5 Things to Do for Yourself the Day After Traumatizing Election Results

5 Things to Do for Yourself the Day After Traumatizing Election Results

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

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Like so many Americans, I woke up this morning hoping it was all a dream - a nightmare, really. I slept restlessly, & I woke up with a jaw sore from clenching in stress. I've yet to eat today. Truly, the only way to explain it is that I feel consumed with grief, with trauma.

I posted this on Facebook earlier & thought it might be worth sharing here, as well, while so many of us are struggling. I've already heard from friends whose workplaces have brought in counselors to deal with the stress & fear of the future, & I find myself wishing I had similar access.

I made this short list of things to do for yourself today - things I'm doing for myself today - & I hope that it will, in some small way, help bring you any comfort. Today is so difficult - & the days to come will be worse, I suspect. But we are not alone.

1. Turn off social media. Turn on music, soothing white noise, or a beloved favorite movie.
2. Pet a cat. Or a dog. Or hold a baby. Basically, make contact with anything that is soft & physically comforting.
3. Seek out wisdom & guidance from a rabbi or a pastor or an imam or a therapist or all of the above.
4. Do something - anything - that brings you happiness, so long as it doesn't hurt anyone else. Eat your favorite food or light a scented candle or do yoga or take a nap or write out all your damn feelings.
5. Above all: Be kind to yourself & to one another.

As scared as I am for our world, I am also terrified by all the language I've seen about suicide, about self-harm, about utter despondency. And as much as I understand - because truly, I do - I want you to know that however you are feeling today, tomorrow, & come January, you are not alone in it. If you need help, please seek it out, & if you see someone in need, please take their pain seriously. You can call the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386.

In this frightening & unpredictable time, please take care of yourselves & of each other. We are still, after all, stronger together.

I love you.

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10 Reasons Why #ImWithHer in This Presidential Election

10 Reasons Why #ImWithHer in This Presidential Election

Sunday, November 6, 2016

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We're two days away from Election Day, & if I'm telling you the truth, I've been kept awake at night with my worry about what will happen on Tuesday. I've tried to do my part - donating, phone banking, talking to friends who are undecided or third-party - but I still lie awake at night wondering how the chips will fall & who will become our next president.

Two weeks ago, it was my honor to take advantage of Ohio's opportunity for early voting & to cast my ballot for Hillary Clinton to become the next president of the Unites States. I know I won't tell you anything you've not already heard or read, but I'd like to take a moment to explain why I voted the way I did & why Hillary Clinton is the candidate for me.

1. Her opponent is bananas. Let's get the obvious out of the way: I could write an entire list of reasons I'm not with the villainous, hateful Donald Trump, but let's keep this list upbeat, shall we? He will get just one bullet point here, noting that he is, in literally almost every single way aside from being a human being running for president, the exact opposite of Hillary Clinton. I do not agree with his policies (or lack thereof), his temperament, his views, or even his taste in reality TV.
    
2. She's a woman. I would never vote for a candidate simply because she is a woman & I am a woman who is for the advancement of women. But the fact that, in this case, the smartest & most qualified candidate is, in fact, a woman, makes me beyond proud to cast my vote for Hillary Clinton, our first ladyprez.
    
3. She's the most qualified. Hillary Clinton is indeed the smartest & most qualified candidate for president. She has a law degree from Yale & significant experience advocating for women & children. After her time as First Lady, she went on to serve as a senator & was secretary of state for four years, arguably one of the next most difficult jobs in the U.S., aside from, you know, being president. The idea that she has to defend her qualifications against a repeatedly bankrupt billionaire reality TV star is laughable at best & misogynistic at worst.
    
4. She has extensive foreign policy experience. And as a reminder: Her opponent has none. Having served as Secretary of State, Clinton is committed to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, holding China accountable, standing up to Russia, supporting Israel's right to defend itself, & fostering a positive relationship with Cuba. She has a proven history of negitiation, relationship-building, & fighting terrorism.
    
5. She knows taxes are vital. Look, I don't like paying taxes. Nobody likes paying taxes. But I believe that we are all responsible for one another, & that in paying taxes to fund social services, we raise one another up & look out for the poorest & most vulnerable in our communities. Hillary Clinton believes in making sure the wealthy, Wall Street, & corporations pay their fair share - while her opponent brags about avoiding his.
    
