I am CuTRis

11/23/2002 12/08/2002

The Cruise Control on my Ford Fusion has from time to time, stopped working or more accurately, stopped working correctly and consistently. It occurred to me that the inconsistency (rather than complete stoppage) could be due to dust/dirt in the controls that are located on the steering wheel. I used a vacuum cleaner and cleaned the area around the control buttons and the cruise control resumed working correctly. Years later, (recently) during a road trip, the cruise control began to act up again. I repeated the process with the same results. As I have noticed with electronics, etc., dirt and dust can cause malfunctions and cleaning is often all that needs to be done to return normal function.

CuTRis May Be Heir to Prince's Estate UnAssociated Press June 29, 2016 As want-to-be heirs to Prince 's $300 Million estate line up, unnamed sources say that CuTRis bears a striking resemblance to the deceased musical legend. Could CuTRis be related to the late Prince? Both live(d) in Minnesota; and both play(ed) guitar—which could be a key to the truth. CuTRis , himself, has issued no statements regarding his possible connection to the former music icon. We will need to wait and see. Still, we could not dismiss the uncanny resemblance between the two musicians as of late.

This was our view from our room the last night of our vacation...

Trip to Bemidji Sunday, June 19, 2016, Father’s Day We left St. Paul at 9:00 AM. Lunch at McDonald’s in Rice, MN. We went to Itasca State park to see the Headwaters of the Mississippi River. 5:30 PM checked into Ruttger’s Birchmont Lodge , Cabin #3. Dinner at Ruttger’s. Swam in the pool. Monday, June 20, 2016 I fished from the dock. Great breakfast at Ruttger’s! Our son played on playground. We went downtown to see the Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox statues. Boring shopping… Me and my son went to the (closed) history museum and saw a mini train. We found Hurricane Grill & Wings and met my wife there for lunch. Back at Ruttger’s me and my son made sand castles and found rocks and sea shells. Then we all went swimming in the pool! Snack. 5:30 PM Wine tasting and cheese and crackers at main lodge. Then we had dinner in our cabin. Tuesday, June 21, 2016 I fished from the dock. We rented a peddle/paddle boat for an hour and went out on Lake Bemidji. Lunch at Ruttger’...

Sometimes when you get what you think you wanted, you might suddenly realize you made a big mistake. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-32810887 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/06/24/donald-trumps-brexit-press-conference-was-beyond-bizarre/

While I once had some respect for Senator John McCain , I now believe that he is directly responsible for his own stupidity .

The story of the Tooth Fairy came back to me after all these years—when my son lost his first tooth yesterday evening. My wife and I and Tais (grandma) had been wiggling the tooth trying to get it out because another tooth was growing up beneath it. I remember how that hurt when I was a kid so I didn't want to be too rough—but I was the one who finally got it out when I "checked the tooth" while he was taking a bath. Once it finally came out, the tooth was surprisingly tiny. In fact, I was surprised that the Tooth Fairy would pay for it; but of course she did. She left a dollar coin for it!

As my son was decorating his grandpa's Father's Day card he asked, "Is grandma grandpa's best friend?" I answered, "Yeah buddy, she is."

Why is it that the guy with the absolute least amount of personal ambition, can suddenly become indignant and challenge everyone else to stop talking about it and do something!

If you think that the U.S.A. has a lot of mass shootings you are right. If you think that there are a lot of shootings in the U.S.A. you are also correct. If you think that Islamic extremists are a problem in the U.S.A. you are right. If you think profiling should be allowed in the name of national security, you are probably right. If you think all Muslims are terrorists, you are wrong. Half of my family came to America from Germany before WWII . They were not Nazis. They became American very quickly when they heard that people of Japanese, German and Italian heritage were being relocated to internment camps . They stopped speaking and acting like Germans. Some of them fought the Nazis in WWII. Donald Trump's family also came from Germany. Somehow the two of us have not learned the same lessons about ancestry. On the other side of the spectrum, those who are too liberal to understand that personal freedoms will need to become secondary while we are at war against terror...

I saw this White-tailed deer when I was walking today.

In the aftermath of the Orlando Nightclub Shooting , I would like to "thank" everyone who has worked so hard to make our country into a great place to get shot while minding your own business. A big thanks to all of those who love their guns more than anything. Without all of you, we could never have achieved the daily carnage that we enjoy today. I would also like to honor the National Rifle Association for continuing to fight for the right of everyone to own an assault rifle . Because everyone needs a weapon that is manufactured exclusively for the purpose of killing lots of people quickly and efficiently. I would like to thank the politically conservative for ensuring that guns remain in as many hands as possible. I would also like to thank the liberals, for protecting the rights of people who would do harm—because we certainly wouldn't want to show any bias or discrimination against anyone for any reason at any time. You too have allowed for this tragedy. Also we sho...

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/06/11/lao-hmong-veterans-memorial

When my light is green , how come other cars keep driving in the road in front of me? Because if they have a green light too, there is some kind of a problem! Of course, it is possible that they don't have a green light at the same time as I do. So is it that they don't understand the rules of driving or is it that they just don't think that they should have to follow them?

As Hillary Clinton becomes the first woman (endorsed by major political party) to run for President in the USA, we should remember that throughout history, women have always gained these rights last. Ratified on February 3, 1870, the 15th Amendment made it possible for African-American men to vote. It wasn't until May 19, 1919 that the 19th Amendment paved the way for women to exercise the right to vote. So in the historical tradition of our country, the first African-American President came prior to a woman running for the office. If she wins, however, not only will both historical records be attributed to the DFL , but it will not have taken 49 years for women to catch up (as it did between the 15th and 19th Amendments). A win by Hillary Clinton would also end 240 years of male (only) U.S. Presidents.

No one got shot. Someone told the Truth. The races all got a long. Somebody thanked the police. We got a real person Presidential candidate. Every child was loved, fed and found. ISIS was destroyed. Religions preached tolerance. People believed in Education. Kindness prevailed. People were kind to animals. No road rage. Everyone worked hard. New ideas were recognized. "I love you," became a commonly heard phrase. People became responsible. Wilderness was saved. Litter was cleaned up.

With the passing of Muhammad Ali on Friday, I saw the end of more than a boxing legend. Back in those days I could enjoy the art of the boxing match—which was forever ruined after the fight between Ray Mancini and Duk-koo Kim ; in which Kim died. I had cheered Muhammad Ali and later, we all watched his physical decline. I cannot condone fighting as an art or as entertainment any longer. Yet Muhammad Ali will always be one of the greatest boxers of all time in my opinion. It was tragic to see his decline; and likely too many blows to the head had ultimately taken their toll.