After a trip to four separate stores in three separate cities, I have acquired the ingredients to make a Thailand-style dinner. Chilled Thai basil rolls, filled with shrimp and rice noodles, and Thom Kha Khai soup (the mushrooms for which were acquired directly from the forest!), with lime zest and coconut milk. No lemongrass to be found, and regular ol’ Italian basil will have to be used in the place of the sweeter “thai basil”, but I think it will all work out. So thrilled that FL is an adventurous eater; such a novelty among his countrymen.

I cannot wait to have a kitchen of my very own. If yall haven’t noticed, we have not yet moved into Bosc di Sot. The bank is jerking FL around, refusing to give him the right to purchase the house outright until they can prove that he is “eligible” to purchase it, or something inexplicable. I really am not sure how this system is set up, regardless of how many times FL has tried to patiently explain it to me. To be honest, I’m not sure he understands, either. All we know is that we are waiting on a call, the go-ahead, and then the house is ours. In the meantime, all of our home-cooked meals are grilled out in the garden, the odd Friuli weather oddly accommodating to late-night October cookouts, huge steaks and cuts of meat from Bonelli’s, varieties of fresh seafood, vegetables, and polenta. Paola is more than happy to share her kitchen with us, but I can tell that ethnic food makes the family a tad weary, so we try and limit our oven-and-stove based endeavors for weekends when the house is free. Lately, we have been spending our Sunday mornings making blissful brunches, and I have introduced FL to the most wonderful breakfast of all (aside from eggs benedict): egg-in-a-whole, which he pronounces as one word, “egsinole”.

Tomorrow I go to the corporate conference, and will try my best to understand and translate for the Italians, or at least bullshit to the best of my ability. My take on this will be to put myself in the mind-set of some sort of David Sedaris story, one in which I humorously observe. Detached professionalism. In order to fully look the part, I went to the H&M in Udine yesterday and bought an absolutely gorgeous grey dress, perfect professional attire. It fits me like a sausage skin. I won’t be able to eat anything 24-hours before putting it on, and I certainly won’t be able to breathe, but, if I may say so, I have a bangin’ figure for ‘business chic’ fashions. Pencil skirts (with control-top lycra underneath, naturally) and breezy blouses show off my hourglass figure perfectly. I figure as far as the Italians are concerned, it really doesn’t matter how well I do my job, as long as I look like fabulous. For this amount of cash, I will happily oblige.

I wanted to touch a moment on the job search, just to make a note here in writing about the generosity, helpfulness, and encouragement of the people here in Cormons. It seems that everyone has their eyes and ears open for me, talking amongst themselves about finding me a good set-up. FL’s father brings my resumes with him when he goes to work at vineyards and agrotourismos. Fabio and Nadia at Porchis, and their parents, in fact, are always offering me little odds-and-ends, and hints on places to send my information, putting in a good word for me here and there. The other night I was offered a job at a cute local wine bar, Jazz and Wine, on a call-in basis. I was flattered, as I had never even really talked to the woman there. She dates one of FL’s close friends, and had heard through the grapevine (har har) that I need work. Naturally, a contract is needed, so tomorrow I go to speak with someone who can clear up for me once and for all all of the mess about work visas, etc. Even if it doesn’t work out, it’s nice to know people care enough to want to see me settled, or at least occupied.

As far as free time goes, I am pretty proud of myself for not having taken to spending my afternoons at the enoteca, blissed out on wine, as is common for the begrudgingly unemployed. When I get bored, I go run instead, hike the mountain and explore the forests, which are vast and unbelievably beautiful this time of year. Wild boar and baby deer run free, there are figs to be picked from trees, mushrooms to be discovered, chestnuts falling like spiky orbs from the sky, and the red wine grapes are getting sweeter every day. We are having a bit of an Indian summer right now, so the early-afternoon walks are turning into late-afternoon hikes, as I continue to widen my circle around Cormons, walking just a bit farther every day, taking new trails, finding new towns, exhausting my New Balances gallantly.

Ah! FL has arrived. The Thursday night Thai food party can begin!

A domani, loves.