A Berlin story – Rosa’s café on the corner.
Rosa’s was a local café and bar nominally run by two blokes. One is the meeter and greeter who has that easy Bavarian charm. The other one is less ebullient but knows how to tend bar which is what he does most of the time, albeit a bit sullenly. They’re what was termed warm brothers … Continue reading
The wisdom of Private Scheisskopf.
For my sins, I’ve been watching the various Dem primary debates, though I must admit on the first one stopping fairly early into the 14 hour marathon before I began to lose the will to live. The second one, billed as a town hall on climate change was mercifully short at only 7 hours, but … Continue reading
Your brothers will come after them and make it right.
You’d done the biblically stupid thing of going in for an operator who’d put himself in the danger zone. No way you’d ever do that stoopid thing but you did it anywhy. You got him out but now you’re in a situation yourself. He got away and you’re the one who got nabbed. A hard row to … Continue reading
A Berlin story : Fast Eddie, the dog’s bollocks and there’s always more pieces to the story.
I’m a people person and when working away from home I’d miss some company, so I usually sorted myself out a relaxed bar where I could occasionally pop in and have a couple of drinks after work and a chat with the locals. A smart etiquette when you’re new to the joint, is to sit … Continue reading
A Berlin story : Beate.
I’ve never had what’s called a local; I’m too antsy to spend most evenings in a bar. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not sniffy about that pleasant bracket of society and I’m partial to a drink and a laugh in company, but only once in a while. Every night would be too much for me. Turning … Continue reading
A Berlin story : Elfi’s birthday.
More than most, I’ve worked far away in different countries from my family. I could do it well but I never found it easy. It was always hard. Foreign lands, foreign people I suppose, ultimately foreign words in foreign languages and all that it comes down to is you, a stranger lost in a strange land, to echo … Continue reading
A Berlin story : Eva.
I first met Eva at the bottom of an escalator, late in the evening of a brutal Berlin winter. She was just standing there at the foot of the thing, trying to judge when to take that first frightening step onto it. There was nobody there but us, and I’d the feeling that a few of … Continue reading
Being there and not being there.
It’s Christmas day and I’m in fat city, living high off the hog. There’s a warm orange glow about it all. I’m home and we’ll sit around the table and I’ll join in and wear the silly paper hat, after dutifully reading the pithy joke from the cracker. I’m going to be enjoying the day. … Continue reading
Pointman's 
Hi Pointy O/T and FWIW "How the USSR's Fall Unleashed a Neocon Goldrush to the Heartland" https://open.substack.com/pub/simplicius76/p/how-the-ussrs-fall-unleashed-a-neocon?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email