PonchoMeg: The Modern Bohemian's Great Glorious Gluten-Free Day!

Every day is filled with gluten-free food for me, but some days, I get super excited... because some days I discover new, delicious, gluten-free food and I don't feel so restricted anymore!  It's the feeling of freedom.  Of pure joy!

Okay... I know I sound a little overly dramatic, but you have to understand... I ate food with gluten in it for 25 years!  And food, just like music, clothing, art, movies, etc., brings with it special memories, feelings, and traditions for me.

For example, Fall weather is perfect for cider and donuts.  Except traditional donuts are like Gluten Monsters; filled with gluten and ready to sicken. ( But oh so tasty. ) I can't eat those!  And gluten-free donuts?  Just not quite the same... at least, I haven't found any as tasty as the Gluten Monsters out at the Cider Mill.  I haven't found any that even come close!  So disappointment sets in.  Cider and donuts is a part of family tradition.  So I'm left out a little, and it makes me sad.

But yesterday, that DIDN'T happen.  And we were kind of afraid it would.  I'll explain.

Will and his family took me with them to Frankenmuth yesterday and we went to the Bavarian Inn for an early dinner.  Now, at Bavarian Inn, you can get an amazing family style meal to share, but of course, it is filled with gluten.  You must imagine my joy then at discovering that the Bavarian Inn has a fairly extensive gluten-free menu that includes salads, beer, wine, at least 5 entrees including chicken, fish, and steak, and even dessert! I was thrilled!  I was able to celebrate a special event (Will's uncle's birthday) with people I care about and not feel left out (or hungry!).  I also got to enjoy the awesome atmosphere of the Bavarian Inn in Frankenmuth, Michigan, one of my FAVORITE places to go in the Fall.  But it gets even better.

Later that night when Will and I were back home, I tried Ian's Wheat Free, Gluten Free Cookie Buttons (Chocolate Chip).  Will's mom bought them for me, but I was hesitant to try them because I have had a LOT of bad, packaged, gluten-free cookies.  But I tried them.  And WOW they are amazing!  I mean... they are really yummy AND gluten-free AND they are really not that bad for you!  Really!  One bag is less than 150 calories (and for people on Weight Watchers, I saw somewhere online that it was only 2 points.  But don't quote me on that, I only saw it at one source.  You may want to research it yourself.)

How exciting is that?  Two gluten-free moments of pure happiness and satisfaction!  What a great, glorious, gluten-free day.

While we are on the gluten free subject, here are a few gluten-free lists I've published on List My 5:

The Top Five Gluten Free Recipes for Thanksgiving

The Top Five Foods for a Gluten Free Thanksgiving

The Top Five Gluten Free Candies for Halloween or Anytime

The Top Five Somewhat Healthy But Yummy Gluten Free Snack Foods

If you had a great, glorious, gluten-free day where you discovered and enjoyed something new, please share it!  Leave a comment. :)

Peace and Love,
Meagan

Trick or Treat for Unicef

Trick or Treating is such a fun activity for kids and parents to do together.  But did you know that you can have fun and raise money for a great cause all at once?  For 60 years, children and their families have been "trick or treating for Unicef," and making a huge difference.  If you haven't yet, your chance to start is now.  Just head into Toys"R"Us  or Babies"R"Us between now and October 30, 2010 and pick up a collection box for Unicef at the Guest Services desk.  Then take it door to door with you as you trick or treat  and ask people to donate their pocket change to Unicef.  (Also, check out the website to see how else you can help, even if you don't have kids!)

Why do this?

Well, first of all, Unicef is a worthwhile charitable organization to raise money for, as they do work to help children around the world.  Money donated to Unicef goes towards research, education, disease prevention, family support systems, child protection, AIDS/HIV relief efforts, and so much more.

Plus, many of our world's problems could be solved if we solved them earlier in life.  By helping children around the world, we are preparing the world for a better future with fewer problems.

And think about the message that you are sending to your own children at an early age.  Teaching your children to help others who are less fortunate than they are is so important for their development, and this is a great way to do it because it's fun, you will be able to see the results of your hard work, and the best part: you're helping children!  Children helping children is so important because it helps them to see that people who are their "peers," and perhaps considered their "equals," can still be in need of assistance and it shows them that it's okay to reach out.

So please, this Halloween, think about doing some trick or treating for Unicef!

Peace and Love,
Meagan

Oh Life... oh ever changing life...

This has been, and continues to be, a time of interesting highs and lows for the Modern Bohemian.

