Riddle Quest Millions

Riddles Galore!
I’m going to post the next riddle for riddle quest, but first let me go over the rules first.  The idea of riddle quest is to solve all the riddles I post until I call it off (ignore anything before 2014, I’ve tried this before but they aren’t part of the current contest).  When I do call it off, you have a week to email me (skoshimom@gmail.com) your answers in order.  The person who gets the most correct (or close to correct) gets the SUPERsecret prize pack that of course I’ve actually made by now!!!  I wouldn’t have forgotten about that right!!!  Anyway, you MUST have all the answers, even if they are not correct, to even qualify.  You may work together.  Spamming me with multiple answer-emails will disqualify you.

Ok, here’s the next riddle you’ve all been waiting for.

Feelings of Fall Intro

I'm going to be starting
Something called "Feelings of Fall".  I think you got that from the title, possibly.  Anyway, This Feelings of Fall will be a series of photo posts (I know, you're thinking...NOOOOOO!!!!  No more photos!!!!!!) of what fall means to me.  Remember, always click the "Here's the Rest of the Post" button if the post seems cut off or suspiciously short.  Here is the first set of photos.

Hangin' with friends

Silver and Gold with Ali Basye (Again)

So I had this whole series of posts where
I talked about my trip to the Philadelphia Art Museum, along with my visit with my awesome college teachin' cousin (she teaches English funnily enough, and Mom asked for her assignments for my English class next year. Don't know whether that's a plus or a negative.  :-|  )  Anywho, remember I mentioned that besides visiting the Patrick Kelly; Runway of Love exhibit, I also visited two other exhibits, one called Gerlan Jeans Loves Patrick Kelly and Silver and Gold.  I realized that although I posted about Gerlan Jeans, I never did post about Silver and Gold, which was really cool (and small).  So here are the photos (finally):

I actually could picture myself wearing this.!

An Art Club Meeting

Today I'm going to
Walk you through what an average art club meeting would be like.  All the times, btw, are guestaments so don't plan for them.  Nothing is even close to set.  I italicized all the stuff that you would have to do as an average member.

• 2:15 pm, Saturday:  Members are starting to get dropped off by there parents.  They hang out, talk, and help set up.
• 2:30:  The club meeting is starting!  The teacher, one of the members, presents his or her project, which should be completable in about an hour (including drying time).  If they got the idea from a book, photo, magazine...they brought it.  They also should have brought at least some art supplies, cuz I'm not providing ALL of that.
• 2:40:  The class starts the project, while having fun and swapping tips.
• 3:45:  Parents start arriving and picking up their kids.  Anyone who wants to teach for the next meeting comes up now and talks to the leaders (which right now is me and Abbie) to ask if they can.
• 4:00:  Anyone can stay for about fifteen minutes afterwards to finish their project and help clean up.  By four, most people have left and the meeting is finished.

Art Club

I am considering putting together...
An art club.  Why?  Well, it would be a good chance to hang with friends and to be creative at the same time.  I will need at least one other friend to help me teach on a regular basis (other people can teach but I suspect that most people won't want to teach) one art project every week.  Comment the following items:

• Is this a good idea?
• Would you like to teach or have any good project ideas that one of the official teachers could do?
• What day of the week would be good for you?
• Would you come!!!???

However, before you comment, be sure to ask your parents.  This club is run by the kids (and probably will meet at my house) and does not need any parents to teach, but parents will need to drive.  Keep in mind that we probably won't feed your kids, so it will probably be in the afternoon.  I think a good time would probably be Saturday afternoons, say 2:30 to 4 or something like that.

Also keep in mind that there is no true decision at this point and that the times above are NOT set in the slightest.

I'll post soon more about this, more about what this really is, but my hand is tired so I'm going to stop typing now.  Bye (and don't forget to comment!!!)

Riddle Quest Upon Us!

Onward!
 Alas, a plague of riddles is upon us!  I am Sir Saladin, the only knight in the kingdom who has not quested to vanquish this plague.  Maybe, with the help of you, we can conquer it and free the trapped knights!  There will be a rich prize for the one who completes all the riddles!

Quick!  The first one is upon us!  Grab your thinking cap!

First I am pointy, green, and tall

Though I owe nothing time come for fall.

I'm sticky sweet, but my skin is rough,

I am a kind, my is a clue,

Write it down while I tell the rest to you.

Second I am red or yellow or green.

I belong to a Grammy or Smith or Fuji.

