Granola Girl: Modern hippy woman minus the heroin and STD's. Socially aware and active with a penchant for hemp and sodium-free soap. May eat tofu for breakfast and sweeten food with agave syrup. Is determined to save the world.

(Definition provided by UrbanDictionary.com)

Damn!  That's not me.  I'm not really into hemp so I'm not a Granola Girl by definition.  In addition, I avoid tofu because soy is a GMO (genetically modified organism).

Wow...sooooo...this might actually make me more granola than a Granola Girl.

Nevertheless, here's some granola that's healthier than what you typically find.  (The secret is no butter.  Unfortunately, in many opinions, butter is what makes granola ROCK.  So...choose your battles on this one.)

Granola Girl's Granola

3 cups rolled oats
1/4 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup of unsweetened organic coconut flakes
3/4 cup almonds (I use whole, but sliced would be good too)
1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla

Pam Spray

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.  Spray a baking sheet with Pam Spray.  Spread granola mixture evenly across the baking sheet and coat with Pam.  Bake for 30 minutes. 

Store in an airtight container.

Green Mean Veggie Machine

Almost a year ago, I introduced Veggie Smoothies into my breakfast routine.  Yes, that's right, I said that I drink green vegetables that have been put through a blender.  Yummy!

Vegetable Smoothies are a great start to the morning.  You don't have a heavy carb sitting in your stomach to start off the day.  You also get a huge serving of raw fruits and veggies for the day (and you know you probably aren't consuming enough of that).  Because it is raw, there is less for your body to process and you actually get energized quickly as a result.  It has been a great addition to my pre-run routine -- I actually got the idea after reading "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall. 

The trick to making it more palatable is to make sure there is enough fruit in your concoction.  You can always start off with more fruit and then cut back on your fruit (sugar) as you get used to the taste of your veggie smoothies.

Veggie Smoothie
Serves one.

1 cup almond milk
1 cup spinach, kale, swiss chard
1/2 cup of frozen pineapples
1/2 cup of frozen mangos
1 tsp flaxseed meal
Ice (optional)

Blend together.  As simple as that.

Enjoy!

Where's Waldo?

Even for a feature film, there is no glamour involved with being a background actor.  You are literally just that -- someone filling space in the background.  You work a long unpredictable day (typically 10-14 hrs) and even when you are paid, it is usually equivalent to minimum wage. 

Extra work can be a fun opportunity to see what it takes to make a film or video.  I have used it as an interesting way to get a glimpse of a world that I am not familiar with.  I have met some cool passionate people who are still working towards their big break (an idea that I love regardless of whether it is for acting or anything else in life).

This is a DHS Training Video created for the Lodging Subsector called "No Reservations" (click here for a link to the DHS website for a hi-def download).

When you are an Extra, your job is be part of the background and not to be a point of focus.  Here's approximately where you can spot me in this video (and no, you won't be able to point me out if I didn't tell you exactly where I was):

• 0:55 seconds - That is my elbow, skirt, and purse on the right edge of the screen (I was supposed to pretend to be on the cell phone)
• 1:03 seconds - That is me standing in the distant back to the left of the flags
• 1:23 seconds - Don't blink, but that is me pulling a suitcase (you can hear the wheels) behind the column right before the kid says "Hi, Dad!"

Did you miss me?  THAT's how good of a job I did.

If you are ever trying to learn the secret to a magician's card trick, you know not to focus on the card at the center of attention, but to observe everything else on stage.  It's a difficult concept so I don't blame you if you didn't see me.  Try again.

It was a 10-12 hour shoot, and the scenes that I participated in may have filled 3 minutes of this entire 9-minute video. 

To find Extra work, register with a local casting agency.  In the DC area, I am registered with Central Casting.  DragonukConnects.com is another fantastic website fo find out about potential jobs in entertainment in the DC/VA/MD/PA area.

It's hard work, but someone has to do it.

Pumpkin Pecan Bread

I had a 10K this morning for which the registration fee was actually a loaf of homemade bread.  I whipped this up using ingredients in the kitchen cabinet.  

Easy.  Makes one loaf.  Great to serve with coffee or tea.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup water
• 15 oz can of pumpkin puree
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Sift the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together.

In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, and water. Add the flour mixture to the liquids in three parts.  Fold in the pumpkin puree and pecans. Once the ingredients are all incorporated pour into a greased 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. At this point a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf should come out clean. Cool for 15 minutes and turn out onto a cooling rack. Cool completely.

Are You Laughing at Me or With Me?

As my nine days at Wings of Hope comes to an end, I think about how absolutely rewarding this trip has been.  I laughed and laughed and laughed.

