puzzlehunt
Kieran Snyder
team puzzle-solving event at microsoft. we had twelve people on our team,
mainly friends from around here. mario, who flew out specifically for the
event, was also in attendance.
the puzzles from this time aren't online yet, but you can see some examples
of previous puzzles to see what it's like here:
http://home.comcast.net/~plasticphilosopher
many of them are very, very difficult. they take hours to solve even with
several people working on them. if you try to work through a couple you'll
see pretty quickly.
we finished 13th out of 51 teams, which is really good for a team of 11
newcomers and only one veteran who has played once before. it was
sleep-deprived but super fun. we'll definitely play again.
it's really interesting observing the various social filters that reveal
themselves in an event like this. just being at microsoft is one kind of
social filter. then you have the people hanging out at microsoft who are
willing to spend their weekends on a 36 hour puzzle-solving event. then you
have the people who not only spend a weekend on a 36 hour puzzle-solving
event but who also WIN the event (and the top 4 teams were really in a class
by themselves) and who probably spent all of the last several weekends
practicing. it's amazing. all for the prize of simply getting to organize
the next hunt. (so far it's been the same 4-5 teams winning all the time.)
it was fun.
James Andrews
> this past weekend chris and i participated in a totally dorky
LOOK, IT'S NO FUN MAKING FUN YOUR DORKY ACTIVITIES IF YOU START OFF BY
POINTING OUT HOW DORKY THEY ARE.
> by themselves) and who probably spent all of the last several weekends
> practicing. it's amazing. all for the prize of simply getting to organize
> the next hunt. (so far it's been the same 4-5 teams winning all the time.)
>
> it was fun.
For some values of fun.
Kieran Snyder
>On Mon, 22 Mar 2004 17:54:01 +0000 (UTC), Kieran Snyder wrote:
>> this past weekend chris and i participated in a totally dorky
>
>
>LOOK, IT'S NO FUN MAKING FUN YOUR DORKY ACTIVITIES IF YOU START OFF BY
>POINTING OUT HOW DORKY THEY ARE.
the thing is i feel totally confident in my claim that we were BY FAR among
the least dorky of the dorky. (which may be like saying that we were the
tallest people with a height of three feet or less, but still.) especially
especially among the teams near the top of the pile.
what i mean is... i don't know what i mean.
>> by themselves) and who probably spent all of the last several weekends
>> practicing. it's amazing. all for the prize of simply getting to organize
>> the next hunt. (so far it's been the same 4-5 teams winning all the time.)
>>
>> it was fun.
>
>For some values of fun.
it really was. i was expecting it to be less fun than it was. i think next
time we'll do even better now that we have some experience. a lot of people
on our team had never even looked at examples of previous puzzles before.
i still like puzzle safari better (the event that chris and pankaj and i did
last summer along with another friend from out here where the puzzles are
shorter and easier and the answers are locations on campus and you need to
run (no wheeled vehicles) from location to location hunting for stamps) but
this was fun too.
the best thing about microsoft is its dorky employees who volunteer to
organize events like this.
Ian Kaplan
> of previous puzzles to see what it's like here:
>
> http://home.comcast.net/~plasticphilosopher
They look pretty amusing. Pity you had to descend into the den of iniquity
to do them. What are the rules like? What is a typical number of puzzles
to solve successfully?
--
"Lies make the Lord of Battles cry." --'Icewind Dale'
greg 's pernicious hangnail
I'd say WEDGIE but it would be redundant. And I'm dorky enough to
actually think this would be fun.
But me? What do i do? I try bikram yoga (the kind in a hot room).
Actually a damn good workout, and some of the poses will be good for
strengthening my knees. Supposedly the founder of bikram style had knee
issues and this helped him. So said the instructor for the session
today.
g
Kieran Snyder
>Kieran Snyder (kmsn...@babel.ling.upenn.edu) wrote:
>> of previous puzzles to see what it's like here:
>>
>> http://home.comcast.net/~plasticphilosopher
>
>They look pretty amusing. Pity you had to descend into the den of iniquity
>to do them. What are the rules like? What is a typical number of puzzles
>to solve successfully?
it's all very informal. teams of 8-12 people, at least 4 of whom have to be
ms employees (i think we had 5 who were and 7 who were not). you can use
anything you can get your hands on to help solve. i think we had about 40
puzzles total, given to us in 4 waves. a few of those are metapuzzles, which
use the answers from all the other puzzles as inputs to produce some output.
you combine the results of the metapuzzles to get the final answer. the hunt
ends when someone has solved the final puzzle. you get bonuses for being
among the first three teams to solve any given puzzle, and they keep you
updated on the website over the course of the hunt about which puzzles have
been solved and by how many teams. they also provide certain hints as the
hunt goes on. often one of the hardest things about a puzzle is figuring out
what the puzzle is asking, since they come with no directions. they might
just be a list of words or a picture of someone's hand painted in a certain
way.
the winning team solved (i think) 32 puzzles. we solved (i think) 23. the
lowest placing team solved 2. so it's a pretty big range.
i think it would totally be your kind of thing, ian. i mean that as a
compliment.
