I am CuTRis

Apparently the Seattle Seahawks are predicted to win Super Bowl 48 . Personally, I think maybe Peyton Manning (Denver Broncos) will become the first starting quarterback to win super bowls for two different teams. Anyway, we'll find out on Sunday.

It's -8 degrees Fahrenheit. So is it cold or is the air just really fresh?

Cycle 4, Blue Planet Interstellar Traveler, Unglip Reporting Well, it has been 117 zenagrenbills since I last explored the Blue Planet. I left the Bindir section of the home world after receiving my orders. Patussi only knows why I was so unlucky as to have to return here. I would much rather visit the Pilmorai on Vindis 8. But, here I am, ready to once again, observe the bipedal creatures of the Blue Planet. Perhaps the bipedal creatures will finally show a few remoflacions of intelligence; but I did not hold out much hope of that happening. When I materialized on the planet's surface, the temperature was above 22 helo-hectars. The bipedals were still using quad-rolling transports and were still burning prehistoric biotoxins to power almost everything. I saw a particular bipedal creature who while stumbling and emitting a foul odor, seemed quite pleased with things and appeared in a pleasant state. I attempted to make contact and the creature seemed eager to communicate. I ...

This morning we are experiencing snow in the Twin Cities . Try as they might, the snowplow s can't keep up with the amount of snow falling. Still, since this is Minnesota, we are all heading off to work and school as usual. Traffic is slow, there are accidents but we do this every winter. I was sorry to hear about what happened in Atlanta when they got two inches of snow earlier this week. On the news there was a man who had been stuck in traffic saying, "someone should pay for this!" I was a little confused because it is the weather and no one controls that! The question now, is could this happen in other cities? Thinking about where I live, two inches of snow is nothing. Our cars in Minnesota will drive right through two inches of snow. What kind of cars do they have in Atlanta ? So if the cars are similar, then is it a matter of driving skills? Likely people in Atlanta are unaccustomed to driving in snow and ice. It is all in what you are used to. Here in Minn...

When I started I am CuTRis , 8 years, 7 months and 4 days ago, I hoped to showcase my writing to promote my first novel--and also to have a place to put my thoughts, opinions, humor and later, photography. Little did I know that it would continue without interruption for so long. The school district I worked at during many of those middle years, tried to shut me down as best as they could--due to paranoia that I might leak sensitive inappropriate goings on therein. The idea of Freedom of Speech is not only frightening to authoritarian government s, but to some employers as well. It was a good lesson for me, however, as I simply made sure that my ideas were no longer logged with a timestamp that corresponded to work hours. Between that and not actually naming the people I talk about (except for public figures), kept me blogging and also employed. If you follow my blog, you may have noticed that I don't have advertising on it. I have thus far, maintained sole control over my con...

It's only -3 degrees Fahrenheit this morning!

With the temperature once again at -15 degrees Fahrenheit (-26 Celsius), the roads are very slippery. Yesterday morning was marked by an abundance of Black Ice , and this morning may have been even worse. Normally I don't discriminate between white ice or black ice or other shades of ice--but this morning the roads are shiny with a thin layer of black ice and cars are (like yesterday) spinning out-of-control and going off the road into the ditch. I might add that the ditches are pretty deep with snow right now too. If you are driving this morning, take it slow or the black ice will surprise you.

I shot this video yesterday.

It is currently -15F in the Twin Cities with a -38 F windchill.

CuTRis Wins Another Grammy UnAssociated Press January 27, 2014 With only 996 1 / 2 televised award shows per year, it is quite surprising that CuTRis has once again, won a Grammy Award for a song that had (formerly) appeared on his brother-in-law's Facebook page. Apparently CuTRis did not even know the video existed, but he said it was entirely possible and then he donated the Grammy trophy to an unnamed charity--because he said he "already has too much worthless knick knack crap," and doesn't want more clutter.

The word of a Liar Is like Acid That leaves Relationships Disfigured and Bloody -Kevin J. Curtis

My son is having fun with our pet Midas fish .

  A blue fuzzy monster who likes cookies; who is silly and has a funny voice. Why would kids like that?

The temperature in St. Paul is currently -15 Fahrenheit (-26.11 Celsius) and the windchill is -36.

