List 91

Love: Zombies, which pop up in Fall like cherry blossoms in Spring, these three sightings in particular...

(1) The Walking Dead, which returned for a third bloody season this Sunday. Bring on Michonne and the Prison.

(2) The Twelve, sequel to The Passage which I went crazy for when it came out two years ago (it was on List 1), and whose monsters are essentially vampires channeled through a zombie filter - i.e. mindless, blood-thirsty hordes who've lost any sense of the people they once were. It downloaded at 9:01pm PST yesterday and I was reading it within minutes. Thankfully two long flights for a work trip are on the schedule this week, luxurious hours to dive into the book. 

(3) When we're in New York for a pleasure trip later this month, I'm highly tempted to join my brother on this Zombie-themed "fun run" on Roosevelt Island October 27th, in which you can sign up to play a human, wearing flag football-style strips which represent your brains, or be one of the pursuing Zombies.   

Like: New York's Beauty and Essex's take on a classic cozy and simple meal that always feels Fall-like: grilled cheese and tomato soup. Their version is called a dumpling, and it's actually a small pool of tomato soup topped with a tiny bacon-crowned coin of grilled cheese you can eat in one bite.

Discovery: This Pendleton Camp Blanket, the perfect thing to Fall-up your bed.

Obsession: These deadly good warm pumpkin donut-muffin hybrid thingies that I saw on Pinterest (which, when clicked, on takes you to a military housewife's blog for the recipe - ah, the random connections of the interweb). They make the perfect Fall weekend morning indulgence.

Recipe here.

Complaint: The Bay Area's Fall is in full swing, but I miss, for myself and for Stella, seeing and jumping in the Midwest's epic Fall leaf piles.

Stella at my parents' house a couple of years ago

List 90

Love: New Order, one of the big bands of my youth, who I am over the moon about seeing for the first time in decades this Friday night at The Fox Theater in Oakland.  I may need to watch 24 Hour Party People on my flight home from New York to gear up.

Like: The Union Jack ottoman and RAF tent from Restoration Hardware's Baby and Kids' collection.  Screw the kids, I fancy these myself, and wish Stella would have agreed with me that the RAF tent is 100% cooler than the pink one she was eyeing.

Discovery: London-based Herb Lester's playfully-illustrated fold-out guide maps. They started with several takes on London and have expanded to cover a host of cities around the world with their hand-picked finds, often according to themes, be that an Uncle's take on London, or where to find Old L.A. 

Obsession: I finally made it to The Wolseley in London this summer and think it's one of the most spectacular restaurant interiors going. Apparently, former car dealerships can clean up nicely. Seeing it in summer gave us a jones to plan a Christmas trip to London, complete with a holiday dinner here.

Complaint: That even though I'll be in New York twice this month, I'm going to miss MOMA's two screenings of my all-time favorite Bond film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, which is part of their 50 Years of Bond Festival. Contrary to popular opinion in 1969, George Lazenby made a very good Bond, his romance with Diana Riggs' Tracy brought a depth to the series the other films lack, and the chase scene in the Swiss alps is a picturesque thrill, complete with a charming village holiday festival and Tracy's badass driving of a red Mercury Cougar Cobra.