I am CuTRis

We went hiking in the Bloomington Ferry unit of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. It was an absolutely beautiful day! We saw Bald Eagles, Common Mergansers, a Swainson's Hawk, Robins, assorted woodpeckers, Canada Geese, Mallards and more! The ice was breaking up in the near 50 degree (F) temperatures. Here I am at "The Tree of Much Damage." Ice Window Common Merganser Marsh Canada Geese Bald Eagle Beaver

I can't talk about work, as there are "spies" who monitor such things. Suffice to say, I've been figuring out a digital television media system. It's a bulletin board that circulates postings (on TV) and also has both a news and a weather crawl. It's been quite a learning experience. The small amount of support I can get is usually completely useless. I have over the last few days, figured out the system pretty well (on my own by trial-and-error) and I have it up and running. In other news, it seems that this blog (once under scrutiny) has taught me how to expand the capability of the work related website that I help to update. Will the spies be angry that what I do during my own free-time has increased my productivity on the job?

Cutris Gives Wishes to Charity March 12, 2009 UnAssociated Press Cutris stated by telephone to the UnAssociated Press, that the Internal Revenue Service was taxing him for capital gains, due to his receiving three wishes from a magic unicorn and then creating a fourth wish by wishing for five wishes. Thus Cutris has stated that he has donated all four of his wishes to charity, to avoid any tax penalties involved from coming out ahead. When asked if he would get a tax break from his capital loss, IRS spokesman Ini Yoface, replied that it was unlikely due to the one-sided nature of taxation.

Cutris Believes Magic Unicorn Gave Him 3 Wishes March 12, 2009 UnAssociated Press Cutris told reporters today, that a magic unicorn gave him three wishes. When questioned about what he did with his wishes, Cutris replied that he had wished for four wishes several times, but each time he used a wish in the process, and so never was able to get above the original three wishes. Seeing his dilemma, Cutris set out to remedy the situation by wishing for five wishes, which accomplished his goal of having four wishes.

NeonLollipops.com

The famed Cutris Octuplets posed together for a photo today. They declined to do an interview, but wanted the world to know that they are fine.

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A year ago I told the dentist I had a problem with my tooth. He couldn't identify anything, though I said I thought it was the second from the back on the bottom, right. Six months ago a different dentist couldn't verify any problem when I told her it had gotten worse. Today I had root canal on that very same tooth. I'm a little upset that it had to get really bad, and nothing was done sooner. I guess that's how it goes sometimes...

Today I went hiking in the ravines of the old section of the Rapids Lake unit of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. I saw a lot of wild turkeys, two Bald Eagles, one Red-Tailed Hawk, a Harrier (Marsh Hawk) and a cottontail rabbit. None of them were going to hang around for pictures though, so here's a few of the landscape. Turkey Tracks!

Ultra-conservative Rush Limbaugh announced publicly that he wants President Barack Obama's policies to fail. This is further proof that Limbaugh is an idiot. When George W. Bush announced "mission accomplished" from the deck of a navy warship, I really hoped he was right! I wanted the President to succeed. I think he did fail, and I didn't like his policies--but why would I want him to fail? The problem seems to be that some people (like Rush Limbaugh) think the (in this case Republican) party is more important than the country. This is stupid. The party fighting needs to take a backseat to the good of the country. No wonder nothing gets fixed if the parties and idiots like Limbaugh promote all this infighting!

I admit that I cut coupons. Sometimes there are some good deals. Most often though, I can hardly believe that someone would think it is a great deal to "buy 6 tubes of toothpaste and get 25¢ off!" You'd need to have a warehouse with a method to ensure the use of products before their expiration date. It is hardly worth "saving" a quarter. Here are a couple of coupons, based on some experiences when I found that just when I wanted to use one, it wasn't quite the deal I thought it was. Oh yeah, always read the fine print… Click image to enlarge. Click "back button" to return to blog.

The Top 10 Reasons Why I Enjoy Being an Old White Dude 10. My short pants don't go down to my ankles. 9. I can wear baseball style caps right-side-out, and with the bill facing forward! 8. I can enjoy music with a melody, not just percussion. 7. I can exist without continuous loud music. 6. I'm largely unconcerned whether or not I'm perceived as being a tough guy. 5. I don't need tattoos or body piercings to improve my self-image. 4. I can refrain from using the F-word, N-word, B-word, C-word and other cussing just to show how "bad" I am. 3. I can remove my winter coat, hat, and hood while indoors. 2. I can choose to have a dog that isn't a pitbull. and finally… 1. I don't have to worry that my pants will fall down and I don't have to hold them up--because I can wear pants that fit!

