The Weekend Reset: A Cold-brew, a new Catch, and a WTAF page turner.

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.

 

BREW: Cold-brew coffee from your own kitchen.

It took just one brew and I was smitten. I just can’t recommend this enough. A smooth cold brew coffee is a summer delight. But this new box from Bespoke Post includes non-THC CBD oil that might be something that appeals to many of you guys. You can brew tea with this set as well. And to be honest, the vanilla-bark is something I never expected to be something I would go for. But. I did.

 

BINGE: George Clooney brings CATCH-22 to the small screen.

This is. So cool. One of the best novels of the last century gets it’s own Hulu mini-series. And with George Clooney at the helm, the story is in excellent hands. I’m hoping many of you had a chance to read the novel (it was a Weekend Reset recommendation not that long ago). If reading isn’t your thing, then maybe this is. CATCH-22 features some of fiction’s best characters and this 6 part adaptation gives enough time to fully appreciate their personalities and their responses to some very messed up situations of war. This could be your weekend viewing right here.

 

DISCONNECT: Put your digital life on hold and reap the rewards.

Get. Off. The. Grid. Step away from your news feed. Say goodbye to social media (always recommended in nearly any situation). Don’t even think about opening up (insert device here). Just step away from all of it. ALL OF IT. This includes watching anything that can be construed as news coverage. This is essential to making a break for a couple reasons, including the fact that paying attention to the news is probably bad for you. The best time to do this for first- timers is when you have an extended weekend. I understand this is a big deal for many of you. I understand. Baby steps people. Baby. Steps. But for reals, doing so provides a supremely satisfying end to being controlled by our ties to technology and its constant demands. Our tech toys have become the ultimate time vampires. Setting all of it aside for a few days quiets all of the chatter in your head that comes with all of that. I’m lucky to have access to a cabin deep in the western wilderness where I am completely offline. There is no cell service. There is no wi-fi access. Heck, there isn’t any electricity or indoor plumbing (save the cold water coming into the kitchen sink). I won’t even mention the out house because I’d lose most of you. Oops. Bottom line: it is a refresh you didn’t know you needed. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself taking your time diving back into everything upon your return.

 

READ: More nonfiction that reads like a thriller*

*Because it is. And one with consequences. Let me start by stating the obvious. The video above is a trailer for an adaptation by The National Geographic Channel. In this instance, it works as a trailer for the book. But my point is: read the book first. Because it is truly horrifying, as in holy-shit-this-is-worse-than-any-monster-ever level horrifying. And it is all real. Despite the fact that this book brought widespread attention to the ebola crisis, the fact of the matter is that this crisis is far worse today. That this disease has become a medical emergency in parts of Africa reminds us just how excellent humans are at messing things up. This book, celebrating its twentieth anniversary, is as relevant today as it was then and that is super effed up. Read the book. Catch NPR’s Ebola coverage here. And then think about bingeing the show. I will be unable to help extricate you from the deep dark recesses of your closet when all is said and done. You are on your own.

 

PLAY: It is a game, sort of. It is art, mostly. It is open to interpretation…

…just like those papers you had to write in your freshmen English courses. But this is loads more entertaining. Or at the very least, interesting. It has been described as a “thought provoking toy” and according to one of the creators, everyone experiences it in a different way. This seems like the perfect way to spend some time while you sip on your cold brew.

Tim Johnstone is Dappered’s music correspondent as well as our resident gatherer of all things interwebs related. He’s pretty sure about some of the things most of the time, but totally clueless about everything else all the time.