Monday, March 2, 2009

March Madness

Bunny, Bunny! 

Welcome back for an exciting month of creativity and community at Highlowaha.  Heather, Katie, Cheryl, and I have carefully and thoughtfully constructed a month we think will be nothing short of exciting and fun.  It's a month of activity that fits nicely with feedback shared by readers on Wednesday.  Many of you used last week's "whack" to underscore how much you enjoy gathering around our table each morning to hear what great, new and creative ideas we have in store.  This month - Women's History Month - we will make good on our commitment to present new ideas, but we will do it by gathering creative women from all over the country and letting them do what women do best - inform us and inspire us. 

While men should enjoy the month's spread every bit as much as women, I must admit, for the month of March, that Saturdays in particular were designed with women in mind.  Men, should feel free to jump in or to use Saturdays as an opportunity to observe and maybe - just maybe - come one step closer to figuring our the mothers, sisters, and/or partners in your life. 

Having said all of that...

I love ideas and sometimes... every once in a while...  an idea comes along I wish with all of my might, that I could claim as my own.  Today is one of those days.  I want to throw all pride (and ethics) aside and tell you I was brains behind this brainstorm.  But, I can't.  First of all, those who know me at all well know that I'm not smart enough to think of this idea.  And second of all, the friend responsible for this idea is my dear, dear friend.  Such a dear friend is she, that I hope she is reading todays post - in which case my jig would be up anyway.

I'll be brief, as there is much to say and I know our visit can't last forever.

Each year for, I'm guessing, the past five or six years my friend Dawn gathers a group of her friends for lunch.  In the beginning it was lunch at her house.  As life got busier the homemade lunch was replaced with lunch at a restaurant.  I imagine that, if need be, a one-hour meeting and a cup of coffee would work fine, as long as Dawn and her friends could keep their annual commitment.

The purpose of the lunch gathering?  To share ideas.  Dawn asks each of her friends to come to lunch fully prepared to share their A#1, numero uno idea from the year before.  The idea might be a favorite product or a new tool she just couldn't live without.  It could be a favorite new web site that transforms the way she completes a mundane task or a secret trick of the trade that unlocks the age-old mystery.  The field is WIDE OPEN.  The only criteria - your favorite idea from the past year.

So in love am I with the idea of falling in love with a new idea, that I - along with my new compadres - decided this had all the makings of a Highlowaha event.  So... I present to you...

Highlowha's First Annual March Madness Tournament.

Here's how it will work.  Eight teams (seven have already been selected) of five people will meet for lunch sometime between now and March 10.  Each teammate will bring his/her favorite idea to share with their lunch mates.  Before lunch is over, teams will rank order their ideas - #1 being their favorite.  A team name will be selected, team captains will take a picture of the group, and then it is game on!

Beginning March 10 teams will compete to see who - according to the esteemed members of Highlowaha - has the winning-est idea.  Each Monday and Thursday, for the month of March, two teams will go head to head presenting the best they've got to offer.  We, the readers, will evaluate their ideas (learning and taking notes all along the way) and then vote on the idea we like best.  Tuesdays and Fridays we will announce winners from the day before and share the remaining ideas of teams that won't advance in the tournament.

Confused?  Don't worry.  We'll take care of all the details.  Here's all you need to know.  If new and creative ideas is what you want, simply check in each day beginning Monday, March 10 and new ideas it shall be.  When we ask you to vote, simply select the idea you like most.

One more thing.  We couldn't save you a seat at the table and then not save you a chance to participate.  We have space left for one more team.  So far Florida, Wisconsin, California, Arizona, Kentucky, Ohio, and Iowa are in the house.  Now I don't want to talk smack, but if one of you other states don't come forward that means Texas gets to enter and you know what they say... "Don't Mess With Texas." 

Not only does the winning team earn a prize to be enjoyed by all the teammates, but the captain earns a patch for his/her Patchwork Denim.

Game on.  Signing off.


18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds like fun!

Anonymous said...

What a great idea, eating and brainstorming with women. I just spent this weekend at a women's retreat and boy do I feel refreshed. Can't wait to read all the great ideas...

Anonymous said...

Do I get to pick a team?? I am in, and I think I am on Cheryl's team??

I love lunch and food... and ideas.

Anonymous said...

Good morning, everyone. Yes, we are very excited about all the new ideas bound to be shared this month.

One additional note of orientation. The "bunny, bunny" opening today's post is the way we start a new month. Ideally we close out our last post of a month with "rabbit, rabbit" and open up the first post of the new month with "bunny, bunny." It is supposed to bring good luck.

To do this non-blog style you would say "rabbit, rabbit" last thing before you go to sleep on the last day of a month and wake up the next morning to say "bunny, bunny" - before uttering anything else.

Anonymous said...

Margaret... I'll tell you what... if not other state is willing to come forward, you can serve as captain of our Texas team!

I'd love the chance to meet you in person.

Cheryl Houston said...

Go Margaret! Margaret has a lot of fun friends.

Katie said...

Lori C....are you who I think you are??? Lindsaymarie's mom?

If so, welcome to Highlowaha!

lindsaymarie said...

Lori c is my mom! I went home for the weekend and talked up HLA to her. =)

Anonymous said...

Welcome Lori!!

I can't wait to see all the creative ideas you women (and men!) bring to the table!

Anonymous said...

I'm confused...and in PA...any other HLA readers in PA???

Julie will be home March 9...did she already get recruited for the Arizona team??

btw...i told her ever since she went to AZ that I hope she gets sunburned...her lips got sunburned yesterday...I laughed through my shivers as the thermometer registered 7 degrees this morning!

-K. Giger

Cheryl Houston said...

Are some of you wondering why you're not getting your Highlowaha email even though you entered your email address in the subscribe box?

When you enter your email, FeedBurner sends you an email so you can verify that it is really was you that entered the email. Sometimes that email might be put in your spam or junk mailbox by your email server. You need to find that email and open it and click on the link that is provided in it. If you don't then you won't get your email updates. And that's just sad. :(

Anonymous said...

Kristen,
How do your shivers handle the fact that today Julie is enjoying 90 degree weather? And yes...she is on the AZ team so back off! =)
Happy Day HLA!

Claudia @ Highlowaha said...

The competition is getting stiff, I see! Julie, how does it feel to have people fighting over you?

Speaking of Julie... Honk if you don't like her new lurker status!! Honk loud and honk frequently.

Anonymous said...

HONK

Katie said...

HONK HONK HONK HONK HONK!!!!!

Cheryl Houston said...

HONK, HONK, HONK, HONK, HONK!!!

Anonymous said...

HONK HONK HONK HONK HONK

Anonymous said...

I'll put my honks in as well but I can fully understand the lurker status...what when your used to that miserable east coast weather and you come out to Heaven...I mean AZ you tend to want to be outside soaking up the wonderful weather!
HONK! HONK! HONK! HONK! HONK! HONK!
HONK! HONK! HONK! HONK! HONK! HONK!