I am CuTRis

I have just received news that my friend Wendell Patrick has passed away. I met Wendell in November of 2000, while working for Hennepin County’s Chemical Health Division. He was retired, but working on special projects. I was lucky enough to work on some of these projects with him. Wendell was the self-proclaimed “president of the liars club.” In reality, he was full of stories and was a pleasure to talk to. I’m not sure how old he was, but his health had been failing. He lost his wife a couple of years ago to cancer, and his son to a motorcycle accident prior to that. He was an African-American man, who was above the petty racial things that often take place. He knew racism from way back, and recognized individuals, rather than individual color. Wendell had been a cook in the army in Korea. He had experienced drug addiction there, and had “cleaned up” while being (literally) shipped back home to the USA. He helped a lot of people with his kindness and insight. Along the way, he and I ...

Presidential Candidate Cutris Involved in Scandal October 26, 2007 UnAssociated Press Paparazzi following presidential candidate Cutris , took these two pictures of the man who could be the next leader of the United States of America. The first (circa 2006) shows Cutris blatantly touching a sign that appears to say, "do not touch." The second photo was more recent, and shows Cutris scaling a wall just to the left of a sign that says, "do not climb on wall." Some people are stunned by his blatant disregard for rules. Others seem mildly amused and say it isn't a big deal. What the voters think will be what counts, as they will go to the polls in just over one year and either vote Cutris into office, or vote for some other shmuck.

My traveling companion and I visited Duluth (Canal Park) and Two Harbors on Thursday last week. On Friday, we visited Goosberry Falls and Split Rock Lighthouse.

I have the week off from work due to MEA. I have a lot of things I want and have to do, so Tuesday (yesterday) I had set aside to go into the (West) Wilkie unit of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. The west end is closed all summer because of the heron nesting colony that resides there. I decided to go hiking, despite a continuous rain. It was 54 degrees Fahrenheit, so it wasn't cold, though I got really wet! There wasn't a lot of wildlife out for viewing, but it was still a beautiful sight. Here are some photos.

My job as the Technical person at the Alternative High School where I work, has meant that I am now setting up and proctoring online exams. Of course, at the alternative learning center, the students are about as interested in taking exams as they are at learning. I'm looking forward to next week, which is conferences and MEA. That's because I have the week off! I'm looking forward to some time in the woods.

The President has vetoed a bill that would allow 4.4 million more children to have health insurance. His reasoning is that it is too expensive. In fact, it would cost 35 billion dollars over five years. The President’s budget proposal for next year (2008) includes a request for another $137 billion for military operations, $5 billion for indigenous security forces, and $3 billion for diplomatic operations and foreign aid. If the requested amounts are appropriated, the total amount of funding provided since 2001 for all operations in the war on terrorism would reach $747 billion. So in short, $35 billion to help American children achieve healthier lives is “too expensive.” Vote Cutris in 2008. http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdoc.cfm?index=8497&type=0

Cutris may have Reinvented the Wheel October 3, 2007 UnAssociated Press Inside sources reporting from outside of Minneapolis, have reported that there are reports circulating about Cutris having reinvented an invention that was already invented, but could be improved by using the reinvention that Cutris has now invented. One source on the outside, reported that insiders have revealed that Cutris may have reinvented the wheel, which is a very old invention indeed. Considering the age of this invention, it was assumed that not much new could be invented to the already often modified concept. Cutris has now, apparently modified numerous modifications in an apparent revamping of the entire concept of the wheel. Cutris was unavailable for comment, but one outside source looking to get inside, reported to reporters that he (Cutris) was seen riding in what appeared to be a car that was rolling on something that appeared to be wheels.

This is too funny! http://www.haruth.com/Jokes/theirack.htm

Yesterday I was asked to setup the PC lab for NWEA testing. I have been at this job for nearly a month, and have had no training on NWEA testing. I waded through documentation, was blown-off by a tech support person (on the phone), and I tried to put this puzzle together. It felt like I was “shooting in the dark.” This morning, I was back at it again. I had decided that the routing path was not right, and I needed to reload the software and direct the path to the correct folder on the correct server. Then I discovered that I could load the program once on one machine, and then copy it onto the network where I could then copy it into each machine and thus skip the installation process for the 25 PC’s. I also had to change a few browser settings and import some data into a shared file on the network. Today felt better, like I might be doing it right. I hope so, but it is hard to come in with no training or experience in a huge application like this and just know what to do. Still, that i...

Yesterday was a good day. My deck was finally finished on my condominium. It got painted, closing a 57 day process that left me without a deck for some of the best weather of the summer. Still, when the maintenance guy who was painting told me that other decks in my vicinity are now going to be condemned for structural reasons, I knew that I was lucky and once again, “someone” is looking out for me. It all started when my patio door was getting stuck, and I produced the letter that I received when I moved in, saying that my deck would be replaced last year and my patio door this summer. My jammed door was replaced and then the maintenance guys said they would do my deck the next day. Due to rotting support beams, it got kind of out-of-hand and became a really big project that a contractor had to be hired to fix. I’m going to need to sell one of these days, and it would be hard to sell a condo with a condemned deck. Now I have the finest deck in the kingdom! At my new tech job, I have ...

