This being one of those times when Sass is not in Serbia

A brief update on the past few days which have been hectic. First there was the Eurovision semi-final, which was a total blast! I had a great time enjoying (some of) the music, watching the fans (Sweden and Georgia have the most enthusiastic fans) and partying with friends old and new. I was surprised and disappointed when some of the fans chose to boo some contestants from countries with, um, different political agendas than Serbia, but I learned that it is not unheard of at Eurovision. The Danes (who are in fact great) snuck us into the OFFICIAL after-party. Tons of fans, all of the finalists and those who didn't make it (big hello to Morena from Malta- a very positive young woman!). The best part is that most reviews of the organization and hospitality of my adopted brethren have been very positive!

At this point, I could spend a lot of time telling you how awful the winner is... and contemplating how he beat this and this and this and this (one of my favorites). But you can't beat a dead horse.

Then I got up very, very early and flew to Frankfurt, and then to Washington, DC, and then I sat around for five hours, and then I flew to Chicago and then finally to Kansas City. Luckily I made it at the same time as my bags, and with the everything that I had packed in them. It was a Christmas miracle*, except in June. After that, it was a 1.5 hour drive to Topeka at which point I passed out on my uncle's couch and slept like the dead. Not surprisingly, I seem to have brought the rain with me, even across the pond. But unlike the rest of my recent travels, these are powerful Kansas thunderstorms, with lightening and thunder that doesn't seem to end.

Since then, I have been chillin' with the family and tonight I am going to hang out with even older friends. I miss my home and privacy and even work (well, I am getting enough of that) but am looking forward to the other parts of my trip- Maine, Baltimore, DC, and Nashville. And then I will need a vacation.

* In the last six months, I have had bags go missing for several days (thanks United airlines!), had $400 stolen from me on the way to Mexico, and of course the heart rate monitor and panties. It was with great trepidation that I approached the baggage claim area at the Kansas City International Airport. You can imagine my relief to find my belongings unmolested.

I also love Eurovision, Icelanders, and my new Danish friends

On Monday, my friend Oli gave me the lowdown on an Icelandic Eurovision party at a club near my house. I wanted to go, but you need to be "the list"... well, it turns out that you can find any Icelandic mobile phone number online. So, he sends me the number of one member of the group, Hera. So I sent her the following:

"Hi Hera! I am an American living in Belgrade, and I love Iceland and your music! I would love to come meet you tonight... can I come to the party?"

I waited nervously for her reply... which was "Of course!!! See you there!"

How friendly! So my friend and I headed out. It was a total blast, and different from most night's out in Belgrade as the majority of the crowd was a) foreign and b) of the gay persuasion. After the contestants from Iceland and Denmark performed, the party seemed to be wrapping up. We started talking to the guys at the table next to us, who were all from Denmark and travel to Eurovision every year. They were also very friendly! We went with them to a club that was featuring karaoke of previous song contest winners and lots of dancing. It was a total blast! My feet where killing me when I hobbled home at 3:00 but it was totally worth it.

Then we found out that there were still tickets available for the semi-final tonight. So we are going- and we are going to get to see some of the most highly-anticipated performances including Ukraine, Sweden and Denmark. And Iceland- they may not be tipped to win, but they sure are sweet.