Ian Kaplan
>
> i think it would totally be your kind of thing, ian. i mean that as a
> compliment.
And I take it as one. It is indeed my kind of thing, although I'm not a
supergood team player when puzzling.
--
"If this sticker looks blue, you're driving too fast." --A red bumper sticker
Kieran Snyder
>Kieran Snyder (kmsn...@babel.ling.upenn.edu) wrote:
>>
>> i think it would totally be your kind of thing, ian. i mean that as a
>> compliment.
>
>And I take it as one. It is indeed my kind of thing, although I'm not a
>supergood team player when puzzling.
i felt like it used both individual and team skills, for pretty much
everyone. there was some work it was most efficient to do individually, and
there were other pieces of puzzles that were so complicated that it was
really very helpful to have other people's input before proceeding. i can't
think of a single puzzle that was solved by one person alone. everything had
at least 4-5 people helping out at some point.
if swarat ends up out here next summer he should do the intern puzzle event,
which also sounds very cool (the solutions are locations all over the puget
sound region, so it's sort of a combination puzzle event/road trip). one of
the guys on our team is involved with organizing that.
James Andrews
>> it was fun.
>
> I'd say WEDGIE but it would be redundant. And I'm dorky enough to
> actually think this would be fun.
And again I ask, what am I doing here?
Kieran Snyder
aww you love us.
Jennifer Erica Sweda
ieran Snyder <kmsn...@babel.ling.upenn.edu> wrote:
>been solved and by how many teams. they also provide certain hints as the
>hunt goes on. often one of the hardest things about a puzzle is figuring out
>what the puzzle is asking, since they come with no directions. they might
>just be a list of words or a picture of someone's hand painted in a certain
>way.
>
>the winning team solved (i think) 32 puzzles. we solved (i think) 23. the
>lowest placing team solved 2. so it's a pretty big range.
>
>i think it would totally be your kind of thing, ian. i mean that as a
>compliment.
i have heard liberrians are good at this b/c of the knowledge sources.
knowing where to go, i mean. also, sex appeal.
James Andrews
hahaha of course I do! It's not the people, it's the environment of nerdy
popcultureness on this specific group. That I don't get the jokes. I
interact much better with you guys on a place where we talk about the
things I'm interested in. You know, like corporate welfare, the situation
in Israel, international politics, you know, the good stuff.
Jennifer Erica Sweda
James Andrews <mrbi...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>hahaha of course I do! It's not the people, it's the environment of nerdy
>popcultureness on this specific group. That I don't get the jokes. I
>interact much better with you guys on a place where we talk about the
>things I'm interested in. You know, like corporate welfare, the situation
>in Israel, international politics, you know, the good stuff.
buttsex.
Kieran Snyder
i think a puzzle-oriented librarian would be a big asset.
we had about 7 or 8 laptops for 12 people. i think having more laptops would
also have been helpful.
greg 's pernicious hangnail
> i think a puzzle-oriented librarian should have a big ass
Kieran Snyder
opposite day was one of the themes of the hunt yesterday.
Jennifer Erica Sweda
i was thinking: does this laptop make my asset look big?
i think mine makes more sense. but it's just easier to let you make my
jokes and change my bedpan.
Jim Kriebel
kmsn...@babel.ling.upenn.edu (Kieran Snyder) wrote:
> James Andrews <mrbi...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> >On Mon, 22 Mar 2004 19:02:41 +0000 (UTC), Kieran Snyder wrote:
> >> James Andrews <mrbi...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> >>>On Mon, 22 Mar 2004 13:32:37 -0500, greg 's pernicious hangnail wrote:
> >>>
> >>>>> it was fun.
> >>>>
> >>>> I'd say WEDGIE but it would be redundant. And I'm dorky enough to
> >>>> actually think this would be fun.
> >>>
> >>>And again I ask, what am I doing here?
> >>
> >> aww you love us.
> >
> >
> >hahaha of course I do! It's not the people, it's the environment of nerdy
> >popcultureness on this specific group. That I don't get the jokes. I
> >interact much better with you guys on a place where we talk about the
> >things I'm interested in. You know, like corporate welfare, the situation
> >in Israel, international politics, you know, the good stuff.
