Blogs, Stephen King, and 666

October 9, 2012

Jim Reeves commentary, geek, Humor , , , , Leave a comment

Sometimes the universe is just too nice to me.

My previous post on this blog was my 666th post.  WordPress lets you know how many posts you’ve made so far, and provides a pithy little quote to keep you motivated. My cheery little saying was from Stephen King! Talk about juxtaposing!

Mother Nature, or somebody (or something), knows my sense of humor, and sent me a little zinger.

Then, just to really play with me, as I’m in the middle of writing this, my cursor suddenly starts running down the page, as if I was holding down the ‘return’ key.  I thought I was going to have to do a forced shut-down to regain control, but after a second of ever-increasing blank page, I was able to regain control.

Bwwaahahahahaaha!!  And Halloween’s just a few weeks away.  This could be fun!

Caller of the week. Maybe of the month!

October 9, 2012

Jim Reeves 9-1-1, commentary, Humor , , 1 Comment

The Tulare County jail is a building now 50 years old.  Opened in the very early 1960’s, it’s the state-of-the-art in jail design.  For the late 1950’s.  It’s been through a lot in those 50 years, and as with anything of that age, it’s starting to show some wear and tear.  Even our “guests” notice.

I took a call last night that has to be, at the very least, the call of the week, and it was about our jail.

A gentleman called in, at about 1:30 in the morning, and threw me a curve ball.  This was a first.  He sounded a bit tipsy, and I expected to hear a rant about no telling what.  He identified himself (and as I say in my “about” blurb, names are omitted to protect the innocent) and said he needed some information on who to call about the condition of our jail.  I was ready to give him the direct number to the jail, but as he rattled on, it became clear that would not do.

Seems Mr. (name omitted) has set himself the goal of getting us a new jail.  He was recently released after  a stay of undisclosed tenure, and is not happy with the conditions of the current facilities.  He said he understood that it was a jail, “but really?”.  He was adamant that he was going to get us a new jail, and wanted to know who he needed to call.

It was at this point I decided to have a bit of fun.

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Noticing things right under your… feet

October 4, 2012

Jim Reeves commentary, geek, Personal , Leave a comment

I’ve been stepping on or over this for more than 18 years. I just noticed it had a face. I wonder if it’s quantum locked, and if it’s safe to blink.

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This is something I’ve thought true for some time…

September 29, 2012

Jim Reeves commentary , , 1 Comment

Things haven’t always been this bad.  In many ways, they were much worse in the past, but you just never heard about them.  Now someone can’t sneeze without it being Tweeted around the world.  The Internet in many ways is a blessing, but in others it’s a curse.  Welcome to the age of being able to know anything as it happens.  Whether that thing is important or not.

One Day or One Trial (but really only 2 hours)

September 25, 2012

Jim Reeves commentary, Personal , , , 1 Comment

Monday last was my first adventure into the jury selection process since the mid 1980’s.  Back then, I made it all the way into the court room and interviews by the attorneys in a Federal case, something dealing with drugs.  I was excused by the prosecution, probably due to my age.  Ever since, every time I’ve been sent a juror summons, my group was excused on the recorded message the day before the appearance was demanded.  This week, my group made it to the courthouse, but didn’t have to be there until 1pm.  So I gussied up, showed up, and wondered if I would see the inside of a court room this trip.  Well, it appears any jury duty will be a bit like my attempts to get my current job.  Inch a bit closer, each try, and eventually, years later, land that puppy.

So I sat. More

B&W Abe: Historical figure. Color Abe: A real man.

September 17, 2012

Jim Reeves commentary, geek, Pictures , , Leave a comment

Buzzfeed has a series of black and white photos that have been altered to show how they would appear if they had been taken in color.  There are several that are more powerful to me in color than in the original black and white, but there are also a few who seem to lose some of their effect when translated into a color picture.  Follow the link to see them.  This one of President Abraham Lincoln is the most powerful to me.  Seeing him in color makes him less a historical figure, and more a real man.

