Filed under: Life
Addicted. That’s for sure. I’d estimate that I’ve had about 4 or 5 grandes this week alone. Chai tea is certainly my tea of choice. Brew with some honey and warmed milk and it’s absolutely perfect.
But, my chai stash is at school, sitting in my pantry. So this break, it’s been all about the Starbucks grande nonfat chai tea latte. Starbucks can make lattes, not me! Plus, you can enjoy Starbucks while catching up with your friends – this week it’s been Sarah, Jess, Elam, Liz, and Kelsey!
So here’s a little bit on the origin of chai, for those that are curious:
Chai Tea is based on a black tea, and blended with cardamom, cloves, coriander, sweet cumin seeds, curry leaves, lemon grass, and rampe leaves. It is best enjoyed with milk and sugar to taste.
Chai is so prevalent in India and Sri Lanka that it could be called their “National Drink”.
The key to the chai is the spices. For Starbucks, they use a lot of cinnamon. But the spices used vary depending on the brand.
The traditional masala chai is a bracing, strongly spiced beverage brewed with so-called “warm” spices. Most masala chai incorporates one or more of the following: cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, star anise, peppercorn, and cloves.
Traditionally, cardamom is a dominant note, supplemented by other spices such as cloves, ginger, or black pepper; the latter two add a pleasantly piquant flavour. In India, fresh ginger is often used.
However, in Western India, star anise and black pepper are expressly avoided. The Kashmiri version of chai is brewed with green tea instead of black tea and has a more subtle blend of flavorings: almonds, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and sometimes saffron.
Other possible ingredients include nutmeg, rose flavouring (where rose petals are boiled along with the loose-leaf tea), or liquorice root.
Now, that my addiction to this amazing drink is well-documented for the blogosphere, would anyone be willing to fund my trip to India to get some of the real thing?
Filed under: Life
Went to spend Christmas gift cards. Walmart, courtesy of Uncle Fuddy. That got me thinking… There’s a Walmart in Avon. And there’s a Target in New Britain. Interesting. Ironic. Any Connecticutters with me here?
And now for the super ironic. Elam and I got talking today about second semester and that led us to Barnes and Noble to pick out a Bible for me (more on this to come, I’m sure). Then, Mom and I went off to Borders where I picked out a book of Rumi’s collected works. Rumi, for those that don’t know, is a Sufi poet. Christianity and Islam, what a religious day!
Ironic for sure.
Filed under: BU for Barack, Campaigning, Democratic Nomination 2008, General Election 2008, President Obama, Voters, Youth Vote
From FM (in full because it’s so good!):
The Audacity to Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama’s Historic Victory
Those of us in the progressive youth movement have been talking about the importance of young voter outreach for a long time now. We tried to drive home the point that young voters are not apathetic, but disengaged due to that self-fulfilling prophecy of traditional campaign ‘wisdom.’ Youth political organizations kept succeeding, increasing youth turnout in 2004 and 2006. David Plouffe, David Axelrod, and Barack Obama eschewed tradition by deciding from the beginning that organizing young voters to expand the electorate would be the key to victory.
“One of [Paul] Tewes’s ideas was to make sure we were working every community, no matter how small. African American, Latino, high school kids, Republicans–we had staff assigned to all of the demographics, months ahead of our competition.” The Obama campaign began by working hard to turn out the potential voters that traditional campaigns write off. While critics of the youth vote claim that 2008 was a fluke and just about Obama, it is clear that the campaign worked hard to organize youth that had never been asked for their vote by a campaign. The campaign knew that they “would win Iowa only on the backs of independents, Republicans, young voters, and new registrants–a scary proposition, to say the least.”
The campaign was able to look at the election through the lens of a young voter. “At least 95 percent of our six thousand employees were under the age of thirty, most under the age of twenty-five.” While it is not uncommon for a lot of campaign staff to be young, what was exceptional about the Obama campaign was the respect for them and the willingness to trust their instincts on what was happening on the ground.
We adjusted accordingly, adding more media and Internet advertising geared exclusively to younger voters; we prepared to do a lot more instructional and informative work with our supporters so they knew how to caucus, while trying not to spook them; and we redoubled our efforts to attract support from conventional caucus Democrats so our newbies in certain precincts were matched with some grizzled veterans.
