I am CuTRis

I left home at 9:15AM on Monday, July 23, 2007 . I picked up my travel partner and we were on the road by 10:00AM. We arrived in Sauk Centre, MN at noon. The Bear Trap was closed being it was Monday, so we ate at McDonalds. We also toured the location of my parents’ (former) cabin. After a brief stop at Fleet Supply, we continued on to Detroit Lakes. We got gas and went to the Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge . It was 97 degrees Fahrenheit, with high humidity. As an added “bonus,” the deerflies were out in numbers that were greater than I ever remember. I had camped in this refuge when I was eleven-years-old, with my Boy Scout troop 500 (on a canoe trip). I remember it being ruggedly beautiful, and full of old Indian burial mounds and houses. On this day, we limited our outdoor activities and opted for the auto tour. Several hundred deerflies accompanied the car as we drove along. We returned to Detroit Lakes, MN and got a room at the Budget Host Motel. We ate at Country Kitchen and s...

I have a single stalk of corn growing on the deck of my condominium. It is in a large pot. I didn’t intend to grow corn, but Dave had to start his corn in pots, because the ground squirrels dug up the corn kernels before they could germinate when he put them directly in the garden. He had extra plants, so I planted some of them in Neng’s garden but the squirrels tore them apart. Dave still had extras, so I put a couple more in Neng’s garden –which were destroyed by squirrels in short order. I kept one to grow on my deck. My corn stalk is on the very edge of my north facing deck, so it gets “sideways” sun for a short time in the morning and evening. I don’t know how well it will do, and I even found a squirrel on my deck this morning! Just as a farm dog is different from a family pet, my corn is not so much a crop, as it has taken on the role of a plant-pet. Its close proximity to my living space allows for a more intimate knowledge of the corn’s personality than one gets from a field o...

Do you ever wish it was easier to view wild animals in the wild? There is a good reason that it is often difficult. It’s just thousands of years of being hunted/shot at when they show themselves that has allowed the wary animals to survive and reproduce, while those that were careless perished.

What if you were destined for greatness (sometime in the future)? What if you never realized it? Are some people filled with the talent and skill, yet never afforded the opportunity? Are others presented with the opportunity, but never possess the skills and talent? Do some people achieve greatness due to circumstances? Certainly we have seen leaders who have achieved greatness in a particular area, due to circumstances. Neither Ulysses S. Grant, nor William Tecumseh Sherman were particularly great in “regular,” peacetime life, while both proved to be exceptionally talented militarily. In Mark Twain’s, Captain Stormfield’s Visit to Heaven, an interesting concept comes up, as illustrated by this quote, "Oh, a LOT of people WE never heard of before - the shoemaker and horse-doctor and knife-grinder kind, you know - clodhoppers from goodness knows where that never handled a sword or fired a shot in their lives - but the soldiership was in them, though they never had a chance to show...

Cutris arrives in a late model sedan and walks into the bookstore using the rear entrance. The setting is quaint yet posh, complete with little crackers, meat spreads and various cheeses and crap. Cutris complains that the bread is too small. Then Cutris demands that both New York and Chicago style pizzas vie for his attention before he gets annoyed! Pizzas are brought in, and Cutris is much appeased. Forty-nine readers stand in line, waiting for Cutris to sign their books. Just then, KXLF Radio announces that Cutris is doing a book-signing at Deward’s Discount Books & Stationary. Soon, 8,227 people are in line. The Tonight Show people call. Cutris fakes an English accent and becomes his own agent, Dirk McCoy. McCoy’s two associates, Dingus McHarold and Billy Two-Shots arrive with musical instrument cases, and the people at the store are sorely afraid. McHarold and Two-Shots give Cutris a guitar and ask him to jam a couple of his songs while they accompany him. KXLF announces the...

Someone has been putting those annoying post-it notes on the cars in the parking lot where I live. They advertise, “Make $CASH$ blah blah blah…” I have an idea for one of my own… Learn how to kick the asses of people who put post-it note™ messages on your car! Ask me how!!! http://cutris.blogspot.com/

This last weekend the weather was fantastic. I spent a lot of time outside too. On Saturday, after going to the Farmer's Market, I attended the Hmong Festival in St. Paul at Como Park. It was amazing how many people were there, most of them being Hmong. Later that same day, I attended the International Festival in Burnsville, which was also well attended –though the venue was a bit smaller. Sunday, I went to Canterbury Park in Shakopee, for my annual trip to see horseracing. There are so many things going on in the summer, and so little time!

In the scheme of the world, there is much debate about our importance. In the past, nuclear war was a frightening prospect, because “we could blow up the whole world!” Could we actually destroy the planet, or would we just affect global changes that would destroy humanity and several other species –while the world just continues on without us? No doubt, we humans have affected great changes on the planet. Just a few centuries ago, life was very different. People had to grow, hunt and barter for food. They also had to carry water. They had to cut wood to heat their homes that they had to build. Today, we buy food at the grocery store, buy houses with money from working jobs, and we have electricity, water/sewer, and here in the Midwest, natural gas piped in to heat our homes. When I hike the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge lands, I see that there are high-voltage lines spanning the area above, gas lines beneath the ground, and there is a huge power-plant at Black Dog. Black Do...

