I am CuTRis

He's Patriotic! He's really Patriotic! And he's a Straight-Shooter! Vote for Cutris, he's patriotic, really patriotic and he's a straight-shooter! Paid for by the Cutris for President Campaign.

Presidential candidate Cutris was seen jumping across a "really big" waterfall, according to second grader and political historian Jeremy Wiggins. "It was really cool!" said Wiggins, "He jumped right across like he was a kangaroo or something! Vote for Cutris . He can jump across a waterfall like he's a kangaroo or something.

We took a drive at the end of last week through Bluff Country, along the Mississippi River in southern Minnesota. The first photo is of Lake Pepin at Lake City. The second photo is from the Garvin Heights (Park) overlook in Winona. The last photo is of a Bald Eagle named Columbia, who lives at the National Eagle Center in Wabasha. Of course this is only a glimpse of what we saw.

I’ve decided to sell my road construction equipment. I mean it really didn’t make much sense to keep it with diesel fuel costing so much. Our garden is too little for them too. They were a lot of fun though…

Do you think my car will really know that the BP gas I put in it has "invigorate?"

Foggy Morning as I drive down the dark road The dark night sky is shrouded by cool vapor My car glides through obscured landscapes of dark shapes The streetlights' glow appears like running showers I think of a hike in the river valley The white mist hid the wilderness from my sight The deer charged past, but I could not see their flight My clothing grew damp as I walked through the clouds Now I drive to work and remember that day Responsibility takes me from the woods If only I had known of today back then I would have lived a little harder that day -Kevin J. Curtis-

More Scandal for the Cutris Campaign October 6, 2008 UnAssociated Press With only a month left before the election, Cutris is once again, caught in a scandal . Will he ever learn? Will the voters care? We'll find out on election day!

I knew those diggers and dozers were mine! They're still parked in front of our house! My wife must have bought them for me for my birthday! Just wait until my nephew Austin comes over, we'll have a blast! But he has to drive the small one, because the big one is mine!

We've had construction on our street all summer, but when this heavy equipment was parked in front of our house overnight , I figured my wife must have bought me this stuff for my birthday! She just can't tell me yet (until my birthday)! I took this picture with my new toys when nobody was looking...

Cutris Thought to be on Dangerous Diet September 25, 2008 UnAssociated Press Once again, presidential candidate Cutris is involved in a scandal . It seems that a recent photo shows an extremely thin Cutris . "He's almost 'stick thin!'" one reporter said. When questioned, Cutris admitted he had lost some weight, due to a combination of diet and exercise.

President George W. Bush spoke last night about a bailout of Wallstreet. It seems that when the really rich get in financial trouble, it affects everyone. So, all the rest of us have to pay more taxes to bail them out. Don't try this at home though, because no one will come to your rescue. It's quite a socialist concept to have the government intervene in an otherwise capitalist market.

LIVE HERE? Really? Would I really want to do that??? It is actually "marina approved," so there would be no problem keeping my canoe there. Still, I can't quite get over the fact that the building looks like it might need a few repairs. 10.7 acres though... although riverfront has got to be expensive...

Six of us went peddling all over St. Paul (and Minneapolis and assorted suburbs) on Saturday. It was about 30 miles or so through some nice trails along the Mississippi River. The first photo shows our riding party, and the last is a telephoto shot of downtown -which we rode right through just before the first photo was taken. The second picture was taken from the Mendota Bridge, and the third is of the Ford Dam.

We’ve all heard of food scares with such things as salmonella or toxic chemicals entering the food supply. Recently I had a scare with peanut butter. It didn’t make me sick, but it scared the crap out of me! After buying some “natural” peanut butter, I opened the jar and had some and it was quite good. Later that night though while I slept, I was woken up to a strange sound. It was a moaning sound and I got out of bed to investigate. It seemed to be coming from the kitchen, so I turned on the light. Several times, I turned on the light and it would go off by itself! Finally, I noticed the moaning sound was coming from my new jar of peanut butter! When I looked closely at the label, I realized I had grabbed the wrong jar by mistake! I threw the jar outside in the garbage and the strange phenomena stopped. Be careful to read the labels closely when you buy food products (see photo)!

