More from The Cloud

So lately I've been a little too all over the place to think full post-length thoughts, but I have had some briefer musings that I wanted to share.

The Heatley Cliff, a semi-imaginary place where ladies can go and just be ladies.

Podcasts: My husband loves them, and I never really got it until I recently found my own that I am really enjoying. It's The Heatley Cliff and it's these two awesome ladies who have many interests similar to mine including Jane Austen, addictive television shows and pretty things. They've also already turned me onto a few things I'd like to try including book and music suggestions and inspiration to try knitting again. I've linked to their website under "Sweet Escapes," so enjoy both their website and their podcasts if you find yourself liking many of the things I post about on this blog.

Thank Netflix Instant for my latest TV addiction.

Netflix Instant: Thanks to our new iPad, my husband and I no longer have to suffer through each other's television choices that we don't enjoy ourselves. It's football season, which means a lot of looooong games that I just can't sit through, even if I want to veg and watch TV. Thanks to Netflix and the iPad, problem solved. I take the iPad and settle in for another episode of Parenthood, which I'm ashamed I didn't watch before. It has LAUREN GRAHAM in it for goodness sakes! Such a great show and I highly recommend it to everyone.

Young Adult Fiction: I admit it, I read books written for teenagers with vigor quite honestly. Thanks to The Hunger Games, I now also find myself entranced by this whole dystopian forbidden love angle and the Matched Trilogy by Ally Condie is no exception. The second book in the trilogy just came out and I've abandoned the book that I was reading to read this, mostly because I know I'll finish it by the weekend and then it's back to Howard's End I go. (I don't feel too bad only because Howard's End, although great, is a little slow. I'm sorry Mr. Forster, but Jane Austen has you beat for captivating classic English prose.) Anyway, yes, I like YA fiction. Yes, I am a sucker for dystopian tyrannical governments trying to separate young lovers. Yes, I will pre-order the third book in this trilogy as soon as I am able.

You're totally putting rice krispies, butter and marshmallows on your grocery list aren't you? I know, me too.

Cravings: Lately I have been DYING for some rice krispies treats. At first, I thought I could cure it with the packaged factory-made ones, so I bought one of those hoping for fulfillment. Sadly, although delicious, all that the pre-made treat did was make me realize how much I really wanted one that was homemade and fresh. This craving won't go away, and looking at the picture above makes it even more real for me. I'm making rice krispies treats this weekend, it just has to happen.

Red Nails: So I've always been a pretty simple nail girl. For the past decade it's been pretty much light pinks only, but in the past few months I have expanded my nail color horizons. I've rocked neon pink, sparkly black, navy blue and most recently, cherry red, a la Ms. Mendes above. Let me tell you, I am LOVING them, especially with short nails. They are cute and sassy and a lovely pop of color against even the most boring work outfits. I'm channeling my inner Eva and it feels fab.

So those are the non-stressful things floating around my head. It's nice to be able to focus on little things like these sometimes when life gets hectic in adult land.

All-Time Favorites: Gilmore Girls

Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel, an unfairly pretty mother-daughter combo, am I right?

I don't know if any TV show has had the effect on me that Gilmore Girls has had. I'm not saying there aren't other shows I've completely loved in my long career of television appreciation, but Gilmore Girls is the show that I think most affected me as a person.

For the GG-illiterate, Gilmore Girls is about a mother and a daughter, Lorelai and Rory (short for Lorelai also) Gilmore. Twist: Lorelai had Rory when she was 16, so when the show starts Lorelai is 32 and Rory is 16. Partly because of their closeness in age, they have an almost freakish bond that makes them best friends as well as mother and daughter. The bulk of the obstacles in their relationships are when they have trouble figuring out which side of the friends-or-family line they are on in certain situations, which is really interesting. They also talk incredibly fast in conversations so full of pop-culture references, you need Wikipedia open for quick searches during each episode. As a fast talker and pop-culture geek girl myself, I find myself envious of their conversational abilities, although some critics found it jarring when the show initially aired.