Ok…..so if I waited until I came up with the PERFECT topic to start blogging, I’d never do it! And this just may be the most interesting topic of all of my future blog posts, so here goes.

One of the reasons I got into VO full-time was to work from home. I’m an incredibly social creature, but I’m just as happy sitting in my jammies on a Tuesday afternoon going through emails, recording voice over projects, and…well, other things. Really different and interesting things. Besides funny cat videos, of course.

I was selected some time back to do a voiceover for an ad for a product I’d never heard of……kefir. Furthermore, I didn’t even know how to pronounce it! So, I went to trusty Youtube to find out how it was said. I had NO idea a new world was about to open for me.

Turns out, there are THOUSANDS of kefir videos….people making it at home. If you don’t know what it is, as I didn’t, here’s the detailed info.

Basically, you buy these “kefir grains” (I found a good source to buy them, here) and soak them in store-bought milk, on the counter at ROOM TEMPERATURE for 24 hours. The grains “eat” or ferment the sugar from the milk, turning the sugar into a bi-product that turns out to be probiotics (the GOOD bacteria for your gut that’s in things like yogurt, etc). What you get is a homemade, drinkable yogurt. NOT sour milk. Pretty amazing! A little tangy, and liquid-y enough to pour into a mug and drink it. You can flavor it however you’d like…fresh fruit, etc……I’ve been throwing in a few teaspoonfuls of ground flax seed, and having it as my breakfast. The grains grow as time goes on, and you can eat those too, for even more probiotic benefits…or give them to a friend. I have a bunch now…..I’d be happy to send some to you if you’re interested in trying it! It’s great for digestion, and apparently keeps you young…..so I’m drinking about a gallon of this stuff a day. Kidding.

Another interesting food project I checked out recently, is kombucha. This is a fermented drink, also….but non-dairy. It ranges in taste from sweet-ish/tangy to downright vinegary. (I’m half Italian, so I don’t mind it strong…but this is one thing that will NOT taste good sauteed in a little garlic and olive oil.) More of my theory on THAT in a future post.

I have a friend that gave me a “mother” or “scoby” to get it started. The scoby (which stands for Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria & Yeast) is basically yeast, and you guessed it, bacteria, that aids in digestion. You may have seen bottles of kombucha in a health food store recently; you can start your own batch with one of these and grow your own, with a little patience. Sounds a lot like the voice-over business!

Although FAR from looking appetizing , this stuff is what’s responsible for the magic of kombucha. The first is a shot from above, looking down from the top of the jar. Aaaaand the side of the jar. Yes, those are strawberries you see just below the mother. I have peaches in there, too. Add some brewed tea with sugar, and grow the batch. Again, the yeast feeds on the sugar and produces more kombucha after a few days! Nature is pretty amazing.

So, my home is different from most by 2 ways now.

1. I have a voiceover studio built into it, and

2. My kitchen now houses a few on-going science projects. That you can ingest. Beat THAT, Crazy Russian Hacker! Ok, I actually love that guy. Props.

Try it! These things have helped me lose a few pounds and give me energy to get through a busy day, all while making life a little more interesting. Working from home? Yes. Still making time for cool stuff? Yes to that, too.

Any questions, I’m happy to answer.

There, I’ve broken my blog cherry. Dish, out.