Welcome MONTANA!!! It took you half a year to find us, but now that you've arrived we fully expect you'll be great and contributing members. You entered our community in the middle of a ten day Decathlon, but stick with us because starting Monday we'll return to our more traditional exchange of creative ideas. IN THE MEANTIME... let us know you're out there today, by posting a comment (maybe even a word of encouragement for the decathlete you helped yesterday). Be the first "Montanan" (is that right) to post and receive a highlowaha treat in the mail.
North Dakota AND South Dakota also logged on yesterday! These are two states we don't hear from frequently. Do you think they were jealous of all the attention Montana was getting? No worries ND and SD. There's plenty of highlowaha love to go around. Welcome to you too!
Ashlee, Lori, Julie, Tera, Kat, Peggy, and Cheryl... rest easy knowing your entry for the ChampionCHIP bake-off is safe and sound and in my possession. Cassie, Heather, and Brian... I'm waiting with baited breath. A special note to Julie. You make me laugh! Julie baked a cake and LITERALLY slipped it in a post office box to be delivered... from PENNSYLVANIA! To satisfy your curiosity. Your cake made it, though I think it is safe to say... not in the original state you mailed it. Taste prevails, however, so all hope is definitely not lost. Now to the business of the day!
Highlowaha.com
D*E*C*A*T*H*L*O*N
Day #9
Haiku
D*E*C*A*T*H*L*O*N
Day #9
Haiku
To date we've tested you creativity through humor, baking, innovation, word-smithing, music, crafts, problem-solving, and today... POETRY.
We will honor the Asian culture today by challenging Highlowaha readers and decathletes to craft a haiku - a Japanese form of poetry. I consulted a syllabus found on-line to brush up on my understanding of haikus and to find an explanation more coherent than anything I could present. Here goes...
We will honor the Asian culture today by challenging Highlowaha readers and decathletes to craft a haiku - a Japanese form of poetry. I consulted a syllabus found on-line to brush up on my understanding of haikus and to find an explanation more coherent than anything I could present. Here goes...
"Haiku is a poetic form and type of poetry from the Japanese culture. Haiku combines form, content, and language in a meaningful, yet compact form. Haiku poets, which you will soon be, write about everyday things. Many themes include nature, feelings, or experiences. Usually they use simple words and grammar. The most common form for Haiku is three short lines. The first line usually contains five (5) syllables, the second line seven (7) syllables, and the third line contains five (5) syllables. Haiku - to put the poems meaning and imagery in the readers's mind in only 17 syllables over just three lines of poetry!"An example...
The Rainbow
Curving up, then down.
Meeting blue sky and green earth
Melding sun and rain.
Announcements:
Curving up, then down.
Meeting blue sky and green earth
Melding sun and rain.
Your task... create your own haiku about a high, low, or aha. Submit by posting in the comment section before 10:00 p.m. today.
Unsportsmen-Like Trivia Question of the Day:
While diver, Laura Wilkinson's, coach blamed her right tricep for early semi final struggles, Laura attributed her struggles to which other part of her body?
Unsportsmen-Like Trivia Question of the Day:
While diver, Laura Wilkinson's, coach blamed her right tricep for early semi final struggles, Laura attributed her struggles to which other part of her body?
Announcements:
- Farewell to Stacie: It was particularly hard to watch Stacie bow out of the Decathlon yesterday. She's been a strong competitor from the beginning, sitting in either gold or silver medal contention all along. Thanks for being such a strong competitor, Stacie.
- Note to Decathletes: Tomorrow is the last day of our decathlon. Rise and shine early to make the most of your time.
- Calling All Readers: Remember, you can compete in an event even though you are NOT competing in the decathlon (to be a decathlete you have to compete in all 10 events). Event winners receive a winning patch for your patchwork jeans or jacket. Want to know more about Patchwork? Check out the blog from August 7.
- Reading Ray: Thanks to readers Julie and Melanie, we'll continue discussion on Pausch's book, The Last Lecture, this Friday. Just click on Reading Raynbow's (top right hand side of my page) to learn more.