The Minneapolis/St. Paul area got hit by a snowstorm this afternoon. Several inches of snow piled up in a very short time. Where it's plowed the driving is okay. Where it isn't yet plowed, it is advisable not to stop (if possible) or you might get stuck. Worst of all, is that the wind is strong and blowing the snow. There are no visible lanes on the roads and freeways. Everything is white. It is tricky to drive a multi-lane road with no defined lanes. Of course, by this time tomorrow everything will be plowed out and all will be fine. That's how it is here in Minnesota. Snowfall that would cripple many cities is handled quickly. "Snowdays" are few...

Huh huh huh huh...

Oscar Goldman (AKA Richard Anderson) Oscar Madison (AKA Walter Matthau) Oscar Madison (AKA Jack Klugman) Oscar Wilde Oscar the Grouch C-3PO Oscar?

Attorney General Eric Holder has commented that America is a nation of cowards , because the country remains "voluntarily socially segregated." While there is some truth to this, it is a rather "broad" statement that lumps everyone in America together. That sounds kind of like stereotyping . If we go to the animal world, we can see that "like kind" animals congregate together. Perhaps there is a certain level of comfort in being with those who resemble you. Some people don't want to mix with those who are different, some are afraid, and some just don't have many opportunities to do so. I am blessed with friends and family that cross a variety of cultural and racial lines. Usually it "just happens," occasionally we are ridiculed for it, and sometimes there are people who want to "join in" just to show that they are politically correct. Whatever the reason, or the temporary discomfort, we are almost always better for the experienc...

My friend Mike just sent me a picture of my old friend Wendell. I did a tribute to Wendell , on the day he died. Mike was also the person who informed me of Wendell's passing, as he still works at the county where we all met. One other note, Wendell can be seen on his cell phone in the picture. Mike said he was talking to me, and this was while I was living in Providence, Rhode Island. That was a difficult time for me, and shortly after (if memory serves me) I was calling Wendell because he lost his son (in an accident). We were always lookin' out for each other. We kept in touch until just before he passed away. I know he influenced my life, and I like to think maybe I influenced his a little too. We met when he was approaching the "end," and I was still trying to figure things out. We weren't that similar (in age or appearance), yet we weren't that different (in the ways that mattered). I went to a couple of gatherings at Wendell's house. The people the...

If you liked Brett Farve's first retirement, keep watching! The sequels will just keep coming...

Cutris strolled into the room as if he owned 47.2% of it. His presence carried an air of authority. Though he was only 5'8-and-3/4" tall, to everyone present he looked to be at least 5'9" or 5'10". The event appeared like a typical cocktail party, except everyone was wearing sunglasses. Immediately, Cutris removed his own sunglasses to throw everyone else off guard. No one in the room seemed to notice that he was dressed in the armor of a Teutonic Knight. That too was to throw them off. As he clanked across the room, Cutris noticed her. "That's the spy who loved me," he thought. She shouldn't be here. After all, he was married, and that meant something to him. Yes indeed, it meant something. He grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and attempted to sit down on the couch. His armor didn't cooperate, and after several minutes he decided to stand. It didn't help that he had to pee from drinking the champagne, and he deci...

UnAssociated Press February 10, 2009 "Forward Wing Command to Cutris , come in Cutris ." "This is Cutris Wing Command, I read you over." "You are authorized to engage the hostile; Cutris , I repeat, eliminate with extreme prejudice." "Affirmative Wing Commander, in pursuit." The F-22 Raptor rapidly closed in on the strange craft that had appeared less than 20 minutes ago. In the short time before Cutris had been deployed, it had sent the local population fleeing in panic, as it dropped its putrid payload upon the city below. Homeland Security had contacted the air command and Cutris was in his F-22A and airborne within five minutes. Closing on his target at Mach 2, Cutris locked-in two AIM-120 radar-guided air-to-air missiles. A moment later, the enemy was gone. A post incident investigation concluded that the enemy… er… "craft," had been laden with goat dung. It had dumped much of its… er… "payload" onto the city before being...

A recent article printed in the New England Journal of Stuff, indicates that up to 80% of people don't know what the heck they are doing. Furthermore, of the 80%, 72.9% of those people have no idea why they are doing it. When surveying upper-level managers, the percentages can jump as high as 94%. Breaking the statistics down by race, sex, economic conditions, education and religion, could create data that is not politically correct, so this was not done. The $47M study funded by MENSA simply concluded that most people are dumb.

It wasn't until very recently, that the (U.S.) government admitted that we are in a "recession." Of course, the Bush/Cheney administration admitted to almost nothing... Cheney/Bush Now, suddenly (perhaps because of Barack Obama), the word is that we are in a depression , and things are much worse than "we" thought. Barack Obama My friend Dave, has come up with a new, far more descriptive term for what the economy is now experiencing. He calls it the "Economic Butt." Dave

We picked up my parents from the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport the other day. After parking the car in the ramp, we had to take the "tram" to the terminal. So all along the way, there is this woman's voice telling you stuff and she has a British accent. "You have pocked in the red zone." "The tram is about to de-pot ..." Why the British Accent? We're in Minnesota! If I go to London will I hear a Minnesotan say, "The train is about to leave you betcha!" ???

