Good morning, fam!
Hope you all had a good week.
Today marks 35 years flying around the Sun on this floating rock we call Earth.
What did I get myself for the big day?
One month sober.
A month ago, I realized I was turning one year older and I still had a lot of big things I wanted to accomplish.1 Honestly, drinking/the day after drinking simply became a distraction that started to zap any motivation for getting these things done.2
I’ve noticed a huge difference in how I feel, both mentally and physically, which is a huge win for those of us now in our “late 30’s.”
While I go mix a birthday cocktail of TUMS and Pepto, check out this week’s recs.
Blow up the balloons, cut up the cookie cake, and let’s get into it.
Here’s what I have for you this morning:
When was the last time you watched The Hunger Games? Abby was feeling nostalgic so we once again watched a bunch of kids go ape on each other and surprisingly, the movie held up. Team Peeta all the way! (★★★••)
For a last-minute date night, Abby and I popped over to Alamo to see Theater Camp and it’s exactly what you’d expect. It’s cute, it’s funny, and it’s a love letter to all of the drama/music nerds out there. (★★★★•)
I took yesterday off and had a “Birthday OOO Day” which basically was a hodgepodge of my favorite things. I grabbed coffee, brunch, books, and even saw Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem at Alamo with a few friends.3 Seth Rogan and the rest of his crew put together a near-perfect TMNT origin story with unique animation and actual teen voice actors (who were surprisingly good at improv). Go see it ASAP! (★★★★•)
Looking for a book you can read in a day? Thanks to this video from NYT Book Review, I snagged a few of these recs for my next read while I was out galavanting around town. (★★★••)
After a grueling, three-game marathon over three weeks, I finally finished Shadow of the Tomb Raider and was left feeling meh. The gameplay definitely got better with each, but I think the story peaked during the second game. Worth a play if you’ve already finished the first two. (★★•••)
On our way out of Denver last week, Bob and Jess humored me by stopping at Corvus Coffee Roasters for some coffee, espresso beans, and this dope hat. Since I was driving home, I double-fisted a double shot of their Dead Reckoning Espresso and Nitro Cold Brew. We made it to KC in record time. (★★★★•)
Speaking of the drive, I learned I was being sandbagged the entire trip and finally got to try Pop Corners Kettle Corn chips. I’m calling it now - when I do an “End of the Year” episode, these bad boys will easily be on the list of “Best Snacks of 2023.” Do yourself a favor and go get a few bags. (★★★★★)
To top off my “Birthday OOO",” we finally had dinner at Bulrush and there’s nothing like it in St. Louis. It’s a Ozark cuisine experience where they break down the ingredients, the history, and all of the work they’re doing with local indigenous people. I could go on and on or you could just check out the full breakdown on Instagram. (★★★★•)
During my birthday week, my company gave me the best gift I could’ve asked for at work: the gift of people leadership. Ya boy is now responsible for someone else’s career growth! My first step was to introduce this “Personal Read Me” for me and my direct report. (★★★★•)
I’ve never enjoyed a Kanye song more than Stan Walker’s cover of “Ultralight Beam” on YouTube. Oh, and pay close attention to the backup singers. Holy. Hell. (★★★★•)
You made it to the end! As a bonus, I’ll leave you with this.
Cheers,
Billy
Things like chasing the millennials dreams of writing a book and opening a coffee shop.
That and my cardiologist suggested cutting back. Thanks Dr. Thakker!
We even had the entire Big Show theater to ourselves!