I have a bunch of thoughts swirling through my head today that I decided the world should know about :)
Cast Iron Skillet
Enhancing my Southern cred, I bought myself a skillet last year. Y'all, it rocks! I mean, seriously, how did I cook without one? We had some friends over for dinner recently and I made a pork loin that was first seared then roasted in the skillet. I usually don't even like pork loin very much, and it came out delicious. I just fried up some leftover potatoes from dinner last night to accompany my lunch today - so tasty! It's really easy to take care of, too. I thought it would be high maintenance b/c I remember my mom always drying hers by heating it in the oven (or something...memory is a bit foggy). All I have to do with mine after washing is dry it out then wipe with a little cooking oil. Presto!
"At Least"
Salmonista's conversation recommendation: if you'd like to be polite, do your best to avoid using the phrase "at least." I can't think of any uses that bring you closer to another person. Ok, maybe sarcastic examples, but sarcasm is a tricky tool to wield. At best, "at least" makes you seem slightly uninterested or superior. At worst, it leaves your conversational partner silently (or visibly) seething.
Innocuous example
Person A: Oh, it started raining! Sad, I was hoping we could eat dinner on the patio tonight.
Person B: Well, at least it was sunny this morning.
Person A's internal monologue: <Yeah, but I was stuck in the office all day in a cube farm and didn't even get to glance at a sunbeam, so I've been looking forward to an al fresco dining experience to bring a small crumb of joy to my soul!>
Really unfeeling example
Person A: I'm so upset. I just found out my child has a serious illness.
Person B: Oh, at least he doesn't have this other serious illness I heard about that sounds even worse!
Person A's internal monologue: <AHHHHHH! Stop forming a hierarchy of badness and acknowledge my pain!>
Lawn Mower Rage
Last spring/summer, my neighbor always mowed his lawn right around 9:30AM, which was when the boys were going down for a morning nap. He'd buzz his noisy gas-powered mower over the strip of grass right outside their nursery window, and I'd stew as I was sure he was going to wake them up. (Sidebar: they only woke up a couple times.) Today, I realized that although his grass is neatly trimmed, I haven't even noticed him mowing the lawn this year. I assume he's still a morning mower, but these days we're usually out of the house around 9:30. Last summer, hearing a noisy mower seemed like the worst thing ever. But now I barely even think about it.
Floor Cleaning
About this time last year, I was obsessed with sweeping our hard wood floors. The boys were crawling/creeping/rolling all over the place, and I probably swept once a day to keep the kids from becoming total dust and dirt balls. Now, well, they walk/run/climb just fine. And they also make a much bigger mess around the house. I wasn't feeling too well earlier this week, so I spent the day laying on the couch playing Daniel Tiger episodes from Amazon while feeding the children ten different types of crackers, chips, and cookies. DF kindly swept up the main crumb piles they had produced. Then this morning I found a bunch of crushed crackers in the playroom under some toys. I gathered the larger pieces the best I could. The mess really doesn't stress me out as much any more. And don't even ask about my mopping regimen. We seriously need a dog. Except then I'd have even more messes to deal with :)
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