If you are now "the man" of your family because you are married and have kids, don't try to pretend the bad message and bad feelings you bring aren't from you. You chose to hold onto those things. If your family has held onto customs for over 1,000 years but they are wrong, don't pretend that you have to keep doing the same thing yourself. You can change the system if you are strong, or keep doing the same things if you are a coward. Don't blame your problems on your ancestors (or someone else's ancestors) because someone in your family was a slave over a century ago. Read your history. There have been slaves throughout the sordid history of mankind. If you are free, why do you choose to hold onto that unfortunate past? If your parents mistreated you, I'm sorry about that. But if you are an adult, pull yourself up and make the best of your life. Also make darn sure you don't mistreat your own children. Perceptions change over the years, and sometim...

After proving ineffective in game one against the Packers, coach Brad Childress continued to play Tarvaris Jackson as the Minnesota Vikings starting quarterback. After he proved ineffective against the Colts, Childress kept doing the same thing (like he always does). Could owner Zygi Wilf have made an impression? I think maybe so, as Gus Frerotte will be starting against the Panthers on Sunday. In fact, coach Childress says Frerotte will start the rest of the season! Shouldn't the coach be a bit more flexible and take it a game at a time? Maybe try some new plays too...

People who weren't born in Minnesota, or who despise cold weather, like to bash the state for being so cold. Truthfully, it does get cold, but there can be a significant difference between northern and southern Minnesota on any given day. We do have cold and snow, but we are really good at dealing with it. We get up and go to work in weather that would paralyze many other states. Personally, I don't like really hot, sticky weather. We do have some of that in Minnesota, but not a lot of it. We have no hurricanes, though we do have a few tornadoes. Thinking about Minnesota weather, I couldn't help but notice that while hurricanes and floods are devastating parts of the U.S., Minnesota is enjoying near perfect conditions with cool nights and 70's and low 80's Fahrenheit daytime temperatures.

The Latest straw poll conducted by CNBC has placed Cutris ahead of both Barack Obama and John McCain in the 2008 presidential election. The latest figures show Cutris with a commanding 406%, with Barack Obama at 37% and John McCain at 36%.

Cutris Finds Lost City of Atlantis September 15, 2008 UnAssociated Press Recent reports suggest that Cutris has found the legendary "Lost City of Atantis." When questioned where he found it, Cutris acknowledged that he indeed had located the lost city, beneath a fairly large rock in his back yard. "I was doing some gardening," said Cutris , "and when I moved that big rock out of the way, there it was! Scientists are rushing to verify the find, though Cutris is not allowing them into his yard "because there is new sod," and he doesn't want "half the world tramping all over it."

Seven years ago I was working for county social services when I heard about the Twin Towers of the World trade Center being hit by airplanes. It was an awful day. Later, I was met with an unusual silence, as I was living near the airport and nothing was flying except F-16's that kept me awake with their faint erie sound as they patrolled at high altitude. A year later I spent the first anniversary with the American Indians at Camp Coldwater. Today I remember...

OPEC just voted to cut oil production by about 520,000 barrels per day. In other news, OPEC sucks! When I get to be President, the USA will seriously try to "kick the foreign oil habit." Then you can try to sell your sand.

As human beings, we are perhaps more concerned with our own finality than most other creatures that live on land or in the waters of the planet Earth. I am quite sure that other animals have a concept of death too, especially apes, whales and elephants. Still, I doubt that these animals have philosophized about death in the way that Homo sapiens have. As humans, we know death well. We kill other animals for food, and are well aware of the fact that there are predators and prey in the world. We recognize that death can come peacefully, though most often there is some amount of pain associated with it. Perhaps this is what scares us the most. Death is a final event that is feared by both man and beast. One will go to great lengths to avoid it. Yet sometimes, a person will end his own life in suicide. What a desperate and depressed state such a person would have to be in, to fight the natural feelings of avoiding death. Throughout history though, cases of humans and animals simply giving ...

When I buy a box of flavored oatmeal, why do they put "regular flavor" in it? What is "regular flavor?" It isn't a flavor! I had to eat one this morning to get rid of it. I used honey to make it "honey flavored."

