Here’s something that doesn’t often happen. I’m all dressed up for dinner! Enjoy the view, it’s a rare thing. I was even told that “I clean up well”!
A Rare Thing
February 8, 2012
commentary, Personal, Pictures dressed for dinner, jimmiejoe 3 Comments
At first we thought it was the ghost dialing 9-1-1…
February 6, 2012
Personal 9-1-1 calls, dispatcher stories, meth lab Leave a comment
The place was locked up and appeared secure when the first unit arrived that afternoon to check out the call to 9-1-1. Since nothing seemed amiss, and there was nothing to suggest someone was inside who needed help, the Deputy cleared and left.
That evening, it happened again. In both instances, the 9-1-1 call was just static, with no one speaking. The 9-1-1 screen also indicated “Quick Dial Tone”, which means the line has been disconnected, and it’s not possible to call it back. These lines can ‘glitch’ in certain circumstances, and that glitch gets sent to 9-1-1. It’s particularly common during wet weather.
The evening shift Deputy went to check again, and this time found an open sliding glass door in the back. He told us he was going to check the residence. After a few minutes, he called for another deputy to respond, and for the sergeant. We immediately assumed he had found a body in the house. Turns out that’s not what happened.
People in our professions often develop a black humor, in order to deal with the stresses of the job. While we were getting other units responding, we were joking that the deputy had found a body, and the ghost had dialed 9-1-1, twice, and that it might not be too happy that it took two calls to get results!
Well, it turns out it wasn’t a dead body, after all. There is one important lesson to be learned here, however. When you rent some run down house out in the middle of nowhere, go ahead and hook up the phone line. Pay the few bucks a month to have a working line. That way, the phone line won’t ‘glitch’, and the cops won’t come out and find your meth lab.
Crime and Punishment
February 6, 2012
commentary, Personal crime and punishment, no good deed goes unpunished, schizophrenia, stolen laptop 1 Comment
They say no good deed goes unpunished. I’ve been living that for several years, now. The latest wrinkle makes me the victim of theft, losing a laptop computer from my living room coffee table. Here’s a cautionary tale for you, the moral of which is not to let just anybody move in with you. I’m at the point of suggesting that you don’t let anyone you’re not sleeping in the same bed with move into your home.
Just about ten years ago, I made that mistake. I let a cousin move in with me after his mother died, and he had no place else to go. At the time, he made some promises to me, and over the years has broken every one of them. A paranoid schizophrenic with a history of alcohol and drug abuse, he had been on medication, was seeing the mental health counselors, and was not drinking. I told him he could move in if he stayed on his meds, didn’t drink, and only smoked outdoors. It was less than 18 months before he began breaking those promises. I held off doing anything, hoping he would be able to be coaxed back into following his agreement. That hasn’t worked, and his paranoia and psychosis has merely deepened.
The most recent event occurred at the beginning of this month. On Friday night (actually Saturday morning early) I noticed a laptop computer of mine was missing. My first thought was that he had hidden it, as he has done odd things in the past. After a thorough search, I put up a note where he could see it that said he had better return the computer, or I would report it as stolen to the police. When I got up the next day, he insisted he did not take the computer, and that it must have been someone, a “friend” of his, that had taken it.
I went ahead and reported it stolen to the police, providing the serial number and other pertinent information to the Visalia Police Department. I also provided the name and other information I had on this “friend”, listing him as the prime suspect. It appears my cousin let him in, they were drinking together, and at some point he walked out with my computer, probably while my cousin was passed out on his bedroom floor.
This is the laptop (not the exact one, but a picture of the same model) that was taken. I’m hoping it ends up in a pawn shop, eventually. If it does, with the serial number being entered into NCIC and CLETS (the nation wide and state wide criminal computer networks) it will pop up as a stolen computer, and I should eventually get it back. I don’t think I have any important personal information on the computer, as I had recently re-loaded all the software, and hadn’t used it all that much. What personal passwords and whatnot that are on it are also password protected, so I should be OK. They might get onto a few websites, but unless they’re gay, I doubt they’ll be very interested in them! I’ve already changed my online banking paswwords.
If someone in the Visalia area offers you a deal on a Compaq CQ60-417DX Celeron 9 laptop, check it carefully. If the serial number is 2CE920GPKC, call the Visalia Police at 734-8117, or your local law enforcement.
And don’t let anyone you don’t want to wake up next to every morning move in with you. Especially if they’re mentally ill.
Memorials for EricJames
January 16, 2012
commentary, Gay, News, Personal eric james borges, ericjames, lgbtq-suicide, memorial for ericjames Leave a comment
Reposted here from Queerlandia.com and QueerVisalia.com:
Two memorial services are planned for EricJames, who succumbed to suicide Wednesday, January 11, in Visalia, California.
EricJames, as he was known to his friends, was 19, and his death has struck a cord world-wide. News sites and blogs around the world have carried the report, with people writing how the news has touched them with sadness, and has strengthened their convictions to work harder on suicide prevention, and the acceptance of LGBTQ+ people of all ages.