>
> opposite day was one of the themes of the hunt yesterday.
The question:
Is today opposite day?
Can only have one truthful answer.
noly,
Jim
David Bowie
: On Mon, 22 Mar 2004 13:32:37 -0500, greg 's pernicious hangnail wrote:
:: Kieran wrote:
::: it was fun.
:: I'd say WEDGIE but it would be redundant. And I'm dorky enough to
:: actually think this would be fun.
: And again I ask, what am I doing here?
Mocking the rest of us. I thought you knew that.
David, who would have enjoyed puzzlehunt way too much
--
David Bowie http://pmpkn.net/lx
Jeanne's Two Laws of Chocolate: If there is no chocolate in the
house, there is too little; some must be purchased. If there is
chocolate in the house, there is too much; it must be consumed.
Kieran Snyder
>And on that day, James Andrews chanted:
>: On Mon, 22 Mar 2004 13:32:37 -0500, greg 's pernicious hangnail wrote:
>:: Kieran wrote:
>
>::: it was fun.
>
>:: I'd say WEDGIE but it would be redundant. And I'm dorky enough to
>:: actually think this would be fun.
>
>: And again I ask, what am I doing here?
>
>Mocking the rest of us. I thought you knew that.
>
>David, who would have enjoyed puzzlehunt way too much
one of the puzzles was a page-long IPA cryptogram!
which we didn't get bc i only saw the puzzle with a couple hours to spare
and put my efforts elsewhere. i was mad i hadn't looked at it in more detail
the night before. it was hard but doable.
man.
James Andrews
> David Bowie <db....@pmpkn.net> wrote:
>>And on that day, James Andrews chanted:
>>: On Mon, 22 Mar 2004 13:32:37 -0500, greg 's pernicious hangnail wrote:
>>:: Kieran wrote:
>>
>>::: it was fun.
>>
>>:: I'd say WEDGIE but it would be redundant. And I'm dorky enough to
>>:: actually think this would be fun.
>>
>>: And again I ask, what am I doing here?
>>
>>Mocking the rest of us. I thought you knew that.
>>
>>David, who would have enjoyed puzzlehunt way too much
>
> one of the puzzles was a page-long IPA cryptogram!
>
India Pale Ale?
scott paulson
isopropyl alcohol
Jennifer Erica Sweda
James Andrews <mrbi...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>
>
>India Pale Ale?
you need to go back to the buttsex newsgroup.
in grade school, we had some 'take out a blank sheet of paper' test
about grammar that asked the world's toughest questions. and we started
filling in answers furiously (wrong ones, of course, but we were under
a time limit) and then when we got to the bottom, the last question
was: put down your pencils. there is no test.
and the point of it was to always read all instructions/all questions
before the test. and i fucked it up. but lisa sat there w/o her pencil,
with a satisfied smile on her face. I hated that lisa.
Kieran Snyder
>in grade school, we had some 'take out a blank sheet of paper' test
>about grammar that asked the world's toughest questions. and we started
>filling in answers furiously (wrong ones, of course, but we were under
>a time limit) and then when we got to the bottom, the last question
>was: put down your pencils. there is no test.
>
>and the point of it was to always read all instructions/all questions
>before the test. and i fucked it up. but lisa sat there w/o her pencil,
>with a satisfied smile on her face. I hated that lisa.
we had something like that every year in the "following directions" unit in
our reading class. some kids fell for it every single year.
Jennifer Erica Sweda
bastards!
i had to go back, stealth erase everything, and play it cool like: oh,
yeah, i got it.
(we only did it once. i'm still bitter)
Kieran, ever play the board game DIPLOMACY?
Ian Kaplan
Radical education theorists like myself would have some unkind words for
this sort of thing.
Hey, am I the only one who learned IPA in seventh grade?
--
"If you only know the power of the pants!" --Vader
Ian Kaplan
> bastards!
> i had to go back, stealth erase everything, and play it cool like: oh,
> yeah, i got it.
>
> (we only did it once. i'm still bitter)
>
> Kieran, ever play the board game DIPLOMACY?
I'm sure Kimberly has. Also me.
--
"I'm not looking for pants, I'm looking for a Jedi Master!" --Luke
Jennifer Erica Sweda
Ian Kaplan <i...@force.stwing.upenn.edu> wrote:
>I'm sure Kimberly has. Also me.
>
Is it something?
Kieran Snyder
>Hey, am I the only one who learned IPA in seventh grade?
i formally learned IPA in my second linguistics class in college. i sort of
knew it before then, but i don't know why. just from reading i guess. i
definitely never learned it in school.
