The K List

My favorite part of every O: Oprah magazine is "The O List: Some Things That I Think Are Just Great!" In a bad month, it's an assortment of crap various publicists have sent to O magazine lately. In a good month, it's like shopping next to Oprah. Wow, stay with that image for a minute...

I have my own list. The aforementioned espresso pot, of course, has a place of honor on the K List. But also:

Clear, golf-ball sized white lights, strung across light posts. Whether for a festival or, as on Santa Monica's Main Street, just a regular part of the streetscape, I think these are awesome. They make me feel like I'm on set of "Cinema Paradisio." Or possibly Barry Levinson's "Avalon." Anyway, they're cool.

Chicken salad with curry and raisins. Oh Jesus, where have you been all my life? How many years have I wasted, eating other kinds of chicken salad when I could have been eating you, chicken salad with curry and raisins?

Dansko clogs. Recently declared "unwearably hideous" in (ahem) a certain Midwestern newspaper, I would not be able to leave the house 4 days out of 6 if not for clogs. They give me a little height, but with good arch support and walkability. The only downside: Once every six weeks, I fall off the heel and drop like a sack of potatoes. It's not pretty.

Advil Gel Caps. If I had these in 1996-2000, I would have spent $1000 less on migraine medication. Three of these babies can knock out all but the most pernicious proto-migraine. (P.S. It's pretty easy to spend $1000 on migraine medication over 4 years; my pills retail for $20+ a piece, and I used to get migraines, oh, every four weeks or so. And sometimes it took more than one pill to knock out the lil' fucker.)

Prosecco. Yes, yes, of course I love champagne. But it takes some serious work to kill off a bottle of Veuve, and who wants to let a $35 bottle of champagne go flat? To me, prosecco is a delicious and much more affordable alternative. And because it's a little less nuanced, I don't mind so much if it's not absolutely teaming with bubbles the next day.