- Helping Hand: Votes are in and soon we will learn from Sue, Brian, and Maureen what the upshot will be for our holiday service project. Toni challenged us today to THINK BIG about our ability to have broad-based impact.
Decathlon Standings
Congratulations to Peggy for winning first place on The Incredible Edible Discus Challenge. Competing against Peggy in this challenge was, in some ways, was like going up against Bobby Flay in a Food Network Throw Down. Cheryl, you lost by only .5. Congratulations, Peggy! Another patch is on its way to you.
Congratulations to Peggy for winning first place on The Incredible Edible Discus Challenge. Competing against Peggy in this challenge was, in some ways, was like going up against Bobby Flay in a Food Network Throw Down. Cheryl, you lost by only .5. Congratulations, Peggy! Another patch is on its way to you.
New Standings:
Cheryl 26.2
Cassie: 32.1
Heather: 40.3
Peggy: 42.1
Brian: 43.9
Tera: 46.3
Kat: 46.5
Julie: 48.6
AZLori: 50.1
Signing off until tomorrow...
Cheryl 26.2
Cassie: 32.1
Heather: 40.3
Peggy: 42.1
Brian: 43.9
Tera: 46.3
Kat: 46.5
Julie: 48.6
AZLori: 50.1
Signing off until tomorrow...
Posts
52 comments:
CKB...rest easy. My delicious cherry cordial meringues will be delivered to your door step bright and early this morning.
On other notes I'd love to hear from everyone of how they solicited their posts yesterday. For me this was a particularly tough challenge given that I know absolutely no one in Montana. So how did I manage to secure not one but THREE posts in my support?
Easy, I did a search on Myspace for any females between the ages of 26-32 who lived within 25 miles of Billings, Montana. Then I searched through those for people who were currently online and who were utilizing a picture of a young child as their profile picture (as I thought they'd connect to me since mine is of Lily). Luckily my first poster was kind enough to think I wasn't too weird and oblige my request.
Out of fear that my Myspace ask wouldn't work I cast a broad net and also posted to thenest.com a website I frequent for mothers. (shout out to Kat who is also on the website!!!!). I had one Mom give me a post and another Mom whose family is in Montana and had her cousin Coulter post from Montana after which she followed up to clarify Coulter's post since he didn't quite get the task at hand.
So...believe in the kindness of strangers....here a total stranger decided to help me out and contact her cousin and then follow up with him to be sure he posted, watched what he posted and made clarifying posts to be sure I got credit.
I loved yesterday's challenge...how about everyone else?
If I am remembering correctly, Laura Wilkinson said the problem wasn't her tricep but her brain/head.
Did anyone watch our beach volleyball ladies beat China late last night? They rocked!!!! Their next goals are to become gold medal moms.
Susan
Heather,
So chatty on the blog not so much in person. Should I take it personally?
Don't take it personally Cassie...I just take a while to warm up!
I hear you are baking up something scrumptious for tonight by the way but I couldn't get any word on what it was.
My entry arrived safely at 7:35 this morning.
Since I really enjoy writing poetry (Creative Writing minor in college), and I just realized I could participate in individual events though I'm not in the Decathalon, I decided to write a haiku. Here goes:
life flows constantly
so quickly may all things change
greet them with a smile
Sue beat me to the punch...I guess I should quit sleeping in :)
Heather, I took a similar approach. I used Facebook as my first resource. I looked for graduates from Montana colleges/universities that still lived in the state. Not knowing if they would be signed on today, I also sent an email out to Residence Life staffs at Montanta State and the University of Montana. I figured I could connect with them since I worked in Res Life.
Kelly, or anyone else from Montana, if you're reading this, be sure to post. Claudia sends out GREAT packages!
When I read yesterday's challenge I was panicked. I don't know anyone in MT. I pulled up Myspace and posted a bulletin. I pulled up the internet and went to a Visit Montana site. I went through links there and sent out about 10-15 messages. I thought maybe a cousin of a friend lived there but that was a dead end. I have one friend that knows EVERYONE! I'm surprised someone from this blog doesn't know her - Angie! She thought that someone we know was from MT but it could be WY and no contact info for him. On the drive into work I considered calling a Red Cross in MT and bribe them."I'll give you a donation but only if I get a comment." That's just crazy. I got to work and a coworker had a friend that had parents in MT. Okay, a lead. But I can't just sit here and wait for something that may not happen. I searched google for Montana blogs and started emailing out. That was all before 9 o'clock.
