Rapp Strategies Rundown – February 2020
What we’re reading, listening to and thinking about this month.
Todd R.: Killing Eve killed it!
I listened to a lot of the Top 1000 Classic Rock Songs on SiriusXM Channel 30. They have shifted to Classic Country now, and I am surprised I can actually recognize about 5% of the songs.
In the year-long Old Fashioned contest, Saint Dinette, Ciao Bella and Kincaid’s are leading the pack. But we need to give Lake Elmo Inn a shot before the votes are counted.
Joe Posnanski’s “Top 100 Baseball Players” of All-Time has been a great morning read each day on The Athletic. Rod Carew and Nolan Ryan were great friends and neighbors … who knew?
Alyssa: Trying to catch up on some of the Oscar contenders – “Jo Jo Rabbit” was awesome, and loved Brad Pitt in “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.” Also, I love rock n’ roll biographies, so I just started Elton John’s book.
Todd S.: I will be spending most of March catching up on the things I had planned to do in February – watching Oscar winner “Parasite;” reading Ringo Starr’s new book, “Another Day in The Life;” and finally going on a long overdue date with my wife.
Rich: Since returning from Hawaii, my focus has been on my wife’s donation of a kidney to my sister. I’m pleased to report that both are recovering nicely. Although kidney transplants have become somewhat common, if you’re involved in one, it’s somewhat of a miracle.
Sarah: I started the month in France enjoying wine and avoiding the internet, it was great. When I got home, I dove into reading Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. I also spent the last few days bopping to Justin Bieber’s new album, “Changes,” and watching his YouTube documentary series, “Seasons.”
Anna: I’ve been listening to “Far from the Madding Crowd” by Thomas Hardy, a tempestuous marathon of a love story set in the countryside of Wessex, England. I also binged the first season of “Sanditon” and the last season of “Poldark,” proving my unwavering affection for PBS historical dramas.
Quentin: Well, last month I said the 2020 Iowa caucuses would be unlike any other caucus cycle in modern history. A technology-plagued process resulting in incomplete results couldn’t have made that statement truer.
Training for my first half marathon is well underway and my dog, Bear, has started to become my short-run companion (when he’s not enjoying the new Unleashed Hounds and Hops, Minneapolis’s first indoor dog park.)
I’ve also been slowly making my way through the latest Oscar and Golden Globe-nominated movies. “Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood,” “Dolemite Is My Name” and “1917” each captivated my attention in different ways. It was nice to see Eddie Murphy and Brad Pitt return to the big screen in a big way.
Finally, the 11th Annual Winter Beer Dabbler proved to be a great cornucopia of Minnesota’s many fantastic breweries and cideries. Above-freezing temperatures also has me very excited for my first Minnesota summer, which feels just around the corner.