mater
Arachnoid Cyst http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arachnoid_cyst 

Arachnoid Cyst Surgery. Warning! Ick Factor here! But I thought it was really cool how you could see just how "cob-webby" the arachnoid membrane really is. http://arachnoidcyst.org/surgery.php

Phantosmia

No, it's not a new Disney movie.

It's the name for that damn smell in my nose. Phantom smell. AKA parosmia. My brain is creating a smell and I also have a reduced sense of smell (hyposmia). (Although thank god I am still greeted by a wonderful aroma as I walk into a Peet's Coffee.)

Read this great article by Jane Andrews and it tells my story–although hers has been going on longer than mine. I could only wish that my smell might sometime change to be pleasant, but not at the risk of it smelling worse than it does now.

"A Pungent Life: The Smells in My Head" from the New York Times.

Also, a fairly easy-to-read medical journal article by Dr. Donald Leopold:

Distortion of Olfactory Perception: Diagnosis and Treatment

I had an MRI today and the only thing it showed was an "assymetry to the olfactory nerve." (OK, the doc didn't specifically say it, but I assume they also found a brain, not straw.)

More tests coming up.

Vegan Gluten-free bread, Take II

I thought this was better, but I guess not! And of course I forgot to take picture before I cut it. This was with the rapid rise yeast. Next time, I will try the recipe and bake it in the oven, not the bread machine and see what happens.Third time's a charm, right?

What is it??

Guess what this is! The answer in a few days...I want to see your guesses...!

What, nobody has a guess???

Answer: It's half a loaf of my first attempt at vegan gluten-free bread in my mom's bread machine. I didn't use rapid-rise yeast, and will try that next since the person who I got the recipe from swears this is a great recipe for vegan gluten free bread made in a bread-machine! I'll post the result when I do that. I found the right yeast at Lucky's tonight, so might attempt it over the weekend. I'll take a photo BEFORE I cut into it!