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.
LISTEN: This is not your grandfather’s Jazz.
Jeff Parker has a really fascinating musical CV. He is a gifted multi-instrumentalist and has found success with his Chicago based post-rock band Tortoise. Their influences ranged far and wide, with elements of Kraut Rock, dub, electronic music and jazz all coming together in a manner that was unlike what had come before. That Parker began making jazz albums on his own wasn’t a big surprise. This brand new album is really something. This is an album made for his mother, inspired by his father, and full to the brim with elaborate explorations of themes and textures interspersed with quick interjections, samples and ambient noises. It is the kind of music you should have the chance to focus on, with headphones being recommended.
Here’s the Spotify link. Here’s what Pitchfork had to say about the album. The folks over here go deep on detail and context for the release.
EAT: Super delicious Butternut squash with risotto.
Is it offensive to say that this dish turned me into a drooling slack jawed yokel? Apologies if so. I blame The Simpsons. I’ll own the drool. I am a big fan of risotto. I don’t make it often but when I do, yum. It’s an enjoyable process. A little white wine for me, a little for the risotto. Stir. Repeat. Butternut Squash is really an ideal match for the inherent creaminess of risotto. There are more than a few ingredients here, but nothing hard to track down. I recommend buying the vegetable broth it calls for. And there is nothing wrong with a chicken broth in this kind of recipe. Yes, you will need to google metric conversions. it’s not difficult. Maybe you even have a Pee Chee folder lying around? No? You’ll be fine. My glass measuring cups list metric measurements on one side of the container. You might have what you need without knowing it. A good risotto is a great thing to have in your list of kitchen skills. Go for it!
BINGE: Stupid funny is often the best kind of funny
For some of you this will be enough: from the creators of Childrens’ Hospital. Chances are, you are familiar with some of these guys, at the very least Rob Corddry. This is the type of show people go about quoting to their friends. It’s fast-paced dumb fun. This is the kind of show that binging was created for.
READ: One of the most important novels of the past 50 years.
I don’t say that lightly. I have back up. It remains one of those books I think about every once in a while, out of the blue. It was my introduction to magic realism, and I found it exciting and beautiful and immersive. Of course, it all comes down to language for me, and there is so much to love in that regard. Don’t overthink the “love story” reference on the cover. Yes. It is. But it is so much more than that.
SET: Digital boundaries are something you never knew you (maybe) needed.
Mostly. Unless you are scrupulous in managing communications with friends and family, I’m guessing many of us have considered some of the issues presented in this article without really ever taking action outside of a few instances. I’m of the opinion that I should have been more thoughtful of my own messages and emails in the past. But unless one is pursuing a Luddite approach to life, this is how we do things now. It makes sense to decide on an approach and be mindful of that? I think? Some of it seems ridiculous, and is acknowledged as such, but there might be a “there” there. Maybe.
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. #believe.