PeteCarpenter.com

8/17/2009

• Ah summertime. Where have you been all my life?
• I am the happy owner of a shiny new MacBook Pro after selling my black MacBook on Craigslist last week. It was a bit unexpected, but after seeing what people were paying for them and then realizing that the new MBP’s had come way down in price along with my student discount and the fact that Apple was also giving away a free iPod Touch to students with the purchase, and it was a little too good to pass up. So I have a new computer and the Lovely Tess has a new iPod Touch. Seriously, we gave our two year old a sophisticated piece of electronics to watch episodes of Yo Gabba Gabba on. Hey, it was free. If she breaks it, no big deal. Better than breaking our iPhones.
• Hey, the girl deserves a little treat. It’s been a big week for her. It started out with her throwing herself out of her crib in a fit of typical Tess rage when she couldn’t get exactly what she wanted. We wouldn’t let her sleep with a bag full of stuffed Sesame Street characters (the characters were fine, but the bag not so much). As she screamed her disapproval, we kissed her goodnight and walked out of her room. Thirty seconds later came a big giant “Thud” followed by stunned silence. We ran in to see her lying on the floor, completely shocked, but physically fine. Yeah, she’s determined. So the next night, we took the side of her crib off, put the toddler rail on, and said hello to her big girl bed. It’s been a week and she hasn’t gotten out of it or rolled out of it once. Fingers crossed that it stays that way.
• She managed to top herself last night by unexpectedly announcing that she had to use the potty, went into the bathroom, and took care of business. Seriously, who is this kid? Completely unprovoked and with no real potty training attempted so far, this was a complete surprise to us. Needless to say, there was much celebrating in the Carpenter household. Let’s see if we can keep this going. Somehow, I don’t expect it to be this easy. Yes, I’m at the point in my life where I celebrate peeing.
• Thanks to a visit from the Lovely Suse’s parents, we got to enjoy a nice date night on Saturday. It started off with our first visit to Dorado Tacos, a spot we’ve been meaning to get to since they opened a few weeks ago. As you know, we have high taco standards, and this place was great. Nice fish tacos, fantastic cemitas (sandwiches), great elote (grilled corn slathered in mayo, chili powder, mexican cheese, and lime), and black beans and rice that I could have eaten an entire plate of. Oh, and watermelon agua fresca, which is just pureed watermelon diluted with ice water that makes the most refreshing drink you can imagine. Well, maybe a little booze in there would make it even better. All in all, a solid place that we will be returning to frequently. We finished off the night by catching (500) Days of Summer, the type of hipster romantic comedy with a killer soundtrack that I am a complete sucker for.
• The Lovely Suse has taken to making smoothies for breakfast that involve all sorts of frozen fruit and, get this, kale. Yes, kale. And it’s delicious. Is there anything that this magical vegetable can’t do? This girl is in need of a juicer.
• I never thought I would hear myself say this, but I’m sick of Clif Bars. I’ve eaten one every workday for about the last 7 years, and I need something new. Any ideas? I have all sorts of other snacks in my office, but nothing particularly chocolate-y or sweet like that. And most other bars that I’ve tried are either too tiny or taste like poop. Hmm, maybe they’ll introduce some new flavors to get me back into them.
• Yes, I am happy that Mad Men is back. I’m just not so happy that I feel like I have to stay up at watch it on Sunday nights so that I don’t accidentally read about it on Monday morning. Oh well, it’s a small price to pay for the best show on TV.
• The most common response to my seersucker pants: “You look like you just got off a boat.”

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