On Frustrations and First World Problems

“We shall now seek that which we shall not find” 
-Thomas Malory


Hey guys,

It's been a frustrating two weeks since I last wrote you, and I don't expect this to be a particularly long entry. I've been putting off writing for the simple reason I have little to say, though you shouldn't take that as something terrible or sad. It's just been a dull two weeks :)

The appartement-hunt is going dreadful. We never heard back from the landlady of the first place (I called at least five times. She never once picked up the phone or answered any of my texts. Which I find quite rude) and checked out a new place a few days ago, but I'm not feeling it. I'm not just looking for a place to stay, but a place I can call home for the foreseeable future. I have no intention of committing to a three-year contract unless I'm sure I've found the place where I want to start adulthood. We'll just see how it plays out.

While that's going on, I can't help but think of how I had a decent place in London. I really miss walking the streets of the city, and getting lost in the sheer magnitude of it all. Belgium is so goddamn small. I'm hoping to be back at some point in October, maybe for a couple of days. Just to get a feel of the place, and see some old friends again, you know?

God, I'm making it sound as if I'm depressed or something. I'm not--I just had a couple of rough days. It happens.

It doesn't help that I missed arguably the best two weeks of surf in Belgium's history. While I was working and looking for a place to live, friends were having the time off their lives as the North Sea delivered days upon days of incredible surf. Don't get me wrong, I love my job. But I haven't surfed in such a long time, and with the summer now officially over, this is the first time I didn't head down to the Basque Country and live that perfect beachboy-life since I graduated high school. 

I loved being a surf coach, and I loved surfing. I made so many great friends on the road, but with surfing really the only thing that connected us, it's weird not hearing from them for such a long time. My boards have been sitting idly in my garage, waiting for me to handle them once more. You just can't explain what it's like, paddling out amidst the chaos and sheer violence of Mother Nature and finding peace in the most unlikely of places. I haven't felt that peaceful in a long time. 

My dad got back from holiday and brought me a watch (I'd asked for one), a nice Fauxlex that broke down within hours of me first putting it on. Now, I want to specify this is the first watch I've ever broken in my life (this is an inside joke) and it was in no way my fault: I didn't touch anything, the button you use to change the time just suddenly wasn't there anymore. It's a shame, though. As fake as it was, it was a really nice watch (the Daytona, in case you were interested. This one, with a brown leather strap).

On to the good news--football is back! Oregon are playing Michigan State this weekend and the NFL started on Thursday, so this weekend is going to be awesome. I've also only got two days of recapping the World Equestrian Games left, and I couldn't be happier that event is only held every four years. I've found a lead on the pair of shoes I've been eyeing for this winter (Matt Smith's boots of his first season playing the Doctor, because they have massive heels and I'll look taller) and I have some free time coming up later this month, giving me a chance to see some old friends again.

Not every entry in this blog needs to have some major life lesson, or a relevation I came to in a drunken haze. Life isn't the third season of One Tree Hill. On many levels, all of the things we go through are roughly the same, and the more you converse about these topics with people, the more you come to the realisation we're not so different. But if you're looking for some deeper meaning (and 11 minutes of pure comedy), allow Tim Minchin to share some wisdom with you (because he's Tim f*cking Minchin, that's why):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoEezZD71sc

And if you want to read the funiest thing I read today, here's the White House's response to a petition that called on the American government to build a Death Star (yes, they actually went there): 
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/response/isnt-petition-response-youre-looking

As for me, I'll just leave you with the Song of the Day: Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc (which is a ******* amazing track that I hadn't listened to in ages):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pls_luhVdAw