Poor workmanship, inferior quality, yet filled with deadly toxins, Chinese imports: because they’re cheaper. Chinese translation, 差,裝修質量低劣,但裝有致命毒素,中國進口 :因為他們便宜.

I had an interview downtown for a job yesterday. When I returned, I had a call from a “human resources person,” who said she found my resume on a job-temp site… doubtful… Anyway, she said she was from the National Guard, and I was “qualified” for several jobs they are trying to fill. I asked if I had to enlist and she said “yes.” I didn’t have to ask what the job was, as I wasn’t interested in driving a supply truck in Iraq. Things must be desperate to try to recruit an “old” guy like me…

My current novel in progress, “Cottonwood,” is perhaps, half done at this point. That is my plan, but these things often have a “life” of their own, which goes in directions that I never expected. My research has been exhausting lately, and as in my first book, I find it quite a job to extrapolate “reality” from historical accounts that either contradict each other, or deal with illiterate cultures from the long ago. I have been working on the subject of American Indian burial mounds. My novel takes place over approximately two centuries of pivotal history in the Minnesota River Valley. It staggers the mind to think about the changes that have taken place and the cultures that existed in the areas where we now live. In some unfortunate cases, the remains of these past peoples have been destroyed in the name of progress and development. I have had some difficulty finding details of ceremonies, due to the sacred subject matter. There is also some politics involved, as well as a desire in...

While stereotypes are never 100% accurate, they exist because of a certain, underlying element of truth. Often, they are like a caricature of reality. In this spirit, I have playfully looked at some racial stereotypes, and also used some firsthand things that I have witnessed. It seems that when a Caucasian and an African-American are engaged in a debate (argument), if the Caucasian uses logic to his advantage, it will likely be trumped by an even more powerful tool, the allegation that the white person is a racist. Once this allegation is levied, the white person is presumed guilty until proven innocent. It is as if a black hole in space has grabbed hold of the Caucasian, and it sucks him into the depths of doom. At the school where I work, I noticed that the Latino students are now actively using this technique as well. My observations seem to indicate that whatever the black kids are doing today, the Hispanic kids will be doing next week. I think we have seen this demonstrated with ...

School is out in two more days. I'm (staff) done in three. I'm ready for a break.

Presidential Candidate Cutris, "weighs in" on Terrorists... "Terrorists piss me off!" Vote for Cutris (aka Kevin J. Curtis) in 2008. Terrorists piss him off!

There are few things that I could possibly care less about than who the next American Idol is; even though I did meet Ryan Seahorse... http://cutris.blogspot.com/2006/04/cutris-meets-ryan-seacrest.html

Yesterday there was a story on KARE 11, http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=254861 about the fluctuating gas prices in the Twin Cities. They found that other areas where Superamerica wasn't the dominant provider, there was much less price changing. My blog addressed this issue in March of 2006. http://cutris.blogspot.com/2006/03/variable-gas-prices.html Superamerica never got back to me when I asked about their prices going up and down so frequently. I was promised an answer when I asked the question on their website. I guess maybe after 14 months, I shouldn't expect much. Here's their website in case you want to ask. http://www.speedway.com/ This is why I choose to avoid Superamerica whenever possible. We don't need companies playing games with us.

http://www.twincities.com/ci_5911166

While working at the school, I’ve noticed an ironic and disturbing trend. The minority students that get in trouble (and put into detention where I work), frequently blame racism as the reason they get into trouble. This removes the responsibility from themselves for their own bad behavior, and puts that responsibility on society (or more accurately, Caucasians). I find it ironic that most of these same students have absolutely no desire to learn or do well in school. In fact, their primary goal seems to be to disturb class to make sure that no one can learn. The irony here, is that all of the great civil rights leaders (like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.), preached education as the means to rise above oppression. A separate bit of irony is that in the suburbs where this school is located, the kids do not have to have any gang affiliations in order to survive. Yet, that is what they want and pursue above all else.

I killed a centipede this morning. I killed it with extreme prejudice. Out of all the cool bugs and things, for some reason I can't stand centipedes. Maybe it's how fast they are, or how if you only smack half of it, the other half might run away. Or, maybe it's because they are so gross -especially when the legs move after you kill it. How come you never see them outside? I wouldn't mind them then. I only see them inside for some reason.

Just a day before Kentucky Derby 133, I am once again, reminded of the emphasis put on sports, and how academics has somehow slipped to a lower status. We can see this in the way that professional athletes are treated, the huge paychecks they receive, and how they are called “heroes,” though they are not actually doing anything more than playing a game –even though they may do it very well. Those who achieve academic excellence may get some recognition and good paying jobs, but few are those who will reach the status or wealth of a good pro athlete. This trend has extended into the animal kingdom. The prize money and status of horseracing’s winners, is huge. A Triple-Crown winner becomes a historical icon. These Thoroughbreds receive the best food, training, and a lot of drugs. In this way, it is much the same as it is with human beings in professional sports. But what about the academic standouts in the equine world? I once saw a horse that could answer math problems by stamping the ...