fall fall fall!

I'm not sure when I'm going to learn that the weather has changed and I need to wear more layers, but today was not such a day. That said, it's beautiful out! All goth-y and foggy and cold! I spent the morning stuttering in French with my new language-partner (Didier, or as Jeff calls him Dee-dee-AY!). Understanding what the frac people are saying remains my biggest challenge. He was very charming and very French and it went almost perfectly except for the part where I hadn't disconnected my Skype call, and had just taken off my headphones and mumbled (ostensibly to myself) "Well that was scary, but ...nice." And then I heard him through the headset I'd just taken off, and hung up in blind panic. Smooth, n'est-ce pas?

Then I called zee fabulous Jeff and we arranged our weekly trip. I have to say, these Saturday trips to the market are the highlight of my week. We both love the market so much, and it's always this lovely leisurely stroll, picking the perfect apples and such. We usually grab lunch after, and today we decided on El Chupacabra. My first experience there was so-so, in that the food was good, but the service sucked. But we wanted to go someplace new-ish and I felt like Mexican food. It was a better experience, but the food was just okay. Not bad, but something I could toss together at home. I don't think I'd really be excited to go again. At least the service was fine this time. Then we grabbed some coffee and came back to my place to sprawl on the couch and talk. Despite seeing each other almost daily, we never run out of things to talk about.

And you know you are incredibly close when your weekly trip to the market always starts out with your friend familiarly carrying out your garbage--and you feel no shame about it. (The recycling was piling up a bit...)

Jeff eventually escaped my clutches, and is off to swim. I'm going to go get things ready for my own evening plans. It's been a big weekend for cooking. Judy came over last night and we grilled pizza. My SIL is coming over tonight for another dinner/quilting session. I also want to prep some stuff for tomorrow's dinner with Sarah and her darling siblings! Tonight: chipotle-smashed sweet potatoes, green beans with pesto, and some sort of steak (that Emily is bringing). Tomorrow: pot roast and more green beans! I want to make a big pot of marinara and portion it out for easy meals for the next month or so (I've already started that with batches of pesto.) I'm also meeting Pete to go see Man of the Year tomorrow, which I hope is entertaining if not brilliant. In any case, it'll be fun to hang out with Pete.

Life, she is a-good, non?