I am CuTRis

On December 26, Dave went hiking with me at Rapids Lake in the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. Dave brought his digital camera, and I showed him one of my favorite places to climb ravines. Dave calls the picture of me wearing the orange hat, "the orange-headed dork-bird." I must admit it isn't my favorite hat, but they are still bow-hunting for deer in this area, and my hat shows up pretty well doesn't it? It was a fabulous day for hiking. Thanks to Dave for the photos.

The Band Christmas Party took place on December 23rd. There weren't a lot of pictures, but here is one of me with my friend and drummer Pete.

It’s the season, here in America, the land of the easily offended, to wish everyone a Happy Holiday. Political Correctness dictates that we stay away from using any particular holiday, for fear of offending someone. Personally, whatever holiday you wish to celebrate is fine with me, and furthermore, you are welcome to wish me a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Ramadan, Kwanza, or whatever you can come up with. I promise that I won’t take offense unless you decide for some reason to toss in a blatant insult. So have a wonderful (insert holiday of choice), and a very Happy New Year! May 2006 bring less war, unemployment, crime and meanness. May the New Year find us all with a new spirit of cooperation and understanding. KJC

Friday night, two of my favorite women were trashing one of my favorite T-Shirts!!! I got it when I went to Dodge City, and it is called, "The Sheriff," and it is an action picture of the sheriff jumping off of his horse (that's rearing up) and pointing his gun. Yes, it is totally cool if you are a guy! Let's face it, women aren't always sure what cool is, though they will attempt to convince us guys that we have stupid "cowboy" shirts.

Did you know that those are the key words to the most popular searches right now??? He Who Goes First By Kevin J. Curtis This is the story of a Mongol warrior who lived during Jenghiz Khan’s empire. It is a new look at a frequently misunderstood culture and history. The participants are not bound by ideals of what is good or bad. Like their ancestor the wolf, they do not act out of cruelty or mercy. They live by a natural law, which has been lost on modern society. To judge them in the midst of our politically correct, industrialized world is like trying to convince a caveman of the merits of having a personal computer. Jenghiz Khan was perhaps the most brilliant uneducated man in history. He was a master of human nature. The men who helped him create his empire, like He-Who-Goes-First, were making their lives from the “raw materials” of the times they lived in. The warrior in this story struggles with his spirituality and his role as a soldier. ISBN: 1-4137-4190-8 165 pages, 5.5 x 8....

In the school where I work as a detention monitor, I have noticed that the chess club seems to be a bit too competitive. Several students have been given detentions for chess club altercations. I had no idea that chess club was such a violent place. Could they be playing full contact chess??? Perhaps they forgot that, “the first rule of chess club, is you do not talk about chess club...”

(In plain English...) So yesterdai I got togetha with me band for our weekly jam session. I wrote this song the otha dai, and I played it for the blokes and before you know it we were bouncin’ ideas back ‘n fouth and we played it a cuppla times and it sounds great it does! Me band is supa!

For my friend Mark’s birthday, I got him an authentic Gorock Stick. http://cutris.blogspot.com/2005/10/gorock-stick.html He was always interested in the ways and deeds of Gorock. Many times we had discussed Gorock together and it seemed like a fitting gift. Last Friday while I was with friends, John found out about Mark’s Gorock Stick. I told him that Gorock Sticks must not be decorated, and that they should be found and discarded as needed. The proper use of a Gorock Stick is to test the ground, mud or ice to see if it is safe for passage. It can also be used to support your weight on dangerous slopes and can be used as a weapon. John promised to use the stick only for Gorock sanctioned activities. Saturday when I was hiking the wilds of West Wilkie, I found John his Gorock Stick. I will present it to him in January for his birthday. It will be a fine day for him and we will all be proud that he has joined the ranks of Gorock enthusiasts. It seems that there is a developing Gorock Man...

For the second time in my life, I am dealing with severe underemployment. As a matter-of-fact, I have probably never really been adequately employed. I do have a Liberal Arts degree (gasp) and my major was in English (Ha! Ha! Ha!), but I have had trouble finding a good job with halfway decent pay. My first stint with this was when I finally graduated college with my BA. It had taken a long time to work my way through school. Today it would be nearly impossible, because the University of Minnesota (where I went) has made it hard to go to college part-time. Back when I went, registration order was based on credits earned. Today, part-time students are always last to register for classes. During my first bout of underemployment, I left my job in the nursery/landscape industry when I got my college degree. About that time, a certain George Bush was President and the USA attacked a country called Iraq with a nasty guy named Saddam Hussein in charge. Now years later, the names and places are...

I ended up getting a cold. First it wasn’t bad, and then suddenly, I lost my voice. I actually feel a lot better, but my voice is just starting to make a comeback after almost a week! I hope it’s almost over and I hope I don’t get another one. The problem is that I work at a school around kids. Hopefully my immunity will build up after I am exposed to the little buggers and their germs for awhile.

