I am CuTRis

Yesterday I went hiking in the woods and I actually got pretty warm since I was off trail and it was 67 degrees (F). Before I finished my two-hour hike, however, the temperature dropped about ten degrees and the wind got stronger. By this morning it was 26 degrees (F) when I was driving to work. You've got to love it here!

I have yet to share any recipes on my blog, though I am thought to be a pretty good cook. This is perhaps best explained by the fact that I really don’t use recipes, I just cook. Recipes usually have some ingredient that I don’t have. My mom learned to cook on a farm with whatever was in the pantry. This is how I cook too. I find it to be an enjoyable experience when I make up my own rules. Anyway, here is an outline for a fabulous dinner I made last Friday. I took two thawed game hens, and spiced them with chopped onion, green pepper and a clove of crushed garlic. I also used a little thyme, cilantro, ground ginger, Lawrey’s Season Salt, salt and pepper, crushed red pepper and maybe some other stuff, I don’t remember. Then I placed them in a large roaster with about an inch of water in it. Then I poured wild rice in the bottom (spread out). Then I cooked this, covered, at 350 degrees (F) for one hour. Next I removed the roaster, turned the hens over, added a little more water and then...

He woke in the darkness and reached for her… his Angel. She wasn't there. He remembered how he had mentioned to his Creator that he couldn’t stand to be hurt anymore. That was when he noticed her. His Angel had been there and he hadn’t realized it. She was quiet and hard to read, but he was drawn to her. He started to visit her and at first he didn’t know if he was intruding or not. But his Angel began to visit him. This went on for some time before he realized that he loved her. Now as he lay alone in the darkness he needed her to know how he felt. He had told her many times by now, but words could never convey his true feelings. There had been others, but there had never been an Angel... until now. He reached into the darkness one more time for her. She still wasn’t there. “Tomorrow,” he thought. “I’ll see her again tomorrow.”

Nothing makes me feel more secure than knowing that I am on a giant rock that is hurling around a big ball of burning gas in a super cold universe.

By now, many of you have probably seen or heard the negative campaign ads produced by both the Republican and Democratic parties, which make many ridiculous claims against me. I would like to take this opportunity to set the record straight, and remove any doubts as to my integrity in regard to my run for the Presidency of the United States of America. First, I did not, have not, nor will I in the future, ever eat live kittens with my morning breakfast cereal. This claim is false. I am actually quite partial to breakfast burritos which I make myself. These contain no feline matter. Second, I did not go to any of Osama bin Laden’s bachelor parties for his third and fifth (wives) marriages. I do not know Osama, and I have already gone on record as saying he is a fartknocker. Third, while I think George W. Bush is also a fartknocker, I did not say he was gay. In addition, if he is gay, that is his business, not mine. Fourth, I did not vote against a ban on banning bans. I have no idea wha...

On Wednesday, October 18, we left for Ely at 9:30AM. We walked down a muddy hill and visited Lake Superior. We had lunch at the Nokomis Bar and Restaurant. We finally arrived in Ely after 4:00PM and got a room at the Paddle Inn. The weather was near freezing and there was a rain/snow combination. After visiting several shops in town we ate at the Grand Ely Lodge. On Thursday we went to the Dorthy Molter (AKA "Rootbeer Lady") museum. It was closed but we walked around Dorothy's cabins. We went to the International Wolf Center when it opened at 10:00AM. The wolves were visible and we stayed for about 2 1/2 hours. We ate at a cafe in Virginia and visited a Finnish store. We ended up in Garrison, MN, near Lake Mille Lacs and stayed at the Garrison Inn. On Friday after a moring walk (in the light snow) along Lake Mille Lacs, we left and visited the Unclaimed Freight Store in Milaca. We stopped in Princeton for gas and lunch and arrived home in the afternoon. 572 miles

I've been seeing a lot of these "no peeing allowed" signs. Do people pee along the road a lot???

This is my response to an email conversation that I had with a friend. After I sent it, I decided it could go on my blog so people know my feelings about the subject of our current government leadership and that of North Korea. Remember to vote for me for President in 2008. "I think Kim is a nut-job. He is about 40 years too late. Bush is as dumb as he is rich, and worried about his assets. In the balance, there are millions of brainwashed masses on both sides. Not a good scenario. Still, I don't know if the USA can (or should) keep nuclear power from other countries. We've had it for a very long time and it was always predicted by the scientific community that it would be commonly possessed in the future. The future is now. Two stubborn relics and their cronies are leading the way with a bunch of wussy other countries with lots to say and not much in the way of real resolutions. The world is as it has always been, except that we have bigger weapons now and those who fire ...

North Korean President Kim Jong Il is now claiming that he has a nuclear powered penis. The North Korean leader and madman made the announcement in a speech today, in which he asked of George W. Bush, "Who 'da man now? You can't even say nuclear right!" To date, no one has seen the North Korean nuclear unit, though it is reported that Kim Jong Il has a "certain glow about him these days."

