Grasshopper and Fly Caption Challenge

If you look closely at this picture, there is a fly that appears to be checking out the grasshopper's butt. Feel free to caption either the grasshopper or the fly, but try to keep it rated PG.

CuTRis' New Restaurant Causes Outrage

CuTRis’ New Restaurant’s Name Causes Anger
UnAssociated Press
July 30, 2021
4:00pm CDT

CuTRis’ new restaurant, The Angry Shaman, has caused anger and outrage in the community. No further information is available at this time.


Crowd Protesting in Front of CuTRis’ New Restaurant
UnAssociated Press
July 30, 2021
4:01pm CDT

People are protesting the name of CuTRis’ new restaurant, The Angry Shaman. No further information is available at this time.


CuTRis’ Changes Restaurant’s Name Causes More Anger
UnAssociated Press
July 30, 2021
4:02pm CDT

CuTRis’ new, new restaurant, The Angry Priest, has caused anger and outrage in the community. No further information is available at this time.


Crowd Protesting in Front of CuTRis’ New Restaurant
UnAssociated Press
July 30, 2021
4:03pm CDT

People are protesting the name of CuTRis’ new restaurant, The Angry Priest. No further information is available at this time.


CuTRis’ New Restaurant Closed
UnAssociated Press
July 30, 2021
4:04pm CDT

CuTRis’ new restaurant, The Angry Priest, has closed today. No further information is available at this time.

Sun Through the Smoke

Spaghetti with Vegetables & Meat Sauce

Unvaccinated and No Mask?

Fried Zucchini Medley

COVID-19 Masks Returning

Mask wearing is already coming back in some places. The anti-vaccination people are determined to let COVID-19 win. This is sad and it's dumb. But it's also part of the systemic irresponsibility and disinformation that is causing so many problems that we as a society can't seem to band together and resolve. Some people really need to pull their heads out of their asses and think logically. This isn't just one or two people either. It's a widespread lack of good judgment.

Terro

Those kitchen ants sure do love Borax! They're eating their 5th helping today!

Work Dreams

I've been having work dreams. Various people I've worked with over the years at various jobs are showing up. Also the various jobs and different places. Some of the coworkers are real, and some are based on real people, but some are completely made up. That goes for the locations as well. I started wondering if it's like back-to-school dreams? It is getting towards the end of summer after all. Could it be that my subconscious doesn't know that I've made the jump from going to work, to working from home?

1:28 Ride

https://youtu.be/gkmIDWYhlVA

About Lies and Politics

Just to reiterate something I've said before because some people don't seem to understand. If I make a negative comment against either the Democrats or the Republicans, that does not mean I am siding with the opposite. If I make a statement about liberals or conservatives, that is not an endorsement for the other side. Once you go too far either direction, you enter what I consider dumb land. Basically, I think both sides are full of crap. The extremes are filled with people who tell lies for political gain. It is very damaging. The only real truth lies somewhere in between. The current trend is to take 10% of the truth and use it to propagate the 90% of lies. This is why we can't get past race, and we can't get past covid-19. Ask yourself who is benefiting from all of this fighting. It is all political. And some of it is even starting from outside of our borders. If people don't become a little smarter, things are going to start to hurt even more. You can make a positive difference in your life and the lives of other people. But we can only do that if we start embracing the truth and rejecting the lies. Get your information from reliable sources. Also search out multiple sources. The better informed you become, the better you can weed through what is true and what is garbage. We owe the best world we can give to our children.

Vermillion Falls

Theory Danger

Perhaps my feeling would be different if I lived in a country like North Korea. But since I live in the United States, I see any theory that says that one group of people is unable to better themselves because of another group of people, to be dangerous to the idea of creating one's own destiny. Instead of lifting someone up, such ideas if embraced, should only serve to keep someone from achieving their best.

