Weekend Archive

Weekend Butler: “At the edge of history, the wind is blowing in our faces.” A cellist plays Bach in a forest. Bruce and Bono: who paid for dinner? Liz Truss: Russian asset? “Vem Kan Segla Förutan Vind.” Easy weekend recipe. - "THE FRAME LARGELY DETERMINES THE OUTCOME" Translation: How you think about a future event/project/meeting/date largely determines what will happen. I asked a therapist I admire if she thought that was true. "A hundred

Weekend Butler: “Hold on tightly, let go lightly.” A music video that will thrill you (and everyone you share it with). Kurt Vonnegut shows you how to make $1 million. Weekend movie: a German thriller. Julia Child’s Coq au Vin. - "HOLD ON TIGHTLY. LET GO LIGHTLY." When I read that quote from the great theater director Peter Brook, I thought he had it backwards. If you're talking about relationships, holding on

Weekend Butler: “Holiday” music you’ll hear nowhere else, a movie you don’t know and will never forget, Timothy Snyder on the most urgent issue we’re ignoring, and the summer I learned to drink beer - HOLIDAY MUSIC Not feeling the marching band, the parade, the fireworks. Very much feeling "Knock Knock" by Mac Miller, a white kid from Pittsburgh who started rapping when he was 8

Weekend Butler: “Is this the beginning of the end?” Judi Dench recites Shakespeare. Going to Paris: Meet Van Gogh. Mary Oliver. Holiday savings on CBD cream. Garland Jeffreys movie online. Mmmm: recipe for Mac and Cheese. - IS THIS THE BEGINNING OF THE END? In the last few days, I’ve had conversations with smart readers and big-time insiders. All were dour. They see Biden losing steam, Trump gaining

Weekend Butler: “Oppenheimer” (No thanks), “Killers of the Flower Moon” (And the Oscar goes to…?). Life imitates LeCarre. Married people are 545% happier! Jelly Roll needs a favor! Handle hard better! And more. - WHY I SKIPPED “OPPENHEIMER.” WHY “KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON” IS A MUST-SEE MOVIE FOR ME “Oppenheimer” has audiences sitting in theaters for 3 hours.  “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which opens

Weekend Butler: “The apple that falls to the earth also lifts the ground.” Prince Harry is right, and here’s the proof. Weekend reading and compelling streaming. An easy recipe that’s a crowd favorite. And more. - "THE APPLE THAT FALLS TO THE EARTH ALSO LIFTS THE GROUND" On our last night in Jamaica, I slipped on wet tile in the shower and landed, hard, on my left

Weekend Butler: “They came to California to ruin a man. Not to kill him, not literally. But the next best thing.” Aubrey Plaza’s new movie. Best snarky email. Best sincere Tweet. Addictive music. A simple recipe from Le Bernardin with… what???? - DANIEL ELLSBERG (1931 -  ) "They came to California to ruin a man. Not to kill him, not literally. But the next best thing.” What kind of book begins like this? A

Weekend Butler: “Things change.” Play ball! A dead dog in a Hermès bag on the Champs-Élysées. A timely movie. A funny kid. A good use of zucchini. And more. - “NOT ALWAYS SO… THINGS CHANGE” The first thing that fascinated me about Shunryu Suzuki — the monk who’s mostly responsible for bringing Zen to America — was his response when he

Weekend Butler: “Who may I say is calling?” Phenomenal Annie Lennox. This Beauty Field Trip is a streaming series. Grated tomato pasta. And more. - “WHO SHALL I SAY IS CALLING? If the indictment of former President Trump is the biggest American story of the century so far, why is Leonard Cohen’s gravestone the image on

Weekend Butler: 2022 thoughts, prayers, fears… and resolve. Must-see weekend movie. A tasty condiment. And more. - SURVIVING/ENDURING THE PANDEMIC: A checklist, again. WELCOME TO 2022: THOUGHTS, PRAYERS, FEARS...AND RESOLVE. From R, a close friend and Butler reader: "I have noticed that your blog is often about self-improvement.

Weekend Butler: 3 love stories, 1 love poem, 1 love song, and one romantic movie (even if it’s about basketball and stars Adam Sandler) - If you're not in a heat zone this weekend or in Ukraine or ill or otherwise disadvantaged, you are blessed. I know I am. I've got angels on my shoulder.

Weekend Butler: 3,044 empty chairs. 11 short novels. 1 exceptional ramen. 1 stunning quote. 1 midnight song. - 3,044 EMPTY CHAIRS [IN THE PHOTOGRAPH, ABOVE] David Keene, former president of the National Rifle Association, and John Lott, author of “More Guns, Less Crime,” were invited to speak

Weekend Butler: A funny series in snowbound Norway, an “evidence” bag, Glenn Gould almost dances, and a short book to challenge the near-universal gloom - EVIDENCE BAG Excellent carry-all for writing supplies, makeup, medicine, an iPad mini, and, I suppose, “evidence.” 7.25"h x 9.5"w. Made of 95% recycled polypropylene. [To buy it from Amazon

Weekend Butler: A nation of hostages. The Dalai Lama’s birthday. The $3 million GoFundMe. Strawberry Cobbler. - A NATION OF HOSTAGES Consider this year’s 314 mass shootings in just 186 days. Do they make you… nervous about going to the mall, the grocery, the club, the church, theater,

Weekend Butler: A new movie for sentient adults. What punches harder than a mantis shrimp? My fan mail. Paul Simon, and more. - STEEL CHAIR TO THE HEAD I own the book. I’ve never read it. I feature it because I love the title --- it exactly conveys the humor and absurdity of

Weekend Butler: A Rare Gustav Klimt Show. Strangers on Cell Phones on a Train. Margaret Mead. Midnight Music. Mary Oliver. John Le Carre. Artichoke Carbonara. - I wrote a play about Matisse and knew Bonnard was his friend, but in the mental ranking that art-lovers are prone to, I didn’t consider Bonnard as Matisse’s equal, not

Weekend Butler: A rare letter from the editor: ‘Help!’ Plus: a summer love story in Europe. Live longer… with coffee. A good use of zucchini. And more. - YOU CAN HELP BUTLER, OR YOU COULD JUST SCROLL DOWN FOR THE GOOD STUFF For all of its 17 years, Head Butler has been an Amazon “affiliate.” What that means: Amazon

Weekend Butler: A totally relevant comedy to stream. Asking for a friend: do you know this woman? Avoid Andy Warhol. A complicated love story. And more. - WEEKEND MOVIE: “THE DEATH OF STALIN” This would be the ideal weekend to stream a movie about Russia. A 2017 movie that was playing to sold-out crowds in Moscow before it

Weekend Butler: Aaron Judge. Anthony Bourdain. A Steven King joke. A soup recipe. A powerful fake commercial. And more. - BREATHE IN. BREATHE OUT. BREATHE IN. BREATHE OUT. A close friend is so stressed by the mid-term elections that she’s flying to Mexico and walking the beach that week. I

Weekend Butler: After 40 years, a District Attorney goes to jail. The Squirrel Olympics. That addictive chili sauce. Alfonso Cuarón’s hottest movie. Jason Isbell. - SHOPPING ON AMAZON: As an Amazon Associate I earn a modest commission from qualifying purchases. How does that work? You start on Butler, buy something on Amazon, Butler gets a