Rapp Strategies Rundown – August 2020
What we’re reading, listening to and thinking about this month.
Todd R.: Watching live hockey, baseball and golf was something that I would have bet against back in April, so that is a welcome and surprising pleasure. Starting Neil Young's autobiography, and hoping to start the new Manson family documentary in the next week or so. Watched the Go-Go's rockumentary, and I have to ask how ABBA is in but the Go-Go's aren't in the @rockhall. Finally, spending the summer learning more about how to use the @traegergrills that I received for Father's Day.
Alyssa: I have been cooking quite a bit and my favorite recipe this month was the all-day-on-the-grill pork tenderloin with chimichurri sauce. I have deemed my favorite summer wine the Coppola Sauvignon Blanc.
Rich: August has been a month dominated by our desire to find ways to interact with family and friends while keeping everyone safe. We have hosted socially-distanced backyard cocktail hours and dinners with our families, neighbors and friends. I have played a lot of golf, an activity that is pretty easy to do socially-distanced. Finally, Kari and I are spending four days in Northern Minnesota at the end of the month – our first trip of any kind since February.
Our time has also been devoted to the upcoming election. We follow the news and election activities and support candidates who will believe can restore health and vitality in all forms. We urge everyone we know to vote (preferably early and safely). We hope you will all cast your ballot in this critical time for our state, nation and the world.
Todd S.: The Stone family took a much-needed road trip and found their way to Door County, Wis. We just missed cherry-picking, but we had a great time ordering takeout from the local establishments, exploring the various sights and taking the ferry to Washington Island. But really, the biggest news was that my two sons finally got their first post-pandemic haircuts. This was critical, because they looked ready to join the next Bay City Rollers reunion tour.
Sarah: We’re creeping toward the end of “Community” which is really a bummer, we’ll need a new light-hearted half hour comedy soon. I recently binged “Never Have I Ever” which was a sweet coming-of-age series from Mindy Kaling. The rest of my month was consumed with wedding planning, family events and time on my future farm (mostly scheming about the makeover I’m going to give our 1890 farmhouse). A few favorite inspo accounts on Instagram: Rignell Ranch, I Spy DIY and Christine Higgs (who also happens to have the best TikTok feed.)
Anna: I could not put down The Girl with Seven Names, a true story of a North Korean defector who escaped at age 17 and later guided her family across the border. An astonishing and eye-opening book told by author Hyeonseo Lee and contributor David John with a voice of compassion and resilience. Now, I’m switching gears and reading The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, which is at once strange, sweet, sad and soul-warming. This month, I’ve also found several new bike trails, made beef stroganoff (you guessed it: in the crockpot) and ate a delicious Royale burger at BLVD in Minnetonka, which is perfect for patio dining.
Quentin: Over the course of the month, I stuck to a newly-created quarantine list which has been helpful in navigating life during the pandemic.
For starters, I tried new workouts while simultaneously saving money using the free month trial of Peloton. I’ll admit, I initially shied away from Peloton because I had already incorporated a structured workout regimen. But the variety in activities — biking, running, yoga and more — with virtually-guided coaching has proved to be a nice change of pace.
Attending the self-guided Downtown Minneapolis Street Art Festival reminded me of how much I miss public events. Taking in the 24 local and national street artworks provided a new way to interact with the urban fabric of downtown and also appealed to my dog who was curious about the many designs.
After noticing a steady build up of trash and lack of investment in my neighborhood, I decided to join the Downtown Minneapolis Neighborhood Association as its Community Engagement Chair. Recognizing that there are fewer ways we can come together safely, I organized the very first Downtown East Neighborhood Litter Cleanup on August 8. Enlisting the help of a few friends and over a dozen neighborhood residents, we were able to collect garbage bags full of trash and recycling in a six-block stretch which included Washington Avenue, Second, Third and Fourth streets and Chicago Avenue in Downtown East. As an added economic stimulus, we were able to award our volunteers with low-dollar gift cards to neighborhood small businesses. Despite these challenging times, it’s been exciting to rally together for our community and I look forward to more ways to engage in the future.
In the kitchen, I benefited from our colleague Sarah’s green thumb and tried a delicious new recipe using her homegrown green beans and tomatoes.
Finally, I’d be remiss to not mention politics, as August was chockful of major news. From the nationally-watched Fifth Congressional race that kept the boss, Todd Rapp busy with appearances in local and national media, to the history-making announcement of Kamala Harris as Joe Biden’s vice presidential pick, to the fully-virtual Democratic and Republican National Conventions, I loved reading the coverage and analysis. It’s crazy to think how quickly the November election is approaching.