411 Fish Story

My friend Mike loaned me his boat yesterday. Yeah he, just told me to go have fun. My wife and son went too. The boat has this depth meter/fish finder thing. I thought it was almost like cheating! I anchored in 20' of water where I saw a parade of fish on the meter swimming by. It was 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and we were fishing deep; as most of the fish were about 16 feet down. Not much was biting except for some flies biting my ankles. I hate that! But halfway through the two hour tour, something tugged my line. I set the hook and the fight began! Luckily I had the drag set just right, because periodically this fish just took off and line bailed down deep! It was only a couple of minutes if that, and now it felt like I'd hooked a sunken truck. Then, all at once, it pulled hard and then I felt slack. Whatever giant sea monster I had hooked down in that suburban St. Paul lake, was gone! I reeled in and only the sinker was left dangling on the end.

Closeup of Vegetable Oil

It's a closeup of a few drops of vegetable oil on top of shredded spinach on rice.

CuTRis' Condition Improved

CuTRis’ Condition Improved
UnAssociated Press
July 22, 2021

After his miraculous space flight, CuTRis was rushed to the hospital for an emergency ponchoectomy! During reentry, the rain poncho he was wearing partially melted and stuck to the daring astronaut’s asbestos underwear. After the procedure, CuTRis was debriefed, before showering and dressing for breakfast. When asked about the event, CuTRis merely replied,
”It had to be done, so people don’t forget to try hard, dream big, and reach for the sky!”
We at the UnAssociated Press couldn’t agree more. If nothing else, exploration always leads to new technology and advancement. At the very least, private sector space flight is a great distraction from the depressing news that we are exposed to every single day. Aim high!

CuTRis' Early Morning Launch Goes Perfectly

CuTRis' Early Morning Launch Goes Perfectly
UnAssociated Press
July 22, 2021

The slingshot worked perfectly! The trajectory was spot on! All systems in this high tech space flight were flawless... except for the video footage. That really sucked! CuTRis may have pulled off a perfect 23 minute space flight with only a bicycle helmet, rain poncho, snack bar, water bottle and can of air, but the video proof was flawed by no sound. Also the cameraman had his finger over the lens during liftoff. Nevertheless, CuTRis is the only private hundredaire who has accomplished a trip into space and survived by making a spectacular landing on a throw pillow!

CuTRis to Launch Tomorrow!

The forecast for Thursday's Space launch seems a bit colder than expected...

CuTRis Maps Flight Plan

CuTRis Solves Lack of Air in Space

CuTRis Fine-Tunes Rocket...

... er... slingshot

CuTRis Plans to Launch Into Space

CuTRis Plans to Launch Into Space
UnAssociated Press
July 20, 2021

Hundredaire CuTRis, has now thrown his hat into the space race, started by Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos. According to some guy named, Dave, CuTRis has a very large slingshot, that he plans to use to send himself into space! CuTRis is allegedly planning to wear a rain poncho and bicycle helmet. He will also bring a water bottle and a snack bar for his 23-minute trip above the Earth.

Good Morning

The Big Lie

I wrote less comedy over the last year. The world was less funny I guess. Or maybe I was laughing less. Things that should be gone, are coming back. And I'm not just talking about COVID-19. But it should be gone. Some want to keep it. Some don't read history--about how polio was finally beaten. Racial tensions are back. It works for the people who want to dismantle the government. The war on police is working. You can tell if you pay attention to the death toll. Even ISIS is back. Toss global warming into the mix too. You see, there are anarchists and troublemakers who use that 10% of the truth, to perpetuate their 90% of lies. And people who are uncomfortable in their own skin fall for it. For the few who don't, Cancel culture is there to terrorize them into submission.

I keep waiting to see if people will finally realize that they are following lies. Lies told for votes. Lies to manipulate. Lies to terrorize. Lies to disrupt.

Ten percent of people will understand what I'm saying. The rest will be too polarized to either see, or to acknowledge that they are too far left or too far right, to accept a truth that is actively biting them in the ass. But this polarization feeds the hate. It contributes to the decline. Society is undisciplined. Society is untruthful. Most don't even see it. They are too busy waving their banners to even question their own participation in the big lie. Let's blame racism! Let's blame science! Let's find someone to blame so WE don't have to change! Let's sink deeper into the misery.

Did I mention that we can't seem to get past even one problem anymore? Did I mention that I've written less comedy this year? -KJC

Respect the Teeth

Fishing and Canoeing

This Morning's Harvest

Blackberries

Labor Shortage?