Why is it called the “missionary position?” Is it the position favored by missionaries? Is it a blatant reference to the many sexual improprieties perpetrated by a certain segment of religious clergy? Perhaps it has nothing to do with missionaries. Maybe it simply means that you are on a mission! Merriam Webster online says it is a name given to the position by Trobriand islanders. These people are from islands in the SW Pacific, in the Solomon Sea; attached to Papua New Guinea. Perhaps they noticed a lot of missionaries using this position.

In a world where no one seems to give a crap, at least my butt does.

Today I was planning to re-image ten laptops. Then the calls came in. We are experiencing network difficulties. It is in two phases. The wireless connection is unavailable in certain areas of the building. The other issue is some PC’s in certain rooms are alternating between connected to, and not connected to the network –and back and forth. This is happening on desktops wired directly into the network. I’m waiting for a call from the Network Administrator, who is currently investigating an error message involving a bogus virus warning. In the meantime, I have a teacher who can’t wait for the situation to be fixed, and has swapped the teacher machine for a student machine. What was “accomplished” here, is that these machines had to be reset after the teacher’s attempts to fix the problem herself. The problem is not with the PC’s, but with the network . Impatience causes more work for me. I believe that I shall never want for something to do on this job.

My new job is going pretty well. On the seventh day, I had to re-image (clone) a whole computer lab. That was 25 PCs, and it takes a long time. It really has nothing to do with me being new, because I know the procedures; it’s just that there are a whole lot of them. I believe I have to log into each PC four times before I have all of the settings completed. I was also encountering network problems too, and had to route around them to finish re-imaging. I think it might be one of our master switches, so I have Bob coming out to look at it. “I’ll be talkin’ to Bob,” (Blues Brothers reference). I really like my new gig though. I’ve been keeping really busy, and I’m learning a lot of things.

On the anniversary of 9-11, I would like to stress the following ideal. No matter who you are, you cannot and should not attempt to make anyone else adopt your personal set of beliefs. This includes your religious beliefs, ideological beliefs and so on. Whether you are the President of the USA, a cowardly terrorist, or an immigrant who is trying to force your future in-laws to follow your one-thousand-year-old traditions, you have no right to expect others to live their lives the way your think they should. Here in America, we are free to choose, though some would argue that “we are doing it all wrong.” I will not become a Muslim, simply because al Qaeda says that I should. I will not change my mind, and decide that the war in Iraq is a good thing because George W. Bush thinks that I should. I will not alter my core values because someone is threatening me. I am an American. I am proud of the fact that I am an individual. I am proud of my personal convictions. I am a good person, even ...

As we approach the sixth anniversary of the cowardly attacks on civilians in the World Trade Center, Osama bin Laden is supposedly (according to al Qaeda’s media production company) going to release a new video, and why not? His others were such big hits! What really caught everyone’s eye was the picture of Osama sporting a new, darker beard without all of the grey. Could it be that bin Laden has discovered Grecian Formula? It seems that the man, who lives in a cave and wears a dirty-white-cloth robe, is vain enough to dye his beard! What a dork. Hint, maybe it's an old picture...

While I haven’t been hiking as often as I would like, due to things li ke flooding, mosquitoes, heavy plant growth and lack of free time, I have wanted to get out into the woods again. I like the cooler months for hiking, and those long months are getting close now. While I really enjoy hiking off-trail, I also use many of the existing trails. In fact, I am active in maintaining these trails when needed. Sometimes a tree or other plant may start growing in or across a trail. Then I need to remove it, by whatever means that I have available. On other occasions, trees sometimes fall or are blown down by strong winds. Here again, if the logs aren’t too large, I will often remove them from the trail. Sure it can be difficult work sometimes, but a few minutes of effort to keep a trail open is well worth it.

I (officially) started my new technical job today, with the new school year .

Michael Vick, (now former) quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons, grew up in public housing and went on to become a highly paid, NFL football star. Then, he was caught in a dog fighting ring. Vick decided that it was okay to force animals to fight to the death for the opportunity to bet on them. It is further alleged, that Vick executed dogs that “underperformed.” If Mr. Vick was enslaved and forced into a brutal existence, I am guessing that he would see such a thing as being horrible, and he would (rightly) point an accusing finger at those responsible. Yet, this man who went from poverty to wealth, decided that he had the right to enslave and force animals to fight and die for entertainment. Another disturbing trend in modern society is the popularity of fight leagues and tough man competitions. Some fans have told me that it is simply a sport. I find it disturbing that crowds of people cheer as someone gets beaten up. The Romans had the coliseum, and practiced blood sport. Crowds ch...

Cutris will not be returning to his former role as "The Bald Eagle," at the Jr. High, working in detention and campus security. He will now be a Technology Assistant at a high school.