Kieran Snyder
>Kieran, ever play the board game DIPLOMACY?
no. i've heard of it but i don't know what it is.
Jennifer Erica Sweda
i think it's like WWI survivor, in europe.
John Hogan
So would that make it International Phonetic Alphabet? (Won't somebody
think of the Jas?)
John Hogan
Biddle Law Library/AFSCME Local 590
Kieran Snyder
yep.
i'm trying to figure out why anyone would teach it in a seventh grade
classroom.
Ian Kaplan
>
> yep.
>
> i'm trying to figure out why anyone would teach it in a seventh grade
> classroom.
So were we. Not, of course, the full set of all symbols.
I went to a very strange high school, really.
--
"Good, I hate long pants." --Han
Kieran Snyder
>Kieran Snyder (kmsn...@babel.ling.upenn.edu) wrote:
>So were we. Not, of course, the full set of all symbols.
>
>I went to a very strange high school, really.
don't get me wrong -- i think there are certain parts of linguistics that
should be standardly taught in high schools. the study of certain areas of
syntax is really helpful in the study of foreign languages and in
solidifying writing skills.
i guess i can imagine that IPA could be useful in a similar way, to help
with the study of foreign languages, but i don't see it as useful enough to
take time enough to include in a standard curriculum.
Miss Kimberly
: Jennifer Erica Sweda (jes...@pobox.upenn.edu) wrote:
: > bastards!
: > i had to go back, stealth erase everything, and play it cool like: oh,
: > yeah, i got it.
: >
: > (we only did it once. i'm still bitter)
: >
: > Kieran, ever play the board game DIPLOMACY?
: I'm sure Kimberly has. Also me.
The internet can be misleading. Although I kind of participated in an
email version of diplomacy one time ever (i say "kind of" because it was
my first time playing ever, so didn't understand it so much, and lost
interest pretty quickly, so most of my moves were largely influenced
[almost dictated, even] by a friend of mine who loved the game), I've
never actually sat down to play the board game.
Kimberly
--
"I'm the dowager empress on this group and I've been at Penn longer
than you've been alive." -Karen Byrd
Jennifer Erica Sweda
, Miss Kimberly <kimb...@mail1.sas.upenn.edu> wrote:
>
>The internet can be misleading. Although I kind of participated in an
>email version of diplomacy one time ever (i say "kind of" because it was
>my first time playing ever, so didn't understand it so much, and lost
>interest pretty quickly, so most of my moves were largely influenced
>[almost dictated, even] by a friend of mine who loved the game), I've
>never actually sat down to play the board game.
>
>Kimberly
>
so you didnt think it was anything, then.
James Andrews
I'm sticking with India Pale Ale. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm hop devil
Ian Kaplan
>
> The internet can be misleading. Although I kind of participated in an
> email version of diplomacy one time ever (i say "kind of" because it was
> my first time playing ever, so didn't understand it so much, and lost
> interest pretty quickly, so most of my moves were largely influenced
> [almost dictated, even] by a friend of mine who loved the game), I've
> never actually sat down to play the board game.
I'm surprised. What's the internet got to do with it?
--
"But I can't chain rule Cookie Monster!" --Anna Bracewell
Ian Kaplan
>
> i guess i can imagine that IPA could be useful in a similar way, to help
> with the study of foreign languages, but i don't see it as useful enough to
> take time enough to include in a standard curriculum.
We never even used it in that fashion. Indeed, we never used it at all.
Mysteries.
--
"We have stolen small Imperial pants. Disguised as cargo pants and using a
secret Imperial code, a strike team will land on the moon and deactivate the
shield generator." --Madine
Kieran Snyder
>Kieran Snyder (kmsn...@babel.ling.upenn.edu) wrote:
>>
>> i guess i can imagine that IPA could be useful in a similar way, to help
>> with the study of foreign languages, but i don't see it as useful enough to
>> take time enough to include in a standard curriculum.
>
>We never even used it in that fashion. Indeed, we never used it at all.
>Mysteries.
if only you'd been at puzzlehunt!
Miss Kimberly
I do think it is something. But circumstances didn't allow for me to pay
it the attention it deserved that time I tried playing it.
Miss Kimberly
: Miss Kimberly (kimb...@mail1.sas.upenn.edu) wrote:
: >
: > The internet can be misleading. Although I kind of participated in an
: > email version of diplomacy one time ever (i say "kind of" because it was
: > my first time playing ever, so didn't understand it so much, and lost
: > interest pretty quickly, so most of my moves were largely influenced
: > [almost dictated, even] by a friend of mine who loved the game), I've
: > never actually sat down to play the board game.