The campaign invested in “advertising specifically geared toward women, seniors, and younger voters, African Americans and Latinos.” The messaging of the youth advertising reflected an understanding of the generation: “spots for those under thirty were very aspirational, a call to action, focusing on issues like Iraq and the environment, and calling on younger voters to get involved in shaping the future.” Young voters, used to being ignored, were finally being engaged by a campaign with the same effort and respect showed to seniors.
The Obama campaign conceived of and executed a strategy to expand the electorate by registering and turning out young voters and other traditionally underrepresented demographics. Here are a few passages from The Audacity to Win on how this strategy became a winning one:
As the returns came in we could see the traces of our strategy’s design: by registering over one hundred thousand new voters, producing strong turnout among African Americans and young voters, and winning college-educated whites thanks to our stand against the gas tax, we had made ourselves unbeatable in North Carolina.
We registered many thousands of new voters in both states, and these voters participated at high rates, defying the conventional view that new registrants turn out in very low numbers. A strong showing from African Americans and younger voters might put both these states in play in the general election.
If we did not register enough African Americans and young voters in North Carolina and then turn them out on Election Day, we could not win. Facing a traditional electorate meant we shouldn’t even bother with a state like North Carolina, no matter how much money we spent.
By focusing their attention on young voters and actually spending resources on research, the campaign learned new things about new and young voters. An example was when their numbers showed that they were not meeting their initial goals for youth early voting:
First, many young voters were so excited by this election that they couldn’t envision doing anything besides voting for Barack Obama in person at the polling location. When we raised with them the possibility of long lines, or the potential to free themselves up to volunteer, they simply wouldn’t budge. This was a big moment for them and they felt it would seem bigger if they voted at the polls. In any case, they were still dead-set on participating, which relieved us.
The second lesson was that there was still some confusion about who was eligible to vote early and how it worked. Armed with these findings, we made sure our communications to younger voters included even more remedial information about the nuts and bolts of early voting. Soon enough, their numbers began to climb. In many states we lowered our expectations for the under-twenty-five early vote (but not for overall turnout), and we eventually hit those numbers in most battlegrounds.
Republicans have spent a lot of effort in previous campaigns spreading misinformation to young voters about such things as early voting, residency, and registration. By putting in the effort to combat that misinformation, the campaign was able to empower and turn out voters who were unsure of the sometimes complex election laws.
As we now know, this strategy of reaching out to young voters paid off, despite the naysayers from the media and the old school political establishment:
Our base–African Americans, sporadic-voting Democrats, and younger voters–was turning out in larger numbers than McCain’s base in most states.
The share of the electorate over sixty-five actually dropped between 2004 and 2008, not because fewer older voters turned out but because younger ones showed up in droves.
Because the Obama campaign was committed to putting effort and resources in registering and turning out young voters, treating them with the same respect as other demographics, they were able to build on the work done by youth organizations since 2000 to culminate with those voters carrying Obama to victory and the presidency. However, culminate may not be the appropriate word. The work in further expanding the electorate by turning out young voters to elect Democrats is far from over. There is more potential for the Millennial generation to not only expand the electorate in an election, but to fundamentally alter the country for the better.
I’ll leave you with David Plouffe’s words on our generation:
I left the campaign extraordinarily confident about the future of the country, because of the talent and drive of the young men and women who made our victory possible. Certainly, we would not have won the primary or the general without a surging youth turnout in any number of states, Iowa most importantly. But their impact on the election goes beyond casting ballots. Most of our staff was under thirty, many of them were under twenty-five, as were a sizable chunk of our most active volunteers. As I witnessed, sometimes in awe, their performance and desire to look beyond themselves and contribute to a better world (and they have a distinctly global outlook) it gave me extreme comfort to know that in the not so distant future they will be taking the reins and leading our companies, campaigns, and institutions. For my generation, the rocking chair beckons–these kids are that good. I can’t wait to experience their leadership and vision in the years to come.
Filed under: Life
Mom said to me yesterday, “Everyone needs to remember, only you can make yourself happy.”
2009 has been quite the interesting year for everyone. In my life, I have seen personal ups and downs. This year has been uphill battle against doubt, stress, inadequacy, heartache, adversity, and hopelessness. For a while it seemed like for all of the fun and interesting adventures I was encountering, there was always something to snap me back to the reality that life wasn’t the fairy tale I was trying to live. But then I realized, who was I to say that my life was challenging? Hadn’t I been blessed with the love of so many friends and family? Can’t a love like that solve it all?
