Vote

I (David) have several friends and acquaintances who have given up hope on the farce that is the partisanship of our election system. I don't hold it against them for refusing to participate in something they consider fraudulent. And seeing as how grim the selection is for candidates running for state and federal offices, I don't think I'd hold it against anyone who decided not to bother this year.

However, there are ballot questions this year. The State's constitutional amendment and Saint Paul's levy question both deal with money. And though I have opinions on these matters, I'm not going to try to change anyone else's.

For Minneapolis, on the other hand, they've got a doozy of a ballot question:

Should the City of Minneapolis adopt Single Transferable Vote, sometimes known as Ranked Choice Voting or Instant Runoff Voting, as the method for electing the Mayor, City Council, and members of the Park and Recreation Board, Library Board, and Board of Estimate and Taxation without a separate primary election and with ballot format and rules for counting votes adopted by ordinance?

This is one that EVERY RESIDENT should be out there voting YES on, regardless of what else you do or don't want to vote for. Even if you always follow a strict partisan ballot selection, in the interest of fair elections, you NEED to vote YES on this for your fellow citizens of Minneapolis (Not only for them, but you need to lead the way for us Saint Paul-ites). So go out there and vote “yes”. If you don't, I will personally come over there and put a cassette on your fixed-gear bike.

Quinn's first solid meal

We welcomed Quinn's 6 month birthday with a gift of solid foods - if one could really call it that. Breast milk mixed with a little organic rice cereal flakes became Quinn's first spoon-fed food. We've been recognizing the signs that she was ready for solids several weeks ago yet held off because all the trustworthy resources claim it's best to breast feed exclusively for the first 6 months. She's been curiously and eagerly grabbing at our utensils, plates and food and watching us intently as we put food in our mouths. Also, she has been waking every three hours overnight to eat - a sure sign that she's growing and needs more in her belly to sleep through the night again. To our surprise and pleasure she took to the cereal like a pro!

In anticipation of starting solids, I have been preparing and freezing seasonal fresh foods. Her diet will consist of a variety of pureed squash, sweet potato and peaches for the next several weeks as we can only introduce a new food every 3 to 5 days. Be sure to keep posted for her reactions to these new tastes.

A test

Click To Play

Just testing my new phone's video ability

Our Little Pumpkin

We recently took a trip to a pumpkin patch with mom and Faith to pick out Quinn's first pumpkin. She didn't have as much fun as we had hoped since she had fallen asleep in the car before we arrived and we woke her from her slumber to fulfill our desire to document another one of her "firsts." Last week we went to Goodwill and purchased her first Halloween costume. We picked out an adorable little green peapod for her. Although she might be alittle young for trick or treating, the desire to satisfy our own sweet tooth may lead us to venture out on All Hallows Eve. Even if we decide to stay in and pass out candy to the rest of the kids in the neighborhood, there's still family fun to be had at the Como Zoo Boo (thanks for the tickets Nan and Peter). Hopefully the weather will not be reminiscent of Faith's first Halloween. Does everyone remember the Halloween blizzard of 1991?

The Red Skelton Mobile

Thanks to dad, we are now the owners of a brand new shiny red 2007 Toyota Camry. Besides the kick ass stereo system, the car has several other cool features. One of my favorites is the hands free phone system. My blackberry can communicate wirelessly with the car so I can make calls without having to take my phone out of the holster and my hands off the wheel.

Speaking of my blackberry, it crashed a couple days ago. I lost everything! I installed the software capable of backing up my information a year ago when I got the phone. Did I ever use it? NO! The guy that walked me through the restoration process scolded me mentioning he backs up his information weekly. I took this as a hint to start backing up all of the pictures and videos we have of Quinn. Losing an address book, memos and emails isn't as bad as the thought of losing precious moments of my daugter's first six months in this world. So, my project for the week awaits me. Hopefully my computer won't crash before I get around backing up everything.

Yesterday we had a visit from Quinn's cousin-to-be and aunt. We gave them some gifts and accompanied the gifts with a song that I wrote called "Quinn's Favorite Things." It is sung to the tune of "My Favorite Things" from the Sound of Music.

"Black and white pictures and toys come high rated
Big bright beach ball that is underinflated
Crinkly fabrics with attached plastic rings
These are a few of Quinn's favorite things

When your kid screams and will not sleep and you're feeling sad
Simply try some of Quinn's favorite things and then you will feel so glad"

Uncontested

It would appear that I (David) am running uncontested in my bid for community council. Wish me luck.

In other - completly unrelated - news, the car hit an odd mile mark yesterday:

And even more unrelated, check out the newest intern for team Zissou:

Eclectic 5-day weekend

Such an eventful 4-day weekend it was, that I (David) had to add a day, just to make sure the I had time to get everything done in a timely manner.

It all started Thursday with the grand introduction to the 8th annual Nordic Roots Festival. This year they too added an extra day to accommodate all the acts. Though not as good as last year, the festival was still one of the highlights of the year. As usual, many hours were spent socializing with my waiting-in-line chums who also attend every year. I decided to travel light this year, so I didn't bring a camera that can take pictures in the dark. Fortunately, there weren't too many “must have” missed photo opportunities. For the one missed opportunity that did occur, I managed to get Gabe to snap a few photos (and e-mail them to me) of one of those bizarre fashion trends that only Scandinavians can get away with. Of course, rather than try to describe all of image taboos of this fashion faux-pas, you can simply take a look for yourself:

The only oddity that failed to appear in these photos was the tiny singular arm tattoo on an otherwise empty pale canvas.

Of the few opportunities where flash photography was not inconsiderate, I took the time to take a photo of a sight so common at the Cedar Cultural Center that it is almost as well known of a landmark as the Cedar itself:

The weekend wasn't all about music and socializing with music fans. Dad (Mr. Brier) came into town on Saturday. With such an event comes the customary barrage of home improvement projects. So whenever a free moment arose, assistance was provided. As these various projects come to completion, you can look forward to photos (some with the use of a flash) that depict the work that has been completed (at least visible things, like our new garden gate, and not car repairs – which can't really be seen).

Oh, and I got a new phone this weekend too. It's fancy and takes pictures and stuff. But apparently it costs money to do anything with the photos other than keep them on the phone, so it probably won't be used for blogging purposes.