Decathlon Day #9: A Big Haiku to You!

Welcome to another busy day on Highlowaha.com. We have a decathlon to get to, but first some fun announcements. Decathlon Standings and other important announcements are at the end.

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

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...

"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.

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?

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.

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...