From the Mind of MandoRon

As I was leaving Quik Trip with my coffee this morning, I noticed a Toyota parked next to me with the engine running and nobody home.  It got me thinking about some of the things that leave me bewildered.

Here’s a partial list:

• Why do people leave their car running unattended outside of convenience stores? 
• Why can’t  I eat whatever I want and lose weight?
• Why doesn’t the rest of the world operate on my schedule?
• Why would anyone would cheer for OU?
• Why are people so mean to each other?
• Furthermore, why do people try to get ahead by destroying other people?

So what are some of things that cause you to scratch your head?  (Figuratively.  Not literally.  We’re not talking about head lice people…)

My friend @mechem retweeted a link to an interesting NY Times project called Mapping America: Every City, Every Block.  I’d recommend checking it out.

You can type in your city or zip code, and then check out census data overlaid on a Google map.  The initial map is racial/ethnic distribution, but be sure to click on “View More Maps” to see education levels, household income, and a few other things.

It’s a good way to kill some time.

Greetings Earthlings!

So… it’s been more than 3 months since my last post.  And 8+ months since my last post that wasn’t a Sunday Setlist.  After taking a little break, I’ve decided it’s time to get blogging again.  But no Sunday Setlists.  Well, probably not.

From the beginning, I wanted to use my blog ” to inform, to inspire, to debate, and to entertain” while doing my best not to bore you.  Somewhere along the line, I bored myself. 

I’ve had a lot of ideas rolling around in my head the last month, or so, and I’m thinking it’s time to start putting them on the interweb blog thingy. 

You may be wondering what I’ve been up to the last few months.  So I’ll do my best to summarize October thru December using a bullet list.

• I’ve barely touched my mandolins.  Mostly, I’ve been playing guitar as of late.  The plus side is that I’m getting much better on the guitar.
• I changed jobs in November.  I quit my job in Purchasing at Cessna to be the Engineering Manager at PCI, an aircraft interior supplier.  It was very weird leaving after 13+ years but it was a great opportunity for me.
• Coinciding with the job change, I stepped out of my leadership role in the band at GracePoint.  Just not enough time and bandwidth with the new job.
• My daughter, Jada, had another brain surgery in November to put in a shunt that keeps the spinal fluid from building up and causing headaches.  This was a possibility after they removed the tumor this summer.  She’s doing great!
• We took the kids to San Antonio after Christmas break for our summer vacation.  (Yes, I realize that it is winter, but our summer vacation plans were cancelled when Jada had surgery on July 1st…)  We were able to go to Six Flags, Sea World, the AlamoBowl (Go Cowboys!), and we had an awesome  hotel room looking down at the Riverwalk.

I’m sure there were other things, but that is what immediately came to mind.

See you again soon!

Ronnie

Hey good people of Wichita!

My very good friend, Carmen Kamps, is trying to find her 16-year-old daughter that ran away 5 months ago.  They believe that she is still in Wichita based on occasional phone calls and contact with friends.  Last week, Carmen recorded this song as a plea for Ashlynn to come home.

Please check out the video and let the Kamps family know if you’ve seen her.  They are asking that you either email them at ashlynncomehome@gmail.com or call 911.

Also, I’m sure the Kamps family would covet your prayers.  It’s been hard 5 months for them, and I can’t imagine what they’ve gone through.

Thanks!

A disturbing interaction (if you can even call it an interaction) with my dog this morning got me thinking about something.

Most people are familiar with courtesy cars and even courtesy laughs.  But there are many other courtesies too.

So as a courtesy to you, the reader, I’ve started compiling a list of these lesser-known courtesies.  Feel free to thank me later.

The courtesy tail-wag - This is what I experienced with my dog this morning.  He was sleeping on the loveseat.  I scratched him behind the ears and bent over for a little doggie-kiss.  He gave me a courtesy tail-wag and then shot me a look that said, “go away and let me go back to sleep you stupid biped!”  What ever happened to “man’s best friend”?

The courtesy curtsy - These are pretty rare, actually, and only used when you encounter someone impersonating a member of the Royal Family.

The courtesy tip - This a a tip of 25 cents, or less - generally given in business establishments where the barrista/counter-worker has a plastic or foam cup with a piece of paper sticking out that reads “TIPS”.  Courtesy tips can also be used with street musicians that lack anything resembling talent.  Please note that giving pocket change to a Salvation Army bellringer is, in fact, a charitable donation and not a courtesy tip.

The courtesy clap - Frequently seen at golf tournaments when a golfer completes an over-par round.  Spectators will also give courtesy claps when a golfer four-putts on a par 3.  The courtesy high-five, courtesy pat-on-the-back, and courtesy good-game are all close cousins of the courtesy clap…

The courtesy kiss - The oral equivalent of a side hug, administered by your significant other.  Courtesy kisses are often accompanied by the phrases:  “Shh! My program’s on”,  “Have a good day at work”, or “I’m going to sleep”.

The courtesy glance - Typically occurs when someone you know has something important (or something that they think is important) that they want to show you, but you are either distinterested, busy, or both.  Courtesy glances are sometimes followed by double-takes or having the all-important item shoved in your face.

Did I miss anything?  Leave a comment with other courtesies that you’ve either experienced or extended to someone else.