See, alone we stand, together we fall apart. Tables they turn, sometimes.

Living away from friends and family isn't always the easiest. Even in the most thrilling periods of play times and good times, it's easy to have a down day. To wake up suddenly very aware of how far away Dad is when I need him to fix my bike in that superhero way he knows how to make everything work again; realising that Mum's breakfast pancakes would be stone cold and soggy by the time they reached me; and that crying into a webcam over a dumb boy doesn't come close to being able to have my Sister squeeze me tight in-person and ask which loser she has to go and beat up. Knowing that the day ahead of you is filled with endless potential linguistic barriers, that going to the supermarket should not be this stressful and living in constant fear that people are laughing about you in a language that makes as much sense to me as the fact that I have to PAY to deposit money into my Dutch bank account.
Well, today is one of those days. With my Masters thesis staring me expectantly in the face - and by Masters thesis I of course mean blank pages - and the persistent, and frankly rude, snow that continues to fall outside despite it being ALMOST APRIL, it's safe to say that this bear is grumpy and crying out for affection with a needy blog post.

However, after a few whiny (on my part) and affirming (on his) words with an old friend, I decided it was time to take some man pills, build a bridge, get over it, and take a look at the bigger picture. Stop being so dramatic because, although it hurts to not be able to hold close the ones you would give anything to, anything to get rid of that stupid ocean between me and Boston, me and Australia, I know it'll make our next play date all the more adventurous.
So here we go kids, 10 things I have to smile about right now:

1. I freakin' live in Amsterdam
2. Lauren Day is coming to play tomorrow
3. I’m young and have no commitments to hold me down, I’m my own number one priority and the world is my oyster
4. I have an awesome job, always a pleasure never a chore
5. I have amazing friends and family that support me no matter what
6. It’s almost summer
7. The sheer existence of peanut butter. Oh, and that it's literal translation from Dutch is 'peanut cheese'
8. I will be getting into freshly washed bed sheets tonight
9. I'm about to watch two films and call it 'research' 
10. This:

Painfully cheesy I know, but would you look at that, the snow has ceased and the sun is peeping out to finally say hello. Nevertheless my thesis pages are still blank, but hey, you can't have everything, right?