I keep hearing about a labor shortage, and it makes me wonder if it is real. When I was growing up, my dad liked to read the want ads for cars and houses. It was his thing. I like looking at employment ads. I’ve always liked to keep apprised of the opportunities available. When I was laid off due to COVID-19, I applied for over 2000 jobs in 10 months. This is what I found during that time.

  1. Human Resources job descriptions, are designed to eliminate applicants based on what they don’t have; rather than to explore what candidates do have. This is the “easy way” to do it. If they state that you need 7 years’ experience in a certain thing and you don’t have it, you’re out! If you need a particular degree in a particular area and don’t have it, likewise—you’re no longer considered.

  2. The requirements are stacked pretty high for the good jobs. If a candidate can somehow fulfil them all satisfactorily, the next barrier is compensation. Once you are in the running, if the job pays $15/hour and it is skilled, the candidate is going to decline the offer.

It seems clear to me that if an organization wants to hire good people, they need to look for talent—rather than just rigid requirements about experience and education. When I was job hunting, the Information Technology jobs that I was receiving dozens of calls for each day, were paying $15 to $20 an hour. That’s pretty low for someone with 14 years of experience in the field. So, I kept looking.

My Bachelor’s degree is in English, and I have 17 books I’ve authored on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. I’ve also written for the director of my division while employed at Hennepin County. There are other examples of my writing experience, but none of it was satisfactory because I hadn’t held a “writing only” job, and it wasn’t recent and didn’t add up to the designated time required. Could I have done the job? Could I have done the writing? There is no doubt in my mind that I could have if given the opportunity. In fact, most of my jobs have been somewhat “oddball” because they were nearly impossible to find extensive experience in all they encompassed. But I was able to learn the jobs, because I have that ability.

So, in concluding, I would like to share what a former colleague told me when I was looking for work. Her working title is, “Managing Editor.” She said that if the terms tossed around by organizations such as “work culture,” and “well-rounded,” truly mattered, my language/technology combination of skills should be prized. But since it took 10 months for me to find suitable reemployment, I have to think that some of this “labor shortage” is on the employers and the methods utilized in hiring.

COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation

There are a bunch of misinformed young adults who think that the vaccination will alter their DNA. If this was a biology test, they would fail. If anything is going to alter your cell structure, it's a virus. The vaccine is simply using mRNA to send a message to your cells to make a spike protein that covid produces and therefore cause your immune system to fight the virus. The vaccine does not alter your DNA. But the virus will alter your cells.

Grilled Beans and Pork

Grilled Fresh Beans, and Grilled Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin

Genz-Ryan Plumbing Takes Advantage of Elderly

Genz-Ryan Plumbing took advantage of my elderly parents and charged for services that weren't needed. The extra charges (beyond the work requested) were about $1,500. Then, when I was unhappy about that, they decided to start sending me their mailer. I told them to stop, and promised to post this if they continued. I got another one today. This company is not trustworthy.

Your Choice of Language Matters

I recently read a success story that would have been impressive. But the vulgar language ruined it for me. The individual touting the success couldn't stop using unprofessional and inappropriate language. Like it or not, such things do leave an impression; and maybe not the one you were hoping for.

Dinner Tonight!

Grilled chicken with wine and listening to the Best of Cat Stevens...

How the Public Can Help Police Reform

1. Be Respectful
2. Get an Education
3. Get a Job
4. Be Responsible
5. Don't Blame Others
6. Don't Brandish Weapons
7. Don't Assume or Practice Racism
8. Don't Steal
9. Don't Harm
10. Don't Litter
11. Obey Laws
12. Cooperate with Police
13. Don't Use Offensive Language
14. Be Kind
15. Spend Time with Your Children and Teach Them to Be Respectful

Fishing at the Dam

Garage Floor Maintenance

Today was about moving everything out of the garage, cleaning the floor, and then sealing the floor. Then it was about moving everything back inside. All was carried out in 95 degrees Fahrenheit.

Fireworks by Professionals

Grilled Chicken