RecomMONDAYtions ~ 2024.01.01

“Turkey tail” mushroom on fallen tree trunk (Huzzah Creek flood plain; Crawford County, MO; 2023.12.27)
#allthisusefulbeauty

Happy New Year

Welcome to 2024. I hope you had a wonderful, restful, rejuvenating holiday season.

I did. Lots of great family time with Melissa, our twins (Maddie and Jake), and our Crazy-Doodle, Moose.

Long hours in front of the fire. Long walks in the woods (see photo above).

In today’s RecomMONDAYtions, I share some of the things I enjoyed most over the last two weeks…

The Art, Business and Culture of Hip-Hop

 The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century
Just yesterday, I finally saw this exhibit at the St. Louis Art Museum. I’m not a big Hip Hop fan but I respect and appreciate its impact, and I was blown away by this exhibit. Unless you’re in St. Louis right now, and can swing by the museum ASAP, you can’t see the exhibit. But you can read about it on the SLAM website (link above) which includes links to videos, podcasts, and other creations associated with the podcast.

And you can read this — the description for the exhibition’s section on “Brand.” Valuable business lessons in this, especially for experts who wish to stand out in their field…

Recommended Streaming

🏊🏻‍♂️ Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man & The Pool
Thank you, Dave Dee, for recommending this one. Melissa and I watched this on Netflix. We laughed. We cried. And we keep thinking about it.

Here’s the YouTube description and trailer:

“Award-winning comedian Mike Birbiglia returns to Netflix with his highly anticipated special, “The Old Man & The Pool.” On the heels of sold-out runs on Broadway and in the West End of London, “Broadway’s greatest comic storyteller provides a perfectly constructed 85 minutes” (Deadline). The show takes on life’s big questions: why are we here? What’s next? Exactly how much chlorine are they putting in the YMCA pool? “The Best Comedy of the Year” (The New York Times)…”

Available on Netflix.

Recommended Listening / Viewing

 “marjorie” by Taylor Swift
Put aside all the Travis Kelce hype and politics and other nonsense…

…and just watch the video and listen to the song.

We’ve all lost loved ones. And we all grasp for memories to keep them alive.

This is Taylor Swift’s tribute to her grandma Marjorie.

It’s from the “Evermore” album. And it’s one of the songs she sings in her movie “The Eras Tour.”

I didn’t care much for Taylor Swift until I heard the “Evermore” album. If you have your doubts about her, maybe this video will change your tune…

Recommended Movie

 “The Color Purple”
I read the “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker soon after it was published.

I saw the original movie (1985).

Melissa and I saw the musical on Broadway in 2006. We attended the matinee, just before my cousin’s wedding. Melissa weeped so much her makeup was ruined, and she didn’t have time to fix it before the wedding.

Last week, we saw the new movie — the musical version. She weeped again. I joined her.

This is an emotional, thought-provoking, inspiring movie with flawless performances. I share two videos: 1) The movie trailer. 2) Jennifer Hudson performing “I’m Here” (one of the great songs from the musical — and now the movie) at the 2010 Kennedy Center Honors event. Oprah Winfrey — who helped bring “The Color Purple” to the big screen (twice) and stage — was honored that year.

Words to Ponder

“Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.”

– Oprah Winfrey

Banner photo: “Turkey tail” mushroom on fallen tree trunk (Huzzah Creek flood plain; Crawford County, MO; 2023.12.27) #allthisusefulbeauty