The Weekend Reset: Summer Salads, Jams and Shaves.

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.

 

STREAM: This might just be the best album of 2019.

Chance The Rapper. Dude has one of the most compelling CV’s in entertainment considering his relatively short career. And he’s just now released his first official studio album. There is some positive affirmation happening here. There are a whole lot of collaborators here (John Legend, Death Cab For Cutie, Nicki Minaj, Gucci Mane, Shawn Mendes and, double checks the liner notes...Randy Newman). This is a really fantastic release.

 

EAT: Yes, you can grill your way to a tasty Summer salad.

Grilled Cobb Salad. You may have gathered that I am a fan of grilling meals this time of year. Actually, uh, anytime of year. But Summer provides a bounty of vegetables that take kindly to a few minutes on the grill. This leads to some delicious opportunities where salads are concerned. This recipe is a good place to start. Generally speaking, I take most recipes as a starting off point. I suggest you do the same. I can think of a couple other veggies I’d add to this. And since I’m not the world’s biggest mint guy, I’d leave it out and throw some cheese in there instead. Regardless, a great Summer meal awaits.

 

IDENTIFY: Uh, what did I just brush up against?

Or, conversely, what a lovely flower. WTF is it? Both things can be true. Also true, an app that helps you identify flora (and the occasional fauna). But this is so much more than Shazam for plants. This is where it gets kind of nerdy. By using this app, you become a citizen naturalist, contributing to a working database which helps strengthen it. There are a whole array of interesting features in the app which I am just getting familiar with. So far, it’s super interesting.

 

SMILE: Lizzo is the pop-star we need right now.

Lizzo did an NPR Tiny Desk Contest. There are cuss words. And joy. So. Much. Joy. Here’s a little behind the scenes take on the taping. 

 

TREAT YO SELF: Get thee to a barber.

I admit that I am a bit late to the beard thing. I’ve been scruffy for years. For some reason, seriously, I’m not sure I could tell you exactly why, I decided to go all in. I am now a bearded dude. Having not been a bearded dude for the vast majority of my life, I had no idea how to tend to it. And now, I have a barber. And I have finally experienced the traditional straight razor shave. I. Am. Hooked. The warm towel. The clean shave. I get why ladies do the spa thing. It’s nice to be pampered, even if it isn’t a lengthy process. And no, it won’t end like this cartoon.

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. This, however, doesn’t sound like a bad idea to him.