While 2009 held plenty of personal hardship, I was also extremely blessed to encounter new life experiences, friendships, places, people, and stories. Every decision made has shaped who I am today. And while I sometimes wish things could have been a little easier and calmer, maybe without all of those tears, life isn’t simple and it isn’t always going to work out as planned. It is important to remember to cherish the little things and the people in one’s life. Everything: getting allergies from running off steam in Hyde Park, wading through the crowds at Primark, walking to Partridges late at night for a snack, getting a little note from a friend, pulling baby cribs and car seats from the back, enjoying toddler hugs every Friday, blasting the radio and singing in the car, eating ice cream with childhood friends, bonding with Mom, enjoying baseball games with Dad and the brothers, watching movies with the roomies, making birthday cakes and birthday meals, texting late into the night, lying in the warmth, relaxing with family.
Life is not perfect, nor can it can ever be. Things are going to get hard and sometimes you are going to doubt yourself. But remember, you are one of a kind. You have your own talents that make you unique and interesting. Life is not about others pleasing you. Life is about making sure that you are okay with yourself. Only you can make yourself happy. And you know what, you can do just that.
So to all of those who have been in my life this past year, to both friends new and old, close and distant…
If you’re one of the lucky ones who has found that happiness, remember to share it with others. Remember that sometimes it is better not to say anything and to just be there. Remember that you are in fact lucky and that while things may change in an instant throwing your whole world upside down, those around you will give back in the ways that you have helped them.
If you are one of those who is still searching for that happiness, don’t worry it’s out there. As Michael Buble so eloquently sang, “And I Know Someday That It’ll All Turn Out / You’ll Make Me Work So We Can Work To Work It Out / ‘And I Promise You Kid That I’ll Give So Much More Than I Get / I Just Haven’t Met You Yet” Chin up, it’s not over yet. There’s so much out there to explore. Keep your eyes open, you’ll never know what you’ll find.
And on a final note to all: Look forward to all of the challenges. Look forward to all of the experiences. Look forward to all of the sadness because you know you can make it through. But most importantly, look forward to all of the love and happiness 2010 will bring.
Happy (Early) New Year.
Filed under: Life
New privacy features.
There are some things that are better left unsaid and unseen.
But that’s a mistake I will always make.
I’m just too curious for my own good.
Filed under: Life
Reading it. Just finished an adorable chapter.
It started like this:
There is a candle in your heard, ready to be kindled.
There is a void in your soul, ready to be filled.
You feel it, don’t you?
Filed under: Life
A favorite – Pretty Paper, Roy Orbison
Filed under: Life
Visited work today for the holiday lunch. Nice catering job, T!
It was great to be back. Al’s the new director – when I left for school, they were still looking for a replacement for Jeff. Also, when I left, the CEF was still in place and still had funds, since then though the judge has held it for 2010 but will rule on the legality of the third party requirements for 2012 plus the governor has taken a lot of money out of the fund to pay for the state budget. Finally, when I left, there were very little 2010 candidates and now there are a lot!
Anyway, minutes in the door and the crew was already back to it’s old games.
Andrew sits right down next to me. Haha, love him, and totally expected that (“It’s not every day a 20 year old college girl walks in,” he says laughing!).
Kevin played the most amazing joke on Lisa – using me as the bait. But the funny thing was, I didn’t know I was the bait. Yeah, it was great. Lisa totally got played and Kevin had me laughing endlessly.
What would I do without those guys?
Oh and you’re wondering about Josh? And Will? And Jamie?
Will wasn’t around, but let’s just say Lisa and Kev were having a great time laughing about the other intern.
Josh was nice, but pretty quiet. I think it was the new haircut.
And Jamie – well he would make a great mall Santa, if only he would die his hair and lose his southern accent.
Brian was hilarious too – I think he was just really shocked to see me!
Now as for next summer, we’ll just have to wait and see!
Filed under: Health and Wellness
A much-discussed topic in this house (with parentals working for / formerly working for insurance companies).
There’s lots of pros and cons with the current system and the new system proposed by Congress. I’m not going to get into it – that’s better left to Steph.
Finally, as a footnote, I’m not quite sure how accurate all of this is (although it’s from Wonk, so it should be). But, it’s a pretty cool representation.