6. She's committed to gun violence prevention. Every day in the U.S., 90 people die from gun violence. Hillary Clinton has a record of advocating for commonsense approaches to reduce gun violence, including supporting legislation to end the gun show loophole & enforce stricter background checks. She has the endorsement of key anti-gun organizations, including the Brady Campaign & Everytown for Gun Safety - & the NRA hates her.
    
7. She's pro-woman. Hillary is fighting to close the wage gap & to promote paid family leave policies. She's proudly pro-Planned Parenthood & supports a woman's right to choose what happens to her own body. She's fought against sex trafficking domestically & abroad.
    
8. She cares about social issues - & the people behind them. Hillary Clinton knows our country's struggle with race is far from finished, & she's committed to reforming our criminal justice system & protecting the right to vote. She's pro-disability rights, promising to fulfill the promise of the ADA & to continue to expand opportunities for people with disabilities. She believes LGBT Americans deserve to live free of discrimination & supports passage of legislation that would make it illegal to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
    
9. She supports compassionate immigration reform. Hillary Clinton believes in humane immigration laws that respects immigrant as human beings, supporting comprehensive immigration reform with pathways to full & equal citizenship. Her opponent wants to card Muslims & build a wall between the U.S. & Mexico, for starters.
     
10. The Supreme Court is serious business. We've been without nine Supreme Court justices now for the longest stretch in American history, all because our Senate refuses to hold hearing on President Obama's nominee. They say it's up to the next president - & if you believe in progressive values & justice like I do, we simply can't afford for that president to be anyone but Hillary Clinton.

This list isn't enough; I could go on for two dozen more bullet points, easily. But these are the issues that are tops for me, & I hope you've thought about what matters most to you - & which candidate is truly most qualified & best positioned to lead our country forward. And don't just vote for president! There are so many people on the ballot, vying for so many important positions - & they all matter, every single one of them.

Want to know more about Hillary Clinton on the issues? Stop reading articles posted to Facebook & start reading her position statements in her campaign's own words. This is what Hillary Clinton stands for. 

This is up to us, America. Let's do it right.

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Banter is the Wurst Cleveland Has to Offer

Banter is the Wurst Cleveland Has to Offer

Friday, August 5, 2016

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Everyone like French fries, but what about poutine? Unless you live in Canada, this fry extravaganza is incredibly underrated. In fact, plenty of Americans have never even heard of it! Poutine, Wikipedia explains, is "a Canadian dish, originating in the province of Quebec, made with French fries & cheese curds topped with a light brown gravy." I don't even like gravy, you guys, but my God, do I love poutine.

Enter Banter, a semi-recent addition to Cleveland's Gordon Square neighborhood, to cater to all my poutine needs. Er, "needs." 



Banter is equal parts bar, restaurant, & beer/wine shop, decorated in a stark, white, minimalist style
with a few high-top tables. They serve a handful of craft beers of draft, or you can purchase bottles from their booze shop. And their food specials? Poutine & sausage. Separately or together. Any way you like 'em. Seriously. 

I've tried a few things so far, including the basic poutine, the fried malt liquor cheese curds, & the Banter Salad, made with shaved Brussels sprouts, Ohio apples, & a cider vinaigrette. Who gets salad at a restaurant that specializes in poutine & sausage? I know, I know. But even that was A+-level delicious. And I bet the poutine, even the basic version, gives Canada a run for its money.  

Want to get more creative than I did? Banter also offers options topped with foie gras, rabbit stew,  Chicken Paprikash, & pastrami. They even have a version called the Vladimir Poutin, which boasts lamb stroganov & borscht gravy. 

 



Mike is enamored of their breakfast sandwich: Ohio maple & sorghum bratwurst in a French toast bun, topped with blueberry mustard, bourbon bacon, shaved maple, & a fried egg. I don't like bratwurst, mustard, or eggs, & even I practically died & went to heaven when I tried it. A French toast bun, did you hear me? Their other sausages include basics like pork & kielbasa, but they also step it up with duck sausage, fried chicken sausage, merguez, & even a vegan black bean sausage.

