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.
READ: The Internet of all things is fake, mostly.
But you probably already guessed that? This explains how this comes to be. And it is as depressing as you might imagine. We are nearing the point where there are more bots than actual people on the web and that is where things like Skynet catch up with us. Fascinating (and depressing) stuff. Anytime I hear about how many streams a band has, or video views, I understand that those numbers are mostly meaningless. It’s all about cheating money out of people.
WATCH: Because sometimes Jenga just isn’t enough fun…
First things first: I am still catching up on movies released last year. And occasionally I end up watching something with friends I had skipped for whatever reason. Game Night is one of those movies. It had surfaced on streaming services recently and I finally got around to watching it the other night. I ended up watching it again the next day. If you have ever done game nights with your crew then this is immediately relatable. Until it isn’t. This is a clever, funny, fast paced movie that really works because the acting ensemble shines (Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams are so good here) and the characters are genuine. And yes, sometimes you will have to rewind things just to catch lines that you missed. It’s worth it.
EAT: An overnight one-pot chicken to eat off all week.
Yes, there is the multi-paragraph origin tale before you get to the helpful parts. And yes, you are looking at a picture of how you should plan meals around said chicken. Ultimately, it is literally a bird in a pot. Nonetheless, for myself, this is kind of a game changer. It makes it easier to get more out of the chicken, especially if you need protein for the week ahead. There’s that. And the fact that you get a broth out of the whole deal is kind of a big deal.
CREATE: Yeah, you can. This suggests you should.
I have no doubt that this isn’t the sort of thing that will resonate with everyone. But, for many of you it might spark a change you’ve been thinking about or looking for. If nothing else, it serves as a reminder about the importance of art in our civilization.
LISTEN: This is not your grandfather’s Beck.
I’ve had this on repeat for a couple days now. This is not “Loser” Beck. It’s not “Up All Night” Beck. Or “Lost Cause” Beck. It’s a cover of an obscure 1982 b-side that would find a bigger audience via This Mortal Coil. And by bigger audience, I mean artsy introverted liberal arts majors who bought anything that came out on the 4AD record label. The This Mortal Coil version (which Beck pretty much replicates) remains one of my favorite songs from that era for reasons which are impossible for me to convey. It’s all hormones and melancholy. This song has been released as part of an upcoming collection of songs inspired by the Oscar nominated movie Roma, which is on Netflix.
Tim Johnstone is Dappered’s music correspondent as well as our resident gatherer of all things interwebs related. He’s currently chasing his spirit animal.