Know my name and the first,

And the answer is yours to quench your thirst.

So put us together,

And we are...

Sweet as sugar

Prickly as a cactus

And as yellow as a buttercup in spring.

We are a mystery - can you solve out puzzle?

Don't loose hope, brave riddler!  If you solve this monster's puzzle it will leave us alone!  Write down your answer and have it ready at the end of the Quest.

Riddle Me Sweet

If you'll look back,
Through the murky depths people call your memory and pluck out that one sticky thing, you may suddenly remember that thing I invented called Riddle Quest.  Here this may refresh your memory.

I have concocted an ingenious plan!!!

A riddle contest…on here!  As you can see on my title, it will be known as "RiddleQuest".

If you are a riddle lover, or want to win treasure (I just said the magic word), you have to solve all the riddles I post until I officially declare the RiddleQuest over.  At the end of the contest, there will be one SUPERhard riddle that will be the key to winning the contest.

Ok, did that bring anything up?  Anyway, I'm going to try this again, but this time the rules are changed slightly.  Here they are for you riddle-lovers or those who just want to know what is in the super-secret prize pack you might get if you are the winner.

1. Read each weekly riddle and try to solve it.
2. Write the all answers neatly and clearly on a piece of paper (keep it secret and safe so no one can steal your answers.  Of course, that would work against them if you answer was wrong.)
3. When the quest is over, put your answer sheet into an envelope.  Label it "RiddleQuest" and put you name on it.
4. *You have a three day window to give the RiddleQuest envelope with your name on it to me or mail it to me.  If you are mailing, be sure to have a date somewhere where I will see it but where the post office won't get mad.  Like maybe on your list.
5. After recording all the answers.

There will be rules to the RiddleQuest, and if you break them you will be disqualified.

1. You must get at least 80% of the riddles right to win.
2. Be sure to turn in* you RiddleQuest envelope (with your name on it - you can't win anonymously) within the three day time window (remember: if mailing include the date!)
3. Do NOT share your answers with ANYONE until the quest is over.  I trust you not to!
4. You may not work together with ANYONE (a repeat of #3)
5. There will be no sneak peaks into the prize box or at the next riddle or at the answer sheet so don't bother trying to get any out of me.

Good luck on you quest…it starts NOW!!!

Blogging Crash Course No. 3

Day 3!!!  (Become a pro blogger)

Tip o' the Day: Post Often!
I know, I haven't been the best at doing this.  HOWEVER...the more often you post and the more consistent you are the more readers will check to see if you've posted because you're more likely to.  Make sense?

Lesson o' the Day:  Post Settings!

Remember yesterday I just ran out of steam to finish the post?  Well here's the rest of it.  :-)  Mmm...ok.  Post settings.

Excellent!  Ok, the photo above this line is the Post Settings bar.  Allow me...The Labels Tab is where you can assign certain labels to a post.  Handily enough, this can be used to locate a certain posts on your post list, help your readers find your posts, and sort out certain posts.  As soon as you type a label into the box it automatically saves it to your labels list.  All you have to do after that is just click on the ones you want (you can have multiple ones per post)

Next on the list: The Scheduling Tab.  This quite possibly may be the most helpful blogging tool ever.  Don't have time during the week to post?  Oh that's easy!  Just make seven posts and preschedule it here (it's fairly easy to figure out so I'll let you do that)

Skip the Permalink Tab, because you don't need that, the Location Tab!  Also a cool tool, but doesn't do much.  By clicking on this, you can search up where you are and type in the name at the bottom.  I never put in my actual location, just NJ for New Jersey.  (be careful!  the ' symbol comes out as ')

Finally, the Options Tab.  I don't use this much but some people might so lets take a look.  Reader Comments: allow/don't allow.  Compose mode:  something about HTML???  Line breaks:  Use <br> tag (the line break button) or press enter for line breaks.  That's all.

That's all I got for today folks!  Tomorrow: Settings 101

Blogging Crash Course No. 2

So here we are...
Day number two of Lessons for the Incurable Un-Techincal.  Also known as Blogging Crash Course 101.  So down to business.

Tip o' the Day:  Include a photo
Always try to keep a photo in each post.  It's not totally nessacary or anything but it sparks interest and it makes it easier to attract readers.

Lesson o' the Day:  Making a post
Hmm, funnily enough thats what I'm doing right now!  How ironic...anywho.  Ahem.  Ok.

