Friday, December 22, 2006

Las Vegas

Since some of you have asked, here's the circumstances of my work in Sin City, Lost Wages, or whatever you might want to call it.

Many, many years ago, in a land far, far away (1991, Washington, DC), I worked as a consultant to the U.S. Dept. of Energy. I supported the training and development work for the HQ operation of the Civilian High-Level Radioactive Waste Management Program. I did that for 4 1/2 years. On Thanksgiving Day, 2006, I was offered a job to provide similar support to the "Lead Lab" on the very same Program. The more things change, the more they remain the same, said the philosopher. That's the case with me. Maybe I can work another 4 1/2 years on the Program and then I'll be better prepared to retire. Then again, maybe I'll win the lottery...who knows?

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Patio Goodbye Party Blog


1. Patio Dominoes Team: Gilligan (Manager); Heather, Aaron, Hutch and Steve, who is also on the Left Wing Commie Wacko Team.

2. Tyrone, mixing spoiled food with fresh--aah! That distinctive Patio bouquet!

3. Tyrone and Cortez seeking advice from the Patio legal team.

4. Hauke, Tom, and Philip; old Patio regulars who couldn't make the party from Germany.

5. The Patio kitchen has gone cold, like Berkeley's heart.













I want to say that I had a great time at the "drag up" at The Patio. I also didn't get a chance to shoot everyone's picture, and feel it important to mention that many of Alex's friends and old staffers at The Patio are not included. These are Aaron and Katherine, in particular, and Carol, Mr. B., Drew, and many friends of Alex's. There were also many people from Amoeba Music, like Tunde, Matt, and Craig, who eat here all the time but who may have only breezed through The Patio last night to say a quick goodbye. Ben came, but his Bosnian buddy Jasko and his Japanese pal, Tomoko, did not. And, of course, Cortez didn't bring his daughter to clear up her misimpression that I am simply a figment of his aging, weakening mind. (And maybe I am!)

There are a lot of important things I feel like saying about our regulars, but most important is that they trusted Alex and me enough to become regulars. They knew we would support them, and they felt comfortable, even with my East Coast mentality. For those of you who came to the party, and for those who wanted to but couldn't, I am happy to have known and served you, and I am happy that you liked what we provided. My home is open, and I'd like to think that some of you could overcome the limits to a necessarily narrow social life in The Patio, and expand those limits by becoming better friends. My email is PreisserT@aol.com, and my cellular number is 650-888-8879, at least in the near term. I do not yet have phone service in Nevada, but I will keep the blog running and note any changes right here. I hope your holidays are wonderful, and that your new year is happy and prosperous.

With Warm Wishes, and the knowledge that together we made a small contribution to the social history of Berkeley,

Tyrone.

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Patio Goodbye Party 3


1. Frank, Kellin, and Evan singing a carol from A Grateful Dead Xmas.

2. More insurance salesmen.

3. Garden burger, cooked onions, no lettuce, no seeds on the bun, nacho cheese on the side, etc, etc, etc.

4. Trying hard to smile past the tears. Depressing, ain't it.

5. Brock, pressing August's navel and getting the natural response.

Patio Goodbye Party 2


1. Would you buy life insurance from these men--Chris, Kelly, and Justin?

2. Corin attempts to enter his private office at The Patio.

3. It's like jazz, man, y'know... it's jazz.

4. Tyrone, hidden by right wing agents Davey and Jackson.

5. Joel trying to salute Capt. Phil, but forgetting how.

Patio Goodbye Party


1. Alex and "C" in a "brother from another mother" moment.

2. Amita making sure things are taken care of.

3. Basil and Thomas-- I wish my boss was this cool!

4. As Captain Phil salutes, Ben orders a beer.

5. Bill illustrates for Mitch the proper English way to hold a plate and draw a gun

Saturday, December 16, 2006

Patio Cooking Tip: Kielbasa

Kielbasa got you stumped? Deep fry that sumbitch before you put him on the grill. Here’s how it goes. Take a kielbasa (aka: kolbassi in Western PA) and butterfly him from head to toe. Chuck that puppy into four or five inches of 350 degree cooking oil and let him cook until you know he can’t take it no more. You’ll know when that happens because the boy gets all curly. Reach into the oil and yank him out and throw him on the hot grill, skin side up, and hold his ass down with a brick or something. When he’s good and blackened, grab him up, throw him on a toasted bun with some kraut, onions, mustard, and tomatoes (even some cheese and mayo), and choff him down. You can put some sprouts on him if you want people to think you’re a sensible and healthful eater. Same goes for hot dogs and any other kind of meat that’s the rough shape of a hot dog but is not a salami.

