List 99

Love: Erich Pfeifer, whom I had the good fortune to marry twenty years ago today, on July 31st, 1993. I'm kind of in shock that it's been two decades, but in many ways it's equally not surprising at all since it's difficult to remember life before he came into it. We were engaged after six weeks. We just knew. Cut to today and we still know. He's my best friend, a wonderful partner and father to our Stella, and keeps making me laugh. 

Like: Erich's way with a playlist. He's a genius at capturing mood, time and place with his mixes. Erich's been working on one for the anniversary dinner party we're having this weekend with a handful of close friends, and in doing so he turned me onto my new favorite jam, Don't Kiss Me Goodbye by Ultra Orange and Emmanuelle. (It's actually from 2007 but was new to me.) Listen to it here.

Discovery:  An Inverness get away.  For our tenth anniversary, we went to the secluded, cozy Manka's Inverness Lodge.  Ten years later, we're heading to Manka's Fishing Cabin and will be toasting two decades together over dinner at Sir and Star, the new and wildly well-reviewed restaurant from Manka's owners, Margaret Grade and Daniel DeLong, which features dishes like A Neighbor's Quail Plumped with Kale, Nestled in Wild Greens Pilliaged Within Reach and Crab Plucked from Surrounding Seas, Clawing at a Dip of Local Meyer Lemons.

Obsession: The Paris Photo show, which brings together hundreds of galleries from all over the world to a lovely spot in Paris each November.  We last went in 2004, right before I got pregnant with Stella, and have been aching to go back ever since.  This November our return is finally on.  Twenty is supposed to be the china or platinum anniversary gift year, but for us, it will be photography.

Complaint: I had a fleeting thought of engineering a closet makeover for Erich as an Anniversary surprise, but couldn't pull it off.  I would have used Beastie Boy Mike D's Brooklyn Toille wallpaper in the closet, which I think Erich would have loved.  Maybe for 25.

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 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.

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.   

List 73

Love: "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve," one of the great old standards. Zooey Deschanel's version, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, has been plastered all over Facebook these past couple of days, no doubt introducing it to many people.  But to me, the peerless Ella Fitzgerald's version remains the definitive one.  

Like: Giant ice cube trays, for perfect rocks drinks.  

Discovery: Salon ran a feature on cocktail culture over the decades, which included this painting from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, by Larry Salk, done in 1961.  I can't decide what I like better: the actual painting or its title "Summer Cocktail Party with English Butler."  Either way, it's making me even more antsy for Mad Men to return in the new year.

Obsession: My mother brought home some of this Kerry Gold Garlic and Herb butter to use on the beef tenderloin roast we had Christmas Eve.  Today, I had to make mashed potatoes for 20 - my contribution to a New Year's Eve dinner party.  I followed the Cooks Illustrated-tested-up-the-wazoo-in-advance method, with this butter in place of the plain variety.  It made the best mashed potatoes ever.

Complaint: Are the Iowa caucuses really three days away?  I don't know if I'm quite ready for the election year.