Hey, Rayne!

I'm totally freaked out by the billytea therapist link. I thought the article was interesting. I wish it spent a little more time on the whole "successful couple"concept and info. But, and not to sound arrogant, 'cause believe you me we have had our years and years of fireworks and havoc and had the shattered lamps (him) and giant holes in the drywall covered by Monet posters (me) to prove it, I mostly felt happy. Because the stuff they did say, like, breaking up arguments with humor and the listening stuff, we totally do.

It all takes work. Relationships just do. But ours seems to be in a pretty good place now.

Plus it's fun to tell people I threw him through a wall, when they're looking at us thinking we've got it all together.

Oh, and I meant to say this earlier, but erika, your monsoon is over already? We're still totally in ours.

We live in a duplex, so our bedroom window is right next to our neighbor's porch, and sometimes I can tell they're out there by the faint scent of cigarette smoke. I'm not complaining, mind you, it's pleasant to live in a neighborhood where everyone hangs out, and the smoke is really mild, it doesn't bother me.

I just mention it, because tonight I smelled a just wonderful odor coming through the window. I kept trying to identify it. I decided it must be pipe smoke, and I must have this really happy scent trigger because it was the same brand that my college buddy used to smoke when we lay on the bridge and talked about life.

Then I moved into the office, and I could still smell it. That was weird. And then a lighting bolt struck, and thunder rumbled, and a gorgeous slow rain let loose. And I realized I was smelling the storm, and that was what the happy scent trigger was.

Of course, now the SO needs to run by the store to check it's not still flooding. But it smelled so lovely and clear and pine and juniper and mmm.

People keep asking me how Hubby and I have made it to 20+ years. I don't know it's been "work" or inertia. I guess it comes down to life without him being more horrible than life sometimes is with him. We make each other laugh and we've never run out of things to talk to each other about. And I refuse to treat him like a project or a child or less than a man I admire and respect. And he, poor dear deluded soul, thinks I'm the niftiest woman on earth and far too good to be with him (which I wish he'd stop saying, because that insinuates I have poor taste).

I read the article. There was an odd note to it. Not sure I can truely identify it. But marriages , like all other relationships have patterns. and patterns can become ruts. When something happens - a new job, a kid, etc. things shake up the pattern- and you look at it. Hopefully, you move forward together- and in lots of cases you can. There are big changes in the picture that make it much harder to move forward together, but I think it is all related. So I guess I agree with kristin that there is a an 'uh- oh' quality- but it is more of a problem because the article doesn't explain that some make it passed the same thing that kills other relationships.

I can deal with the best woman in the world, but I am with Connie on this one:

And he, poor dear deluded soul, thinks I'm the niftiest woman on earth and far too good to be with him (which I wish he'd stop saying, because that insinuates I have poor taste).

Rayne. As always, love the tag.

OK, I went to the supermarket tonight for deodorant, cereal, and bread, and ended up buying $64 worth of groceries. Which did not include bread. Though some of that is due to finding frozen chicken Kiev after several years doing without and getting 8 meals' worth.

I am also left to wonder what the point is of roasts that weigh less than a pound and a half before cooking. Isn't the whole point making enough to feed several people?

Isn't the whole point making enough to feed several people?

How closely can you approximate roast in recipes with other cuts?

I am also left to wonder what the point is of roasts that weigh less than a pound and a half before cooking. Isn't the whole point making enough to feed several people?

For me, the whole point is to eat roast, for lo, it is tasty.

I dunno... usually I cook single-serving cuts of beef in a skillet or on a grill, and only use the oven for roasts. I guess you could cook prime rib the same way, though.