July 4th

Happy Birthday America.  I write this on July 5th, because I was really busy being a proud American last night.  I live in Las Vegas, so, it's all about finding a good vantage point where one can see the whole strip from a distance.  Then, let the fireworks begin.  The rocket's Red Glare....The Bombs Bursting in Air...

It is a bit concerning that a lot of people think of the 4th of July as a celebration of some kind of Fascist rule of America. I have seen a lot of reports about this.  Yet others think of it as no more than an excuse to get ripped and blow shit up.  It has gotten to the point where people are afraid to fly an American Flag in their yard. To many, showing patriotism seems to be un-American in some way.  In short, there are a lot of backward thinkers in this world.  People who jump at the chance to poop on our party. They don't like Christmas, or July 4th, or any holiday that celebrates greatness and goodness.  They seem to come out every time there is a Holiday. Oh well, to them I say, have a nice day.

No one has the power to ruin my good time. I am a proud American. I practice a Live and let Live attitude, as long as these people don't try to ram their beliefs down my throat. I am all about listening to all points of view. But, if I happen to disagree with a point of view, don't get in my face over it and tell me I am wrong. 

I was talking to someone the other day, and the topic came around to Johnny Cash. I told him that I do a Cash tribute show. We got to talking about John being a great american hero. A patriot. A man of the people. He said..."There aren't enough Johnny Cashs' in the world"..... Enough said. 

Have a great day!

My Kia Blog about your car and the heat.

I thought I would share my Kia Blog from today across the board. This is good advise for any car owner.

http://cashatkia.blogspot.com/

Have a great Day

Post Father's Day Thoughts

I thought I would save my Father's Day blog until after Father's day, as a reflective blog rather than a 'I look forward to...' thing. 

I spent the day with my wife and 22 year old son. He got me a beautiful watch and we all had a great time on Mt. Charleston (Just outside of Las Vegas).  Picnics in the woods are always great. Especially when it is 114 degrees in town. A nice 78 degrees on the mountain.  A lot of people do not realize that there is a whole world of stuff to do away from the strip in Vegas. But's that's another blog.

It was also somewhat of a sad day. It was the 12th anniversary of the passing of my 1st son. He was 17 and died in a car accident June 18th, 2005. So when father's day falls on the day of his death, it's tough. But, I was surrounded by love and caring throughout the day. So all was better with the day. 

I also am lucky enough to have 2 Dads.  My DAD in Texas and my Step Dad in California.  Both amazing men who I love dearly.  Father's day is always great in that concern.  Bravo to them for raising me right. 

There are a lot of scenarios around Father's day. Many don't have a Dad to wish Happy Father's day. Some are estranged from their Father.  Some have a Dad that has passed on.  I hope everyone took a moment to just thank the person who was or is your father. Even if it's was just to silently give thanks.  

May you always find peace and happiness in your life.  

Have a great day

In a world of Tech....

We forget that a lot of what we do is reliant on user names and passwords. 

My parents are both getting up in years, and as a result, there are medical issues that happen.  Life can change over night, and fortunately nothing has happened yet that warrant any "drastic action" on my part.  But, as parents get older, it is important that someone in the family, be it a child or sibling or even a close trusted friend have all the information needed to make a transition as smooth as possible.  

Many people will leave it to the attorney to handle the estate, but inevitably the issue of user name and/or password will pop up somewhere. Bank accounts, insurance, even utilities. You, as the relative or friend, need to sit down with your parent / senior friend and get a list of all accounts that have user names and passwords. Names of lawyers, auto mechanics, Doctors, insurance agents.... anything you can think of that may pop up.  If they change the password on an account, it should be updated on the list.  Ideally, if the parent or friend is not comfortable giving this information to you, they need to have it where you can get to it in case of death, coma, or any other reason that they can no longer take care of their affairs.  This makes it easier to wrap up loose ends. 

I know this sounds like common sense, but there are many many families out there that do not plan for the future. We don't like to talk about death, but it is waiting for all of us.  Make it easier on your loved ones to cope in what will already be a mega stressful time.  If you have older parents or siblings, make sure you have the information you need to get through the situation. Have a family meeting, talk about it and I promise you will all rest better for it. 

Have a great day!

Happy Mother's Day

I called my Mom this morning to wish her Happy Mother's day.  We talk every other day or so anyway, so there was not a whole lot to "catch up on".  She said something though that struck me.  We live a couple of states away, so we don't see each other on Mother's Day, and she said it was sad because of that fact.  I told her at that point, that we really should not have a day every year that forces us to remind ourselves that Moms are great. We would not BE HERE without her!  Every time you see your mom or talk to her should be Mother's day. Just like every day that you live to see another sunrise with your spouse should be Valentine's day.  And Christmas...you get the point.