 

I'm not a big sausage person (TWSS?), but the last time we went was during the height of RNC hype, so I decided on a special called the Hillarywurst: a house-made hot dog topped with razorback pulled pork, "Benghazi BBQ sauce," and apple slaw. The reasoning behind the sauce is obvious, but the first & last ingredients are clever hat-tips to Hillary's stomping grounds of Arkansas & New York. Get it? 

 

If you're a Trump person, stop reading this blog immediately Banter had a politically oriented option for you, too. The Trumpwurst consisted of a hotdog topped with "super-classy potato birds nest, the best ketchup, the greatest nacho cheese, and not-a-loser jalapeño relish." Sounds a little over the top for my tastes, just like the man himself. Needless to say, I think I made the better choice (just as I will at the polls). 

Banter isn't paying me to write this blog post. The folks at Banter don't know who I am. But I'll be damned if I wasn't going to tell you about one of the coolest restaurants in town. Poutine & sausage, OK? That's all you really need to know. Go to Banter. You're welcome.

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Social Experiment: Wearing a Feminist Statement Tee in Public

Social Experiment: Wearing a Feminist Statement Tee in Public

Saturday, June 14, 2014

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"Kate! I'm wearing a shirt tomorrow that you're going to love," my friend Jenn told me. She knows me well, it seems, as her prediction was confirmed when she showed up at brunch the next day sporting a men's tank that read, "A WOMAN'S PLACE IS IN THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE." The next time I opened my computer, I bought the shirt for myself.*

The first time I wore it was on my day trip to Cleveland two weeks ago. As my friend Lindsey & I walked the streets of the Cleve, I noticed other peoples' eyes on me, trying to read my wordy tee as I strolled by. Though I knew I'd be making a bit of a statement in the shirt, I hadn't realized how uncomfortable I would feel with the attention.

I became fascinated, though, by other people's reactions to the sentiment emblazoned across my chest. Those passing quickly by seemed, at first, to be shocked. As their eyes widened & their brows furrowed, I could see them thinking, "A woman's place is in the house? Oh, this bitch!" & then, as they continued to read, a look of relief. Mid-way through the shirt, I look like the anti-feminist - & then, at the end, I just look like a raging feminist.

But in the cosmopolitan & forward-thinking land of the Midwest, though, raging feminism isn't always an endearing or valued trait. I watched as some of the folks finished reading my shirt & threw me a look of annoyance or disgust - not necessarily at the idea of that women can be lawmakers but, I assume, at the idea of needing to broadcast my support of it. "I'll feel better wearing this shirt in D.C.," I told myself.

Today is my first day wearing it in the District, though, & it feels just as weird - in a totally different way. At Trader Joe's, an enthusiastic man in a neon pink tee high-fived me: "Oh, you know that's the truth!" he shouted as he slapped my hand in the produce aisle. At BakeHouse, an adorable neighborhood coffee shop, a hipster barista looked at me with equal parts disdain & amusement & asked, "So do you, like, work on the Hill?" Suddenly, I felt like I was trying too hard to be DC-quirky, damn it.

I guess that when it comes to wearing liberal statement tees, a girl can't really win. But speaking of winning, did you know that there are a record number of women in the Senate right now? A woman's place, indeed. So I think I'll keep wearing the shirt - at least until I get one that says "A woman's place is in the White House." Hillary, girl, I'm waiting for you.

*You can buy this tank & similarly sassy clothing items from Wicked Clothes, if you're so inclined. Free shipping!

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The Wouldn't-Be Nominee Does D.C.

The Wouldn't-Be Nominee Does D.C.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

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Sen. Hillary Clinton just made an appearance outside my office building, & I am the only person in my office who DID NOT see her.

Damn itttt.

And she waved!

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The Chosen People's Chosen People

The Chosen People's Chosen People

Thursday, February 7, 2008

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You know you live in Washington, D.C., when...

You attend a Young Jewish Democrats happy hour, arriving in a suit with a dozen & a half other young, professional, Democratic Jews like yourself to drink cocktails named "Martini Van Buren" & the "Buchanan Cannon," where the girls you meet are named Noa & the boys are named Aryeh, where you pick up a flier for an event called "Chai for Hillary" and another put out by DC Jews For Obama that reads "Kein annu yecholim!!!"

"What does that mean?" you ask? Oh, my friends, this whole night gets more nerdy, more Jewish, more political, after all. That phrase is Hebrew for...

"YES, WE CAN."

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