Then, Jeff who declares that he sits in front of his Mac all day emailed me back and the rest is history. :)If a blood pressure monitor was hooked up to me yesterday morning it would have been off the charts high. And it barely registers I'm alive normally.
You're right, Claudia. It was particularly hard watching Stacie drop out yesterday. :( A definite low.
It was a fun day though!
Not trying to be obnoxious here, but I thought you'd like to know that Haiku is both the singular and plural form of the word--no s required.
And now for a little smack talk: I'd like to say that all you competitors are SO lucky that I'm out of this thing now. Haiku are my specialty, and I feel certain I could have at least placed in the top two or three of today's challenge (yes, I'll be shooting for that patch). As a side note, the chocolate chip bread I made is incredibly tasty, even though I had never made it before, so I'm convinced I could have been a real contender... if only. If anyone needs to know, it costs $74 to overnight air a 2 1/2-pound loaf of bread to Grapevine from Louisville via UPS (fresh out of the oven, no less--still VERY warm to the touch). FedEx was $60. I missed ground by--not kidding--TWO minutes, and the post office by not much longer. Forgive me if you're not a parent and this is tmi, but I blame a poop-related emergency earlier in the day for throwing off my timing. Apparently, bread is time-sensitive stuff when there's yeast involved.
Way to go, Heather, for being so resourceful yesterday! If I hadn't been forced to bow out altogether, I would have worked a lot harder to find a Montanan to help me out; but I was actually curious to see whether my old college prof would rescue me--assuming he even read his email, considering the school year hasn't yet started for him. Oh well. Big competitors fall hard, no? I'll be back.
Thank you for the congratulations! I needed a pick me up... feeling kind of low... the kids going back to school...I'm primarily a Personality Developmental Specialists (SAHM) ... and I've interviewed for a number of positions all summer...but nothing but 'rejection'! I don't know what I'm supposed to be when I grow up!!
Formy Montanan ..I found mj through the Stamp Shack!http://stamp-shack.com/index.php
It's a community of card makers that I have been with for almost two years now. Inspiration, enabling, ideas, fun and comfort are found there through this Canadian based site for mostly card makers. I remembered that one of the members always had listed that she was from where there is Blue Sky and Big Mountains meet... and read her profile being from Montana. I IM'd her, and tried to explain to her my craziness and then begged her to help me by leaving a comment. She did! And my faith in people was re-instated for the day!!!
My haiku is an experience I wrote about my feelings and tears when my son started kindergarten:
A single rose bud
drops of dew on the petals
son's first day of school.
Claudia,
Do the scores on todays post reflect our Javelin challenge?
Peggy quick reread your directions. The haiku should be about HLA.
Heather if Claudia is keeping my baking a secret then I will too. Let's just say that everybody loves to eat these! There is not a bakery around that doesn't make this tasty pastry and yes they are completely homemade no pre made anything!
I think it's supposed to be about A high, A low, or AN aha, not necessarily about highlowaha. Seems like Peggy's right on track to me.
Stacie,
Being in 3rd place is bittersweet knowing why I'm there =(
I wish you'd have let me submit some tollhouse cookies on your behalf to keep you in the race.
Don't scare me like that... I'm leaving in 10 minutes for Wisconsin for the day and I don't want to screw up my entry...
Claudia's statement...Your task... create your own haiku about a high, low, or aha. Submit by posting in the comment section before 10:00 p.m. today
The high was for my son starting school, the low for me was that he was starting school.
With that... I'm off to visit family and friends for the day!
Happy Day everyone!!!
I'm new here, recruited by Ashlee. But I'm a brand new mom so my participation will be sparse for now. But here's my haiku:
Bethany Grace
Tiny feet and hands
Exploring new this big world
Capturing my heart
Just going to post today as hopefully the first Montanan, and yes it is Montanan! Enjoy reading yoru blog- thanks for sending me the weird email Tera.
Welcome Kelly!
Though I must admit I'm bummed as I was cheering on my Montanan posters from yesterday that they would score the prize.
If any of the folks who cheered for me yesterday; Stephanie, Kyleswife or Coulter hop on today and post I'll send you a treat since the HLA treat has already been nabbed as a thank you for cheering me on!
Welcome to Katie too!
Congrats on that beautiful baby girl. I just looked at your blog and I have to be honest it made me miss those days of having a cuddly newborn (NOT ENOUGH TO HAVE ANOTHER ONE!)...but I'll certainly borrow a friend's for a few cuddly moments.
Welcome to the scene!
Susan... YES!!! I too watched the women's volleyball game and it was fantastic!!! I couldn't think of worse playing conditions, with all the rain, but the game was thrilling.
Cassie... so chatty in person, but a woman of few words on the blog... should I take it personally?!?! Ha. Ha. Just kidding.
Thanks for sharing your story, Heather. I, too, would love to hear other people's adventures of finding a reader in Montana.
Wow! So much activity and still so early in the day. Kelly! Welcome to our community! Thanks for posting today and yes, you will be the lucky recipient of a package from me.
You can email me your address:
My email is cbeeny@lslog.com
Waiting and anticipating
Mystery of God’s world unfolds
Baby boy to hold
Claudia,
It takes me a while to warm up!:)
It really does take Heather a while to warm up, now that I think about it. I thought she just didn't like me for the longest time... but then we became big pals, though I can't say when or how exactly. Now she's in another state, just like CKB... and Katie, too. I'm trying not to take it personally that people keep leaving.
And Cassie, I actually didn't get the final package (the sno cone maker and cups/straws) until I got back into town late Tuesday night... the flavored syrups were a little confusing, but it's all clear now. You are the best shell EVER! I wish we could meet in person so I could thank you with a hug. But for now, I'll just have to have a sno cone in your honor!
I was baffled as to how I was going to find my Montanan yesterday. First I went to thenest.com where I had two people who used to live in Montana comment. No help. One offered to have a friend comment for me, but I didn't want to count on that. Next, I went to several active blogs that are authored by Montanans. I chose SarpySams because of the beautiful photography and because of the fascinating ranching posts. Sam pulled through for me! Woo hoo!
I will go write my haiku and be back soon.
Funny Stacie should reference the final package from her Peanut... I was just getting on to announce - according to a potentially sketchy list made by my husband - who had who. I promised I would do it today and just forgot amidst all the excitement. Here goes. If I am wrong, I feel certain you'll remind me.
Claudia had Julie
Stacie has Jayme
Lori had Amy
Brian had Tera
Heidi had Lori
Cassie had Stacie
Tera had Cheryl
Katie had Peggy
Layne had Katie
Jayme had Kat
Julie had Chaotic (where are you Chaotic? We miss you)
Cheryl had Maureen
Heather had Brian
Peggy had Claudia
Chaotic (Kristi) had Sue
Sue had Heather
Amy had Cassie
Maureen had Heidi
Heres my shot at Haiku
HighLowAha
Fun meeting new friends
Sharing an idea each day
Creativity
Just remember I never said I was a poet LOL!!!!!
If I understood correctly my Haiku should be about HLA... If I was wrong here is my HLA Haiku....
God, Family, Friends (high)
Never finding HLA (low)
Never stop learning (aha)
Im done and off to earn my keep doing wash.... Have a great day everyone!
Brian! You were an awesome peanut/shell (I'm still confused).
Are you making the trip to Philly? I'd love to meet you.
My prof just emailed me back. He said he didn't check his email 'til today and apologized for not being able to help me out, but wished me luck. I'm sure he thinks I'm wacko, but whatever, it was worth a shot!
My high yesterday was the fall-ish weather!