: I'm surprised. What's the internet got to do with it?
Oh. Because if you google "Kimberly Klimczuk," the first site to come up
is "Diplomacy Game 1998".
Ian Kaplan
'Coz I remember it really well. Sure.
--
"Everything passes away -- suffering, pain, blood, hunger, pestilence. The
sword will pass away too, but the stars will still remain when the shadows of
our presence and our deeds have vanished from the earth. There is no man who
does not know that. Why, then, will we not turn our eyes toward the stars?
Why?" --Mikhail Bulgakov, "The White Guard"
Jennifer Erica Sweda
>: Miss Kimberly (kimb...@mail1.sas.upenn.edu) wrote:
>: >
>: > The internet can be misleading. Although I kind of participated in an
>: > email version of diplomacy one time ever (i say "kind of" because it was
>: > my first time playing ever, so didn't understand it so much, and lost
>: > interest pretty quickly, so most of my moves were largely influenced
>: > [almost dictated, even] by a friend of mine who loved the game), I've
>: > never actually sat down to play the board game.
>
>: I'm surprised. What's the internet got to do with it?
>
>Oh. Because if you google "Kimberly Klimczuk," the first site to come up
>is "Diplomacy Game 1998".
>
>Kimberly
>
David Bowie
<snip>
: in grade school, we had some 'take out a blank sheet of paper' test
: about grammar that asked the world's toughest questions. and we
: started filling in answers furiously (wrong ones, of course, but we
: were under a time limit) and then when we got to the bottom, the last
: question was: put down your pencils. there is no test.
: and the point of it was to always read all instructions/all questions
: before the test. and i fucked it up. but lisa sat there w/o her
: pencil, with a satisfied smile on her face. I hated that lisa.
I had one of those tests, and spent a considerable amount of energy
proving that there was, indeed, a test, and so any claim that there was
not a test was inherently internally contradictory, proving that the
teacher hadn't given us enough guidance to be able to complete the
assignment.
I got beat up a lot in middle school.
--
David Bowie http://pmpkn.net/lx
Jeanne's Two Laws of Chocolate: If there is no chocolate in the
house, there is too little; some must be purchased. If there is
chocolate in the house, there is too much; it must be consumed.
David Bowie
: Ian Kaplan <i...@force.stwing.upenn.edu> wrote:
:: Hey, am I the only one who learned IPA in seventh grade?
Yes, unless you count self-taught language nerds.
: i formally learned IPA in my second linguistics class in college. i
: sort of knew it before then, but i don't know why. just from reading
: i guess. i definitely never learned it in school.
Reading dictionaries--that's why the IPA was generally easy for me.
Jennifer Erica Sweda
David Bowie <db....@pmpkn.net> wrote:
>And on that day, Jennifer Erica Sweda chanted:
>
><snip>
>
>: in grade school, we had some 'take out a blank sheet of paper' test
>: about grammar that asked the world's toughest questions. and we
>: started filling in answers furiously (wrong ones, of course, but we
>: were under a time limit) and then when we got to the bottom, the last
>: question was: put down your pencils. there is no test.
>
>: and the point of it was to always read all instructions/all questions
>: before the test. and i fucked it up. but lisa sat there w/o her
>: pencil, with a satisfied smile on her face. I hated that lisa.
>
>I had one of those tests, and spent a considerable amount of energy
>proving that there was, indeed, a test, and so any claim that there was
>not a test was inherently internally contradictory, proving that the
>teacher hadn't given us enough guidance to be able to complete the
>assignment.
>
>I got beat up a lot in middle school.
I just cheated my ass off and smelled like a rose. To this day, I
still dont' read instructions first. INstructions are for SUCKERS!
In 2nd grade, I also cheated on my higher multiplication tables b/c I
wanted that gold star that the teacher would put onto our half-sheets
of paper. And you know what? I still have no idea for the tables
higher than 6 or 7 in most cases. It's a surprise every single time I
multiply 7 x 9, for example. To this day. I do feel pretty bad about
that one just b/c it's TRUE that it came back to bite me in the ass.
Ian Kaplan
>: sort of knew it before then, but i don't know why. just from reading
>: i guess. i definitely never learned it in school.
>
> Reading dictionaries--that's why the IPA was generally easy for me.
I'm the opposite - dictionaries are the only reason I remember some of the
IPA I was taught...
--
"I feel as if I can take on the pants all by myself!" -Dack
James Andrews
>
> I had one of those tests, and spent a considerable amount of energy
> proving that there was, indeed, a test, and so any claim that there was
> not a test was inherently internally contradictory, proving that the
> teacher hadn't given us enough guidance to be able to complete the
> assignment.
