I got to see him in concert, once, in Visalia. Took my Mom. We both had a great time.
Star Trekking with Tom Jones
February 20, 2019
Humor, Personal It's not unusual, star trek, Tom Jones Leave a comment
When is an emergency not an emergency?
February 19, 2019
9-1-1, Humor, Personal 9-1-1, Build the wall, Hair Furor, National emergency, state of emergency, Trump, what is an emergency 1 Comment
“Big hands”? You decide.
I know emergencies, and, let me tell you, this isn’t one of them!
Betcha’ thought I was going to talk to you about 9-1-1 calls, didn’t you?
Nope, this time it’s all about a grifter who managed to get himself elected President of the United States invoking emergency powers to bypass Congress and the Constitution.
Can you imagine the hue and cry if President Obama had declared a national emergency, bypassed Congress, and imposed single payer? Our health care system actually is in crisis, but the GOP would have blown it’s collective gasket.
The Republicans and their base, however, are just fine with Hair Furor attempting an end run around the Constitution and the funding mechanisms of the United States government.
I wonder if they’re trying to tell me something…
February 18, 2019
commentary, Personal 404 Not Found, blog, Gannett, Jim Reeves, kc6yru, visalia, Visalia Times Delta Leave a comment
404 Not Found
That’s what happens when I click on the bookmark that takes me to the log-in page to my community blog, Alternating Currents, hosted on the Visalia Times Delta‘s site. I’ve been posting there since at least 2010, but Gannett’s latest redesign of their papers pages seems to have broken something on the ‘back end’.
A couple of emails to the Visalia Times Delta’s staff has resulted in responses that a repair ticket would be started, and another that the status would be checked, but late November of last year was the last time I could post anything.
I’m hoping it’s just a case of too much work for too few IT people, and that it will eventually be fixed. Crossing fingers, and such.
I really enjoy having the platform to express myself. Occasionally, things get interesting, like the time I posted about chickens and pygmy goats. That generated a bit of a tempest, to put it mildly. You should have seen the Facebook comments! Even had people trying to get the Times Delta to ban me from their site.
But if someone has decided they don’t *really* want community bloggers, or they just don’t want *this* one, I’ve always got this page to fall back on. Maybe I should just start posting things here, instead.
Decisions, decisions.
The Best Christmas, Ever
December 24, 2018
Personal 10 speed bike, best Christmas ever, Christmas story, kc6yru, visalia, XMas Leave a comment
Time for my annual Christmas story.
Best Christmas Ever – 1971
I wrote this back in 2007, for my personal blog on MySpace.
******
We were telling Christmas stories at work the other day, and I told my “best Christmas ever” story. After I told it, I thought it might make a good blog, so here it is.
The location: Visalia California, the house on Divisadero Street, just down the block from the junior high I attended (now called a “Middle School” for reasons known only to the bureaucracy of schools).
The year: 1971 8th grade Jim is 14 and knows Santa’s secret identity.
Top item on the Christmas wish list: A 10-speed bike.
God’s minions spread The Word: I can give up lesbianism!
December 18, 2018
commentary, Gay, Personal ex gays, Gay, gay girl good god, give up lesbianism, God's word, lesbian, spread the word 1 Comment
So these packages arrived in today’s mail. One is addressed to me, by name, and the other to “the guy with the truck”, referring, I assume, to my cousin who lives with me and drives a truck.
The return address is a mailbox/shipping/copy store, so I have no clue who sent me these missives. I also don’t know why they know my name, but not my cousin’s. Mysteries I’ll probably never solve.
Someone spent some money to spread “God’s word”, and took some effort to get them mailed. But they’re not brave enough to step up and be known. I wonder if they get full heaven points for that, or if they only get half-points?
I haven’t read the book yet, but here’s what the Internet has to say about it:
“I used to be a lesbian.”
In Gay Girl, Good God, author Jackie Hill Perry shares her own story, offering practical tools that helped her in the process of finding wholeness. Jackie grew up fatherless and experienced gender confusion. She embraced masculinity and homosexuality with every fiber of her being. She knew that Christians had a lot to say about all of the above. But was she supposed to change herself? How was she supposed to stop loving women, when homosexuality felt more natural to her than heterosexuality ever could?
So I guess I should read the book, and work on giving up my lesbian ways.
I wonder if it has dawned on whoever sent me this that if I give up women, I’ll be…
a homosexual man.
Maybe I better get to reading this book, quick!
I went “Over The Edge”!
November 10, 2018
Personal gay visalia, LGBT, Marriott, Over the Edge, The Source LGBT Center, visalia Leave a comment
Today was the day… I rappelled from the eighth floor of the Visalia Marriott Hotel, in a fundraising drive for The Source LGBT+ Center. Joining dozens of other participants, we raised over $90,500 (and counting), for Tulare and Kings Counties only LGBT center.