We'll start with the lows...

I've been sick, and it worries me. (See earlier post)
A friend's father just died
I don't have enough money to pay my rent
I can't seem to be able to get even a part time job out in the "real world" (only online)
and the State wants to cut back on and/or take away my unemployment benefits... which I've received for less than a month.
Etc. etc. etc.
Boo.

But then there are the high notes!  The happy points!  The exciting moments!  Including:
Getting hired to be the Lansing Electronic Music Examiner on Examiner.com.  (Check out my first article with them here: "Macs Bar supports electronic music in Lansing")
Getting my article, The Top Five Zoos in Michigan, featured on the front page of List My 5.
Getting more followers on Twitter
Getting approved as an affiliate for  and  and
and seeing Wilhuff succeed in the online, social networking world.

But where's the in between?  I can't go through life like I'm on a rollercoaster; up and down, up and down!  Sometimes I need some in between.
The ideal ratio would be 70% good things (the highs), 10% bad things (the lows... you know, so that I can still appreciate the highs), and 20% in between (in between.  Neither bad, nor good, just a normal, smooth sailing kind of boring regularity that sometimes help to keep a person sane.)

For now, I probably just have to deal with the rollercoaster ride.  Maybe eventually the good things (like, my writing) can help with the bad things (like... my lack of money), but until then,  I just have to keep trying my best and plugging away and working hard to survive and keep hope alive...

Peace and Love,
Meagan

Hippies, Bohemians, and Free-Spirits... and LM5

I love List My 5 because it allows me to have tons and tons of creativity, and when the creativity is flowing, I start thinking of all my hippie/bohemian/free-spirit brothers and sisters around the world, and when I start thinking about all them I sometimes get inspired to write about them! So yeah... this is the result of that:

The Top Five Places for Hippies Bohemians and Free Spirits Online

The Top Five Hippie and Bohemian Stores in Michigan

The Top Five Books for Hippies Bohemians and Free Spirits

The Top Five Places for Hippies and Bohemians in Grand Rapids Michigan

Peace and Love

~*~*~*~MEAGAN~*~*~*~

Wilhuff

Wilhuff (aka: Will, my boyfriend) is starting to do some great things, and I am so excited.  Just this past Friday he played an amazing house party called "Rave to the Grave," and his mixes were a huge hit with everyone there.  The best part was that most people were dancing when the Wilhuff originals came on.  THAT was awesome! In addition to that, yesterday, a record label contacted him!  Crazy!  I'm trying to help him out by helping him with his blog (Wilhuff's Blog) and helping him make connections with people on Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter... and we're really making progress.
To make things even better, my writing world and my "being a good girlfriend" world are colliding in a really great way.  I got hired by Examiner.com to be the Lansing Electronic Music Examiner.  So now, I can write great stuff based on what I actually see around me in the clubs, bars, and online, I can promote Will and his music, I can help promote the Lansing music scene, and along the way, hopefully make some money so I can dig myself out of the financial pit I'm in. (And what a deep pit it is...)
But it is all so exciting.  Electronic music is amazing, and Wilhuff is amazing.  I am so proud of where he is and I think he can go far.  What an adventure that would be for this Modern Bohemian... to have a famous DJ boyfriend. haha  Hey, I can dream.  And if I keep dreaming and keep working and if Will keeps gaining momentum... that dream could very well come true.
Do you have any crazy dreams that aren't really so crazy?  Feel free to share.  (Especially if one of those dreams is to have an amazing house party with an up and coming DJ... because I can arrange that! haha)
Peace and Love,
Meagan