After last night's speech by John McCain's choice for running-mate, Sarah Palin, the media is filled with excerpts from her speech. Personally, I didn't find her very likable. Furthermore, one woman (Hillary Clinton) isn't interchangeable for another (Sarah Palin). I know McCain is after the former Hillary Clinton supporters. Sarah Palin, I never heard of you a few days ago. Now that I have, McCain looks worse than ever.

Cutris Holds Political Convention UnAssociated Press September 3, 2008 Cutris held his own political convention yesterday in an undisclosed location that only he knew about. "It was very exclusive!" said one CNN correspondent. "I understand it was nearly impossible to get an invitation." It seems that the Cutris Party , formally endorsed Cutris as their/his presidential nominee, with a vice-presidential candidate to be named later.

I support your right to protest. I also drive by the Excel Energy Center in St. Paul (almost) daily. If you don't live in Minnesota, you are welcome to come and visit. Just don't come to my city to break windows and throw poop at police officers.

I can't get into any details of my work, since businesses are touchy about blogs and such. Suffice to say, the remodel is unfinished and I cannot work today. So, I am getting things done like stocking up on supplies and hopefully a bike ride. Yesterday I had an early training and was released for the afternoon. I went hiking in the Wilkie unit of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. I was dressed in denim and headed into the unchecked, late summer growth. At first I was noticing all the smells, flowers, birds, butterflies and such -thinking about how much I love getting out into the woods. Soon, I was fighting my way through a tangle of stinging nettles, branches and brush, thinking that I was an idiot to be doing this! As always, I ended up with a lot of burrs in my clothes, some great photographs and a sense of satisfaction. I filled out my ranger report and went home to have dinner with my wife before band practice. Life is going to get busier for awhile, and that mean...

How ironic that since I never liked going to school, I now work at one. That means (like the kids) I am about to go back. I regret the summer ending, though I am optimistic for a good year.

While many of us have been glued to the television, watching the Olympic Games, many lesser known events are never televised. One of these is the Gorock Stick Challenge. This event receives little attention, and is actually seldom used in modern society. Cutris happens to be a Gorock Stick Master, and has beaten the Chinese challenger, Iwin Now , to capture the Gold for the U.S. in yesterday’s obscure events series .

Last night at band practice, we were wondering what to record next. By the time we were done, a new song was finished, and only about two hours old. It all started when I began playing a two-chord progression, walking up and down the individual notes. I threw in a “tribal” sort of vocal thing. My band is exceptional at improvisation, and we were already setup to record. We did everything in one take, and it sounds good. I think the inspiration was from the simplicity of the music that I heard at the Hmong market on Sunday. Not being a Hmong speaker, it sounded like a simple chant. That same type of simplicity is the basis of the song “Tribal,” except that we used a combination of instruments, techniques, and vocals and piled them with digital multi tracking. The final product sounds much more American Indian, and in fact, (in my head) I could see painted warriors and painted ponies running (slow motion) into battle while we recorded. The multi tracking allowed the three of us to build ...

My latest email, This is the SECOND time this rebate has been approved, then declined. I am VERY upset with Sprint. I was promised this rebate when I purchased a new phone for my wife and my plan DOUBLED in cost. Send this rebate immediately, or I will pursue a complaint through my state's attorney general. Furthermore, I will cancel my contract. SEND THE REBATE YOU PROMISED ME AND QUIT PLAYING GAMES!

An interesting video on the news yesterday shows Paris Hilton talking about the two (U.S.) 2008 presidential candidates. Paris lays out a rather sensible energy plan, which seems to put both McCain and Obama to shame. Of course, being Paris Hilton, she ruins it by continuing to talk and say that she is ready to be the next president and that she will paint the White House pink. There is actually a presidential site for her at paris4prez.com . I recall a time when Minnesotans were fed up with politics and politicians. We voted Jesse Ventura into the governor’s mansion, where his son held wild parties while his parents were elsewhere. Ventura was interesting, and made sense in the debates. It soon became clear, however, that he was a giant wuss who blamed the media for all of his self induced problems. Like Paris Hilton, Jesse Ventura was created by the media. Paris was born into a rich family and that is her claim to fame. Ventura was a “pro wrestler” which gained him notoriety. Neithe...

Are you scared by the huge national debt? Do you distrust the politicians who made the decisions that created this astronomical deficit? Then why vote for their candidates? Cutris is financially responsible. In this picture, Cutris can be seen putting a quarter into his piggy bank. He was saving it for a rainy day. It just so happens that it rained the very next day and Cutris broke open the piggy bank and spent the quarter, but I think this misses the point. Cutris saved the quarter in the first place! When he needed it, he took it out of the bank. He didn’t need to finance the twenty-five cents, he already had it! Vote Cutris for President in November, he’s financially responsible! Paid for by the Cutris for President Campaign.

Have you ever looked at the natural environment? I mean have you ever really looked at it? It’s pretty incredible, if you think about it. Next time you’re in the environment, take a close look at something. It could be a tree, an ant, anything! Presidential Candidate Cutris is a staunch supporter of the environment. In fact, this picture taken only yesterday shows him doing his part supporting it! Remember to (write-in) vote for Cutris for President in November! The environment will thank you, and so will your kids. Paid for by the Cutris for President Campaign.

Cutris Asked to be Vice-President July 30, 2008 UnAssociated Press Cutris has reportedly been approached by both the McCain and Obama campaigns, in an attempt to get him to run as vice-president with each respective presidential candidate. When asked about this, Cutris had this to say. "It's less about them wanting me to run, and more about them not wanting to run against me. With no clear candidate to represent "middle America," they are obviously a little scared of the wide appeal my independent candidacy brings to the race." Though he continues to rise in the polls, Cutris would be the first candidate to win by write-in vote on a national level, if he succeeds in gaining the White House in November.

Special Agent Cutris Spotted July 24, 2008 UnAssociated Press Special Agent Cutris was spotted inside the Excel Energy Center in St. Paul, providing a watchful eye on the preparations for the National Republican Convention. Cutris was also seen talking to a Secret Asian , who's identity remains a secret. Cutris refused to comment about his activities, the Secret Asian or his Bugs Bunny tie.

Yesterday I went fishing with my wife and brother-in-law. We were at the Coon Rapids Dam. This is part of the Mississippi River. While we were there, it was impossible not to notice the garbage strewn about both in the water and along the shoreline. I witnessed a grown man throwing rocks at a duck, and a boy who tossed his pop can on the "beach" when he finished with it. These people have no respect for our world and should have rocks thrown at them and be forced to live in garbage. Both represent a group of people who (more) recently immigrated to this country. My impression of them was very bad, though I know (first-hand) not all of them are like this. Bottom-line, if you want my respect, learn to respect our environment. If you don't care, may you be the first to choke to death on waste.

The Cutris Condo is currently for sale. It is in the Heart of the City, in Burnsville, Minnesota. It is a one bedroom on the second floor. It was remodeled by Cutris and has been painted from top to bottom. Move in condition, $69,900.00. Within walking distance of numerous stores, &restaurants, parks and activities, and a great view off of the new deck. For more information, contact my realtor at, www.JeffBudzisz.com .

We decided that the old range hood in our kitchen had to go. It was pretty dirty and had a "limp." My wife wanted me to snap a photo of it as we pulled it down so we had it when we went to find a replacement. Of course, the replacements were designed differently now, and the fan was no longer mounted above the hood. We did run into several problems. One was fitting the new unit in. When we found one small enough (that required only minimal carpentry), there were different fan sizes and we opted for the larger fan. Then for the 7" round duct(like we were replacing), there was no damper included. What's more, no one sold this damper that was a "needed accessory." Ultimately, we cleaned the old damper up using turpentine and installed it above the new range hood. The final result was a new, vented range hood. When we looked upward when it was on, we could see the dampers on the new unit and the roof cap open. We installed the filter and felt good about a job w...

We went fishing yesterday and encountered many turtles. All three of us caught one. Below is one of the large Snapping turtles. Also shown, is what the turtle(s) did to our stringer while we were occupied fishing...

I’ve been out and about, enjoying the summer. There are a lot of people that I’ve come in across, and thankfully most of them are pleasant. Still, there are a couple of others who stick out recently because they were so rude and ornery. If for some reason you find the need to say nasty things to strangers for no good reason (though you may think you have one), I have two things to say to you. First, what is so wrong with your pathetic life that you need to be rude and nasty to make yourself feel better? How unhappy you must be to hate everyone so badly! Second, I used to work with a lot of unpleasant people as part of my job. Many were on a regular cycle of periodic incarceration, due (in large part) to their poor attitudes. Eventually two of these people will meet, or one will run across a similar hothead who will react violently to the insult so easily wielded by the first. The result can be that someone gets hurt or even killed. If your life is so worthless that you don’t care about...

Here is a picture of last night's dinner. It is a specialty of mine, that I hadn't made in awhile. These are barbecued game hens (i.e. "small chickens"). The sauce was Ken Davis (Original). The only thing wrong with this picture, is that you can't smell or taste them...

While you’re sitting on your butt, eating candy and watching TV, there are children starving in a turd ditch in a third world country. Like little Rosalinda, who lives in the turd ditch, because her family has no money for a hut. But for only 13 cents a day, you can put little Rosalinda up in the Radisson on the other side of town. If you send your pledge now, you can get a picture of Rosalinda, the turd ditch, and vital statistics about both. Are you going to let little Rosalinda continue to live in the turd ditch??? You heartless bastard! Send your pledge in now! And you don’t have to worry with Religious Children’s Fund , because 97 cents of each dollar goes straight to the turd ditch! Call now! 1-800-trd-dich

As John McCain and Barack Obama spar over who is more patriotic, independent presidential candidate Cutris proves who is the most patriotic of all...

Thursday, July 03, 2008 Friends, Potential Publishers and Agents, RE: HISTORICAL FICTION "COTTONWOOD" As we humans begin to reassess our place in the world, and how our decisions have affected it, my novel "Cottonwood" takes the reader on a journey through time. Set in a small piece of wilderness in southeastern Minnesota, the landscape is altered, as humans from overseas move into the area. If we could stand in one place and witness the changes that occur over the decades, or even centuries, we might learn something important about ourselves and the world we live in. The enormous cottonwood trees of the Minnesota River Valley appear like giants within the bottomland forest in the floodplain of the recently rated fifth most endangered river in the United States. These giant trees are the witnesses of our influence, and the anchors to a story that peeks into the lives of the humans and animals that came before us. The American Indians were the first humans to inhabi...

Presidential Candidate Cutris Solves Gas Crisis UnAssociated Press July 1, 2008 Presidential candidate Cutris has solved the problem of soaring gas prices! When asked by an UnAssociated Press reporter about how he would solve the problem, Cutris had this to say... "The way I see it," said Cutris , "we have two serious problems that can be solved by one solution. First, we have the rising cost of gasoline and diesel fuel, and any petroleum based products. This has caused the price of everything to rise as shipping costs have skyrocketed. Second, we have global warming, which is caused by greenhouse gasses ." "Hear me out, and see if you can follow my logic. If we learn how to use greenhouse gasses for fuel, we could solve both problems!" Speechless, the reporter could only respond, "I guess so..."

I’m off from my tech job with the school (for most of the summer), but I still work part-time doing government television. Last night before the meeting I was televising started, I noticed a group of people in the parking lot, all wearing the same uniforms. They were clustered around my new Ford Fusion that I just got license plates for that same day! Furthermore, some of them were leaning against my new car! I reached into my pocket and pulled out my key with the buttons on it and pointed it toward the glass door (I was inside city hall) and pushed the “panic button!” The car began honking its horn and the lights were flashing. The group of people (I found out they were ambulance drivers) began to walk away from my car, and I pushed the button again to stop the alarm. Man that was fun!

The United States of America has been poorly run for a very long time. The constitution, which protects our rights, is basically setup to protect the property of the rich, landed people. These same people are the only ones who can afford to run for “public” office. The grim reality of the situation is that these people are more interested in promoting their own self-interest and making money, than they are in the welfare of the country and its people. The U.S.A. is currently in debt to the tune of something like nine trillion dollars. With a number that huge, I may have it wrong, but who cares right? It’s a butt-load of money! If any single person mismanaged money like that (especially in a business), said individual would be serving time in a federal prison. Yet, our leaders have done this virtually unchecked for decades. Combine this with the tendency to interfere with other nations in order to secure oil interests, etc., the U.S. has a very corrupt government. It’s time to abandon t...

This morning I attempted to apply for a United States Government job. First, the online application demanded my Social Security number, which I will not give out in an initial application. In fact, you are not required to due to potential identity theft. Still, some companies as well as the federal government demand it upfront. I believe denying your application because of this constitutes a violation of personal rights. Second, the online system added ( ) – to the phone number entry and simultaneously asked that I input numbers only. The numbers would not fit into the characters present, and they took up the spaces I needed to add my phone number. Third, when I contacted the person via email listed for questions, I was refused an application by mail or my request to talk to the department head. Have my rights been violated by my own country? Bottom-line, do it the way they want you to, not the legal, ethical way. If you do not, you don’t get the job. Could this be why the government i...

Monday, June 16, 2008 We had to get an extended permit (no plates yet) for the new Ford Fusion from the dealer. We drove to Murdo, South Dakota and stayed at the Sioux motel. We ate at the GTO café. Tuesday, June 17, 2008 We drove to a scenic overlook and then to Wall Drug. We walked around Wall Drug and ate lunch there. Then we drove to Mount Rushmore and walked around there. We saw a Mountain Goat up close. Then we drove back to Keystone, SD, where we stayed at the Washington Inn. After walking the boardwalk (while it stormed outside), we ate at the Keystone House Family restaurant. Wednesday, June 18, 2008 It stormed halfway through our Iron Mountain crossing through the narrow winding roads and single lane tunnels. We drove to Custer State park and drove the wildlife loop. We saw donkeys, bison, pronghorn antelope, deer and prairie dogs. After stopping at the Bluebell General Store, we went to the Sylvan Lake Lodge where we stayed. We hiked around beautiful Sylvan L...

Summer has started and the pace has been busy. I'll hit some highlights. Friday, I got tired of my GM (Pontiac) car problems. I've always driven GM, mostly Grand Am's, and they have stupid issues like the multi-function switch failing ($260) or the security system failing ($375). In the past I've also had head-gasket (total) and transmission (not good) problems. I've complained to GM (and Pontiac) but they don't seem to care about losing a lifetime customer. So, I bought a Ford Fusion. They're rated higher than Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. My Hmong in-laws had a Saturday (triple) event, that included a shaman, whole cow, two whole pigs and several chickens. These animals are used in ceremony and then served for a feast. As I don't care too much for boiled meat, I spent a significant portion of the day grilling various cuts of beef and pork. I found the event both interesting and exhausting. It is a lot of work and very time consuming. Still, how many w...

It's amazing to me that I work in a school. I went to school (including college) for a long time and really didn't enjoy it all that much. Now I work in one! I enjoy my job most of the time, as I work with technology. Still, I was so happy when I packed up and left yesterday! This break will give me a chance to accomplish some things that I need to do.

With the electoral college , delegates and such, does your vote really count? Most recently, Hillary Clinton has won the popular vote, though she has lost in delegates to Barack Obama. Perhaps in the United States, we should consider using the popular vote so that the people really do have a say in who gets elected. Remember, Cutris is still running for President in the most massive write-in campaign in history!

Troy Clarke, President, General Motors If I was the president of a company, I would want to know why a lifetime customer was leaving. It's simple, I am dissatisfied with the product and the service. My last four cars were Pontiac Grand Am's. I've also owned a Chevrolet Monza and a 1972 LeManns. Now, my 2004 Grand Am is experiencing its second strange malfunction, I contacted Pontiac to ask for it to be made right. It's all over the Internet, yet again. Since the 1990's people have had trouble with the "passlock" system. The service guy at the dealership said it would cost about $400. He knew what it was. The person from the India call center took my information and a guy called who didn't seem to have any idea what this might be. He told me to go to the dealer and MAYBE they could do something. I just got done paying $260 to replace the "multi-function" switch on this car. The car previous to this had transmission trouble and the one before a...