List 98

Love: COACH ERIC TAYLOR, and pretty much everyone else in Dillon, Texas. After watching the first three seasons of Friday Night Lights, I fell out of it for reasons that now escape me. But seeing it listed as one of only a handful of series on a magazine's bucket list of shows to devour on DVD was the motivator to dive into the final two seasons. So good. Has there ever been a better portrayal of small town American life, in all its details, or of what a solid and strong but real marriage looks like? Clear eyes, full hearts, and Texas Forever. (Trivia side note: what actor appeared in two series on that list, The Wire and FNL? MICHAEL B. JORDAN, who's so talented, and whose film Fruitvale Station about the BART police shooting won at Sundance and will be out soon.) 

Like: SIR TERENCE CONRAN'S new lights, which have made me utter words I never thought I'd ever say, ever: I'd like to go shopping at JCPenny's. 

Discovery: JAMES SALTER wrote one of my all-time favorite books, Light Years (List 4). Now, almost 35 years after his last novel was published, and at the age of 87, he has a new novel out called All That Is. Salter was featured in an April New Yorker article, that provided some fascinating backstory, and The New York Times wrote "If there were a Mount Rushmore for writers, he'd be there already."  In the wake of press like this, hopefully more people will read Light Years now, in addition to All That Is, as Salter's name deserves to be met with widespread nods of recognition, not blank stares.

Obsession: GUY-MANUEL DE HOMEM CHRISTO and THOMAS BANGALTER aka Daft Punk, whose infectious new record (on vinyl, of course) Random Access Memories has conjured up my own memories of disco obsession: my parents heading off to weekly disco lessons and my grade school music teacher deciding that teaching a bunch of 9 year olds the intricacies of both the Latin and Manhattan Hustles, accompanied by the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, was a completely legit use of class time for two straight months. Songs like Get Lucky also bring to mind a movie I've always had a soft spot for: WHIT STILLMAN'S The Last Days of Disco, with the ever spot-on Chloe Sevigney.

Complaint: That I don't have much occasion to use stamps, especially now that the US Postal Service has issued these badass JOHNNY CASH tribute stamps.  

List 96

Love: Having the prospect of a dinner out at Oakland's brand-spanking new Ramen Shop to look forward to when I emerge from my January Clean Program.  It was started by some Chez Panisse vets and is apparently already racking up 90 minute wait times.

Like: The idea of getting an indoor fiddle leaf fig tree, maybe for a corner of our sunny, West-facing dining room.  I saw this example on  Pinterest and like its wide, green leaves.  Plus it would be nice to harvest plump figs later this year without the problem of birds getting to the ripe fruit first.

Discovery: Barrel-aging cocktails without the barrel. Negronis have been off the menu for me this month, which meant it was the perfect time to barrel age a couple in this cool 2-cup glass jar with a bit of barrel wood inside, a very thoughtful gift from my friend Ralph.

barrel-aged cocktail kit found here

Obsession: Healthy grains and vegetables have been my constant companions during this experimental month of strictly clean eating, and I've come to feel satisfied by them in ways I simply wasn't before. So even though I don't have to, next week I imagine making things like roasted vegetable salads with lentils or quinoa, and spaghetti squash instead of pasta, and continuing to crave my new favorite daytime drink, the Energizer from The Plant Cafe - carrots, beets, parsley and ginger.  Clean January will yield to Cleanish February.

Roasted Vegetables with Quinoa recipe

Roasted Fall Vegetables with Lentils recipe

Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Herbs recipe

Complaint: That I haven't yet been able to cook from Charles Phan's gorgeous cookbook, which I got for Christmas, because nearly every recipe that catches my eye contains a few verboten ingredients. Still, it was a treat to flip through it this month and dream of things to try come February.

List 95

Love: Our new, honest-to-goodness, non-reproduction 1960s Eames wire bikini chair, successfully won on ebay in December. It's the perfect partner for the mid-century style desk we have in the living room, and gave us a head start on our 2013 house resolution, which is to continue to replace and update some of our living room furnishings, particularly the pieces that Fritz, Clara and their claws have done a number on.

Like: These blank cards from one of my all-time favorite etsy shops, girlscantell.  Having a bunch of them and stamps in my desk drawer at the ready should help me deliver on my 2013 resolution to be better about sending thoughtful thank you notes rather than emails.