PonchoMeg: The Modern Bohemian is feeling down... but working on feeling better

So... I've been kinda sick for a few days and this is the second time in a month I have been sick like this.  This makes me worry.  You see, I have always had medical problems, and for the past 7 years or so, it's been really bad.  But ever since I went 100% gluten-free last December, my health has been improving.  I have gotten sick less, gotten fewer weird conditions, and have been able to actually lose weight because I have actually had some energy.  Now all of a sudden, it seems like my health is sliding backwards on me and like I said, it makes me worry.
It probably doesn't help that I don't have any health insurance.  Now, don't get me wrong, I love my lifestyle now; freelance writing, doing extra work for movies and tv, performing, doing odd jobs, and working on my blog.  But the problem with this way of living is that insurance is hard to come by, and so is money.  As a teacher, I was paid well AND I had amazing insurance, so sometimes I wonder if I should just go back to that to give me some security.
But the problem is... I don't fit well into that kind of world.  I am terrible with the 9-5, terrible at dealing with bosses and catty co-workers, and I disagree with so much of what is happening in the public school systems.  So where does that leave me?
Well... I have to make more happen for myself.  That's what I've decided.  If I can't afford health insurance, then I need to make more money. So... I am on the hunt for a tolerable part time job, I am writing up a storm online on List My 5 and some of my other writing sites, and I am thinking of getting a manager to help to get me some higher paying jobs in television and movies.  We'll just have to see how it all goes.
In the meantime, I am feeling pretty down... but it is motivating me.
I may never be completely healthy, and I may just have to deal with that, but I can make a better future for myself.  And maybe getting sick is just the kick in the butt I need to do just that.
Peace and Love,
Meagan

PonchoMeg: The Modern Bohemian Has Been Busy, Busy, Busy!

My life has been busy.  Crazy busy.  And I don't even have a "real" job! haha
Well, first of all, my sister's getting married, so we're all getting ready for that.  I am maid of honor, so I've done all the dress fittings and whatnot, and we just had her Bridal Shower on Sunday.  She's getting married November 6th, so it's coming up fast!
In addition to all the wedding stuff, I have also been working on my writing a lot, trying to make some progress.  You all know that I have been writing for List My Five, which has been amazing by the way, but I've also applied to be an Examiner for Examiner.com (cross your fingers) AND I've been working on my book.  In addition to all that, I have also been helping Will get set up online as his DJ Persona: Wilhuff.  It's been time consuming and all that, but I've been having a lot of fun doing it too.
Besides the wedding and the writing, I have still been working with RealStyle to get extra work in movies and television shows.  Most recently, I got to work on Detroit 1-8-7.  Amazing!  I even got a chance to talk to some of the stars of the show, and they were super nice guys.  Plus, as always, I met so many amazing people on set (extras, crew, security)... what a blast!
Finally, my friend K.J. is getting married in February and wanted to get in shape, so I now have a new workout buddy. We've been getting together at 10:00 am every week day (except Tuesdays when she's out of town teaching) and we've been doing Jillian's 30 Day Shred and Pilates together.  We're going to add running, Tai Chi, and a few other things in as we go too.  Besides working out with her, I still work out alone, so I am really making progress.
So yeah... crazy times.  I'll write more later.  But right now, I have to go tackle some more things that have popped onto my plate! haha
Peace and Love,
Meagan

Halloween Movie Lists from The Modern Bohemian

First of all, I have to say that this modern bohemian LOVES List My Five.  I've been making top five lists like crazy since I joined in September.  My most recent lists are all Halloween themed, so I thought I would post them up here in case you need any ideas for what to watch during this spooktacular season.
Peace and Love
Meagan

The Top Five Classic Halloween Movies

The Top Five Musical Halloween Movies

The Top Five Funny Halloween Movies

The Top Five Scary Halloween Movies

The Top Five Family Halloween Movies

The Top Five Romantic Halloween Movies

John Lennon's Birthday

John Lennon was born 70 years ago today, and though he is not here on Earth with us, I feel it is so important to celebrate his birthday, as he gave us all so much.  The music, the art, the phenomenon... and the peace.  John Lennon believed in peace.  He wanted to see people come together and live in harmony.
And I am sure that there are many people who say that they have a special connection to John Lennon, even if they never saw him or met him.  And I am sure that I am one of those people. :)  I feel a special connection to John.  He helped me so much.

He said in Imagine:
"You may say I'm a dreamer... but I'm not the only one."
And that one line has always resonated with me because I too want peace and love and harmony amongst the people of this planet, and am often called a dreamer, or naive, or overly optimistic because of it.  But I keep believing because John Lennon lived and wrote and sang about his beliefs, and showed me that I was not alone.  Even if I only had John Lennon on my side, I was still not alone.

So I am here to celebrate and say:

"Happy Birthday, John Lennon.  I never knew you in person, but I feel like I know you through your understanding and peaceful spirit.  Your art and your music and your mission of peace have had permanent effects on this Earth, and even though you cannot create new things for us, your inspiration emerges in the fine arts every day, in people like me, who love you and love what you did for this world.  Thank you for sharing yourself with the world in your short time here on Earth.  I will continue to live the dream and promote peace, love, and creativity wherever I go.  I hope I can make you proud.  Happy Birthday and rest in peace."


Peace and Love,
Meagan