The Tucson Police Department's photo-radar van will be in the following neighborhoods on Saturday, Aug. 25:

• 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.: On Broadway Boulevard near Wilmot
• 1 to 4:30 p.m.: On Kolb Road near 22nd Street

Psst: The Dish opens tonight after being closed for a couple of months while it moved a block away.

The Dish used to seat 42 people and now will seat 25. I don't understand the rationale of less seats at this popular and highly rated Zagat restaurant, but so be it.

I just received an e-mail from the owner, so perhaps it's not that publicized yet, which means you could actually get a seat. The menu has changed greatly, and it's all about small plates. Don't worry: Those marvelous mussels are still on the menu.

Anyway, The Dish opens tonight at 5 p.m. at 3131 E. First St.

Rumrunner reopened last week at the same address.

The Tucson Police Department's photo-radar van will be in the following neighborhoods on Friday, Aug. 24:

• 7 to 9 a.m.: Booth/Fickett School, Kolb Road at Timrod Road
• 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.: On Wilmot Road near Golf Links Road
• 1 to 4:30 p.m.: Hudlow Elementary, Kolb Road at Fifth St.
• 4:30 to 10 p.m.: On 22nd Street near Wilmot Road

Throughout this whole Michael Vick dog-fighting fiasco, I have been thinking about the similarities to greyhound racing. Here is an interesting opinion in the Boston Globe that says it far better than I ever could.

Like Arizona, Massachusetts is one of the 14 states where greyhound racing is still legal.

Is the surge working? We've heard plenty from both sides as the deadline approaches for Gen. David Petraeus to deliver his much-anticipated report to Congress.

The New York Times has an assessment from a group of soldiers who seem awfully pessimistic about the chances of success in Iraq, if success is defined as building a functional democracy--or even giving a hint of security to the Iraqi people.

An excerpt:

To believe that Americans, with an occupying force that long ago outlived its reluctant welcome, can win over a recalcitrant local population and win this counterinsurgency is far-fetched. As responsible infantrymen and noncommissioned officers with the 82nd Airborne Division soon heading back home, we are skeptical of recent press coverage portraying the conflict as increasingly manageable and feel it has neglected the mounting civil, political and social unrest we see every day. (Obviously, these are our personal views and should not be seen as official within our chain of command.)

The Tucson Police Department's photo-radar van will be in the following neighborhoods on Thursday, Aug. 23:

• 7 to 9 a.m.: Whitemore Elementary, 5330 E. Glenn St.
• 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.: On Craycroft Road near Fifth Street
• 1 to 4:30 p.m.: Prince Elementary, 200 E. Prince Road
• 4:30 to 10 p.m.: On 22nd Street near Country Club Road

Here are a few events that were received too late for inclusion in our print issue:

• Saturday, Aug. 25 at 11:30 a.m.

  Etherton Gallery

  135 S. Sixth Ave.

  Artist Talk. Photographers Jeff Smith and Tom Willett will talk about their exhibition, Out of a Clear Blue Sky: Severe Weather Photographs, and dangers they encountered in pursuing lightning storms. Free. Call 624-7370 for info.

• Sunday, Aug. 26 from 2 to 6 p.m.

  Tuesday, Aug. 28 from 7 to 10 p.m.

  Broadway Christian Fellowship Church

  4741 E. Broadway Blvd.

  Theater Auditions. Open auditions for Redondo Music Theatre's fall production of Guys and Dolls. Call 615-1130 for info.

• Tuesday, Aug. 28 at 11:45 a.m.

  Arizona Inn

  2200 E. Elm st.

  Public Relations Society of Southern Arizona Luncheon. Media relations consultant Lisa Contreras will speak about career moves from media to public relations. $25 for members. $35 for nonmembers. RSVP by Friday, Aug. 27 at noon. Call 400-4966 or visit www.prsatucson.com to RSVP.

• Wednesday, Aug. 29 from 7 to 10 p.m.

  Hotel Congress

  311 E. Congress St.

  Karl Rove Retirement Party. Proceeds will benefit the Pima County Democratic Party. A raffle for prizes, food, music by DJ Corbin Dooley, cash bar and more. $20 at the door. $10 with student ID. Call 326-3716 for info.

I needed a new computer but didn't want a Dell, because I've heard they're hell, so I opted to get an HP computer. I've had an HP laserjet printer for more than 15 years. I also had a family & friends discount.

I made a mistake!

My computer (a desktop model) was only out of the box for four days when the damn DVD writer stopped working. It won't close. My computer guy (from Data Age) was helping me—as I am technologically challenged—so he called HP and was on hold for 54 minutes. He talked to several people in different countries and finally was able to order a part.

HP sent the wrong part! They sent the DVD-rom, not the DVD writer.

Today, I called again with my case number in hand, and I waited in a queue that went around the world and back. Everyone I spoke to said that they were not the right person, and they forwarded me on to another person who wasn't the right person either.

You would think that HP could route the call properly after hearing what the problem was. Obviously not!

Finally, the last guy said that I would have to call back (English was barely his second language) as the wait time was too high. At this point, I had been waiting for 43 minutes. I demanded that I get put in the queue—and then got disconnected.

Then I went into chat mode online and gave them my case number; the guy said he would be back in 5 minutes. Before I could cut and paste the chat, he left the chat room saying that a case manager would contact me in 48 hours. Not even a goodbye, just a disappearing act.

You just cannot imagine how furious I am! If I didn't have my entire work life and a zillion documents loaded onto this piece of shit, I would throw it off a cliff. But not before hammering the damn daylights out of it.

I will see if someone contacts me, but I rather doubt it.

Meanwhile, I received a survey from Harris wanting to know about my experience with HP. I gave them a grand total of zero for unbelievably unsatisfactory. At the end of the survey, I was able to get in my case number and request someone contact me.

I'm not holding my breath.

Their Web site says that HP has award-winning service and offers 24/7 Web and phone support. Who writes this crap?

The Tucson Police Department's photo-radar van will be in the following neighborhoods on Wednesday, Aug. 22:

• 7 to 9 a.m.: Gridley Middle School, 350 S. Harrison
• 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.: On 22nd Street near Pantano
• 1 to 4:30 p.m.: Reynolds Elementary, 7450 E. Stella
• 4:30 to 10 p.m.: On Golf Links near Kolb

I am highly biased here, but last nights TAMMIES ceremony was, IMHO, fantastic.

Ryanhood had most of the girls (and some of the guys) swooning with their fantastic acoustic rock, and Tucson Music Hall of Famer Ernie Menehune—age 84—put on a fantastic show. He's one of my new heroes. But my fave moment of the night was toward the end, when a quasi-mosh put (thankfully sans actual moshing) gathered, 25 strong, heads bobbing, in front of the Rialto stage to honor Mostly Bears.

After that, Sean the Web Dude and Monica the All-Star Left Fielder headed to Congress' TAMMIES afterparty, where we danced (including a twirl with the ever-fabulous Linda Ray) to the Wyatts and Tom Walbank.

One too many martinis and a stop at Grill later, I was home, at 1:45 a.m. On a work night.

I am too old for this crap.

Nonetheless, the evening was a blast. If you have any TAMMIES thoughts or pics or whatever to share, comment or drop me a line.