Some of the ridiculous moments:

• Boys will be boys.  Though they can not feed themselves, two of the boys with cerebral palsy mustered enough control to use their respective wheelchairs as bumper cars and push one another out of position to change the tv station.  I knew I should stop the fight, but I kind of wanted to see what would happen.
• That wasn't rain.  I was standing in the alley behind the house when I felt a drop of wetness hit my head.  I looked up and realized I was standing underneath the boys' balcony.  One of the boys was looking down at me with a huge drip of drool hanging out of his mouth.  (Awwww...mmaaannnn!!!)
• No thanks, we are NOT that hungry.  Since the older children were often still hungry after their light dinner, I decided to share my chocolate protein bars with them one evening.  They were all very excited at the "bonbons."  After one bite of a Lunabar, Sadraque returned his portion back to me.
• Again, no thanks, we are NOT that hungry.  Not knowing what to expect, one of the volunteers, Michael, bought Spam and Tang at the grocery store.  I asked him if he consumed these products back at home.  He said, "No." (?!?!)  I am going to bet that there will still be Spam and Tang in the kitchen cabinet when I decide to return to Wings of Hope next.  There's something to be said about food products that have a longer shelf-life than you.  

• The Ramp of Death.  Each day of classes, we would help take the children with wheelchairs down to the first level.  Since the house isn't designed to be wheelchair accessible, the wooden planks on top of the stairs were relatively steep.  One of the children, David, would make a special request for me to take him downstairs because he thought the look of fear in my eyes as I wheeled him downstairs backward (using my shins as a brake) absolutely hilarious.  *Note the scuff marks on the wall.*
• Big wheels, not just for kids.  We brought out the big wheels and bikes with training wheels for the children to ride around on the patio one day.  By children, I mean us volunteers.  By us volunteers, I really mean me.  I hadn't seen a big wheel in years.  And man oh man...if I didn't do some knee cartilage damage while banging myself up against that steering well.  It was a training exercise in my pursuit to be reigning queen of that patio.

Non-traditional Communication

Vivian, a Haitian teenage girl, sees me and tells me to wait where I am.  She brings a photo album to show me pictures of the boy that she has a crush on.  I give her my approval and we giggle together. She goes on to tell me about how scary the earthquake was as well.  The floor shook.  People were crying.  Some people were hurt, some died.

Not your everyday conversation when you realize that Vivian is deaf and I don't know sign language.

In the US, we are constantly talking about the importance of communication.  There are tons of articles on how to communicate with your boss, your client, your best friend, your significant other, etc.  "He's not a mind-reader.  You have to be specific."  We have to think about what we are saying and whether or not we conveyed it clearly to the other person.

I learned here how easy it is to communicate with others even when you don't speak the same language (or don't speak at all).  It is so amazing.  While in Haiti, I speak Kreyol, French, use French-sounding words (remember when you did this "confidently" in high school to trip your teacher up), and English.  There are also a lot of hand gestures involved.  And you know what?!!  The children understand me.  And since a lot of the children are not able to speak and those who can speak only speak Kreyol, I have learned to pay intimate attention to their gestures and body language to understand them.  It works!

I understand when Teddy needs help putting on his headphones so that he can listen to the radio.  I understand when Fritz wants me to sit him upright to feed him, and doesn't want me to forget to put a bib on him so that there is not a big mess.  I can gently attend to a huge insect bite that has become infected on David's arm because he is afraid that if I touch, it may hurt.  I can fetch a new shirt for Sam because he's uncomfortable with how wet the current one he is wearing has gotten from the dribbled juice.  All of these named children have cerebral palsy and none of them verbally told me what they needed in a traditional sense.  I just learned to pay attention and ask them questions to confirm that I understood them correctly. 

I scold the children in English when they aren't following directions.  They get it.

Jozye took a page full of stickers out of an activity book, even though he was specifically told not to.  I asked for them back -- in both French and English.  He hid them behind his back with a huge grin on his face as if to say, "I have no idea what you are talking about."  In English, I threatened not to go horseback-riding with him the following day or talk to him.  He gave them back so I would finish coloring with him.

I also yelled at some of the neighborhood kids today.  They were peeking over the gate -- I'm not sure if they were curious about me (the foreigner) or wanted to spy on the kids.  Either way, when one of the girls began to mimick the noises of one of my highly autistic children, I told her firmly to go away in English.  She understood and ran off.

It's not that complicated.  

What Matters

I stood with the kids for their morning sermon.  Seeking affection, Josephine had grabbed my right hand as I was passing her.  As I settled into the hallway, with one child at one hand, another little hand grabbed for my other.  Fritz, who has cerebral palsy and cannot even feed himself, focused enough to reach out and hold my hand.  I was touched!

I looked across the hallway and smiled at Lazar.  He said something to me.  Not knowing if it was Kreyol or nonsense, I asked him to repeat himself.  I still couldn't understand him when he did.  "Pas comprend," I responded.  He said it again.  I shrugged and apologized for not understanding.  I began to look away when he shouted it out clear as day.

"I love you."

My eyes welled.  My heart filled.  Don't cry -- I told myself.

Before I had come, I had a lot of anxiety and was questioning myself on whether I could add any value during my short stay at Wings.  I was trekking to a country under distress that I was not familiar with.  I didn't have a background in physical therapy and did not have much experience working with children with disabilities.  I didn't know Kreyol and only had some basic French....

But this was a confirmation of my purpose to be here.  This was not a home where the ratio was two parents to a child.  Though these kids have a wonderful support system, they are still children who want attention and affection.  Well, lucky for them, I am great at giving hugs and kisses!  I can provide this!  And you know what?!!  These little guys are fantastic about returning the favor too!

It's love -- this shameless, uncomplicated, simple feeling.  No strings attached.  Just a reminder to one another that YOU matter.