Sahar's Birthday Month

September was a busy month, with lots of little milestones, good meals, and most importantly… Sahar’s birthday!!

The apartment is finally set up the way we like it: the frames are hung, the fruit basket is full and colorful, and we even added our first plants. We also finally gave in and bought a pint of ice cream from the Davis Creamery for the freezer, yum!

> Our fruit basket, just to make you all a little jealous: California peaches, nectarines, kiwis, bananas, and plums!

Campus is now overrun with students… it was nice while it lasted. We discovered that our neighbors have a cat when we heard it meowing loudly in the hallway. There’s also an adorable orange cat, Cheeto, who hangs out around campus. Meanwhile, Suki is living her best life at Granny’s.

> So sleepy

The Sahar Scoop: Law school life rolls on with classes, networking, and clubs. She really enjoyed trying out the negotiation club and got great feedback from the competition she took part in. She also just earned her recreation center certification to move up to the intermediate level in pottery this semester, and she’s excited to start. Me too, honestly, because it means more pots for my plants :)

And of course, the big event of the month: Sahar’s birthday! We celebrated quietly at home with mac and cheese, BBQ chicken, and the best chocolate–red wine cake with raspberries (I can smell it baking as I write this... I can’t wait). She’ll have a party with her friends after midterm exams. She got lots of lovely cards and gifts.

> I have a feeling this cake isn’t going to last long…

The Benoît’s Blurb: In September I spent a week in Austin, Texas with CharterUP. We worked hard, with lots of discussions about how to price bus trips—and even a surprisingly long debate about what to call the different steps of the process (promise, it’s important). Evenings, though, were company-sponsored food & drinks (yeah!): steak, sushi, cocktails… we tried out a bunch of great restaurants. Tuesday was the social day with pickleball, and I had some good work chats with a few colleagues. Team organization also changed, and now I’m on a smaller team focused on the booking experience. I’m happy about it because I like my teammates, and it means more frontend work for me.

> Very early flight to Austin, with an Uber driver who was a little too chatty for 4 a.m.

Other than that, I’ve gotten into the habit of working from the library some days, still playing frisbee once a week, getting back into climbing at the campus gym, and since Sahar’s busy on Saturdays, I’ve started doing long morning bike rides to nearby towns. I also tried to sign up for a rec center class, but everything was already full… so I’m on a few waitlists.

> Water is hard to find, but at least the mountains are pretty

September wrapped up with Sahar’s birthday, and now October officially kicks off spooky season. Fall is finally starting to settle in, with temperatures dropping into the 80s (around 27–28°C) and cool evenings. After a summer above 100°, we’re so ready for it!

Written by: Benoît