Rapp Strategies Rundown – January
What we did, read, watched and thought about this month.
Todd R.: We worked our way through the latest seasons of Mayor of Kingstown and Yellowstone in January (both quite good) and are now onto 1883 and the final season of Billions. I’m anxiously waiting the last season of Killing Eve to begin (February 27). I also read The Dynasty, which is less about the successes of Tom Brady and more about how to build and protect a lasting winning organization. If you are looking for the best description of the spirit of rock and roll, may I recommend Eddie Vedder’s induction speech for the Ramones at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Alyssa: Two of my favorites were back on Netflix this month – Ricky Gervais’ After Life and Jason Bateman and Laura Linney in Ozark. Both were awesome. I also read Think Again by organizational psychologist Adam Grant. I liked the book so much I also started listening to his podcast, WorkLife.
Rich: January was a psychologically challenging month. We are all tired of being limited in what we can do, particularly travel and being with family and friends. We did have most of our family in Minneapolis for Christmas and New Year’s which got the month off to a good start. In particular, our son Zach announced his engagement to his fiancé, Ava, on Christmas Day. We are thrilled!
I am catching up on reading and doing a little organizing of my home office, just in the nick of time. Here’s hoping Omicron gets better so we can all gather and travel soon.
Todd S.: When it’s January in Minneapolis during a peak stretch of COVID, there tends to be more binge-TV watching at the Stone household. That means, we spent time on a wide range of offerings – from Cobra Kai to The White Lotus to The Witcher. Still, we managed to find some ways to get out of the house for skiing, sledding and indoor soccer camps.
Sarah: January felt like it was three months long. COVID significantly increased our screen time this month. We binged Tribes of Europa on Netflix. It was a refreshing take on the typical post-apocalyptic sci-fi series. I may have to become one of those annoying spam commenters campaigning for a second season. Like everyone else on the internet, I loved “Encanto.” The music has been stuck in my head since we watched it. My Nintendo Switch also got a workout this month as I picked up (and couldn’t put down!) “Subnautica.” I started reading “Root Cellaring” in hopes of turning our 1890s farmhouse “basement” back into the cellar it was originally used as. Finally, I spent a significant amount of time willing spring to coming by planning my garden and getting prepped to start seeds.
Anna: January ushered in some much-needed rest after a busy holiday season. Isaac and I have enjoyed watching All Creatures Great and Small, a family drama based on James Herriot’s beloved books about the life of a British veterinarian in the 1930s. The show’s humorous quips and distinctly British slang add to its delight. I highly recommend the series if you need something heartwarming on these chilly winter days. My sister-in-law and brother-in-law flew down to Alabama for a visit this month, and we enjoyed a peaceful, windblown trip to Panama City, Florida, capped off with cocktails and fried alligator at a beachside restaurant. Now, to finally take down the Christmas tree…
Cullen: January was defined by bitter cold and the best football I’ve ever watched. I finally got around to watching Loki and returned to The Kite Runner after putting it on hold for a few weeks. I also took a deep dive into architect Adam Paul Susaneck’s project, Segregation By Design, which chronicles the little-told history of how the 1956 Federal Highway Act intentionally segregated – and in some cases entirely obliterated – Black communities in cities across America. I’m excited to catch the Hennepin History Museum’s exhibit, Human Toll – A Public History of 35W, soon, to get a local perspective on the same issue.
Kaylee: A recent edition of the BBC's newsletter, The Essential List, sent me down a rabbit hole of articles specific to Polish cities this month. The first article covered the city planning efforts behind Nowa Hunta - a city intended to be the ideal urban center and reflect socialist ideals throughout its design. The second article played with the theme of contrariness or evading the rules as part of the local culture in Warsaw. That mindset has proven to be a tool for locals in overcoming obstacles so much that Warsaw likely wouldn't have been rebuilt in its original location after WWII without this cultural value driving those efforts. Anyways, all of this has me reflecting on the role of cities in shaping or worldview, and vice versa.
Will: It was cold outside this month, so I spent plenty of time indoors with the modern miracles of heated blankets and streaming services. I enjoyed Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, then ventured out to theaters to watch Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand in Joel Coen’s take on Macbeth. Pretty fantastic, if you ask me. I also finished reading Destiny Disrupted by Tamim Ansary, a history of the world from an Islamic point of view. Interesting, engaging, and informative!