Some work codes

September 17, 2012

Jim Reeves 9-1-1, commentary , , , 10 Comments

SheriffBadgeGenericA lot of people like listening to the scanner, and keeping an ear on the happenings in their area.  Whether they listen to local police, sheriff, fire departments, ambulances, or other emergency services, often times it can be challenging to understand what is going on.  Codes and abbreviations can obscure the meanings of various transmissions, making the action difficult to follow.  I’ve compiled a short list of the most common codes used at my agency, and if you listen, you’ll definitely hear me use them.  I usually put up a notice on Facebook which channel I’m working, so if you ‘friend’ me there, you’ll know when I’m on, and on which channel.

Here’s the lowdown on channels you can monitor from the Internet:

Channel 1 – Primary south county channel.  This covers county areas around Lindsay, Strathmore, Porterville, Lake Success, the mountain areas including Springville, Camp Nelson, Ponderosa, Johnsondale, the Kern River area, California Hot Springs, Posey, and Kennedy Meadows.  Back on the valley floor, Terra Bella, Ducor, Richgrove, Earlimart, Teviston, Pixley, Tipton, Alpaugh, Allensworth, and the southwest part of Tulare county near Corcoran and Delano.

Channel 2 – Primary north county channel.  Coverage is Tulare, Visalia, Goshen, New London, Traver, Kingsburg, Dinuba, Delft Colony, Sultana, Yettem, Cutler-Orosi, Ivanhoe, Woodlake, Farmersville, Exeter, Lemon Cove, Lindcove, Kaweah Lake, Three Rivers, and mountain areas north of approximately Avenue 232.

You can monitor Channel one here.
Monitor channel two here.

You can also listen on your smart phones, on various scanner apps.  I use 5-0 Radio, and Scanner 911 on my iPhone.

After the jump, you’ll find the codes we use the most frequently.

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What Dreams May Come

September 12, 2012

Jim Reeves commentary, geek, Personal , , 1 Comment

I seldom remember my dreams.  Unless I wake up during or immediately after, I just have no clue what they were about.  I might recall that I had a dream, but not the details.  I sometimes have a strange, fading image of something, and I feel like I knew everything about it just a moment before, but then it drops away, despite my attempts to remember, and is gone.

Last night I had a weird one, that speaks to how things that occur around us, even in our sleep, can be integrated into the dream, even as it is interrupted.

I don’t know the details of the dream before this moment, but here’s what I do recall:

I’m in a motor home, and near water.  The water level is rising, and I’ve decided I need to move to higher ground.

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The Other Road

September 9, 2012

Jim Reeves 9-1-1, commentary, Personal , , , Leave a comment

That title is not a “road not taken” musing, it’s an actual street name in my county!

After more than 18 years at the same agency, you’d think I’d have run across every street name in the county by now, especially if they’re not in a new sub-division.  Saturday sprung a new one on me, however.  “The Other Road”.  It’s in the Kennedy Meadows area of southeastern Tulare County, and I’ve not heard of it before.  Neither had I heard of a road that intersects with it…  “Up The Hill Road”.

In my defense, while we have a resident Deputy that covers the area (two of them, actually), we almost never get any calls for service from this part of our county.  It’s remote…  very remote.  If a Deputy or backup has to come from the nearest substation, it’s at least two hours.  Deputies for that patrol this area have to be a special breed, which is appropriate, since the folks that live out there are a special breed themselves.

When I first heard a fellow dispatcher taking a call from an address on “The Other Road”, we both first thought we were dealing with someone who simply did not know the name of the other road.  Turns out WE were the ones who didn’t know!

Now I’m going to be looking over the maps during slow time, to see what other odd names crop up.  Years ago the County changed the name of a creek to Negro Creek.  I’m sure you can figure out what the old name was.

I just saw a UFO. No, really, I did. Right over there…

September 3, 2012

Jim Reeves commentary, geek, Personal , , 3 Comments

<<< That’s not what it looked like.

8:05 pm, I was getting in my car to go to the store, when I glanced up at the sky to the north of my home.  That’s when I saw it.  A red light, moving (apparently) slowly.  Not the blinking red light of an aircraft, but a solid, bright red light.  It seemed to hover above, and far beyond, the church across the street, and then seemed to be moving up and away from me, growing dimmer as it did so.  It quickly winked out, and after a moment I got into my car and continued on my errand to the store.

When nearing the store, I saw it again, in the northern sky.  When I found a place to park, and was able to look again, it was gone.  I’ve seen it (or something very much like it) there before.

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