Cool breezes blowing
Warm cookies baking for me
Fall is coming soon
HLA wrote:: Funny Stacie should reference the final package from her Peanut... I was just getting on to announce who had who. .. Julie had Chaotic (where are you Chaotic? We miss you) Chaotic had Sue.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am here... been tallying up peanuts to shells.. I had all but 4 guessed correctly. And Julie... THANKS so much. I had guessed maureen based on postmark state...
I do most of my internet from work and we've been short one gal (stomach flu) so I have to actually WORK some days, instead of pretending...sigh... LOL.
I'm not sure... we'll see what I can do. (This Res. Life thing isn't too conducive to making a trip across state so early in the school year.)
Some of my friends at Nervousness.org helped me out by sending you some things.
I sent some cookies... hopefully they arrive in time.
I think someone, somewhere along the line, asked if today's standings reflected yesterday's event. The answer is no. Though yesterday's event was easy to score, I wanted to remain consistent. The new standings will be posted tomorrow.
Question... So, if we weren't able to get a Montanan to visit the site, are we out of contention for the entire thing?
Brian,
You aren't out of the running.
If you didn't succeed yesterday you just get 10 points instead of 0...so keep with it.
Speaking of peanut and shell...did you get my reveal package???
It should have arrived on Monday full of the requisite office supplies and "funny rhyme" to reveal myself "just in time".
Brian... Heather is right! You are NOT out. You will just have more points added to your score than those decathletes who were able to secure a "Montanan."
My fingers are crossed that your cookies are in today's mail.
Now get busy writing your haiku.
Cheryl...thanks for the comment on my blog yesterday- I just saw it today! Hopefully starting this weekend, my appearance on HLA will become more regular, but who really knows!
Can't wait to see you in Philly!
Stacie,
Snow cones are a big deal at our house. In the summer my husband makes them at least 4 times a week. In the winter they are great way to keep a sick child hydrated.
I had fun being your shell. I hope all the purple boot stuff made it ok and you can join me in send some to Maureen.
this represents my low...for the week...and possibly next week, too.
boxes everywhere!
why can't they unpack themselves?
moving sucks, big time!
My low:
Teething is a pain
Cranky baby is not fun
Is it bedtime yet?
Katie K.-
You are the BEST cheerleader ever! I received my package! I will be plugging in the CD and drinking some Propel as I reveiw and select one of the 40 haiku I wrote today. I might try to squeak another one in just for you!!!
In honor of Three Times Thursday, Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! That was a perfect pick me up!
Olympic High
Gold, silver and bronze
Fruits of Summer Olympics
Memories live on
Cheryl- You are SO welcome! Just wanted to give you some last minute inspiration for the final days of the competition! GO, CHERYL, GO!
hey everyone. I'm laughing like crazy over here! When I was writing my haiku today I wrote one thinking of another blogger and author- Karyn B. She posted it her on her site. Still working on my entry but Check out Karyn's haiku!!
http://prettyinthecity.blogspot.com/
Here is my official entry for today's contest:
It's a high remembering something from my childhood and an aha when I discover I still love it as an adult and a low when a wet napkin isn't handy.
The title is: Sticky Goodness
And it goes like this:
pink cotton candy
melting on my tongue so sweet
a beautiful treat
This one is for Katie:
Cheering Section
katie sends a gift
perfect timing in the mail
go, cheryl, go, fight, win!
And this one is for Claudia:
The Beenys
jack jumps off the chair
claudia and matthew dance
a family laughs
Sorry Richard and
Ricky. Only so much I
can do with haiku.
This is about the greatest high of my life thus far:
Birthed my boy at home,
Surrounded by Hub and friends.
I am powerful.
And just for good measure, here's one about a low/aha moment from yesterday's debacle that took me out of the decathlon:
Shocked to discover
Such an exorbitant cost
To ship yummy bread.
You can use the second one for the competition.
As high as a kite,
Yet so low like a valley.
Still I'm so happy.
Actually, I did not get a package yet, Heather... not sure what happened. :(
I will let you know as soon as I get it.
P.S. The chinese food delivery was amazing, Heather. Very sneaky, indeed.
IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR DECATHLETES:
Please try to email me your picture sometime before 8:00 p.m. tonight.
Post a Comment