The stupid and immature rant by the Seahawks, Richard Sherman is part of a larger problem. I see examples of this behavior frequently from certain demographic groups--that can't be named in a politically correct context. I saw it when I worked in social services, in schools, in people walking in my neighborhood. There is a huge issue with people--including adults, acting uncivilized, violently and stupidly. We like to expect more from athletes but they are part of the overall population. Just the other day I called 9-1-1 because some of this kind of behavior erupted into a fight outside of a store as I was leaving. As for Richard Sherman, he now says the rant was immature and he probably shouldn't have done that. I say if you remove the word "probably" , that his statements are probably true. I give him credit for making a great play. Too bad he soiled it afterward. -KJC

We are with my little boy at the hospital emergency room. His cold has caused breathing stress.

The cold I have, that started just before Christmas is now one month old!

Click to hear "Say Something" by A Great Big World .

Over the years I have come to realize that my baldness causes insecurity; for others. Just yesterday, the guy who empties the waste baskets made a (another of several actually) comment that I was going to need to 'cover my head' when I go outside because it is cold. I must admit, I do wear a hat. I also wore a hat before I shaved my head. With his previous comments directed at my scalp, I gather this guy has noticed that my head is bald. Likewise, I have a couple of cousins who if I have not seen them for a long time, like to greet me with 'hey baldy!' There have been some friends (or even strangers) who have done that too. Frequently, the perpetrator of the comments is 'a bit thin' himself. Out of all of this I have come to realize that for whatever reason, my baldness causes insecurity--though not for me. Why it is the focal point of certain individuals is anyone's guess. Is that all they could come up with? It certainly is sad if that is the case. I...

I took this photo through my clementine peel.

We need someone tall with good hair to be in charge. Talent and intelligence are nothing in a leader; without height and hair! Hmmm... who fits that description?

Oh I see now! It's a "Data Warehouse!" Well that's different from a "Data Whorehouse!"

CuTRis Apologizes For Traffic Jam Unassociated Press January 15, 2014 In his first annual State of the Blog Address, CuTRis apologized for a traffic jam in Bloomington near Dave 's house last weekend--that was allegedly in protest for Dave calling CuTRis a puss. This latest scandal was allegedly caused by Pete when he supposedly climbed to the top of the Mall of America and shouted obscenities at passing motorists. In his speech, CuTRis pointed out that CuTRis Staffer , Pete, has enough trouble climbing the stairs, and would not make it to the top of the Mall of America. He also pointed out that Dave calls him a puss at least three times per month, so this "whole thing is just ridiculous."

Do you spend most of your life online? Are your friends all from Facebook and chatrooms? Are you unemployed? Do you not want to work? Do you wait until a job has been posted for two weeks before you finally apply for it? Do you see yourself as an "artist" because you have no other useful occupation? Are you way over 18? Are you over 30? 40? Does someone else pay your bills? Do you have grand ideas that have taken the place of work ethic and ambition? Is your world a fantasy? Do you still exhibit behavior that one would expect from a teenager? Have you never been out on your own? Do you blame other people's problems for your lack of drive to create a life for yourself? Well you might be a Facebook Loser! Not to worry, if you have found another way (maybe you play video games or use chatrooms) to waste your life, you are just as great! So avoid doing any work! Why be productive? Let someone else shovel the snow or mow the lawn! Live life as a parasite! Just go ...

I already shoveled twice this morning!

CuTRis Wins Golden Globe! UnAssociated Press January 13, 2014 CuTRis won a Golden Globe last night for his portrayal of, "The Dude" in the dramatic, comedy, action thriller, "The Dude from East Dude Street." Critics raved that CuTRis actually convinced them that he was a dude who lived on a street; in a city with other people and trees and stuff. "In the second scene, halfway through the third part, when he says, 'I'm just a dude; dude,' that was when he really showed his stuff," said critic, Melvin Skid. "I felt like I was another dude who was right there with the other dudes!" True to form, CuTRis thanked all the dudes who supported him. He also thanked his butt for supporting him on the chair "during this long and boring award show."

People sometimes accused him of being long-sighted, but he couldn't help wondering if two guys named 'Leif' were in the same room, would they be Leaves ; or maybe Leives ? If there were a number of Portuguese people gathered together, would that be a gaggle of Portuguese? Can you have an 'off-going' thing? These were important questions!

I just spent half an hour figuring out that IE 11 loaded with the updates on my laptop and then figuring out how to uninstall it—since they hide the files. IE 10 works in compatibility mode with our stuff. IE 11 has ‘built in’ compatibility that doesn’t work. That’s like having a butt that forgot how to fart!