Shop link

Discovery: That I have a number of terrific, unread books just waiting for me on my kindle iPad.  Beautiful Ruins was one I bought early last summer and never got around to. Hearing it named the #1 fiction title of 2012 on NPR's Fresh Air the other day prompted me to finally give it a go, and it's completely living up to all expectations so far.  I resolve to read books I already have before buying new ones - especially new ones of the disposable YA dystopian ilk. Gone Girl, that means you're next. 

Obsession: Cleansing and juicing are all the rage, judging by the office refrigerator which is bursting with bottles of green juices and tupperware containers full of quinoa salads. For my part, in 2013, I intend to keep making my morning kale smoothies 5+ days a week, to try out the occasional 3-day juice cleanse, and even kick-off what I hope to be a year of more moderation (but still lots of good food and restaurants) with the 21-Day Clean Program.  William-Sonoma's juicing feature, which is pretty to look at and features roll-over recipes for juices of all colors under the sun, made from seemingly endless combinations of a fruits and vegetables, is bonus inspiration.  Meatballs, Negronis, and ice cream, I'll see you in February.

The Plant Cafe's Dino Kale Salad, a 2013 Staple

Complaint: I've lost count of the number of our friends and relatives in the past couple of years who've expressed shock and disappointment that we, who pretty much have never met a prestige cable show we didn't love, have never. ever. watched. Breaking. Bad.  Well, shut your mouth.  We got box sets for Christmas from my brother and I resolve that we will be hitting it hard over the next few months.  Because we don't live under a rock, we couldn't help but pick up the gist of Walter White's arc, but can't wait to experience how it all happened. 

List 94

Love: My friend Lisa's idea, from her blog Picnic, for inexpensive, stylish present wrapping:  brown paper bag + binder clip + any wintery Instagram picture. This is especially brilliant for people like myself whose presents tend to look like they were wrapped by a small child, or perhaps even an animal lacking opposable thumbs. 

Like: This always reliable, always delicious Smoked Salmon Dip from Bon Appetit, for any holiday cocktail party.

Smoked Salmon Dip Recipe

Discovery: Some of my favorite gift ideas for the year...

For the geek, any (all?) of these Star Wars prints from etsy's CONCEPCIONSTUDIOS. 

For ladies/readers, these lovely versions of the chick canon, sold at Anthropologie.

For the entertainer, monogrammed cocktail napkins from Mark & Graham, in the typewriter font.

For me (hopefully), some new rain gear: a Pendleton umbrella and L.L. Bean Maine hunting boots, based on their original 1912 model.

Obsession: My new favorite weeknight dinner - Eggs with Chickpeas, Spinach and Tomato - which is as easy as it is comforting during this hectic holiday month. Bonus: it's healthy too.

Recipe here.

Complaint: Stella's, not mine: that we only have "totally, completely not-exciting" strands of white lights decorating the trees in front of our house.  She is deeply disappointed that we haven't gone full Christmas Wonderland like the houses on Alameda's Thompson Ave, who've been putting on a show every December since 1938 (save for during World War II mandatory blackouts), and where we went to walk around and mail her Santa letter last weekend.  For my part, I'm glad that other people go for it, so I don't have to.

List 93

Love: The Meatball Shop in New York - and especially their terrific cookbook that lets you easily recreate their many different kinds of balls at home. For a birthday dinner for Erich this past Friday, I was feeling ambitious and made three different balls (classic beef, spicy pork, and chicken) and three different sauces (classic tomato, mushroom gravy, and parmesan cream) for a group of friends.  I'm tempted to compare my efforts with the real thing by attending The Meatball Shop's pop up at Oakland's Hopscotch tonight, but have a bit of a meatball hangover still. 

Like: Speaking of meatballs, a meatball shaper is one of those kitchen gadgets that could prove to be a lame waste of money (I'm thinking about you, mango slicer) but is actually massively useful, letting you create consistent, perfectly shaped balls.

Discovery: West Elm MARKET which sells well-designed utilitarian goods.  Almost makes me want to iron.

Obsession: Friends turned us onto early 1970s Detroit musician Rodriguez, subject of the well-reviewed documentary Searching for Sugar Man, which is about how some obsessed fans from South Africa (where Rodriguez had become a cult favorite) tried to determine if he was still alive and track him down. His song "I Think of You" is stuck in my head like crazy.

Complaint: That Syfy didn't order a full series of Battlestar Galactica prequel Blood and Chrome, which focuses on young Bill Adama during the first cylon war.  I'm watching the webisodes - new ones are released every Friday - and will tune in for the full movie when it airs in February, but think it had potential to be more.