The Weekend Reset: NASCAR Heists and Orange Nights

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.

 

DECLUTTER.

I’m a notorious “shove-it-in-the-closet” person. When I’ve got an object/document/banana/thing I don’t know what to do with, it usually gets tossed inconspicuously into some random cubby hole or drawer and promptly forgotten. (This is how I wound up with six Dos Equis beer bottle openers in my kitchen and four unopened bags of tri-color quinoa in my pantry.) But over the past few weeks, I’ve chosen a closet/drawer/area each weekend to declutter, and it’s made a WORLD of difference. Stuff I don’t need is gone. Stuff I love — but forgot about — is suddenly accessible again. Perhaps most satisfying of all was getting rid of a few pieces of furniture that weren’t working in my space — suddenly, my living room was way more open and I had a lot more natural light coming in. Yes, Kondo-ing can be overdone, no question. But selective decluttering is a great way to ensure your living space is both functional and beautiful. Maybe this weekend, you pick a small zone. Grab some trash bags, and fill ’em up with the stuff you don’t use and the stuff you don’t love. Donate what you can. Toss the rest. I bet it’ll make your space better. Photo by Ayla Verschueren on Unsplash

 

WATCH: Logan Lucky

Steven Soderberg, the mastermind of the Ocean’s 11 franchise, came out of retirement to direct this NASCAR heist film — and it’s a doozy. Featuring a stellar cast  anchored by Channing Tatum, Daniel Craig, Adam Driver, and Riley Keough, Logan Lucky plays like an Appalachian take on the Ocean’s franchise. Pop some popcorn for this one, because it’s an absolute joy to watch — the script is by turns hilarious and devilishly clever. The kind of movie that will have you sitting there with a big smile on your face the whole way through.

 

EAT: Tomatoes

It’s August, fellas. And that means: peak tomato season. There’s nothing quite like a big, juicy, ripe, heirloom tomato. Alas:  the tomatoes you get at the grocery store?  They ain’t the real deal. Instead? If you have a local farmer’s market and its safe to go there (masks on, of course): do it. Find a few juicy-looking heirlooms, bring ’em home, cut ’em up, and eat ’em. Maybe with some mozzarella and basil in a caprese salad — or maybe just sliced, with a little salt and pepper. Good tomatoes don’t need much. No farmer’s market nearby? No problem. Go for grape or cherry tomatoes at the grocery store — at supermarkets, smaller tomatoes tend to be much more flavorful than their big brothers. You can cut the cherry/grape tomatoes in half and put them in a salad, or use them to make a perfect, summery pasta sauce. All wins in my book. Photo by Vince Lee on Unsplash

 

LISTEN: Channel Orange

We’re in the thick of summer — and there’s no better album for summer than Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange. There are records I like a lot. Records I love. And then there is this: an album I adore so much, I found myself sneaking away from social gatherings to go listen to it back when it came out in 2012. Channel Orange is an undefinable, totally unique blend of soul and R&B and pop and rock and features songs that are twice as long and ten times as good as a pop song has a right to be. If this album is as much a part of you as its a part of me, putting it on the stereo will feel like coming home. If you’ve never heard it, hoo boy, it’s worth a listen — or several hundred.

 

PLAY: Final Fantasy XIV

When it launched in 2010, Final Fantasy XIV — a cross between traditional Final Fantasy games and World of Warcraft-style multiplayer RPGs — was notoriously a mess. But in 2013, the game relaunched, and since then, it’s been considered the best massively multiplayer RPG out there. This month, Squaresoft released an update for the game and made a HUGE portion of the game’s content completely free. We’re talking over a hundred hours of content. I haven’t played an online roleplaying game since my World of Warcraft days in college, but this weekend I’m diving head first into FFXIV — I can’t wait to explore its vast and gorgeous world. If you’re looking for a little escape — and a huge, burgeoning, wonderful online community — this might be the game for you.