Psst... Whack This!

Your Turn!

We racked our brains trying to come up with the perfect Whack on the Side of the Head for Ray's birthday week.  Whack on the Side of the Head, for our newcomers, is the day of the week we challenge our creativity by forcing ourselves to think outside the box.  Our ideas were either too predictable, too self-serving, or not celebratory enough.

After some whacking of each other on the side of the side of the head, Heather, Cheryl, Katie, and I settled on using this Wednesday to let 

you...

Name that Ray.

While it is true, we usually develop the idea for Ray first and then the design, today we're going in reverse.  

Above is our latest and greatest Ray design, inspired from a photo straight from the album of someone we all know and love.  Combine our design with your creativity and give Ray the most clever name you can come up with.

Enter a name today AND tune back in tomorrow and you automatically receive a special patch (for your patchwork denim) to commemorate Ray's birthday week.  Don't know what patchwork is?  Click here to find out.

But, should you out-perform your fellow readers in  this two-day event (today and tomorrow), you will be the recipient of a patch AND a prize that's sure to shine!  

Let 'er rip.

Signing off until tomorrow...

P.S.  Yesterday's winning design...  

Psst...

CompadRay

Hola amigos.  CompadRay here.  Spot came to visit.  We haven't seen each other since we were kids.  Spot had the bright idea to get our pics taken in one of those booths.  I almost lost an eye there at the end.  

We used to have such fun.  One time we were sneaking out of the house to go to a party.  You know the drill.  Quiet as a mouse, the folks finally asleep and the party just getting good.  We had the front door open and were almost gone.  Spot decides to step on the cat.  That cat hisses and claws at his feet.  Spot freaks out and here comes the high beam.  I can't remember our story but Dad wasn't buying it.  Spot  wasn't allowed over after that.

We all have one of those friends.  They've been there and have the battle scars to prove it.  Good thing it's National Friends Day.  We can sit back reminisce and say thanks for being a friend.  Speaking of friends.  Let's test that friendship.  Here's a list of questions.  Not only do we want you to answer these, but you should stay tuned to the comments section.  Some of us have truly put our friends to the test.  We've sent them these questions to answer about us.  I wonder how they'll do.  Not that we're into rewarding friendship or anything but answer the questions.  There might be a little something in it for someone.  Ready?  Here you go.

• Who is your celebrity crush?
  
• What is one beauty product you can't live without?
  
• What was the most thoughtful gift you have received from a friend?
  
• What family member of your is the craziest?
  
• What is a favorite past time for you and a friend?
  
• Which part of your body do you like the least?
  
• Who was your worst boyfriend/girlfriend?
  

Signing off until tomorrow...

Psst...

So I’ve got a dirty little secret. I’m a total Grey’s Anatomy addict. Seriously. I mean come on the hot chicks and drunken nights, all wrapped up with a little blood and guts.  Television doesn't get any better. Truth is I like to picture myself in on the action…you know a little Ray’s Anatomy.

But what are they doing making Izzie be the one that dies off? I love that blonde headed vixen and now that she shaved her head we have the bald look in common, Alex step out of the way Ray is coming in for the score! Maybe I should say Alex and Denny step out of the way. What is up with Denny creeping around anyway? Move on Denny, surely there are some hot angels in heaven!

What is up with Cristina and Owen? SERIOUSLY…the man tries to choke you and you are even thinking of getting back together with him?!? Come home to Ray baby I’ll treat you right.

It isn’t all about the sex either I mean, what’s cooler than seeing some guy baseball bat an engagement ring into the woods? I love it! You know McDreamy and Meredith will NEVER end up getting hitched. She’ll end up knocked up and raising their love child alone while he hooks up with the latest and greatest resident on rotation.

Alright I’m off to stock up on the good liquor for tonight’s 2 hour finale (I’m inviting a few of the ladies over to enjoy it with me.)  What about you?  If it's not Grey's Anatomy, what show are you addicted to and why should I watch it?

Psst...

Rayce Day

Gettin Lucky in Kentucky.   Hey ladies.  Want to come to the after party?  You'll get to see why they named my horse "Mr. Hot Stuff"  I'm 4'4" and 89 pounds of dynOmite!

Love those hats ladies.  Not quite Millionaires Row but you're definitely ready for the infield.  Speaking of the infield, where's my bourbon?  You can't have a Derby and no bourbon.  I'm not talking about Mint Juleps.  Those are sissy drinks.  Tastes like someone squirted toothpaste into your drink.  No I'm talking a nice glass of Maker's Mark.  Maybe a couple of ice cubes to keep you from sweating.  I used to drink George T. Stagg but bad things happened.  That bourbon will make you want to hurl your little body, in Tasmanian Devil style, into a gang of bikers.  Crazy.  They would have killed me if they weren't having so much tossing me for distance.  Not good.

