I am CuTRis

Sometimes things don’t work out the way we thought they would. Actually, I’ve found that happens a lot. It can be really sad or frustrating for awhile, but with each one of these events, there are new experiences. Perhaps the timing was an issue, or maybe it was a clash of priorities. If I gave my best, I can take comfort in the realization that it was beyond my control. Maybe it will come around again or maybe not. That can’t be my primary focus. There are nearly always positives that come along with the negatives. Things that were locked out of reach in one scenario may suddenly become possible again. Two things are important in life. One is love, and the other is trying to do the right thing. We can’t always be successful at this all the time, but it is important to try. Other people and other forces can sometimes get in the way. Then we have to look for that positive side and move ahead into the next grand experience. Today I am a little sad, greatly relieved and hopefully-optimist...

Funny... since I embraced the nickname of "Bald Eagle," that a couple of the detention kids gave me, I haven't heard them use it much! I wonder why??? Here is a picture of me with my eagle statue, thanks to my coworker Kim for being thoughtful enough to bring it in.

I still think I need to teach a comedy class at the school. The kids think they're funny, but they aren't. Their timing is all wrong. I had to tell one that he couldn't talk in detention. Then I had to tell him he couldn't sing. Finally I had to tell him he couldn't drum. He was wearing a suit for some reason, and he asked me if it was against the rules to look good, because he might have to leave. I told him he wouldn't have to worry about that! insert cymbal crash! ( That’s good timing!) Then he sneered at me. Eventually, I kicked him out of detention to the office because he didn't know how to shut-up.

Some of the regular trouble-makers at the Jr. High where I work, have come up with the (super creative) name for me, "Bald Eagle." It is actually rather appropriate (though I'm sure they meant to be disrespectful) because as a volunteer park ranger in the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, much of my reporting to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is about birds of prey, and Bald Eagles in particular. I am considering hanging a poster of a Bald Eagle in the detention room where I work. For now, I have printed the eagle picture from my November archives, and put it on the bulletin board behind me.

Yesterday I had the day off from work. When my original plans crashed, I got to do one of my favorite things. I went into the woods to do my park ranger job. I hiked the west end of Wilkie, which is open in the winter. This section of the wildlife refuge is closed March through August, as it is home to a large colony of Great Blue Herons and egrets. Now, as the leaves are gone from the trees, it is quite impressive to see the hundreds of nests. I think since this area is closed for so much of the year, it is wilder than some other places. I saw four Red-Tailed Hawks (who were very vocal) before I walked up on an opossum. Shortly after that, I heard the metallic sound of Bald Eagles, and I saw two of them in the trees close by. I headed through the woods, avoiding the trail as much as possible. I found a bird-kill site. The black feathers with white spots made me think that perhaps it was a woodpecker that met its demise. A short time later, I found a deer carcass. It was interesting si...

I saw a big full moon when I was driving in to work this morning! This confirms my suspicions about (Moron Week) yesterday's post.

The (Jr. High) detention room where I work has been extremely busy lately. I haven’t encountered such quantities before. Mostly, it is kids who are completely without respect for anyone. An adult (who’s supposed to be in charge) like myself, can give a directive and the answer is openly defiant. They prefer to refuse and escalate the situation rather than comply. I don’t accept that behavior and will move to the next appropriate level. Having some experience working with those who have served time behind bars, I can’t really see any good things for these kids unless they wakeup at some point. This week’s list of offenses is astounding, and even the school police liaison officer has been involved. When I went to public school, teachers and administration regularly hit students. While I’m not in favor of such things in general, I wonder if the tide has turned too much. These kids know that no one is allowed to lay a hand on them. As a result, they have no healthy respect for either autho...

Even though there is ice on most of the lakes in Minnesota right now, I have been daydreaming about fishing for Pike in warmer weather. That's me with a nice Pike from The summer before last. Usually, out of the guys in the band, Dave catches more fish and since he fishes more, it's probably the way it should be. But last summer, on one particular excursion, Pete caught the 36 inch, 11 pound Pike. I got nothing that day, and Dave is over on the right holding up... a minnow? No, I guess it's a small Pike that is being dwarfed by "Pete's giant wanker fish." http://www.petesgiantwankerfish.net My appologies to all the "Walleye or nothing" snobs out there, but Pike fight hard and they taste good.

Kid's Name is in Detention all day today and Wednesday. As near as I can tell, he finished all of his outstanding detentions and must have started missing me, so he tackled some other kid in the hallway to get an in-school-suspension just to hang out with me! Last Friday he got kicked out of detention for fighting over "his seat." Kid's Name is a regular, and very attached to a particular seat in the room. He is in a different seat right now, expanding his horizons... I have also trained Kid's Name to enter and leave my room without swinging on the door frame. I did this by telling him I would give him an (unprecedented) five (5) detentions if he ever swung on the door frame again. I asked him if he could do it and he said he didn't think so. I reached back and got a detention form and asked him if I should put his name on it now. When the bell rang, he ended up leaving like a normal person! It's these little victories...

I am continually amazed at how everything seems to run counterproductive to everything else. I work at a school, and I also have a close friend who is constantly driving her children to and from sporting activities and school functions. When I was a kid, we hopped on a school bus and were transported to the next school for sporting events. Our parents did not need to drive us or attend each outing. This undoubtedly saved time and fuel. Now, due to budget cuts, schools have shifted the burden onto parents who must drive to faraway places with great frequency. Though the global idea is supposed to be to save fuel, all of these mini-vans must be using considerably more gas than the single bus was. Still, the school saves and taxes don’t go up –though we use more gas and parents spend more money. At the school I work at, I noticed that everything at lunch is throwaway. Nothing is recycled. The trays are Styrofoam and the “sporks” are plastic. All are thrown away. Each of the three lunches...

One of my coworkers was gruesomely murdered last Friday. Since I work at a school, the students are also upset. The news media has been relentless in describing the details of the horrible death in an attempt to outdo all the other media outlets with gory details. This isn't how we wanted to remember our coworker. It is a very sad story, and all of us are upset by this and the news coverage.

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...