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 we’ll pull 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.
WATCH: Bond. James Bond.
Perhaps as a thank you for all of the bazillions of dollars they’re making in the current retail market, Amazon is now streaming all of the pre-Daniel Craig Bond movies on Prime, free for all Prime members. That’s TWENTY ONE movies. These are classics for a reason. So much of our cinematic culture exits in reference to these films. I’m particularly partial to On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, George Lazenby’s sole outing as 007, but they’re all great. (For those of you that have HBO, a bonus: Casino Royale streams for free through your HBO subscription. Also Quantum of Solace, but we don’t like to talk about that one.)
MAKE: Masks
Time to get crafty, people. The CDC now recommends that we all wear non-surgical masks to cover our mouths and noses if we absolutely need to go out (like, for groceries). Maybe you’ve got some Batman pajamas lying around from a kid that outgrew them. (Maybe the Batman pajamas are yours, and they’re filled with holes, but you just can’t bear to throw them away.) Grab some scissors. A stapler. And you can turn those PJ’s into something smokin‘.
GROW: Sourdough Starter
Bit of a cliche, this. “Mr. Quarantine man sips homemade latte brewed with locally roasted beans, contemplates growth of his sourdough starter” is definitely going to be an Onion article if it isn’t one already. But just because it’s cliche, doesn’t mean it isn’t awesome. The process is pretty simple: Throw some flour and some water in a small jar. Cover it. Wait. The next day — and twice every day for a few weeks — discard 3/4 of the starter into another jar, and add a bit more flour and water to what’s left. (I love the #QuaranTinyStarter recipe because it minimizes flour waste, but there are plenty of other good ones out there.) I promise. This is not that much work. Think of it kind of like a Tamagotchi — except it’s a Tamagotchi that can make really awesome bread.
BINGE: Better Call Saul
Breaking Bad was a game changer: a wire-tight thriller that hurtled through plot twists like a season of 24 on blue meth. But this? This is something quite different. Though it shares its DNA (and characters) with Breaking Bad, Saul operates on a smaller, more intimate scale. The first few episodes lean heavy on the comedy — but as you get deeper into the series, the show turns into a knockout character study of a man who desperately wants to do the right thing yet is constantly lead astray by his impulses. Every single episode this season has been a wondrous, emotional gut punch, featuring A+++ performances from Bob Odenkirk and Rhea Seahorn. The best character-driven drama on television.
SING: Karaoke, at home, via YouTube
Funny story. I met my roommate because we were on the same team in a competitive karaoke league. (Yeah. It’s a thing.) Back in March, we started a weekly “Karaoke at Home” night, and it’s been a blast. Our setup is super simple: an iPad hooked up to a karaoke speaker with a splitter and an extra microphone for duets. But though it’s fun to have, the karaoke speaker is completely unnecessary. All you really need is a phone or tablet that has YouTube — as well as the willingness to make a fool of yourself in front of your partner/pets/children/houseplants. (Want a bigger audience? Fire up Instagram live.) Added benefit? You can sing whatever song you damn well please. Nobody at Timmy Nolan’s wants to hear you sing The National at Karaoke night. But in the comfort of your living room? The world’s your oyster.
About the author: Michael Robin is an LA-based television writer. When he’s not working away on his latest pilot script, you can find him scuba diving, hosting Shabbat dinners, or goofing off with his goldendoodle, Biggie Lebowski.