Ishkur, Mesopotamian god of storms
Despite a week of weather forecasts predicting rain on Saturday, the day of PrideVisalia 2019 was sunny, clear, and warm. How did that happen? Well, now the story can be told.
The very first PrideVisalia hosted by The Source LGBT+ Center was in June 2017, and the summer gods were out in full force. 105 degrees in the shade (40 for those of you who are on the Celsius thermometer), with relentless solar radiation made for a sweaty and uncomfortable festival. The powers-that-be decided that it’s difficult to be gay (or lesbian, or bi, or trans, or pan, or anything else for that matter) under such conditions, so the festival for 2018 was moved to the end of May. Cooler weather usually prevails, and the festival can be truly festive. It did and it was.
As PrideVisalia 2019 approached, our weather apps began giving us ominous warnings. Thunderstorms, rain, and warm temperatures were threatening to make the festival a muggy, wet, sodden affair. Nerves were on edge, a brave face was put on by organizers, and extra awnings were put on standby.
Why didn’t it rain? I simply asked for a favor.
Yep, I set up a conference call, and got all the gods on one hookup. You wouldn’t believe how difficult that was to arrange! Some of these characters really don’t like each other. Some kept insisting none of the others even existed! I finally appealed to their better natures (for some their vanity, but that’s another story) and got them all on the line.
I managed to snare the major players: Zeus, Ishkur, Tlaloc, Indra, Fryer, Odin (who, like some of the other major players, insisted on being included even though he doesn’t usually handle weather himself), and Tempestas (who you would think from her name wouldn’t be a easy sell, but she was a joy to talk with). Some native American weather spirits joined in, especially those of the local tribes here in the valley, and of course Allah and Yahweh. (I tried to get Lucifer on the call, just to keep some balance, but he was unavailable. Apparently he’s on vacation. In Los Angeles. Odd.)
After some small talk that seemed to last an eternity (God time is very different from human time, it seems) we got down to the issue at hand.
I was prepared for a long, hard fought battle to convince them to hold the rain off for a day, but it was amazingly easy.
Seems the gods are really fond of their LGBTQ+ children, and were eager to grant such a request. They also love a party, and once I described what was going on, they were all on board with very little convincing required. I think the drag queens and the Ballet Folklorico dancers of Mexico Moderno really put it over the top.
I got a bit of flack from Yahweh about my being an atheist and all, but I’m pretty sure he was just ribbing me. (see what I did there?) He, of course, loves all the rainbow gear at Pride. Allah was silent for most of it all, but I’m pretty sure I heard a نعم فعلا from him.
So there you have it. One conference call, some friendly chatting, a bit of ego stroking for the more vain characters, and they all agreed to push the rain to the next day. Sunny and warm, with a slight breeze prevailed for PrideVisalia 2019.
I’m a little concerned what they might require of me as payment for granting my favor. A couple of them were putting on an ominous tone, but I’m pretty sure they were just teasing. Fairly sure. Oh boy… what have I done! Whatever the reality of that is, I’ll deal with it at some future date. A very far-off in the future date. Maybe they’ll forget. One can hope.
Oh, and you’re welcome!
P.S.
I just woke up from a most entertaining dream. One in which I bought a rather large house somewhere. As I was looking through my new home, people kept showing up, and I didn’t have a clue as to who they were or why they were there. I had to run off a group of 20-something street kids who were apparently letting themselves in the side gate to use a bathroom that had a door to the side yard. There was a nice, sane guy who was doing something in the kitchen… I think he was preparing lunch, but I’m not sure, he was possibly washing vegetables in the sink. He was like a narrator, telling me things about the house, the neighbors, and the neighborhood in general. The kitchen had two of those island grills stations you see in Japanese restaurants, the kind where the chefs cook your food right in front of you. I thought it was a bit odd to have two of them, but there they were.
I live in the future, and things are not as I was promised.
When is a zero not a zero? Turns out, when it’s an ‘o’.
JimmieJoe / KC6YRU 
I may have worked my last night shift
April 12, 2019
Jim Reeves 9-1-1, commentary, Personal 911, 911 overnight, day shift, dispatch center, dispatcher, night shift, retirement Leave a comment
After 24 1/2 years, almost all of them on night shift, Monday begins the next rotation, to day shifts. I’m not looking forward to it.
My first three months, way back in the summer of 1994, were on dayshift during my training. Once released (yes, three whole months of training back then), I went to swing shift, 5pm to 3am. I stayed there, with a couple of switches to graveyard (9pm to 7am), until October of 2017, when we began our new 12 hour shifts. That put me on days, 6 am to 6 pm. After six months of that mess, my team rotated to nights. Now it’s that time again, and back we go to days.
But why may I have worked my last night shift? Because by the time we rotate back to nights, I hope to be retired!
July or September, depending on a few things. But regardless, I hope to be out of there before we rotate back to nights.
That also means I’ll never work in a new dispatch center. By the time one gets up and running, I’ll be long retired. Sigh.
Oh well.
Road trip!
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