Stickers are the best incentive

Today marks a very important day in Jackie Doming history: I submitted my very first electoral vote.

And I even got a fun yellow sticker to prove it!

I filled out my ballot at the advance polling location inside of Winnipeg Square.  For those of you who are unaware, advancing polls are closing tomorrow at 8PM.  If you aren't quite sure where to vote and you know that you won't be able to vote on October 4th, this link will help you find out where to go.

Something that I found really great were these Future Voter Pledge Cards (and matching stickers), a certificate to give your children which encourages them to vote - once they're of age, of course.  I think that it's a fantastic method of advocating democratic practices to our youth.  When I was wee lass, I never had the opportunity to witness or really understand the voting process.  I hope for a better experience for our future generations.

At 57% in the 2007 provincial election, our voter turnout isn't too hot right now.  But, on the bright side, we can work towards improving these numbers and getting people to speak up, speak out and VoteAnyWay.

That was definitely the highlight of my day.  It probably sounds lame to some of you, but I honestly feel quite empowered.  I know that this may sound juvenile, but I feel grown up!

On a side note, please enjoy this picture of my delicious southwestern fried tofu sandwich from Mondragon's.  I scarfed it down yesterday on the way home from school and I feel the need to share with you guys how freaking tasty it was.  For all of you vegetarians and vegans out there, eat your heart out.

Deep dish pizza, advice for young voters & a delicious cup of joe

As a reader of my blog, you will probably learn to cope with my consistent reinforcement on how much I adore living in The Exchange.  Not to sound repetitive, but there are just so many absolutely fantastic places to go, and I'm only starting to scrape the surface of what it has to offer.  Read on to hear about the continuation of my adventures in The District.

I spent my afternoon today hanging out with my fellow CreComm mates Cindy and Liz.  We met up with our good friend Mercy at The Line Up, a grab and go restaurant which, I feel, offers a very unique selection of menu items.  Their offerings include, but are not limited to, pitas, deep dish pizzas, fish & chips and noodle boxes.  I would definitely consider it a culinary "one stop shop."  Whatever you're in the mood for, it's more than likely that they have something for you.  On top of all that, it's decently priced, at less than $9.00 for any one entree.

I decided to order a deep dish pizza (with the exception of olives, because I truly believe that they are the devil in disguise).  The pizza was quite tasty, although the edges were a little too dry and crusty for my liking.  I've had the real deal back in Chicago this past summer, and although there is no comparing the two, I was pretty impressed by the amount of stuffing in the pie.  No disappointment here.  On a side note, their honey dill is also quite fantastic.

Mercy seemed to enjoy her ginormo-pita, as demonstrated below!

After class, I decided to take a quick detour and spend some time at the Winnipeg Free Press News Cafe.  I first ventured into their restaurant last week, enjoying a portobello mushroom sandwich, if I remember correctly.  Ah yes, that was it.  It contained chickpeas, mayo, tomato and Havarti cheese on a panini bun.  It was quite tasty, and I was surprised at how large the servings were.  I picked the potato salad as my side, and the dressing (which I figured was some sort of red wine vinaigrette mixed with herbs) hit the spot.  Nom nom!

Anyway, my experience at the cafe this week was more work/school oriented.  I decided to pick up a copy of the Winnipeg Free Press before taking on my assignments and I stumbled upon an article that caught my attention.

It was a piece written by Doug Speirs, one of the local figures featured in the VoteAnyWay project, a campaign designed to turn young voters on to politics.  His diddly for the YouTube video goes, "OK, young people, imagine you are really hungry, so you walk into a restaurant and the waiter politely asks if you'd like a menu, and you say 'No, don't bother, just bring me whatever you have lying around in the kitchen,' so the waiter goes away and a little while later he comes back and plops a cheeseburger in front of you, and you look at it and think: 'Yuck! I really don't want a cheeseburger!' Well, guess what young people, you are so out of luck."

This analogy refers to our youth's absenteeism in politics.  Doug mentions how enamoured we are with our toys and gadgets, and how we care more about conquering the next level in our video games versus giving two cents about how the government is spending our money.  I thought that this piece was an interesting read.  Embarrassingly enough, I have yet to vote (gasp) - at the ripe old age of 21.  I would hate to take the hypocritical road and waste my vote this time around, and after learning so much about politics during these past few weeks in CreComm, I have absolutely no reason not fill out my ballot.  I want my voice and my choices to matter, and I hope you do too.

And now, as I sit here enjoying a rich, delectable brownie and sip on a hot cup of cappuccino, I feel a small sense of pride, knowing just that.