>
> I got beat up a lot in middle school.
haha no shit, I have the urge to beat you up right now!
but only in a caring, sharing and giving sort of way.
Jennifer Erica Sweda
, James Andrews <mrbi...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> I got beat up a lot in middle school.
>
>
>haha no shit, I have the urge to beat you up right now!
>
>but only in a caring, sharing and giving sort of way.
I wanna beat him up in a stop, drop and roll kinda way.
John Hogan
> Miss Kimberly (kimb...@mail1.sas.upenn.edu) wrote:
>
>>The internet can be misleading. Although I kind of participated in an
>>email version of diplomacy one time ever (i say "kind of" because it was
>>my first time playing ever, so didn't understand it so much, and lost
>>interest pretty quickly, so most of my moves were largely influenced
>>[almost dictated, even] by a friend of mine who loved the game), I've
>>never actually sat down to play the board game.
>
>
> I'm surprised. What's the internet got to do with it?
Awwww Ian's acting like he never stalked Kimberly!
Ian Kaplan
> Ian Kaplan wrote:
>>
>> I'm surprised. What's the internet got to do with it?
>
> Awwww Ian's acting like he never stalked Kimberly!
It's not stalking if you DON'T GET CAUGHT.
--
"You are unwise to lower your pants." --Vader
greg 's pernicious hangnail
First thing I thought of. The Titanic Brewing Company on UM's campus has
a cask conditioned IPA on tap. I should go get some.
g (burp)
David Bowie
:: David Bowie wrote:
::: I got beat up a lot in middle school.
:: haha no shit, I have the urge to beat you up right now!
:: but only in a caring, sharing and giving sort of way.
: I wanna beat him up in a stop, drop and roll kinda way.
Cooties!
Jennifer Erica Sweda
David Bowie <db....@pmpkn.net> wrote:
>
>: I wanna beat him up in a stop, drop and roll kinda way.
>
>Cooties!
My best friend once started the Anti-Jennifer Sweda Club. He enrolled
members, and printed up nametags. Ah, grade school.
Ok, this was last week. WHATEVER.
Matthew N Van Kouwenberg
<jes...@pobox.upenn.edu> wrote:
>
>My best friend once started the Anti-Jennifer Sweda Club. He enrolled
>members, and printed up nametags. Ah, grade school.
no, it's the no-jennifer swedas club, so we can have one
Jennifer Erica Sweda
Matthew N Van Kouwenberg <mn...@mail.med.upenn.edu> wrote:
>
>no, it's the no-jennifer swedas club, so we can have one
I think y'all already have one!
James Andrews
sign me up!
Jennifer Erica Sweda
Your namebadge will arrive in the mail in 3 to 5 business days. Be sure
to mock my performance on the monkey bars during recess.
greg 's pernicious hangnail
> Matthew N Van Kouwenberg <mn...@mail.med.upenn.edu> wrote:
> >no, it's the no-jennifer swedas club, so we can have one
> I think y'all already have one!
Hence the problem. You see.
g
Jennifer Erica Sweda
yes, yes, I see. I'm a bad seed and a negative contribution here, no
doubt.
greg 's pernicious hangnail
> greg 's pernicious hangnail <*@*.org> wrote:
> >Jennifer Erica Sweda wrote:
> >> Matthew N Van Kouwenberg <mn...@mail.med.upenn.edu> wrote:
> >> >no, it's the no-jennifer swedas club, so we can have one
> >
> >> I think y'all already have one!
> >
> >Hence the problem. You see.
> yes, yes, I see. I'm a bad seed and a negative contribution here, no
> doubt.
An evil doer who must be rooted out and squashed like a bug! An infidel
who has betrayed the cause!
I'm listening to the 9/11 comission testimony today. Some of it, like
the guy who was on at about 9:00am, was fascinating. The back story from
the late 1980s and thru the 1990s, negotiations with the Taliban and the
Saudis.
g
Jennifer Erica Sweda
greg 's pernicious hangnail <*@*.org> wrote:
>An evil doer who must be rooted out and squashed like a bug! An infidel
>who has betrayed the cause!
well later, when my attendant pushes my wheelchair into the mosque,
yuou know what to do.
greg 's pernicious hangnail
> greg 's pernicious hangnail <*@*.org> wrote:
> >An evil doer who must be rooted out and squashed like a bug! An infidel
> >who has betrayed the cause!
> well later, when my attendant pushes my wheelchair into the mosque,
> yuou know what to do.
Helicopter gunships at high noon, followed by slow, sarcastic clapping.
g
Ian Kaplan
But in this case, if we lose seven or eight other afksers in collateral
damage, there will be no newsgroup left.
