Categories: Etc.

The Weekend Reset: Jack O’Lanterns, Potatoes, and Desk Stretches

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.

 

CARVE: Pumpkins

A few weeks ago, my friends and I had a pumpkin carving competition. As I predicted, I lost in a landslide — whereas others designed Jack O’Lanterns with Baby Yoda and trucks and other fancy designs on them, I barely managed to carve a toothy face on mine — but I still had a blast, because carving pumpkins is REALLY FUN. Halloween might look a little different this year, but there’s a wonderful childlike joy in hacking apart a pumpkin and making it into something cool. For the ambitious, there are plenty of great stencils online. And save those seeds! Roasted pumpkin seeds make the perfect snack. Photo by Jen Theodore on Unsplash.

 

READ: The Weir

We tend to equate ghost stories with scary stories. But some of the very best ghost stories aren’t scary at all. Connor McPherson’s The Weir is one of my absolute favorite plays, and its setup is deceptively simple — five acquaintances in a rural Irish pub discuss their experiences with ghosts and the supernatural. Yet off of this simple premise, McPherson creates a tale that is deeply, deeply moving. Readable start to finish in under two hours, this is the perfect Halloween ghost story for those of you who like your hauntings to be less terrifying and more emotionally profound.

 

LISTEN: 10 Years of Instagram

When Instagram launched ten years ago this month, cofounders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger sought to create a simple way to allow friends to quickly share photos with each other. In this incredible podcast from The Guardian, presenter Rachel Humphreys and tech reporter Sarah Frier dig into the history of Instagram and how it has evolved over the last decade — and more importantly, how WE have changed as a society due to Instagram. A fascinating (and, perhaps, terrifying) look at how social media can reshape our lives, our cultures, and our world. Thanks to Joe for the suggestion!

 

MAKE: Potato Hash

Oftentimes, I find myself with a lot of leftovers/random stuff in my fridge — stuff that won’t make a full meal, but that I don’t want to throw out. The answer: I make potato hash. Potato hash is the gift that keeps on giving. You can serve it with eggs for breakfast; you can serve it with tortillas and salsa for lunch or dinner. You can put practically anything into it, and it’ll taste fantastic. Serious Eats has a wonderful article on the basic tenants of making potato hash, but you don’t need to treat this as a firm recipe — think of it more as a set of techniques that can be applied to any combination of leftover veggies/meat. The beauty of hash is that you can improvise and make it your own — e.g. the brussels sprout/sweet potato/carnitas hash in the photo above, which I made with leftover pulled pork from a pork butt I slow cooked earlier in the week.

 

MOVE: At your desk!

These days, many of us are spending a  LOT of time at our WFH desks. From Zoom calls to spreadsheets to email, these hours add up, and they can take a toll on your body. In this wonderful article done for the folks at Huckberry, physical therapist Joe Yoon offers a handful of simple techniques and stretches you can do even while seated at your desk to loosen up tight muscles and ensure that all of those hours of siting don’t have a negative impact on your health and mobility. Thanks to Joe for this suggestion too!

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.

Michael R

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