(I am in the world's newest nation right now).

First off, is it selfish of me to secretly hope that the Astros don't succeed in this, what would undoubtedly be the COMEBACK of Astros comebacks, should the season end with a Houston division title?

I go on a week-long break of not caring about how they finish off their failed season. They proceed to win nine in a row. And St. Louis? They lose eight of nine.

Clearly, this would happen. It's how Astros baseball works.

What hurts is that I am missing it. And that, now that I'm in the Balkans, where WiFi is still very much so a foreign word, I wouldn't be able to watch on mlb.tv if they complete (another) miracle this weekend.

That being said, let's go Brewers. This is getting crazy.
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Croatia was good to me for two weeks; but Lord, I've got to keep on movin'. Montenegro, which surprisingly uses the euro (someone please explain to me how they're allowed to do this, whereas Hungary, a country IN the European Union, isn't), is my new jam.

The town I chose, Kotor, isn't much. Size-wise, that is. Aesthetically, it is much. Rule of thumb: Fjords = pretty.

Bino successfully kept me company the past six days in Dubrovnik (we tried -- twice -- to get up for the 9 a.m. ferry to Mljet Island, but were unable to get it done; that's why we became the pair of Americans who just ... wouldn't ... leave our Croatian grandmother's place). But now it's back to me, myself and I.

And my history books. They're all that's kept me going in the immense period of down time that I face nearly every day. (Although, even if I had been alone in Dubrovnik, it would have been no biggie, seeing as I befriended some local 20-somethings within two hours of arriving, as I was still waiting for Bino. More on my new buddies later).

The Death of Yugoslavia gives me a reference point for the recent history. Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, for all its pomp and bias, gives me a reference point for real history, seeing as it was published in 1941 and talks about Yugoslavia through the ages.

Still got some work to do for my PhD, but I'd say I know about a million times more about Balkan BS now than I did in June. And man, is there some BS.

p.s. My "Balkan Beard" is progressing quite nicely.

Right..I still can't get any connection going between the stache and the beard.