--
"Into the pants, flyboy!" --Leia
Kieran Snyder
>My best friend once started the Anti-Jennifer Sweda Club. He enrolled
>members, and printed up nametags. Ah, grade school.
with friends like that...
were you a member?
Jennifer Erica Sweda
No. I remember it being a really awful, ostracizing thing. How could
anyone be so mean? Especially a best friend? We stayed best friends
'til college though (save that unpleasant jr. high period). Everyone
used to make fun of him b/c they thought he was gay (this was in early
grade school though. How odd). I always stuck up for him. But i do
believe he is now as gay as the day is long. And gay all day long, too.
Jim Kriebel
Homer: It is. It's been happening to me all my life.
[flashback to kids climbing into a treefort]
Boy: Hey Billy! Hey Joey! Come on in. There's plenty of room.
Sorry, not you, Homer.
Homer: Why not?
[boy points to sign, "No Homers Club"]
But you let in Homer Glumplich.
Homer G.: [pops head out window] Hyuck hyuck!
Boy: It says no Homer_s_. We're allowed to have one.
Homer: Oh...
[back to the present]
Homer: I felt so left out.
Marge: Kids can be so cruel.
Bart: [walking by] We can? Thanks, Mom!
Lisa: [from another room] Ow! Cut it out, Bart!
greatly,
Jim
David Bowie
: Homer: It is. It's been happening to me all my life.
I initially read this as "Humor. It's been happening to me all my life."
<snip>
Adela K Smith
: On Tue, 23 Mar 2004 17:02:15 +0000 (UTC),
: Kieran Snyder <kmsn...@babel.ling.upenn.edu> wrote:
: >Jennifer Erica Sweda <jes...@pobox.upenn.edu> wrote:
: >
: >>My best friend once started the Anti-Jennifer Sweda Club. He enrolled
: >>members, and printed up nametags. Ah, grade school.
: >
: >with friends like that...
: >
: >were you a member?
: No. I remember it being a really awful, ostracizing thing. How could
: anyone be so mean? Especially a best friend? We stayed best friends
I feel for you. My best friend Roxanne (bitch name, so obvious) told
everyone I had AIDS. This was during the whole Ryan White thing. Insane.
I'll be your best friend, Jennifer.
Jennifer Erica Sweda
Adela K Smith <ade...@mail2.sas.upenn.edu> wrote:
>
>: No. I remember it being a really awful, ostracizing thing. How could
>: anyone be so mean? Especially a best friend? We stayed best friends
>
>
>I feel for you. My best friend Roxanne (bitch name, so obvious) told
>everyone I had AIDS. This was during the whole Ryan White thing. Insane.
>I'll be your best friend, Jennifer.
>
Aww, thanks adela. that's kind of you. wanna play 4-square at recess?
i'll go over and reserve the good court.
At my 10th year HS reunion (to which I did not go), my friends told
everyone that I could make it, because I was having 'an operation.' Or
rather, 'the kind of operation you can only have in Sweden' wink wink.
I kid you not. But i found that pretty damned funny, so it was all
good.
Jennifer Erica Sweda
>At my 10th year HS reunion (to which I did not go), my friends told
>everyone that I could make it, because I was having 'an operation.' Or
d'oh. that i could NOT make it, obviously.
my bad.
Jim Kriebel
jes...@pobox.upenn.edu (Jennifer Erica Sweda) wrote:
Because of the operation.
wellokthenly,
Jim
Jennifer Erica Sweda
Jim Kriebel <kriebel...@obgyn.upenn.edu> wrote:
>
>
>Because of the operation.
>
>
>wellokthenly,
>Jim
exactly. it's pretty funny, don't you think? not as funny as people
flying from california to lombard illinois to spend 3 hours in a
banquet room full of people they knew 10 years ago, but funny.
Kieran Snyder
>: >>My best friend once started the Anti-Jennifer Sweda Club. He enrolled
>: >>members, and printed up nametags. Ah, grade school.
>I feel for you. My best friend Roxanne (bitch name, so obvious) told
>everyone I had AIDS. This was during the whole Ryan White thing. Insane.
>I'll be your best friend, Jennifer.
when i was in grade school all the kids used to send each other valentines.
you know, each kid would send them to everyone in the class. but sometimes
kids would get EXTRA-SPECIAL valentines from people who LIKED liked them,
you know?
so one year i sent myself a secret admirer valentine as a sort of joke
(speaking of lame -- i can't believe i'm posting this in a public forum) and
my BEST FRIEND, who had the same name as my sister but who was not my sister
because my sister was like three then, and WHOSE IDEA the whole thing had
been in the first place, TOLD EVERYONE I HAD DONE THAT. and i waited all
through the day, looking at the valentine box like it was some kind of
timebomb, just ticking painful seconds away. but whew! at recess i managed
to sneak inside and fish the valentine out of the box before they were all
delivered at the vday party.
and then didn't she look stupid when i didn't get any secret admirer
valentines.