Anyway, I will keep this short since you have to call Mom today.  For those departed Moms, there will always be time to say a little prayer...Happy Mothers Day to all the Moms everywhere!!

Have a Great Day!

I am still around, I have just been busy

Hello out there in bloggerland.  I am still here, I have been busy with some other stuff, including my ne Kia blog.  I have been with Kia for 5 years in May, and I thought it might be a nice idea to start a blog for Kia owners with questions. it's at cashatkia.blogspot.com   Check it out. I answer questions about Kia, but there is a lot pertaining to any car really.

Let's see...My son introduced me to the FOAP app. A photo sharing experience. You can sell your photos online too. Pretty cool. 

I have also been gearing up for the Spring and Summer, doing stuff around the house, in the house on top of the house...never ends. 

Also, I have been spending a lot of time with our new pair of 8 week old kittens. The word "NO!" is thrown around the house A LOT! They are a ton of work, but great to have cat energy in the house again. No doubt you will hear about them again. 

So, I hope everyone had a great April.  Summer is right around the corner.  I will do a few blogs upcoming on things to do in Vegas in the Summer that don't include the words  "It's frickin' hot" !! Vegas is way more than just the strip. Stay tuned. Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel. 

remember my websit... ronnieleetwist.com  and hey, friend me up on Facebook  facebook.com/ronnieleetwist

Have a great day!

A Look At April Fool's Day

When we were kids, we LOVED April 1st. Spent days or weeks coming up with the one prank that would shock, stun, piss off,  or have a reaction of total hilarity.  Sometimes they were not funny.  The guy who jumped off a bridge to scare his girlfriend and realized he miscalculated the length of his bungie cord.  Oops.  It goes back to the old saying of what a Redneck (excuse me, NASCAR American) says before he dies is....."Hey, Hold my beer and watch this"...

Anyway, straight from Wikipedia is a paragraph or two on the origins of April Fools Day...just in case you were wondering. 

The custom of setting aside a day for the playing of harmless pranks upon one's neighbor is recognized everywhere.^{[1][dubious – discuss]} Some precursors of April Fools' Day include the Roman festival of Hilaria.

Bertha R. McDonald, in Harper's Weekly explicated an origin of April Fools' Day, stating that some "authorities gravely back with it to the time of Noah and the ark, and the London Public Advertiser of March 13, 1769, prints the following paragraph concerning this theory: 'The mistake of Noah sending the dove out of the ark before the water had abated, on the first day of April, and to perpetuate the memory of this deliverance it was thought proper, whoever forgot so remarkable a circumstance, to punish them by sending them upon some sleeveless errand similar to that ineffectual message upon which the bird was sent by the patriarch'."^[2]

In Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (1392), the "Nun's Priest's Tale" is set Syn March bigan thritty dayes and two.^[3] Modern scholars believe that there is a copying error in the extant manuscripts and that Chaucer actually wrote, Syn March was gon.^[4] Thus the passage originally meant 32 days after March, i.e. 2 May,^[5] the anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia, which took place in 1381. Readers apparently misunderstood this line to mean "32 March", i.e. April 1.^{[citation needed][6]} In Chaucer's tale, the vain cock Chauntecleer is tricked by a fox.

In 1508, French poet Eloy d'Amerval referred to a poisson d’avril (April fool, literally "Fish of April"), a possible reference to the holiday.^[7] In 1539, Flemish poet Eduard de Dene wrote of a nobleman who sent his servants on foolish errands on April 1.^[5] In 1686, John Aubrey referred to the holiday as "Fooles holy day", the first British reference.^[5] On April 1, 1698, several people were tricked into going to the Tower of London to "see the Lions washed".^[5]

In the Middle Ages, New Year's Day was celebrated on March 25 in most European towns.^[8] In some areas of France, New Year's was a week-long holiday ending on April 1.^[9][10] Some writers suggest that April Fools' originated because those who celebrated on January 1 made fun of those who celebrated on other dates.^[9] The use of January 1 as New Year's Day was common in France by the mid-16th century,^[5] and this date was adopted officially in 1564 by the Edict of Roussillon.

In the Netherlands, the origin of April Fools' Day is often attributed to the Dutch victory at Brielle in 1572, where the Spanish Duke Álvarez de Toledo was defeated. "Op 1 april verloor Alva zijn bril." is a Dutch proverb, which can be translated to: "On the first of April, Alva lost his glasses." In this case, the glasses ("bril" in Dutch) serve as a metaphor for Brielle. This theory, however, provides no explanation for the international celebration of April Fools' Day

AND THESE OF COURSE  (copy and paste)

http://tiphero.com/top-10-worst-april-fools-day-fails-of-all-time/

HAVE A GREAT DAY