2-27: Sam Walks the Highlord of Beograd

I'll admit it: I missed walking dogs.

I haven't walked a dog in almost a month, and haven't done it alone (using the term "alone" relatively; I guess walking a dog without the dog is just carrying a leash around the block) in years. And you know what? Dogs are smarter than we will probably ever be, with the possible exception of Buddhist monks and the definite exception of children.

Go ahead, take a walk around your block. What will you see? Probably a few buildings, some cars. If you're lucky,  maybe something pretty if a bird flies by at the right time or you catch the sunset. You know what the dog sees?

1. Dude! Dude! There's a tree! It's huge and it smells like five-hundred other things, kinda like nature!
2. Whoa! What?! There's some grass next to the tre--NO, WAY. WHAT. IT'S SURROUNDING THE TREE! IT SMELLS LIKE RAIN AND DIRT AND IT--
3. THERE'S A CURB?! OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD, IT'S A TOTALLY DIFFERENT SET OF SMELLS! PEOPLE SMELLS!
4. THIS ROAD, IT'S NEXT TO THE CURB, AND IT'S EVEN BIGGER THAN THE TREE! I'M GOING TO RUN IN A CIRCLE!
5. WAIT.
6. WAIT.
7. I SMELL...ANOTHER DOG. DEFCON 1, GO! HOLYCRAPHOLYCRAP--
8. HEY, ANOTHER TREE! 

...and so on and so forth, until we get home. And I have to say, I can't think of too many things that I wouldn't trade to have that kind of excitement and enthusiasm from a simple walk around the block. Are we missing something? Wouldn't surprise me.

Long story short, I walked Muvi yesterday. This is Muvi:

Pictured: Go ahead, don't fall in love. I dare you.

Muvi is an excitable little ball of fur who--fun fact--actually owns Beograd. Seriously, Muvi is the undisputed Highlord of all lands from Kalemegdan to Ada Cignalia and all who dwell within. Fortunately, Muvi is a benevolent dictator who is perfectly content with inspecting the palace grounds, urinating on cars and taunting other, far inferior dogs. God save the king, baby.

Also of interest was this:

This would be several units of riot police guarding the members of a vigil to the victims of a train hijacked by a paramilitary unit (Croatian, I think, but don't quote me on that) perpetrated twenty years ago today. The CO of the unit alone was given ten years for the crime, but considering the confirmed murder of three and "disappearance" of the rest, nobody particularly considers this acceptable. I think that's a common theme in this conflict--well, every attempt at reconciliation on a nationwide scale, really--the notion that "justice has been done", and everybody knows that it isn't enough, but those in power refuse to open back up the old wounds. Perhaps it's an attempt to placate tensions on the many sides of the conflict, maybe it's an honest attempt to move forward--or hell, maybe it's just good old-fashioned corruption. Whatever the reason, it's a bit of an eye-opener to see what must have been over thirty riot policemen, standing vigil over the vigil.

I also saw some other stuff today:

1. Okay, first of all, big props to Tour-Guide-Nenad (not to be confused with Nenad-Nenad), who gave us a tour of '90s war monuments two hours after the birth of his son. The next time you want to call out of work for a runny nose, think about that.
2. In my desk drawer right now is 50$ in Serbian currency, a passport, a burner cell phone, and several SD cards. I've had sketchier drawer contents, but not by much.
3. Yesterday morning, I stepped out of the apartment building and saw a fucking six-wheeled military assault vehicle parked on the sidewalk. I started to move for cover until I saw people begin to pour out from the back--not our aforementioned friends in riot gear, but construction workers, beginning their day on the job at the in-renovation building across the street. Oh, this town.
4. Speaking of which, cops drive on the sidewalk in this town. Not with sirens on, and not with any apparent haste, just in preference to the road. Sure thing, buddy.

Srpski reć dnevni: Topla (Топла)-Warm (as in "it is not")