Not that this is of the deepest thoughts in human history...

For my younger readers, those innocent of mind or ear or ear (should anyone of such nature exist), or my mother (who may be reading this), I will offer the slightest of apologies in advance for the language in this one... but it's something we all do and, undoubtedly, some, if not most, of the greatest thinking in human history has been done whilst perched upon whatever's age held as a version of our own's porcelain throne:  It was while taking a shit at 03:30 in the morning in Lovćen Hotel in Podgorica, having just showered away a nine-hour bus ride (during which one of the Kosovars stole my hat!) out of conscience-forsaken Priština, that it dawned upon me...


I'm in Podgorica, Crna Gora.  How the hell did I get here!?


Prague?  Yeah, ok... we understand that.  Wein?  Absolutely.  Kraków?  Weird, but sure, history and a castle and strange statuary.  Even Kosovo, given it's controversial newborn history.  Ok.  But Podgorica?  Never even heard of it.  Can't pronounce it correctly.

Reason:  Fellow named Jovo.  He is referred to me with highest recommendations from my unseen agent in Beograd.  Unseen agent in Beograd?  Sounds suspeciouly like a horror fantasy spy thiller--Lovercraft meets Graham Greene.  But alas!  my unseen agent in Beograd is not likely to rise (as in my own fiction) out of the Atlantic depths to feast upon the flesh of my fans (whoever they are), and even if she did, I wouldn't recognize her as such because, well, I've never seen her.  But she tells me through another--like a good oracular unseen agent should--that I would do well to speak with Jovo.  In Podgorica.  And Jovo, for his part, will speak to me about my work because, well... I am referred to him with highest recommendations, as well.

Intent: So here I am.  In Podgorica, Montenegro (Crna Gora; Black Mountain).  At, now, 10 past 4 in the morning [at time of hand-writing this].  With highest recommendations.

It's somehow pleasant, secure, and reassuring to know that if the Pod People Anunnaki Replicators got me now after years of careful and close scrutiny, they wouldn't recognize anything at all.  They wouldn't know how to have me behave, let alone know where the hell Podgorica is.



~*~