Two public memorials are planned:
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
College of the Sequoias 915 S. Mooney Blvd, Visalia The Theatre Arts Department will hold a public memorial at 3:00 – 6:00 pm. See their Facebook event site, here. A map to the College is here.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
The Spiritual Awareness Center 117 S. Locust St., (map)
Due to capacity considerations, this memorial has been moved. Same time, Saturday at 1pm.
New location: The Lamp Liter Inn, 3300 W. Mineral King, Visalia map.
Facebook event page, here.
Survivor’s Guilt
January 15, 2012
commentary, News, Personal eric james borges, ericjames, lgbtq-suicide, survivor's guilt, teen suicide 3 Comments
It’s been a difficult week. On Wednesday, the young man in this picture, EricJames Borges, 19, committed suicide. He was the latest in a series of young gay men who have killed themselves in the past two years. From what we know of their stories, they were all bullied by others for being gay. Some of them, like EricJames, also had to deal with families whose religion told them they were disgusting, evil, damned, and perverted. EricJames, in a YouTube video for the “It Gets Better” Campaign, told of his mother trying an exorcism to rid him of his homosexuality. He was told to leave home after he came out. Whatever the exact situation in his life, EricJames arrived at a place where he could no longer cope with the depression, and hanged himself. His friends and the LGBT community in Visalia and the central valley are in shock.
It’s completely normal for people who knew him to wonder if they could have done anything to prevent his death. From his closest friends, to casual acquaintances, people are left to wonder, and hope, that they didn’t miss the opportunity to help.
A Weird Little Poem
January 11, 2012
First posted July 13, 2008, on my MySpace blog.
Thoughts jumble
Fingers fumble
Electrons tumble
Photons mumble
Words on a screen
Phosphors glowing
Diodes shining
Plasma glistening
Thoughts
Ideas
Passions
Are you listening?
A flashback. My dead father pays me a visit.
January 9, 2012
commentary, Personal dad, ghosts, Jim Reeves Sr., reflections Leave a comment
I was looking through my older blog posts on MySpace, and ran across this one, posted April 22, 2009. I thought I’d run it again, here.
****
Every once in a while, something will happen that reminds me that I am my father’s son.
At times, it’s disconcerting as hell, other times it’s a nuisance, and sometimes it’s just amusing. I had an experience this morning that I’m not sure about, since it’s several hours later as I write this blog, and I’m still thinking about it.
The most common experience that makes me think of him is when I cough. I make the exact same sounds as he did, and those are the sometimes disconcerting moments. He was a heavy smoker all his life, and eventually died of throat and lung cancer. I, however, have never smoked, and haven’t been around a smoker since I moved out of his house. Some of the family from his side also have the same cough, and many of them were or are heavy smokers. I’m hoping the common sound is related to the structure of our genetically similar bodies, and not due to some other trait we all share that has contributed the deaths of many of my relatives.
I sometimes do things, that once I recognize them, I find amusing. I’ll notice that I’m walking with a gait that resembles his, and I wonder…. am I unconsciously being a little boy, and copying my Dad? Or does that style of moving have more to do with me having a body that is a very close structural copy of his? I’ll notice I’m sitting in a position that he sometimes sat in, and again I wonder. Is it just the long legs and no padding on the butt that results in this orientation, or something else? I had a bad case of hero worship when I was a child, and desperately wanted his approval. I wonder if sometimes that little boy sneaks out of some deep corner of my memory, and still wants Daddy’s attention?
Moon watching 2012
January 2, 2012
commentary, geek, Personal, Pictures Jupiter, Moon, sky watching, telescope Leave a comment
Apollo 17 / NASA
The Moon. It’s a real place. A world of it’s own, that hangs in our sky. It may be the very reason life exists on this planet. Formed when a planet the size of Mars collided with the (then smaller-than-now) Earth, the results of that chaos formed the (more-properly designated) double-planet system we see today. We often talk about the Moon orbiting the Earth, but it doesn’t, not really. The Earth and the Moon both orbit around a common center of gravity. That center is some miles below the surface of the Earth, but it is not the center of the Earth. The Moon is considered the largest satellite (even though it’s not, not really) of a planet, relative to the primary’s size, in our solar system, with the possible exception of Pluto/Charon. Now that Pluto has been downgraded from planet status, the Moon may hold that title without challenge.
I took my telescope out into the back yard tonight, and had a look-see.
2011 in review
December 31, 2011
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 8,000 times in 2011. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 7 trips to carry that many people.
JimmieJoe / KC6YRU 
Angels, Devils, and Dr. Pepper
February 12, 2012
Jim Reeves commentary, geek, Humor, Personal Angels, devils, dr pepper, teen entrepenures 2 Comments
I was driving down the street this afternoon, heading to Quizno’s for another of their fantastic salads, when I passed a trio of boys trying to attract the attention of passing motorists. They were all about 12 years old, and one held up a sign that said “Dr. Pepper $1.00”. They waved and yelled as I drove past, trying to get me to stop. I don’t particularly care for Dr. Pepper, and I already had a 44 ounce Pepsi sitting next to me, so I drove on. I thought about holding up my big cup as I drove by, but the moment passed before I could manage it safely.
That’s when the angel appeared.
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