This is the general overview of a new post page.  As you might have guested, the big white square is where you type.  The line of icons at the top is the tool bar.  Above that is the POST TITLE.  This is a very important tool.  Remember that post list?  If you do all your posts the same title, or don't give them a title, then you don't have anyway to know what is what!

More about the tool bar.

Ok, first two icons (from left to right, with uses).  Undo, Redo.  Font. Size.  Title Type (I have no idea).  Bold.  Italics. Underline. Strikethrough. Font Color.  Highlight.  Now from there on things get more complicated.  A link will take you some where else (in this case, the get your own blog page)  Then there's the photo menu, the video menu, and the page

Blogging Crash Course No. 1

Before You Start!
Read this: Get Your Own blog (last in line when you look at the link tabs at top of this page)  Very important.  Thanks!

K, we got that covered?  Let's start.

Tip o' the Day:
Keep it simple.  If you need to vent, vent, but in short keep your posts simple and, if you want, simple.  Some times just a title and a photo will do.

Lesson of the Day - The tool bar

This is your secret administrators and authors only page.  It's where all that tech magic happens.  K, down to business.  First things first.  The orange button in the top left corner takes you to you blogger account (more about that, not today).  To the right of that, the "new post" button, then the "view posts" button (takes you to screen just like above this), then the "view blog" button (pretty straight forward).  To the far left is your blogger account pic.  To the left column (going top to bottom):  New Post, Overview (basic overview of stats), Posts - •All, •Draft posts, •Published Posts, Pages (Later), Comments (the same), Google+, Stats, Earnings, Campaigns, Layout, Template, Settings.  Then of course, your post list.  That's really easy to figure out.

There's today's lesson!  Thanks for reading.

Searching for YOU

From my personal writing journal, pg 4, by my (der)

I looked for u behind the bench
But she was no where to be found.
I looked for o down a vase,
Bu the didn't want to be seen.
I looked for y with my dog where she likes to nap,
But she was as gone as gone can be.
Then I bumped into someone.
And it turned out,
I had found them all;
It was you.

On Turning Ten

From "Poetry Speaks to Children", pg 88-89, by Billy Collins.

The whole idea of it makes me fell
like I'm coming down with something,
something worse than any stomach ache
or the headaches I get from reading in bad light-
a kind of measles of the spirit,
a mumps of the psyche,
a disfiguring chicken pox of the soul.

You tell my it is too early to be looking back,
but that is because you have forgotten
the perfect simplicity of being one
and the beautiful complexity introduced by two.
But I can lie on my bed and remember every digit,
At four I was an Arabian wizard.
I could make myself invisible
by drinking a glass of milk a certain way.
At seven I was soldier, at nin a prince.

But now I am mostly at the window,
watching the late afternoon light.
Back the it never fell so solemnly
against the side of my tree house,
and my bicycle never leaned against the garage
as it does today,
all of the dark blue speed drained out of it.

This is the beginning of sadness, I say to myself,
as I walk through the universe in my sneakers.
It is time to say good-bye to my imaginary friends,
time to turn the first big number.

It seems only yesterday I used to believe
there was nothing under my skin but light.
If you cut me open I would shine.
But now when I fall upon the sidewalks of life,
I skin my knees.  I bleed.

Halfway Down

From "Poetry Speaks to Children", pg 68, by A. A. Milne.
Halfway down the stairs
Is a stair
Where isn't any
Other stair
Quite like
It.
I'm not at the bottom,
I'm not at the top;
So this is the stair
Where
I always
Stop.

Halfway up the stairs
Isn't up,
And isn't down.
It isn't in the nursery,
It isn't in the town.
And all sorts of funny thoughts
Run round my head:
"It isn't really
Anywhere!
It's somewhere else
Instead!"

Write for your life af bratlife event

This isn't going to be the meatiest of posts because I'm writing on my moms mini iPad and the keyboard is really tiny.  so anyway, I'm starting an event called write for your life, here on af bratlife. It's more for my benefit than yours, because with the movers coming in two days this provides an excuse for pure making eighteen billion posts.

Basically, the idea is that I post a poem or short story every day.  Like a poem a day keeps the boredom  away.   And it starts today. Right now.

I have a list and this is the random pick for today:  from page 37, b, of, "poetry speaks to children", My Sister saw a Dinosaur (by Mary Ann Hoberman)

My sister saw a dinosaur.

At least she said she saw one,

I said that dinosaurs are dead.

She said she saw it in her head.

A dinosaur inside your head?

"Remarkable!" My mother said.