List 26

Love: The Shining. It's my all time favorite scary movie. Watching a man go mad over a period of months while snowed in with his family is much more terrifying (and interesting) than watching some guy in a mask slash up frisky co-eds.

Like: The grown-up grilled cheese feature in the October Martha Stewart magazine, with combinations like Gruyere, Apple & Sage on Rye or Cheddar, Cherry Preserves & Basil on White. Seems like a good pre Trick-or-Treating dinner idea.

http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/grown-up-grilled-cheese-sandwiches

Discovery: When I was a kid, we wore out the grooves on this weird Halloween record my parents got us. I have so many memories of sitting in the dark in the rec room with my sister and brother, listening to it and freaking out. It's been re-released on iTunes. And it's even more messed up than I remembered, with this creepy lady narrating little scary vignettes. Ah, old-school no-carseats childhood.

Obsession: Stella's Star Wars obsession means this year's costume is Princess Leia. Depending on how ambitious we are Friday night after a glass or two of wine, we may attempt a Lucas-approved pumpkin too. Apparently there is a solid intersection of geeks + crafty people as I found these fairly epic pumpkins while searching for stencil designs.

Complaint: When Erich forgets to take the left-over Halloween candy into work the day after Halloween, forcing me to eat too much of it.

List 25

Love: We're two episodes behind but very much into Boardwalk Empire. It makes me happy to see Steve Buscemi get a meaty lead role.

Like: Tonight I had the chance to check out Beretta's sibling Starbelly, in the Castro. I really liked the warm wood interior. Not to mention the chicken liver pate and the overall festival of pork products that unfolded.

Discovery: My friend Lisa got us this Wisconsin cutting board from Brooklyn's aheirloom on Etsy. They have other states too, and the borough of Brooklyn itself. The board is made of plyboo, described as "a butcher block architectural plywood made of renewable bamboo." Whatever it is, the wood is cool looking and display worthy.

Obsession: The Malm fireplace from Design Within Reach. For when we win the lottery and build our own weekend place in Sonoma.

Complaint: The textured plaster walls in our 1928 house render wallpaper undoable for us. Which is a bummer since there are so many killer modern wallpaper designs out there. Including this birch tree one from Cole & Sons that my friend KJ has in her hallway. Or this twig design from Graham & Brown. Jealous.

List 24

Love: Fall can bring out my inner Martha for sure. I stenciled an owl onto this white pumpkin and am really loving how it looks in the cove of our mantel.

Like: This simple and delicious Roasted Sausage and Grape recipe. It's great for a crowd, and just needs some crusty bread and an arugula salad to round it out.

http://homecooking.about.com/od/porkrecipes/r/blpork53.htm

Discovery: This Fall marks the launch of free online design magazine rue. It has a really lovely interface and the inaugural issue showcases, among other things, sfgirlbybay's Victoria Smith's super styling pad.

http://www.ruemag.com

Obsession: Pumpkin desserts. I am compelled to order them at every restaurant I go to between October and December. And at home, in addition to the pot de creme on List 23, I adore Emily Luchetti's pumpkin upside-down cake. It's amazing and easy to make. Sometimes I substitute chopped apples for the cranberries to switch things up.

http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/ild/2003/1103/cake.html#axzz12jkxi9Dr

Complaint: Bouncy houses and inflatable slides have taken over 90% of the pumpkin patches these days it seems. I know kids love them, but we get enough of them everywhere else. We were happy to find Joan's Farm & Pumpkin Patch in Livermore this past weekend as a more old-fashioned alternative.

vs.

List 23

Love: Maple Syrup. Sure, it's fine on pancakes and waffles, but I love it more in other things. It's the secret ingredient in my favorite salad dressing. (I eyeball it so I can't pass on a precise recipe, but in order of volume it's olive oil, maple syrup, white wine vinegar,dijon mustard and salt). And these maple pumpkin pots de creme are a spectacular Fall dessert (if only Fall would ever fully arrive here in the Bay Area).

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Maple-Pumpkin-Pots-de-Creme-107388

Like: Song-writer Jimmy Webb was on Fresh Air recently and I was reminded again how much I liked a couple of his classics, especially "Wichita Lineman." The Glen Campbell original is the standard, although it's been done by everyone else from Ray Charles to R.E.M. Here's the original music video for it - back in 1969 it was apparently referred to as a promotional film.

Discovery: The Wells sofa from Room & Board. The camel leather version has a mid-century meets the 70s vibe. And this one in dark grey will be gracing our living room in the not-too-distant future if I have anything to do with it.

Obsession: Boxwood hedges. I love the formal garden style (see Filoli in List 22, or this shot of an English home below), and we're about to re-landscape our front yard, with liberal use of boxwood.

Complaint: Restoration Hardware. What's up with the ginormous furniture? It might work in a Plano McMansion, but I don't know anyone who could fit more than one of their pieces in a room.

List 22

Love: Golden Gate Fields in Berkeley. A pack of thoroughbreds thundering by you from just 20 feet away is hard to beat. And, bonus, kids love to go to the track and are oblivious to all the drinking and gambling happening around them. The next racing season is October 20th - December 19th. And Sundays are Dollar Days!

Like: Girls. The San Francisco band's record Album has been a big favorite the past year. And they're playing at The Fillmore on October 15th.

Discovery: Filoli. It's a beautiful estate down in Woodside with amazing formal gardens. The grounds have a tennis court, pool house, conservatory, potting house, etc. - all the stuff one might expect of a spread used as an exterior shot in the Dynasty credits. The estate is open for public tours.

Obsession: The vintage streetcars in San Francisco are about the most beautiful things ever. (Granted, I do not commute on them - no doubt the romance and charm wears off.) I love that they have been found all over the U.S. and even overseas, restored and given new life in our city by the Bay.

Complaint: The Bay Bridge Commute. When I add up how many hours I spend in it each week Xs weeks of the year Xs how many years I've lived here and will continue to live here, well, it's mind-blowingly depressing.