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 89

Love: Rookie Yearbook One, which gathers the best of crazy-talented, crazy-precocious Tavi Gevinson's teen girl site's content from September 2011-May 2012 into one well-designed package. I love Rookie's use of monthly themes("Secrets," "Girl Gang," "Transformation"), its writers' breathless discovery of, and quasi nostalgia for, things I actually did grow up with (the band Heart is "Literally, the best thing ever"), its exploration of the emotions and angst of teen girldom ("How to Approach the Person You Like Without Throwing Up," "How to Look Like You Weren't Just Crying in Less Than Five Minutes," "How to Survive a Small Town") and its mapping of the all-important little details ("Midnight Snacks: A Taxonomy," How to Clear Your Room In 10 Minutes.") Rookie Yearbook One is hands-down one of the most fun and vibrant things I've read through in ages.

Like: Portland's Olympic Provisions sausage. Double like that you can now buy it in certain Bay Area gourmet shops, like Oakland/Berkeley's Pasta Shops.

Discovery: Temescal Alley, or, as Erich brilliantly dubbed it, Hipster Deadwood.™ Tucked away behind Pizzaiolo, parallel with Telegraph Avenue, it features, among other things, a solid mid-century antiques store, a vintage clothing shop, a dry goods store, a horticulture shop (for your terrarium needs), and, yes, a barber shop.

Obsession: Horses.  Back when I was a kid, like most girls, I spent hundreds of hours playing with horse models, reading horse books like Misty of Chincoteague, and researching the feasability of turning our garage in Milwaukee into a stable (a no-go).  Stella is now playing with my old models, which had been carefully boxed in the attic all these years, and for her birthday was given a wonderful gift by some good friends, the next best thing to having her own horse: partial sponsorship of one at Sunrise Horse Rescue in Napa, outside St. Helena.  The horses they've saved have heartbreaking stories with happy endings.  This weekend we decided to contribute toward the upkeep of thoroughbreds Richie and Stryder, and plan to visit them every couple of months.

Complaint: After years and years of avoiding it, I'm going to have to suck it up and subscribe to Showtime because of Homeland.  We are rolling through Season 1 on DVD, it's gripping, the acting is bang on, and we just can't bear to wait a year with the promise of brand spanking new episodes starting this weekend.  This will likely push our monthly Xfinity Xtortion/bill past $275.

List 82

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 79

Love: Vanity Fair's look back at The Sopranos, with the cast and creator David Chase, which makes me want to dive into the series all over again, from start to finish. The oral history has lots of interesting behind-the-scenes detail, not the least of which is the seemingly intense feelings James Gandolfini and Edie Falco had (have?) for each other.

http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2012/04/sopranos-oral-history

Like: Lounge-height cat's cradle bases for Eames chairs. I'd sure like to get a pair for the living room, in part to add a dash of color (red? green? yellow?) to our otherwise stark and dark palette.

(Late) Discovery: It took me WAY too long to make it to Mission Chinese Food, but it lived up to the hype.  Salt Cod Fried Rice was indeed worthy of 7 X 7's Big Eat list, and it's hard to find fault with Thrice-Cooked Bacon.

Obsession: Pouring through the banquet of stunning images that is the Lyla & Blu blog.
http://www.lylaandblu.com/archive

Complaint: Why is there so much television goodness on Sunday nights, and not enough on the other nights? I know one can DVR everything, but it's hard to avoid spoilers if you can't get through it all on Sunday night. Right now, it's a choice of what to watch first: Mad Men, where the glamour of the earlier 1960s has all but vaporized; Game of Thrones, with the great Tyrion as the King's Hand and a dozen other balls in the air; and, starting next Sunday, the promising-looking Girls. Sunday, don't be so greedy. Can't we spread the good shows around a bit more?

List 76

Love: A brilliant film or television show title sequence.  I was very happy to find the Art of the Title website, which goes deep with directors and the artists who create title sequences to dissect their inspirations and thought processes. A sampling from their pieces on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Mad Men:

http://www.artofthetitle.com


Like: To shop local, and a regular stop is Oakland's Bella Vita.  It's a good resource for vintage jewelry and purses (like this color block purse I picked up), vintage and new clothing from small area designers, and kids' clothing and gifts. 

Discovery: Bouche, a fairly new restaurant next to the Tunnel Top on Bush. It's super tiny - the size often described as "jewel box" but really "cigar box" seems more appropriate given its stripped-down, more masculine vibe - and incredibly good.  That everything we ate elicited a sigh should not be surprising given chef Nicolas Borzee's pedigree (Coi, and time with Alain Ducasse, Michel Troigros and Joel Robuchon back in his native France.)

Obsession: Graham and Green's Odyssey Writing Desk, based on a 1940s Italian design, which might nicely fill a spot in the back of the living room.

Complaint:  Why did I go 5 years without a watch?  After my last watch broke in 2006, like so many people these days, I had fallen into using the ever-present cell phone to check the time.  That is until last weekend, when I finally and very happily got a new timepiece: Nixon's The Time Teller in matte black with dark tortoise.