Alright, now for the best part of the Derby......betting.  I'm all about boxing my bet.  Pick my favorite horse and box him.  If you're nice to the guy when you place your bet he might give you a tip.  So here's my tip for you......

Mr. Hot Stuff to win...........

How about you?  Who's your horse?  Let us know.  If you win, I'll give you the silk of my back.  Alright, I'm not wearing a silk.... how about a Derby 2009 t-shirt? 

Psst...

Sting Ray, here...

You didn't think a little Swine Flu was going to keep me down, did you?  It's gonna take a whole lot more than some sick pork to keep a cartilaginous fish like me in check.  

The fact is, there are only two days left in April and then the whole first quarter of Goal Fishing is kaput.  Someone has to kick your @$$ and make sure you don't blow the remaining nine months on self pity and pathetic excuses.  

Listen, I'm no Anthony Robbins.  I'm not prepared to give you a pep talk, pump you filled with Amway mumbo jumbo, and tell you that the Law of Abundance insists we can all have anything we want as long as we close our eyes and visualize our lives rich and full.  Here's the truth.  You close your eyes to envision your life rich and full and you'll either get hit by a car or an opportunist like me will steal your wallet.

There's only one way to make good on that overly ambitious resolution of yours - get off your @$$ and take get moving.  There ain't no amount of psycho-babble, no number of self-help books, or Oprah episodes that can make your resolution happen for you.  You wanna lose weight?  Then either eat less or move more.  You want to be more organized?  Then either bring less crap in your house or snap out of it and get a plan for what you have.  Money is your issue?  Unless your prepared to grow it or counterfeit it, then you got it Sally Sunshine... either spend less or earn more. 

One things for sure... STOP making excuses.

2010 is months away.  You really wanna look back and have to say, "S#$%, I blew it again."  Heck no you don't!  And not because I really care if you disappoint yourself, but because you can bet your @$$ I'll be standing at the New Year's finish line, bubbly in hand, hat on my head, blowing my horn and chanting, "I told you so." 

So fess up.  Where are you on your resolution and what are you going to do about it?

Psst...

MaRayjuana, here...

Hey Mon,

Irie.  Time to get those nerds out of here, burn one down and really get creative.  It's 4/20.  It's the day to roll a spleef and think about brownies.  If you know nothing about the day, Google it.  God, I love brownies.  Their shiny skin, the crumbly yet moist cake, the chocolate ooh, I need some brownies.  But I'm so comfortable.  Don't make me get up.  Hey Mon, somebody bring me some brownies.  I'm stoned and I can't get up.

Speaking of brownies and being stoned.  Cheryl must have been baked when she came up with the name Cupbrowookie.  WTF?  Say that 20 times fast!  They rock and I wish had about fifty of them right now bud dude, that name suuuuuucks.  I know, I'll smoke a bowl, drift off to sleep and you guys come up with a better name for this cross between a cookie and a brownie.  The winning name wins a book with more than 140 brownie recipes.

One more ting mon, check back in at 4:20 or so and get a peek at Cheryl's totally awesome recipe.  Let me know you're out there and I'll put your name in a hat to win my favorite brownie pan.  I'd share my recipe with you but I like to put in some of my own special Rasta herbs.

Irie.

The Tradition Continues

Welcome to the 18th! Cheryl here. Who wants to win a t-shirt?

If you're new to Highlowaha, every month on the 18th we share our high, low and aha's from the month honoring the name of our blog. We asked the winner from last months drawing Brian, aka BKRoot to have a seat at the table with us and share his high, low and aha's with us. Here's more about Brian and his HLA's for the month; take it away Brian!

I'm 27, with a bachelor's degree in English Writing and a master's degree in Student Affairs in Higher Education. I work in residence life at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. In my former life, I wanted to work in
journalism. In fact, I worked part time for my local, public newspaper throughout high school and even into college and grad school.

Nowadays, my job entails supervising Resident Assistants and managing a mostly-freshmen residence hall. I am the director of a living community known as OACS
(Outdoor Adventure & Community Service), and I advise the Resident Student Council, as well. I love working with college students on a daily basis. It's adventurous - and sometimes tiring - but all worth it in the end. Sometimes they teach me more about myself than I think I teach them about themselves.

