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.
BINGE: Lovecraft Country
With Lovecraft Country taking over HBO’s Sunday drama slot — the same slot that shows like Game of Thrones, Succession, and The Sopranos once occupied — there was a ton of anticipation for this ’50s period piece about a black Korean War veteran who returns to the US, only to discover his father’s gone missing. I’m happy to report that: Lovecraft Country. Is. BANANAS. This show layers H.P. Lovecraft style horror and H.G. Wells SciFi/fantasy on top of a period piece about the horrors of Jim Crow racism — and boy, does it work. The second episode had so much insanity stuffed into it, it felt like the season finale of a less ambitious show. If you love Get Out, Stephen King, The War of the Worlds, or anything Lovecraft — you will love this. Episodes 1-2 are streaming on HBO Max; episode 3 airs this Sunday.
WATCH: Birds of Prey
Speaking of bonkers. Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn is, hands down, my favorite DC movie since The Dark Knight. This character study — of the totally-insane, off-the-wall Harley Quinn — features hilarious, pitch-perfect writing and colorful, thrilling, non stop direction, and will have you giddy and on the edge of your seat. This is what comic book movies should aspire to be: blissfully fun, wholly original, and well-steeped in the lore of these classic DC characters. Included on HBO Max.
MAKE: Raw Corn Salad
Sweet corn is in season. And I’m here to tell you: you don’t even have to cook good corn for it to be absolutely delicious. Raw corn salad is the perfect summer dish: it highlights bright, yummy flavors, and doesn’t require you to heat up your kitchen. There are plenty of great recipes for raw corn salad, but the one above was somewhat improvised: I threw together 6 ears of corn, 2 diced poblano peppers, a diced red pepper, some diced red onions (which I let sit in vinegar for ten minutes to tame their bite), some feta cheese, the juice of one lime, a jalapeno, a bit of red wine vinegar, a lot of chopped cilantro, and a bit of salt and pepper. I know, I know, SO CORNY — but also very, very tasty.
DRINK: Lemonade
It’s hot out. Real hot. And ones of the best ways to quench your thirst on a hot day is a cold glass of Lemonade. Sure, you can buy the pre-made stuff — but making your own requires a very minimal time investment for results that are WAY better than anything you can get at the store. I used the Real Simple recipe for homemade “concentrate” here, with one modification: I zested a few of of the lemons and threw that in when I boiled the sugar and water to give it a little extra brightness. The result is a concentrate you can mix with with water (or, sparkling water, if you wanna go nuts with it) to make an absolutely flawless glass of lemonade. I like a 1 part concentrate to 2 parts water ratio. Buy a bunch of lemons. Make a batch of concentrate. Keep it in your fridge. The beauty of a concentrate is it can last a good long while — but trust me, it’s so good, it won’t. Photo by J. Kelly Brito on Unsplash.
CALL: An Old Friend
Let’s acknowledge the obvious: we’re all probably a little Zoomed out these days. With both our work lives and our social lives on teleconference, sometimes, at the end of a day, staring at a screen is the last thing we want to do. Which is why I think it’s good, sometimes, to pick up the phone. Is there a friend you haven’t talked to in forever? Someone you were close with in high school or college whose social media posts make you smile? Find twenty or thirty minutes this weekend to pick up the phone. Give ’em a ring. Catch up. I know, it sounds crazy. But once upon a time, phones were for, uh, phone calls, and trust me on this one: you’ll be glad you did. Photo by Paweł Czerwiński on Unsplash.
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.