Saturday was beautiful, sunny and (relatively) warm. Danny took us ice fishing. The ice was about 2 feet (.61 meters) thick. Thick enough to drive on. Inside the "ice cube," we were warm and had everything we needed. Our first site didn't get us much, though we could see fish. When we moved to deeper water, however, we had three hours of Crappie catching! Each licensed angler may keep up to 10 Crappies and they have to be at least 9 inches (22.86 centimeters) long. We released most of them, but kept enough for dinner.

I just received a rejection for my book proposal from a publisher that "only publishes women writers." There are others that only publish Hispanic writers, or African-American writers or gay/lesbian writers or Canadian writers or writers from other specific locations or groups. It got me thinking... How would people feel about a publisher who only published male writers? Or how about one that only publishes Caucasian writers???

President Obama announced today, that he and two of his cabinet members ( Cutris and Curious George), are planning to place a new gumball machine outside of the White House gift shop. It will contain large gumballs, in the colors red, white and blue. Each gumball will cost 25¢.

Cutris Breaks Code to bin Laden's Answering Machine UnAssociated Press January 27, 2009 Sources close to former presidential candidate Cutris , claim that he has broken the code to Osama bin Laden's answering machine. Reports circulating Monday, indicate that Cutris accidentally dialed bin Laden's phone by mistake. Once he realized whose phone it was, he pressed numerous buttons until he gained access to secret messages. When questioned, Cutris replied that he had heard Osama bin Laden's phone messages, but they were "mostly boring." "One message," said Cutris , "was from 'Ali,' inviting bin Laden and two of his wives over to Ali's cave for some goat's milk. The wives were to stay outside during the visit, as Ali only allows women into his cave on alternating Thursdays to "tidy up." Cutris continued by saying, "Another message was from bin Laden's accountant, and three were from someone named, 'Raoul.'...

The Porn industry allegedly attempted to get a share of the U.S. Government's economic bailout package. When refused any monetary assistance, president of the National Porn Association , Hugh G. Johnson, told reporters, "We were just kidding! We're doing fine! In fact, we have our own stimulus package that we will be launching soon." Details of what are in the package have not been shown at this time.

This is just cool...

While listening to the news on the radio this morning, the host brought up an interesting point. It was regarding the story of a man who drove through Planned Parent Hood in St. Paul yesterday; on the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade. Apparently the man believes that God told him to do it. Normally I don't listen to Tom Bernard of KQ92, because he is fairly offensive. Still, he came up with this valid observation. A man commits a violent act that he says God told him to do... In America he is mentally ill. In the Middle East, he is a hero. Maybe this isn't true in every case, but it still rings pretty true.

To the person I saw driving 45mph in the 70mph zone, in the far left lane, with your windows all fogged up... You're an idiot.

I could not give one iota about Michelle Obama's inaugural gown. Yet this is what people are talking about. This leads to an important question. What is an iota ? According to Merriam-Webster online (second entry), it means an infinitesimal amount. This got me wondering, because I also don't give a rat's ass about it. Why would anyone have a rat's ass in the first place? Where do you get a rat's ass? Can you buy one? Is there a store that sells them? If so, I don't give one iota about it...

It's been tough the last few days. In my professional life, I'm part of a team battling a vicious computer virus. In my private life, a friend and avid reader of my blog has accused me of being "confused and filled with hatred," because I support Barack Obama and I believe George W. Bush and his administration stomped on some of our (the USA's) core values. We should not be involved in torture, and should not be allowed to imprison people indefinitely; just because that prison is in a foreign country. Perhaps I am a liberal, but I remember after 9-1-1, that I certainly didn't sound like one. Still, I cannot condone the "anything goes" policies of the past administration, and the horrific way it makes our country look in the wake of such things as Abu Ghraib Prison . I am rendered speechless that certain people living in a free country, could so easily be persuaded to remove the rights of others.

President Bush was perhaps the most destructive President ever (i.e. worse than Reagan!). First he squandered world sympathy after 9-1-1. Then he over-extended our military into Iraq before finishing Afghanistan. Then he deregulated some more (like Reagan) until the banks, etc., could do whatever they wanted to. Money kept leaving the hands of the poor and funneled into the pockets of rich crooks. Are you better off that you were eight years ago, or even four years ago??? If you are, you are the minority and very lucky. I grew up believing my country was above torture. That belief was dashed under the Bush/Cheney administration. There aren't that many Black candidates I can think of, who are qualified (what Jessie Jackson???) for the job, but I believe Obama is (and Colin Powell). For one, Barack Obama seems to be above the "it's all about being Black" mentality I've been seeing lately. Perhaps having a White mother has something to do with that. Personally, I don...

