Open Mind, Insert Thought

My position on all things Green is well-established. I am so Green that I slice my English muffins over the green container so as to be certain the crumbs that fall will then be composted. That’s Green. But I swear that if I could find a single-use broiler pan, I’d opt for it every time. Attempting to wash a dirty broiler pan has to be the most thankless, fail-ridden task in all of kitchendom.

I mean, a broiler pan wants to be somewhere between a grill and a pan. A pan, I know how to clean – soak, then scrub. If it’s one of our wonderful stainless-lined copper pans, I can scrub it with steel wool. That makes clean. Success! If it’s a grill, then I get it as hot as possible and scrape at it with a steel brush. Again, success! But a broiler pan everyone seems to try to clean with a sponge. This non-nonstick surface gains texture after just a few uses, and no sponge is getting that off. Know what that texture is? Charred food! Carbon cake. Ewwww. And you’re supposed to just keep cooking on it. That’s beyond unpleasant.

So, yeah, I’d totally go for disposable broiler pans. Use ‘em, toss ‘em. Maybe if I got a bit too energetic I could come up with a dwelling design that incorporated used broiler pans. But until then, I say gather them up and launch them into the sun. Or make up your mind and use either the grill or a pan.

The new year has arrived.  It is a year I have been eagerly awaiting, perhaps the year for which I have most prepared in my life.  I start the year as the father of a happy and healthy six-month-old baby girl, a husband of twelve years, and a professional of ten.  That framework combined with a significant amount of work examining where I am and what I’m doing provide the basis for a year of change.  Good change, hard-fought change, but ultimately change that I can accomplish purposefully.

Of the many lessons 2007 taught me, one stands out: I can be selfish.  Selfish almost to the point of being childish.  What’s in it for me, how does this make me happier, what can I do to warp this situation to suit my needs of the moment?  Perhaps it’s the only child in me coming to the surface in my adulthood.  Perhaps it’s the "guy" in me who simply wants his way all the time.  2007 was about breaking down a petulant sense of entitlement, a year of examining my motivations and my goals.  It was painful, personal, and honestly not a year I’d care repeat.  While many wonderful things happened in 2007, both personally and professionally, it was also very sad and very scary.  2008 will be about understanding what is truly important, prioritizing those things above others, and following through.  Every day, every week, every month of this year, listening honestly and acting decisively with passion and compassion.

I’m glad you’re here, 2008.  We needed you to come. 

Hey there.  So, I’ve had several blogs but I’ve never had one at my own domain.  This is the last one – no more social network blogs for me, it’s time to grow up.  Problem for you, dear reader, is that this will cover it all.  Family, business, technology, toys, music – absolutely anything that interests me.  I’ll do my very best to keep them organized.

And here, of course, is my obligatory moody half-face picture: