Time for Business

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 means I won't be able to blog as frequently as I did over the summer. I'm ready though...

School Starts

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.

Cutris Wins Olympic Gold

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.

Tribal

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 the song from a single warrior, into the entire war party.

I see this as another dimension to the band, as we explore the reaches of music beyond our (original) Rock roots. Dave and Pete, you guys Rock!

Sprint Won't Pay Promised Rebate

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!

Paris Hilton for President?

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. Neither one should talk as much as they do, since it generally reveals their weaknesses. I don’t believe Paris came up with that energy policy on her own, and I don’t want to hear her calling foreign dignitaries “bitches.” Likewise when Ventura bragged about “hunting men,” the media searched for documentation of his combat experience and Ventura cried about how horribly they treated him. Guess what buddy? The media made you famous!

In the end, the only clear choice for President is still Cutris. Accept no imitations.

Cutris is Financially Responsible

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.