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Thank the Saudis

Yesterday, the Saudi ambassador to the United States, Prince Turki bin Faisal, returned to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A fully competent diplomat, he was recalled because his country had to make a difficult decision regarding the "non-civil war" in Iraq that America and England have had "absolutely no part" in creating. His country has decided to support their Sunni brothers, the Iraqi minority who held power under Saddam Hussein.

The Saudis, almost all of whom are Sunnis, have been worried about the largely Shi'ah majority in Iran. They were worried about the seemingly non-religious Shah back in the 1970s, but seem to be even more worried about the very religious mullahs running contemporary Iran. The Saudis are so fearful that they have bulldozed Shi'ah mosques in the Eastern Province town of Hofuf, and even have gun emplacements on the west side if the main north-south road between Kuwait and Dammam, facing east into Hofuf. The Saudis are also bowing to pressure from Usama bin Laden and his partisans who want the Saudis to cut ties with the US and to begin to acknowledge their "true place" as the keeper of Islam's holiest of places, Mecca and Medina.

Why we should thank the Saudis is that by stepping out in front to aid the Sunnis, they have distracted Muslims from the US. George Bush, the commander-in-chief, is the luckiest failure in history. Just when he and the neocons were about to unite both main factions of Islam against us, the Saudis have declared de facto war on Shi'ah Islam. That pushes us off to the periphery. What fantastic timing! "I'd rather be lucky than good," takes on a whole new meaning when referring to George Bush!

The Taliban and Al-Qaeda hate both us and the Shi'ahs. The Shi'ahs, whom the Taliban call "hazaras", hate them right back, and also have no warm feelings for America, where they remain, along with North Korea, one of the two poles of the Axis of evil. Iraq has a Shi'ah majority ready to take power with Iran's help, and Iran is also supporting the Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Saudis have now moved to bolster the Sunnis in Iraq, and will continue to do so after the US leaves, no matter what the state of the Iraq police/army with will fracture within a week. We ought to leave pretty soon because there's damned little that will happen for the greater nation of Iraq now that Iran and Saudi Arabi are dug in on opposing sides of this battle.

Bush could have avoided this by either avoiding the war in the first place, or by acting quickly and decisively in Iraq when war was declared. As usual, politics has screwed things up, and I would be the first to blame the neoconservative idiots who all seem to have needed stronger and more stable father figures. These whining, bellicose teenagers have really fucked up your world and mine. Hold them accountable and send them to the Arctic Circle to a special prison for mean mannish-boys who need daddys who love them. That this prison doesn't exist is another reason for the president to count his blessings.

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Saturday, December 09, 2006

Last Call

Dear Patio Pals,
 
The last call for The Patio will be the week leading up to Christmas.  We, A. and T., aka the owners, want to invite the regulars, former employees, and service industry friends, to an evening of food and drink.
 
We will be hosting at The Patio, on December 20th (Wednesday), from 7:00PM until 10:00PM or so, so that everyone can get there.
 
We want you to understand that WE do the inviting, and that your grandmother will be welcome, but we'll charge her.  Nobody else even gets in.  So don't embarrass yourself and your friends by inviting people to the party we're giving to thank all the people who have given so much to us.  Got it?!!!
 
On the other hand, I can't get in touch with Cal Swimming, so if you see some of those guys, just tell them that T. has a message for them at The Patio.  Maybe Evan will read this blog entry and get in touch with me.  Also, I won't be admitting anyone under 21.  If I end up deciding to do so, I will not serve them alcohol.  Sorry, but even I will want to relax at this soiree.
 
I'll be posting my particulars (email, etc) soon, and would like it if we could stay in touch.  You decide.
 
T.