Anyway, I don't tend to use endearments, so I'm always a little surprised when they slip out. And the reason I'm thinking about this, of course, is that one slipped out tonight after dinner as I was saying good night to the Hawke clan, and I called Aubrey "honeypie", which Boudicca then picked up and called ME that. So I was doubly aware of having said it.
So I was thinking about endearments on the walk home, and about when I use them, and I realized that I only tend to use them, either in my thinking or, occassionally, in speech, in reference to nonverbal beings. Ie, pets and babies. I don't know why. And I feel like I should have some dramatic insight about this, now, but mostly I'm just left going, "huh. isn't that funny?"