I went to the deli the other day to buy some chicken to bring home for dinner. While waiting, the guy in front of me was commenting to the deli worker about the cold weather we had been having. It soon turned into one of those long-winded bragging sessions that went something like this. "I lived in Alaska for a while, so this is child's play for me. (Sniff) They dropped us into chest deep snow from a huey and it was -70 degrees. Then I had to live in a tent for two weeks. I almost died." The clerk was trying to be impressed and I wondered if the guy was going to look back at me (as I waited in line to be served during his long story) to see if I was impressed too. He didn't, but if he had I would have told him, "That's pretty impressive; but my dad says that when he was a kid he used to walk ten miles to school through three feet of snow, against the wind, and it was uphill both ways!"

My son is two-years-old, but he has been in charge of his own shoes for quite some time now. Mostly this means that he puts them away by himself after taking them off. Yesterday he came in with his mom and decided that his shoes should go next to daddy's...

Charges Against CuTRis Dropped UnAssociated Press January 9, 2014 Charges against CuTRis were dropped today, after he explained to a short, circuit judge , that the temptation was just too great to hit the man who was trying to steal his wife's car as it warmed up in the garage. The victim/alleged thief said he was tempted by the running car and could not help himself from going into the garage to steal it. CuTRis likewise explained that he was also victimized by the victim/thief because he was tempted to hit the guy for trying to take his wife's car. Citing extreme confusion, the judge moved to drop all charges and go get some coffee .

CuTRis Charged with Assault UnAssociated Press January 9, 2014 CuTRis was charged with assault this morning for allegedly hitting an alleged car thief who was allegedly stealing CuTRis' wife's car while it was warming up inside the open garage of the CuTRis private residence.

CuTRis Arrested for Hitting Car Thief UnAssociated Press January 9, 2014 CuTRis was arrested last evening for allegedly hitting an alleged car thief who was allegedly stealing CuTRis' wife's car while it was warming up inside the open garage of the CuTRis private residence.

I don't spend a lot of time warming up my car, but I do drive slowly when I first take off when it is cold. While talking about warming up my wife's car--since she hadn't driven it for two days when it was very cold, I was reminded that in most cities, it is illegal to leave your car running with the keys in it if you are not also in it. Apparently it is too much of a temptation for someone coming along who might want to steal it. My response was that hitting people with a baseball bat who were trying to steal my car that was warming up, would be too much of a temptation for me --and that would be my defense in court for assaulting someone who entered my open garage to steal my wife's car.

It's only -12 Fahrenheit (-24.44 Celsius) right now! That was the high temperature yesterday !

Since my son was born, my priorities have shifted considerably. While I have always been somewhat of a Trekkie (no I don't dress up and go to conventions), due to my new priorities I don't see movies very often. I had wanted to see the Star Trek: Into Darkness movie since it came out, and only recently watched it with my wife when she bought the DVD for me for a Christmas present. I enjoyed the movie very much and was pleased with the characters and how they were portrayed. In fact, even while some things changed over time, such as the appearance of the Klingons , the original characters--though they are now played by new actors have remained very close to the original. In fact, (Pavel) Chekov still pronounces the 'W' sound like a German rather than a Russian. But maybe best of all, James T. Kirk is still reckless and a woman-chaser. Perhaps Star Trek was already diverse enough, but I find it refreshing that no one has (yet) decided to change James Kirk into...

Right now it is -23 Degrees Fahrenheit (-30.56 Celsius) with a windchill of -45 in the Twin Cities .

Click picture to enlarge: Click back button to go back Oh please can it be the Designer Series Aluminum Bud Vase?

The holidays can be fun and they can also be stressful. I think this photo shows why for me, it was all worthwhile. My son loves his new book, Grayson's Adventure!

While riding in the car with my wife driving, I observed that men and women are extremely different in many ways. The roads were messy as we drove to IKEA , and the windshield was getting dirty on the car. Every couple of miles (or minutes), my wife would shoot generous amounts of windshield washer fluid on the windshield and clean the dirt off with the windshield wipers. I recognized that had I been driving, and since I am male, I would have driven until the windows were nearly blocked completely by dirt before applying a small amount of washer spray so that visibility was (mostly) once again restored. Upon leaving IKEA, I overheard a man complaining about the store; after which his wife said, "I love this store!" This is also true of me and my wife. For me, IKEA is a commitment. It took us most of the day to go through and find the things we were looking for (and some we weren't). By nature of being put into this place where you follow a one-way "road" thr...