Say It Isn't So...

I've had my cutting mat for quite a long time. Normally I take pretty good care of my tools, but I've sure messed up this time. There'd been quite a few cutting sessions on the dinner table - and on one particular day I was just really tired and instead of putting my big mat away properly, I just leaned it up against a chair. Then I forgot it was there. It stayed there for several days before I remembered. When I finally did... it was warped:

It doesn't look TOO terrible until you see it right from the edge:

I've tried everything - ironing it, laying heavy books on it for days on end - just everything, but nothing is smoothing it out. I've been using it anyway - limping along - but have to admit it's driving me up the walls. That bend in the middle makes it hard to keep longer pieces squared up. So... I'm giving up now - going to retire this one and purchase a new one. I hate to do that, as cutting mats are pricey - but it's a tool that I use quite a lot, and having one that isn't up to scratch is making me crazy.