One other duty I have is advising the Habitat for Humanity campus chapter. This past March 7 students and I embarked on a road trip in a 12-passenger school van to Walton County, Florida, for an alternative spring break that involved working on a home for a single mother and her two kids. This is, by far, one of the greatest opportunities I've had to help make a difference in someone's life.

One of the common threads you will find in my life is my involvement in various community service-related activities. I am secretary of my local Kiwanis Club in Greensburg, PA. I am on the board of directors of the Central Westmoreland Habitat for Humanity. And I play a key role in the logistical planning of the Juvenile Diabetes Walk for a Cure each September here in Greensburg.

I love dogs and cats, as well as bowling, fishing in the summer, driving, listening to various music, and perusing the internet. I'm a very laid back person. For those who know Myers-Briggs, I'm an ISFJ.

HIGH - Purchasing a new laptop earlier this week... truly a highlight for me, especially if you know how much I rely on my computer. It's an HP Pavilion, for those curious minds out there.

LOW - Getting a speeding ticket on the way back from visiting my family earlier this month. It really put me in a bad mood for a few days and cost me $180 I don't really have to spare right now.

AHA - Some of my students truly "get it." They understand more than I give them credit for sometimes.

Claudia, I know that ISFJ business means somthing to you! I can't wait to hear about that. Thanks for sharing, Brian. It is an honor to have you at our table and we look forward to many more days on the blog with you...maybe you will even make it 2009 Taste of USA!! Where do you want to go?

Today, you also find us at the beginning of our Give-away Derby. And what fun it has been already. The Beeny's are still counting Matthew's College Fund Money. The winner of the Target gift card will be announced soon. Yesterday, Heather had us guessing and a little more than amazed at how many photos she has taken since the birth of adorable Lily with Kat guessing the final number of 6,737! Congrats, Kat!! One more winner will be decided for the other digital key chain from the creative ideas posted yesterday. There is plenty of fun still to be had and today's derby gift is a Highlowaha Ray Wattson t-shirt. They are all the rage!

One of my high's this month is the fact that there are 11 new t-shirts designs available to pick from with more to come. What's that? Can't wait for the 18th to roll around to have your own Ray Wattson Original? You can now purchase your very own t-shirt. Just click ------>HERE<-------- and you too can purchase your very own! Or, one for a friend. Or, one for a kid in your life! Below is a design sample of the ever popular...

Be sure to check out the gallery. Tell us your favorite.

As is tradition here at Highlowaha, everyone who submits their high, low and aha today is submitted into a drawing to win a Ray shirt. The winner gets to pick their design of choice.

I'll chime in with my own high, low, and aha's in just a bit but for now, signing off until Monday...

Psst...

Tax Rayturn

Psst.  It's Tax Rayturn, here.  I tried to wake Claudia but Stingray was over there late last night.  I'm a bit worried.  By the way, that's not a smile on face.  Stand on your head and look.  It's that day again.  I hate tax day.  If you think today is bad wait till next year.  This is the day when Uncle Sam is either kind enough to give us some of our money back or in my case comes asking for more.  

I'm sick about it.  I'm a good Ray.  I don't start wars.  I'm not on welfare.  I'm not on Medicare and I'm not drawing Social Security.  Yeah, yeah, yeah....I know what you're thinking.  What if it was you?  Or, just wait till you retire buddy.  I get it.  We all have to do our part.  This is America.  Blah blah blah.  I wish my buddy Stingray was here.  I talked to him last night.  He was like a crazy person.  Nothing but long strings of extremely creative yet disturbing profanity.  I tried to lecture him the way you want to tell me.  I couldn't get a word in edgewise.  At one point, he said he was coming to the house.  I was afraid he was going to stick me.

Drunk.  That's what he was.  Drunk and mad.  What do you say to a guy like that?  What are you going to say to me this evening when I'm drunk and mad?  Not only do I have to pay, but I have to stand in line at the post office to do it!  Why did I wait so long?  Because I like to hang on to the few coins that I have as long as I can.  It probably wouldn't be so bad if we could write on the back of our check all the programs that we wanted out money to go to and all the ones that we didn't.  I'd kind of like that.

I'd pay teachers more.  Maybe save a baby seal or two.  Give some kids some medicine.  Send Dr. Phil to Antarctica to work with the penguins for a few years.  Hell, I'd even send Sarah Palin with him.

What about you?  What would you write on the back of your check?

Psst...

Erin-Go-BRay

Wishing you Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Ohhhh, my hat. Look how far away my hat is. Someone get my hat. Whoa, green beer. I've got my beer goggles on and hey......look what I see.

Hey baby you're looking good. Is that a green martini? That's cool. I had a green bagel for breakfast. Where are you from?