I go “Over The Edge” Saturday
November 9, 2018
Gay, News, Personal gay visalia, LGBT, LGBT fundraising, Over the Edge, The Source LGBT Center, visalia, Visalia Over the Edge Leave a comment
Saturday, November 10, I go “Over The Edge“. I’ll be rappelling down the side of the Marriott Hotel in downtown Visalia as the culmination of my fundraising participation for The Source LGBT+ Center. I’m scheduled for 3 pm, so come on down and join in the festivities as I and a bunch of other folks help support The Source.
There will be a festival on site, along with the rappelling. Come on down between 9 am thru 4 pm and join us as we celebrate 2 1/2 years of community service, and fund our expansion project and our ongoing programs.
There’s still enough time to donate, and you can do that at https://visaliaovertheedge.com/jim-reeves/ Every donation is gratefully received, and there other rappellers you can support, at https://visaliaovertheedge.com/list.cfm
Friday, starting at 4pm, VIP and top earners will lead off the event, with Assemblyman Devon Mathis, Chris Ortiz of the Visalia Police Department, and radio personality April Skye going “Over The Edge”. Feel free to stop by and cheer them on.
The Source LGBT+ Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
I am a former member of the Founding Board of Directors, an Advisory Board member, and volunteer at The Source LGBT+ Center.
They’re going to throw me off the Marriott!
October 11, 2018
Gay, Personal LGBT, Over the Edge, The Source LGBT Center, Tulare County LGBT, visalia, Visalia Over the Edge Leave a comment
I’m a few dollars away from the minimum to be thrown off the top floor of one of Visalia’s tallest buildings! I’m looking for more donations, which go to support The Source LGBT+ Center.
The Source is an important asset to our community, supporting the LGBT+ community with support, education, advocacy, and visibility. I’ve been honored and happy to be a small part of this fantastic group, and I hope you can help me help it to continue to grow and serve.
My personal donation page is here, https://visaliaovertheedge.com/jim-reeves/
Thanks!
I’ve decided. I’m jumping off that building.
September 18, 2018
9-1-1, Gay, geek, Personal Jim Reeves, Over the Edge, The Source LGBT Center, visalia, visalia gay, Visalia Marriott, Visalia Over the Edge Leave a comment
Yep. From a top floor balcony. Right over the edge.
No, I’m not depressed, or suicidal.
I’ll be joining up to 91 other “jumpers” as we rappel down the (other) side of one of the tallest buildings in Visalia. And it’s all for a good cause.
We’ll be participating in “Visalia Over the Edge“, a fundraising campaign for The Source LGBT+ Center. The Source is Tulare and Kings Counties LGBT+ community and resource center, currently operating out of a small office space in downtown Visalia. (208 W. Main, Suite B, Visalia. Downstairs in the Montgomery Square.) We’ve outgrown our center, and need to raise money for expansion to a larger facility. This event will kick off our fund-raising efforts to acquire a building large enough to serve our communities.
I had to think about this for a while before committing to taking part, as I’m a bit unsettled by heights. (oddly, not while in a helicopter or plane. Mostly when looking down the side of a tall building. That glass observation thing, the Sky Deck, on the Sears Tower? You’d never get me to step into that.) I’ve decided I’m going to do it, regardless. I’ll convince myself by saying it’s a “bucket list” experience, and off we’ll go. Over the side. Nine floors. That’s not all that high, right?
I’ve set a goal of $2,500 to be raised, essentially by begging. 😉 The minimum to “jump” is $1,000 but I wanted to go a bit bigger. So…
This is me begging you for some money! Yep, hat in hand, asking “buddy, can you spare a dime? Or $20? Or $100?” Here’s the link to my fund-raising page, please go there and give The Source LGBT+ Center some money. I’ll be ever so grateful.
On November 10th, 2018, come join us at the Marriott, and watch as they toss this dispatcher Over the Edge!
Just don’t call 9-1-1, even if I’m screaming, please.
JimmieJoe / KC6YRU 
When is a zero not a zero?
February 21, 2019
Jim Reeves 9-1-1, commentary, geek, Humor, Personal 9-1-1, 911, 911 dispatch, dispatcher stories, police stories, VIN Leave a comment
For almost 25 years, I’ve been a 9-1-1/law enforcement dispatcher. One task of many in dispatching is to check DMV, DOJ, and national databases for registration and stolen status on vehicles. These checks are usually done by the license plate number, but sometime we have to use the Vehicle Identification Number, also known as the VIN.
From day one of my training, way back in 1994, I was told there are two characters never used in VINs. The letter ‘o’, and the letter ‘i’. This is because they are generally indistinguishable from zeros and ones, especially on VIN plates located on vehicle dashboards or engines. Simple. Every time you see 0 or 1 in a VIN, they are numbers, not letters.
Until yesterday.
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