Once there was a man who had thought he understood what love was. He eventually was hurt so many times that he kept his feelings stowed safely behind a wall in his mind. He was good at such things. He had learned to shield himself from the white noise and all the pain that found him. Then all at once, he found himself in love in a way that he had never felt before. He was uncharacteristically willing to take huge risks and change his life to obtain this wonderful thing. Eventually, it fell apart and he found himself alone, and knowing the true meaning of heartache . His heart hurt so badly that he was wondering if he might die. Finally, with only himself to rely on, he found his way back home to his own land and his own people. He struggled to rebuild his life. He wondered if he could ever again, feel that feeling, that love that he once had. It seemed like it was so far away. How could that ever happen again? Years had passed, and now he remembered how last night he sat near her in th...

I would like to invite George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and Condoleeza Rice to resign. The American people aren’t buying it anymore.

I did a lot of hiking in the wildlife refuge over the Thanksgiving holiday. I saw some pretty cool things too. One that comes to mind happened yesterday. I was on the undeveloped trail between Long Meadow Lake and the Minnesota River. I noticed a Bald Eagle across the river from me perched in a tree. The snow had been falling steadily and I was developing a nice layer of white over my coat and cap. Suddenly the bird launched itself into the wind. It sailed back around and then pumped its wings and soared off through the falling snow. I’ve seen eagles up close many times before, but it is always a treat to watch them fly. The snow only added to the grandeur. Before I finished my hike, I had also seen an owl, a cormorant, 14 Hooded Mergansers, four deer, a Red-Tailed Hawk, and more. Winter is such a great time to go hiking!

For Thanksgiving this year, I would like to pay tribute to the most American of birds, the Wild Turkey. Benjamin Franklin had wanted the turkey, not the Bald Eagle to be the country’s emblem. This is because the Bald Eagle is a scavenger and a thief, and he thought the turkey to be more “honest.” I see wild turkeys in the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, where I volunteer as a park ranger. There are quite a few there, even though they are hunted. I enjoy finding their feathers, as they are a unique bird with beautiful plumage. The wild version of the turkey seems much more intelligent than the domestic turkey. More than likely, however, the domestic bird is better tasting. If I am lucky I will be able to see some wild turkeys on my sunrise hike on Thanksgiving morning. Then, later, I will enjoy dining on a roasted bird. So, I salute the turkey. Happy Thanksgiving! http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~insrisg/nature/nw98/franklinturkey.html

It hurt so badly but I held it in. When I was finally alone, the pain slowly oozed out, and I screamed to the heavens… why? I knew why. It was the way it had always been. I wondered how I could grieve so… for an animal? I knew why… because my friend had touched my soul. I collapsed in a heap, suddenly weak. Then, later… I found my strength. The hurt slowly ebbed, but the memories remained.

I hadn’t hiked the day before, because it was raining. It was raining again today, only now it was 15 degrees colder and much windier. I was sick of being inside and wanted to go into the woods. I started thinking about Gorock. http://cutris.blogspot.com/2005/10/gorock-stick.html Would Gorock, the prehistoric man who was so skilled with the “Gorock Stick,” have sat inside his dwelling because of rain? No, he would have been out hunting for food. Perhaps, I thought, we should not think about those such as Elliptical Jones, who preferred to sleep on his couch, rather than go out and do something. Sure that one day he did get up and he took his virtually unsinkable ship out. The fact that the ship sank later that day near the Cape of Good Mushrooms is irrelevant. The day may have ended in disaster, but Elliptical Jones had both the skill and motivation to cause that disaster. Would it be so difficult for me to hike for a couple of hours in gale-force winds, rain and 40 degree Fahrenheit t...

Isn't it sad that there are blog-spammers now? I have to delete advertising from the comments section because there are so many pathetic people that want to sell their garbage on my blog!

I would like to take this moment to disassociate myself from the comments of President George W. Bush. Personally, I do not and cannot condone the use of torture to “gain information” about terrorists/terrorism. I am proud to be an American, and I believe in certain fundamentals of human rights. I was raised, believing that my country was above such things as using torture. I believe that these comments by the President are dangerous, embarrassing, and ignorant. KJC

I have had the opportunity over the years, to work with many diverse groups of people. I have learned a lot in these situations. There is one particular thing that I find really bothersome, so I would like to bestow some wisdom (totally free of charge) to some people out there –who apparently don’t know this. If two (or more) people get into a disagreement; that is what it is. It is a disagreement . This occurs throughout life, and indeed, it is a necessary part of living in communities. Here comes the important thing… When such a disagreement occurs, it is not necessarily the case that the individual with the lighter color skin is a racist. In fact, using this skin differentiation to try to win a disagreement could be showing racism by the accuser. Stick to the disagreement. Use logic and facts to calmly support your case. Forget the cop-out strategy, it has been way overused.

We had a band naming party on Saturday night. After the ballots were counted, it was found that more ballots existed than people at the party… Mark... The winning name was Permanent Record. Dave (front) Tony (back) Pete Kevin Mark ("with the band") & Dean (of Shack & Pasture fame) Don't ask... Thanks to Jen for the pictures!