Ohio? Cut it out. I'm from Texas. Are you following March Madness? Well. You know what they say...... Don't mess with Texas.

You're not going to win.. I'll tell you what. If Ohio wins, I'll take you to dinner and drink one of those silly green martinis. If Texas wins, you have to pick up the tab and my hat.

Bust out your laptop, I'm getting hungry.

Let's Take a Stroll, Shall We?

It's Saturday and a wonderful day for a stroll down MemoRay Lane. Let me give you a little background about Ray and I'll try to be brief because we have a lot of Ray ground to cover.

How he got his name: On July 19th, Claudia put up this photo of a light bulb and asked that everyone submit a name for our new mascot. 32 names were submitted. On July 21st, National Tug-o-war Day, Claudia broke the 32 names into two teams and the tugging began. In the comment section, readers submitted their choice of Team A or Team B. The tugging started at 5 am and as each bracket had a winner the names were split again. That went on for five brackets until 8 pm and our little light was deemed Ray Wattson.

The ink behind Ray: Peggy was masterminding the birth of a mascot with Claudia behind the scenes. She had submitted some computer generated drawings to Claudia. I was over at Claudia's house one night discussing how she was going to bring her newly named mascot to life. We needed someone to draw Ray. I was reluctant to offer because I didn't know if I could deliver. I even suggested another doodle blogger to Claudia that she contacted via email. After talking and doodling and a lot of laughing about how he had to wear purple boots , I told Claudia that I would go home and sketch some Ray's for her. And the rest is history. I became the pen behind Ray.

Purple Boots: Back in May of 2008, Cassie Y. was trying to get Maureen to come to Texas. Cassie asked Maureen if she would like purple boots. Maureen replied that she would be shot in New York if she wore purple boots. It became a running joke noted in more posts and in Taste of USA. So, of course, it was only fitting that Ray wear purple boots.

Ray Games: A fun game we play with Ray is hiding "HLA" throughout the drawing. There is a number by his boot and that is how many HLA's are hiding in the picture. Some are harder to see online. And I admit, I need some practice at hiding them.

His age: Ray is ageless and given the birthday of September 7th by gathering random numbers from readers that were then put into this super calculation: 16+6x2.2+540/8.5-6x2+0+3x7.5= 970.85. Drop the zero and the .85, leaving us with 97... September 7!

Marital Status: Ray is single and a bit of a player. I'm pretty sure new reader, Margaret, has a pretty big crush on our friend Ray.

Is your CamelBak full of wine? Do you have your walking shoes on? Here are some instructions for you. Scroll down and enjoy the images of Ray. I've provided tidbits about each drawing of Ray. If you want to read the post that Ray featured that day, you can click through the links and go back. If you want to see a larger image, you should be able to click the image but some of them may not get much bigger. If not a new GalleRay is now available at Highlowaha.

Now that you have a little history, let's get started on our stroll.

Soon after Ray was named he escaped the Beeny household and set out to bake cookies with Highlowaha readers. Sugar Ray took his light bulb cookie cutter and now travels to readers homes where they bake and decorate Ray Cookies spreading the Highlowaha love. Ray has been to Euless with Cassie, to Tera and Treye's house, and is currently at Maureen's house. I hear he has an itch to get over to Arizona to see Julie. I could be wrong about that. Want to host Ray in your home? Post a comment or email highlowaha218@gmail.com to get on the list.

Ray's first drawn appearance was when he flew over to Beijing and attended the Olympics. He rubbed elbows with star Olympians and partied like a rock star. I wonder if he still talks to Michael Phelps?

Ray's no dummy. He knows school is cool. His purple boots and his bald head were all shined up and ready to hit school to impress the girls. It just goes to show, you're never too old to learn.

On September 19th, Cap'n Purple Boots played Virtual Pirate Bingo with a group of readers. Boy, was it fast paced, crazy and fun! Prizes were donated by readers and there was plenty of stealing going on. There was also a silent auction. The bidding for one of the first Ray Wattson Highlowaha t-shirts.

Birthday Ray surprised Claudia on her birthday, October 7th. You never know when Ray is going to surprise you.

Count Raycula swooped in to celebrate Halloween. One thing about Ray, he's always in the holiday spirit. From the beginning, I knew when Halloween came along Ray was going to be a vampire because I just love those teeth!

DemocRaycy loves politics. He couldn't get enough of CNN. He and Claudia would sit for hours in front of the TV talking about the candidates and the issues. I only stayed for the coffee. On November 4th, DemocRaycy was one of the first lights on, doing his duty and voting.

