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Love: The highly original Beasts of the Southern Wild, made by New Orleans film collective Court 13. It lets you into a world and subculture - the fiercely independent and self sufficient "Bathtub" in the flood zone below the levees -  that manages to feel both very real and very fantastical. The story plays out as American folklore, with elements of magical realism, global warming cautionary visions, and Terence Malickisms. When it's all over, 6-year-old Hushpuppy - her face, her spirit - is near impossible to forget.  

Like: Any kind of grilled meat in lettuce cups, like this recipe for Vietnamese pork in lettuce cups.

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/vietnamese-pork-tenderloin-50400000122081/



Discovery: This Pulp Fiction chronology poster via Kickstarter - they needed a certain number of people to fund the start-up printing costs, and I happily chipped in.

Obsession: I have always bought into the Olympics, alternately tearing up, getting goosebumps or yelling at the television. My early memories are of Nadia Comanici (I tried to vault over our living room ottoman in imitation of her Perfect 10 routines and was rewarded with the worst rug burn of all time when I wiped out.) I'm looking forward to the Friday night Opening Ceremonies and the coming two weeks, and will be passing the torch to Stella.

Complaint: Truck furniture of Japan has several couches and chairs I would love to import for our living room makeover - but their site - even the English version - is largely in Japanese and it does not appear possible to order anything.

List 81

Love:  The Cindy Sherman exhibit that just opened at SFMOMA. She has created such an amazing and wide-ranging body of work,spanning three decades. Rarely have I gone through an exhibit and fantasized about stealing so many pieces.

Like: My new everyday breakfast: 1 packed cup of kale,  1 packed cup of spinach, 1 cup of light vanilla soy milk, 1 frozen banana, 1/2 a granny smith apple and  tsp honey.  The fruit masks the greens, but it's not overly sweet.  It keeps you full until lunch. And by 8 am you've already knocked off 4 servings of fruit and vegetables.

Discovery: What I've been missing in my recent detour into dystopian YA novels: good writing, well-developed characters, thoughtful story telling.  This lesson was driven home by my welcome return to critically-acclaimed adult fiction via The Art of Fielding, which reads like an instantly classic American novel.

Obsession: Buns, for some reason.

Complaint: Newsroom haters.  It may be more like a top-flight Big Three Network show than an HBO (or AMC) series - especially this past week's episode, what with all the hanky panky - but Aaron Sorkin does that thing he does, and it's working for me.