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There's nothing like thinking about real estate during a recession to get a person down. The gap between the home of your dreams and the housing you can afford can rival the Grand Canyon. Aspiring home-buyers have dwindling budgets and potential unemployment to contend with; potential home-sellers have the uneasy specter of plummeting home values to confront. But even on the most dreary and grown-up of days, can't you sort of remember when "home" meant only a source of comfort, "house," a place of dreams?

As always, here comes Pinterest to the escapist rescue. I can't stop looking at this brilliant "The Old Woman and Her Shoe" Pinterest board, which collects whimsical dwellings from all over. Shoes, yes, and also treehouses, tiny houses, fancy tents, garden teepees, and playful home accents like interior slides—from the really-out-there to the easily imitatable (an indoors sleeping tent!).

Here are reminders that dwellings don't have to be all serious and adult. Some of the structures are distinguished by their tinyness, and it's always nice to remember that in the era of McMansions and car-sized sofas, there can be something wonderful about downsizing. Others are larger spaces divided by tents and bunks and forts—suggesting ways to work with the space you have to create a sense of whimsy and fun. And others are just plain eye candy, calling to mind the ways in which this world we've created can be just as magical as, say, the land of hobbit-holes.

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Photo: Courtesy of FlyGrip

I have two recurring fears: One, I will trip going up the stairs in my apartment and land face first—resulting in painful reconstructive dental work. Two, I'm going to drop my iPhone on the sidewalk and the screen is going to shatter into approximately 1,000 tiny pieces. And since my parents always told me "klutz" should have been my middle name (I've broken my nose four times...I won't get into it), both scenarios are entirely possible. Enter FlyGrip: Attach it to your smartphone, tablet or e-reader, slip your ring and middle fingers into the ergonomic grip, and scroll over your touch-screen with your thumb one-handed—without the fear of it plummeting onto the concrete as you walk and text, Tweet, or talk. The spring-loaded grip folds flat so that you can stick your cell phone in your back pocket or already crowded purse. Bonus: it doubles as a kickstand—allowing you to follow a recipe or watch a YouTube clip hands-free.

$30 (for grip and case), FlyGrip.com

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College students are known for a lot of behaviors--partying, forsaking sleep, studying (just kidding)—fiscal responsibility not usually chief among them. But Good Morning America reports that a new trend on college campuses is students embracing a so-called "cheapskate mentality."

"It's not for everyone," says Will Thomasen, a college student who is trying to eat for free for the entire year. (Check out the original article for the crafty ways Thomasen finds his food, and for more tales of extreme-savings!) Part of "Generation Cheap," Thomasen told Good Morning America, "I think we've learned from the mistakes of people in the past. We're just surrounded by this story of more and more economic crisis, more and more need for saving and savvy spending." The article is compelling, but what strikes me most is how the students reported that living with less had changed not just their present but the way they look at their future. Says Thomasen, "I have switched my priorities from being able to drive a nice car and have a nice TV and all of those types of things to be able to live appreciating the types of things that a lot of times come for free."


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Until recently, my chickpea consumption--such as it was--existed squarely within the scope of salads and hummus. I liked them well enough, but wasn't so crazy about them...that is, until I put them in the oven.

I'm talking about roasted chickpeas, which might just be your new go-to snack. Making them is beyond easy. All you do is rinse a can of chickpeas in a colander, then pour them onto a rimmed baking sheet lined with a paper towel and shake the pan lightly to dry the chickpeas off. Gently pull the paper towel out from under the chickpeas and pour a tablespoon or so of olive oil over them, and move the pan from side to side again so they're coated. Bake at 450 degrees for a half-hour to 40 minutes, sliding the pan around during cooking once or twice. They're done when they are slightly puckered and blistered.

Like popcorn (another beloved, fiber-rich snack), you can tweak the recipe to suit your taste. More or less salt, spicy or sweet, lots of flavoring or barely any at all. Cayenne, garlic salt, chili powder, garam masala, and cumin are all excellent. Sprinkle whatever you're using on the chickpeas while they are still hot and enjoy them warm--they'll taste crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. And like me, you'll never go back to just eating them in salads or hummus again.

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I firmly believe in not being dogmatic, but if I were I would definitely include in my dogma that being creative is largely about protecting your time and taking in the right stimuli. This is why I was always sure to make time to be obsessed with Bravo's art-world reality show Work of Art (season 2 just ended). For the uninitiated, this program claims to be able to find The Next Great American Artist by having China Chow (in an assortment of amazing dresses) issue some attractive artists a series of creative challenges, and then subject the artists to blistering critiques from art world insiders. Okay, so it's not exactly reading Proust, but at least none of the contestants were asked to eat scorpions, you know?

So  I was perusing the Facebook page of one of last year's finalists, the extremely talented Peregrine Honig, and saw a great post she shared with Jerry Saltz (the Simon Cowell-ish Work of Art judge). "This is great--have you seen this?" She asks, posting a list of "Commandments" by the novelist Henry Miller, written in the 30s. "Work on one thing at a time until finished," Miller commands himself. And— "Don't be nervous. Work calmly, joyously, recklessly on whatever is at hand."

There is other good advice here for anyone tackling a creative project (Miller was talking about writing novels, Peregrine and Jerry are referring to visual art). I especially loved "Keep human! See people, go places, drink if you feel like it." But perhaps what I love most are the many comments that follow—dozens of artists, aspiring and established, chiming in with what works or doesn't work for them. After all, creativity, any kind of creativity, is a process, and everyone has to find his or her own way. Still, it's nice to listen in for a moment here and there, get advice on issues like losing one's nerve, or not believing one's voice is worthy of being heard. To hear that even the Greats—Henry Miller, Peregrine—are sometimes in need of a little guidance.

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Photo: Courtesy of Jess Baumung

This month the blockbuster Irish band the Cranberries returns with the moody and introspective Roses, its first studio album in more than a decade. Here, Dolores O'Riordan, the 40-year-old lead singer and mother of four, shares her favorite songs to warm the soul.

For cozying up with the ones you love:                              "As kids we didn't have a television at home, but we did have a record player. After school I'd sit by the window while my mother, who loved Elvis to bits, played 'Love Me Tender.' For me, this song still captures that feeling of being little and secure, thinking the world was perfect and simple."
           

For a mood boost:
"There's a tradition in Ireland that on St. Stephen's Day, the day after Christmas, kids go house to house singing for money or candy. Once I got older, I realized people are more generous after a few pints, so I started singing in pubs. 'My Irish Molly O' was always a good song—it's strong and boisterous."
           
For a little nostalgia:                            
"I have such great memories of singing Marty Robbins's 'El Paso' in the car with my dad, who enjoys anything cowboy related. When I brought my husband home to Ireland, he was wearing a cowboy hat, and my dad was totally impressed. Now I love listening to this song with my own kids."
           
For feeling young:                            
"I often put on the Smiths to relax—especially 'There Is a Light That Never Goes Out.' I loved them as a teenager, and when I listen to them now, I'm instantly transported to adolescence. I think, 'I'm young!' And then I look in the mirror and go, 'Oh shit, wrinkles!'"

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