Well, I'm getting more confidence -- and maybe improving -- in French, and I'm going to tentatively blame the Smooshy's French roommate. We work at the same agency (though in vastly different fields), and through him I met another lady (who actually used to date a friend of Stefan's... as I always say, small world). I started imposing on their lunchtimes, and Smooshy French Roommate (SFR) was helping said friend practice her French in order to improve for her pending test. I gamely joined in (as I need to work on improving mine as well).

The first day this happened, not a half-hour after lunch, I took a French media call and handled it fairly well, all things considered. Since then, there have been a number of French media calls, and barring one incident (where I asked my Francophone manager to handle an interview that I thought was going to vastly exceed my limited French scientific repertoire -- especially given that the information I had been provided with was in English, which adds another problem), I've done fairly well.

This all seemed to have come to a head when yesterday, I was leaving the building fairly late (for me), with my helmet in hand, and leather jacket and backpack on, heading for the parking lot. A gentleman I'd shared the elevator with part-way (but don't recall having met previously), addressed me in French. We had a conversation about bikes and related issues for the few minutes' walk to the parking lot, and I did quite well -- and he never dropped into English, so I guess I didn't struggle or cause him any pain avec mes anglicismes.

Next I'll start speaking to the Bens in French, since they're both better than me at the language. :) Anyone else want to participate? I need to practice written French, too -- feel free to email me at work or at home in French, and I'll do my best to reply in kind. ;)