The whole e-coli in the bagged spinach thing is really very sad, and shows a disturbing danger in our food production system. Now, it has taken the life of a very recognizable American...

The news recently is filled with the “daily school shooting.” What is it that makes someone shoot unarmed kids and adults in a school? Is our society so incredibly sick??? Do these people realize what cowards they are? Do they think that they appear tough? Since I work at a school, and I am recently required to sit at the front entrance for part of the day, I have taken notice of this disturbing trend. It isn’t necessarily in the inner-city schools either. It is more often a rural thing. Where I work, I have suggested a security entrance. http://cutris.blogspot.com/2006/04/intruder-drill.html This request was ignored. Instead, an untrained “guard” is stationed near the entrance, “armed” with a walkie-talkie. This is done largely because of how funding is allocated. Instead of using money to install a security entrance, much more money is ultimately spent to employ a person to sit at the door and potentially be shot to death if an intruder ever does come along. http://cutris.blogspot.co...

My neighbor in the condo directly above me, who has been partying and making noise all night... most nights, has moved! Actually, I think she lost her lease because the condo owner was under pressure from the homeowners association. Regardless, she is gone! http://cutris.blogspot.com/2006/07/shattering-glass.html http://cutris.blogspot.com/2006/08/fallout.html

Despite what the current United States Administration says, the country’s spy organizations have concluded that the war in Iraq is increasing terrorism, resentment and terrorist recruits. This means that the Presidential propaganda is actually completely untrue and we are not safer because of the US presence in Iraq. This combined with such atrocities as those committed in Abu Ghraib, is tarnishing the image of the USA. The United States is only increasing the resentment of the people living in the Middle East. Since Saddam Hussein is no longer in power and there were no Weapons of Mass Destruction, it is time for the USA to develop an exit plan. Rebuilding the country against the will of the people is not a worthy goal. I’m tired of being lied to. I’m tired of wars for oil. I’m tired of my tax money being spent overseas. I hate seeing the nightly stories about someone’s family member dying or being maimed. I’m scared of the legacy our leaders have left for the next generations. Greedy...

When I look back at my time in school, being an English Major was very scary. I was always afraid of the de- monster -ative…

When I was a child, fairness was very important. As an adult, I like things to be fair, but I have come to realize that equality is not always very equitable. We are told by the media and by the “political correctness police,” that we must be ever tolerant of others. It is racist and hateful to single out any group based on color, sex or religion. Yet, amidst this, Islam has blatantly refused to play by these same rules. Of course I’m not talking about every single Muslim, but it seems that there is a growing group that is racist, sexist, and critical of other religions and basically wants all non-Muslims dead. Why is this fair? Why do I need to be concerned with their rights, when they openly call for my death, simply because I am not a Muslim myself? When can we begin to see reality, and stop accepting violence, bigotry and hatred because it comes from Muslims? Why are Muslims allowed the luxury of hating, and they are not held accountable, yet by writing these words, there are thos...

Yesterday my friend took me to an Asian flea market/farmers market in St. Paul. Everyone there was Asian. My friend is of Hmong ancestry, and she speaks Hmong as well. It was interesting, though very crowded. I also noticed that I appeared to be the only white person there. When we were leaving, I noticed a white guy in the parking lot and joked to my friend that he was lost. She laughed. Sure enough when we got near to him, he was on his cell phone asking someone, “Where are you?” It seems that the only other white guy I saw there was indeed lost!

Once again, Cutris did not make the list of the 400 richest Americans. In fact, Cutris has never made the list and likely will not be on it next year either. http://www.forbes.com/400richest/

Normally the hot water in my condo is very hot. Last night, it was warm, and then it got cool. I called the condominium office and I was told I’d get a call back. The call came and as per the people in charge of such things, “they” would come to my unit and take care of it first thing in the morning. “They” also needed permission to enter my condo. My response was one of disbelief. Those in charge must surely know that there is a boiler and coming into my unit to turn my water on would accomplish nothing. I explained this to the secretary, who was only following orders – however dumb they might be. My friend Mike sits on the board of directors and is also the chair of the maintenance committee. I called his cell phone and caught him before a meeting started in which the gentlemen who made the decision to fix the hot water problem from inside my condo were also attending. Mike started laughing when I explained things, and said he’d call me back. Mike started by sending one of the meetin...

Columbia University has now joined the ranks of the prestigious libraries that own a copy (or copies) of my book. http://www.columbia.edu/

As an "unknown" author, I have realized that it isn't good enough to have a good story and get it published. This is also true of running for office. Many of my readers have indicated that they will vote for me in 2008. We need to get the word out. Send the link to my blog http://cutris.blogspot.com > to a couple of your friends today. If everyone sends it on to a couple of more friends, I may be able to compete with the millionaires who normally get elected. This is important, so have at it!!! CUTRIS FOR PRESIDENT IN 2008! This message is approved by Kevin J. Curtis.