The idea of a blog-a-thon was started in the fall to help raise money for Helping Hand and a family in need. It was our goal to help a family have a great Christmas. Writers committed to be on the blog for 15 minute blocks of time and write a scary story. Who else was more qualified to get the story started than HemmingRay. I will let you in on a secret. This room was inspired by the Library at my beautiful office but it pains me to look too closely at it because there are so many perspective errors. The Library at my office is so much more beautiful than this drawing.

We woke on Thanksgiving morning to Rayflower, a pilgrim ready to get his turkey on. Rayflower spent Thanksgiving at the Beeny house. He set the table and helped with the decorations. I think Rayflower is one of my least favorite Ray's because I forgot to draw him. Claudia emailed me asking when she could expect the drawing and I was in scramble mode.

In December, HoliRay had a surprise visit from his cousin, Noel, after not seeing her in six years. She's one of those big shiny red lights from New York and is constantly embarrassing Ray. I think HoliRay was a little nervous having her around but I think all went well because we didn't hear any holiday horror story from him. Well, until...

Jingle All the Ray. Pretending to be Santa, Ray gets stuck in Claudia's chimney, though that doesn't look like her house at all. This is one of my favorite posts from Ray. Tears flowed on Christmas morning when I read Ray being stuck in the chimney with a roach because on Christmas Eve, I was over at the Beeny's when the infamous roach made his real life appearance. I still laugh when I read it.

HooRay rang in the New Year at Times Square with champagne, party noise makers and the nine things he was looking forward to in 2009, hair plugs being at the top of his list. Yes, Ray is something of a party animal.

Claudia gave us some time to settle into 2009 and had us thinking on what resolution or goal we would set for ourselves. Goal Fishing brought us Sting Ray to help prod (literally) us to achieve our goals. Ray must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed this morning because I think some of our readers didn't like Ray so much this day. Watch out! He'll stick you!

On Sunday, January 18th, Claudia and I were at the local pottery shop in Southlake. I was busy painting Ray on the Super Bowl for the trophy for the Super Bowl Snack Throwdown that was hosted at Strubles Suds. It turned out pretty cute for our first pottery experience. The Super Bowl Winner was AZLori for her onion dip.

While we were sitting there, Claudia was throwing around ideas and all of the sudden she says, "InauguRay!" Ray and I were tight on time but he agreed to come out of Secret Service Retirement to serve as security at President Obama's inauguration and he was hurried off on Air Force One to be there in time. He encouraged us to give some predictions of what items will cost next year. We're all so proud of Ray.

On Valentine's Day, AmoRay was floating on cloud nine due to some low wattage cutie at little Italian restaurant. He blew us some quick kisses, told us that our recipes had to be special for the upcoming Highlowaha Recipe Book (send your special recipes to: tmichalski05@jcu.edu), told us to share our Valentine's Day plans and he was off. Back to the low wattage cutie.

We're almost there. Deep breaths, happy thoughts. It was getting exciting behind the scenes at Highlowaha with Award Ceremonies, getting a new website and adding people into the fold. But it all got done. From the Red Carpet, to a hurricane siren in the middle of taping, straight onto a blooper reel. And, who better to get us to turn off all electronics, wrangle the kids and pets, and get the show started than AnniversaRay? He had the perfect seat: Row 2, Seat 18.

Oscar has nothing on Ray. Winners at the Peoples Choice Awards received an award in the shape of Ray who is holding the Spirit of 218. Here is my award hanging on my wall. Cute, huh?

This version of Ray is eager to give the Gift of 218. How about you? Nominate a family by sending an email to highlowaha@gmail.com. Give a donation at the Gift of 218 link, whether it's $2.18 or $218, all are welcome and most appreciated. Our first Gift of 218 will be unveiled soon so you'll want to keep checking in for that exciting news.

But that's not all! Ray was the first feature on the Highlowaha t-shirts that were given to contributors who submitted their High, Low and Aha on the 18th day of the month. Those readers were then put in a drawing for the coveted shirt. This tradition continues with a new twist this year. You can pick any Ray that has been posted for your shirt. Fun, right? Kristen, I know you asked Claudia to surprise you on Thursday but does any of this change your mind?


Whew! Was that a stroll or marathon? I don't know about you but I'm beat! But, I'm always looking forward to where Ray will show up next. Do you have an idea for a Ray? Drop us a line in the comment section or email us at highlowaha218@gmail.com. And, if you can't get enough of Ray or you're having a problem viewing any of these photos there's always the new GalleRay at Highlowaha. Look for the link at the top.

Thanks for hanging in there with me. I know it was long. Signing off until Monday...