The Weekend Reset: A new Jack Ryan, a new international Soccer tournament, and an old favorite.

It’s Friday. Looking for something to switch up your weekend, or to give you an excuse to relax a little? That’s what the Weekend Reset is for. Each week contributor Tim Johnstone pulls together five things to get your weekend started. Could be something to read or watch, something to eat or listen to, or even something to do. Enjoy the weekend fellas.

 

BINGE: Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan returns with a new face.

What do I need to say? One of the most popular series of books to have been brought to the big screen since “The Hunt for Red October” was released in 1990. Alec Baldwin was the first Jack Ryan. Harrison Ford took over for “Patriot Games” and “Clear and Present Danger.” Ben Affleck and Chris Pine each played the roll once. And now, John Krasinsky steps in for this new Amazon Prime original series. If you’ve seen “A Quiet Place” you understand that John is not just Jim from “The Office.” And it is connecting with viewers (Amazon has already ordered a 2nd season). The reviews have mostly been excellent. And I am hearing great things about it from friends and co-workers and on social media. I’m in.

 

DRINK: Summer isn’t over yet. Don’t give up on white wine!

This Martin Codax albarino has been a staple of summer drinking with my circle of friends for a few years now. This Spanish white is dry and crisp, and it features some floral and fruit references which make for a delicious pour. The story behind the name is interesting: apparently Martin Codax was a beloved Galician medieval troubadour. It is reasonable priced ($13) and widely available.

 

PREPARE: UEFA has introduced a new international tournament.

Futbol fans take note. There is a new international UEFA competition for those of us who can’t get enough of the beautiful game. It is called Nations League and it will feature teams from 55 soccer associations. It is all explained here.  It will, for one thing, make some of the downtime that happens during international break a little less boring. That is a good thing. It also approaches the competition by sorting teams by their capabilities and introduces relegation into the mix. I know, UEFA makes the NCAA look  pretty good. But the game is the game. And this looks to be a hoot.

 

READ: A gripping story out of the American West.

I’ve been reading about how Westerns are making a comeback. HBO’s Westworld has spurred interest in the genre from television to movies to books. News Of The World is a National Book Award finalist written by Paulette Lewis. This book has been recommended to me by several friends which makes sense since the reviews for this have been glowing, hence the National Book Award nomination. That is no small achievement. Historical fiction from a woman’s perspective, starring an aging man who travels the south making his living reading the news to isolated towns. It’s an engaging story and a look into life in post Civil War America.

 

LISTEN: Beats, Anthems, Icons, and more.

Let me cut to the chase here: this is not a playlist for the rock crowd. Or, for that matter, the hip-hop, country, jazz, classical, metal, k-pop, goth rock, swing, and countless other crowds. This is all about pop music of the uptempo variety. Classic tracks and deep cuts from Chicago house music to gay icons, classic disco and the divas of dance pop. This is a playlist that figured out what it was as things progressed and connections were made between artists and eras and genres.

Tim Johnstone is Dappered’s music correspondent as well as our resident gatherer of all things interwebs related. He’s currently undergoing a Tim Improvement Project™ (Version 4.0) and he understands that peanut butter protein granola by the handful is not going to do him any favors.