Cutris Retires From Politics UnAssociated Press February 20, 2009 Cutris has chosen this historic day to retire from politics, according to reports circulating the Internet. This UnAssociated Press transcript of a brief interview with Cutris , appeared today... Press: "Your retirement seems somewhat premature. Though you unofficially ran for President, you've never really held a public office." Cutris: "Exactly why I've decided to retire now while I'm 'at the top of my game!'" Press: "But that's not really a 'retirement' is it?" Cutris: "Was Brett Favre's retirement a retirement? Was George Forman's retirement a retirement? I think not." Press: "Does this mean that you might seek public office again? Perhaps starting with mayor instead of President?" Cutris: "I can't predict the future most days. That all remains to be seen. I understand the presidency ages a person much faster than...

Today I would like to congratulate Barack Obama for becoming the 44th President of the United States of America. It was a long time coming... Today I would also like to congratulate George W. Bush for leaving the White House after eight incredibly destructive years. It was a long time coming...

I'm hanging out with friends tonight and my band is jamming. Here's a picture of The Forever Dangerous, Electric Frog Syrup Band . Kevin.................Pete.......................Dave

Yesterday morning it was -21 degrees Fahrenheit (-30 Celsius) with a -41 degree windchill. I believe the high was -2. This morning we have -22 and a -38 degree windchill. We're also expecting to get above 0 today with 30 degrees by Monday! I'm going to have to get my short pants out!

I can’t stand American Idol . I don’t understand why they show people who are really bad singers, unless it’s just so they can make fun of them. Still, millions of people apparently care about this show, so I decided to write about my own experience on it… ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cutris : “My name is Cutris and I have a band called EFS , which stands for the Electric Frog Syrup Band . Instead of singing one of my own songs though, I’ve decided to sing “Curtis Lowe” by Lynard Skynard.” Randy Jackson: “Hey Dog, how’s it goin’ Dog? Dog dog dog.” Paula Abdul: “I love it that you came out here and told us what you are doing. I love that!” Kara GioGuardi: “Paula, you’re such a dork! Of course, that is why I’m on the show now!” Simon Cowell: “You all suck! Can we get on with it please???” Randy Jackson: “Go ahead Dog, let’s see what you got!” Cutris sings the first verse and refrain and sounds pretty good. Simon Cowell: “N...

The full moon on Saturday, January 10, 2009 was supposed to be the closest to the Earth that it will be all year. I took a picture when I went out to see it.

I've read some reviews of Clint Eastwood's latest movie, Gran Torino, and was surprised by some of the reactions. The family living next-door to cantankerous "Walt," in the movie, happens to be Hmong. My in-laws are Hmong and my wife and I liked the movie very much, unlike St. Paul Pioneer Press columnist Chris Hewitt . One of the places I saw it become a bit unbelievable was when Eastwood's character really liked the food of his Hmong neighbors. Having been exposed to the culture myself, I think that there may be good reason that there are so few Hmong restaurants. Aside from that there are some pretty good scenes; and yes, as in (almost) all movies, some of it gets a little stretched. I've heard other reviewers cut down the Hmong actors' abilities, though I thought they were pretty good. In my opinion, many Hmong artists haven't decided to become artists , and measure their abilities against other Hmong rather than the entire world. That may change...

Come into one of our Variable Instantaneous Oil Change™ locations for a full service oil change! Our prices (and we have many!) start at just $34.95. But wait! Our "Conventional" oil, while better than any other brand, is not right for your particular car. You could get by on our synthetic blend, Better Blend™ for only $15 more and your car will work better! If you upgrade from there to Super Better Blend™ for another $20, your car will be able to jump over other cars! Why don't we just save time? For only $87 more, you can jump up to our best oil, Super Great Ultimate Hunky Dorie Synthetic Ultra Blend™. When changed every 3,000 miles, this oil will make you more attractive to the opposite sex, while keeping your car cleaner! This oil will actually vacuum your car's interior while you drive! Don't waste another day being ugly and driving with stupid oil! Stop in today!

Beware of emails from "the IRS" offering refunds. It is a scam. Check the email domain and ignore the IRS logo.

When the Minnesota Senate election results indicated that Norm Coleman (Rep) won by a narrow margin, Mr. Coleman publicly said that Al Franken (Dem) should concede and save the taxpayers a lot of money, rather than do a recount. After the recount, with Al Franken leading by 225 votes, Norm Coleman is going to bring a lawsuit into the mix. Won't that cost the taxpayers money? "Do as I say, not as I do..." Al Franken and Norm Coleman... the controversy continues even now as the Senate reconvenes...

I like this picture. I took it late afternoon, just before sundown.