One can only look at Dutch verbs for so long before becoming completely crazy. I'm just shy of crazy right now, and it's not only the fact that I have an exam in Dutch tonight, but it's also the fact that it's Eva's stinking birthday and I have a) no money b) no time c) too many other things that are keeping me from doing much celebration even if I did have more money and time.

This is sort of like a vow to never plan a dutch test on Eva's birthday ever again. That's a funny sentence in and of itself, but one I should take to heart. There we were last night watching the minutes tick down to her verjaardag and Eva's father and Joris were watching a program on politics, I was studying, and the only thing we managed to do was clink water glasses together.

Now I must admit that this morning's half-hour-long holding fest did us both some good. I got to hold on to the birthday girl, the birthday girl got to hold on to me, and the two of us whispered and giggled and went in and out of awake and almost-dreaming. I suppose if/when we are every this poor and this stressed out every again in our lives we should remember that a pretty priceless gift to each other (or the birthday girl in this case) is actually a 30-45 mintute holding party where for those brief moments nothing in the whole entire world matters.

more later, post exam...