Zenith Nadir
>>Because of the operation.
>>
>>
>>wellokthenly,
>>Jim
>
>
> exactly. it's pretty funny, don't you think? not as funny as people
they must have all been expecting it, really. since they had the
anti-jennifer erica sweda club so many years prior to the operation,
instead of using whatever your original name was.
Jennifer Erica Sweda
Kieran Snyder <kmsn...@babel.ling.upenn.edu> wrote:
>
>and then didn't she look stupid when i didn't get any secret admirer
>valentines.
Score one for you. That's good.
My hs had this 'send a carnation for a dollar' fundraiser and it became
a big deal, lots of jockeying for position and exposure, etc. etc. This
guy i liked terribly (if you'd known marc, you would've agreed with me)
said: Hey, Jen, uh...thanks for the flower: all sheepishly to me in
math class. Only---you guessed it, i hadn't sent him any flower. My
friends had, in my name. With a not-too-chaste message on the
accompanying heart. And i felt so bad for him--b/c it's never nice to
pull others in to your practical jokes. But at least he thanked me
(since i don't think he liked me, he could easily just have ignored me.
Like Ray).
oh marc lee, you were one dreamy, dreamy motherfucker. I still have
your bracelet and your sweater!
David Bowie
: when i was in grade school all the kids used to send each other
: valentines. you know, each kid would send them to everyone in the
: class. but sometimes kids would get EXTRA-SPECIAL valentines from
: people who LIKED liked them, you know?
:
: so one year i sent myself a secret admirer valentine as a sort of joke
: (speaking of lame -- i can't believe i'm posting this in a public
: forum)...
I can.
Jennifer Erica Sweda
i'm sure this is funny, but i don't get it, sorry.
David Bowie
: Jennifer Erica Sweda wrote:
:: Jim wrote:
::: Because of the operation.
:: exactly. it's pretty funny, don't you think? not as funny as people
: they must have all been expecting it, really. since they had the
: anti-jennifer erica sweda club so many years prior to the operation,
: instead of using whatever your original name was.
This is one of the best thread circles i've read in a long time.
James Andrews
> Adela K Smith <ade...@mail2.sas.upenn.edu> wrote:
>>Jennifer Erica Sweda (jes...@pobox.upenn.edu) wrote:
>>: >>My best friend once started the Anti-Jennifer Sweda Club. He enrolled
>>: >>members, and printed up nametags. Ah, grade school.
>
>>I feel for you. My best friend Roxanne (bitch name, so obvious) told
>>everyone I had AIDS. This was during the whole Ryan White thing. Insane.
>>I'll be your best friend, Jennifer.
>
> when i was in grade school all the kids used to send each other valentines.
> you know, each kid would send them to everyone in the class. but sometimes
> kids would get EXTRA-SPECIAL valentines from people who LIKED liked them,
> you know?
>
> so one year i sent myself a secret admirer valentine as a sort of joke
suuuuuuure it was a joke. don't worry, we all like you now!
Jennifer Erica Sweda
, James Andrews <mrbi...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> so one year i sent myself a secret admirer valentine as a sort of joke
>
>
>
>suuuuuuure it was a joke. don't worry, we all like you now!
if/when i ever did anything like this (i never sent myself something
but i have sent other people things w/o names attached!) i never told a
soul, not even my best friend. That way...
David Bowie
<snip>
: oh marc lee, you were one dreamy, dreamy motherfucker. I still have
: your bracelet and your sweater!
"The sweater" song flashback!
(And that's the cool Cadell Meryn one, not the Weezer one that got
overplayed a few years ago.)
Jennifer Erica Sweda
David Bowie <db....@pmpkn.net> wrote:
>And on that day, Jennifer Erica Sweda chanted:
>
>
><snip>
>
>: oh marc lee, you were one dreamy, dreamy motherfucker. I still have
>: your bracelet and your sweater!
>
>"The sweater" song flashback!
>
>(And that's the cool Cadell Meryn one, not the Weezer one that got
>overplayed a few years ago.)
>
Oh, and I have your twin brother's mix tapes that he made me, too.
Is it wrong to still have crushes on them?
Jim Kriebel
James Andrews <mrbi...@hotmail.com> wrote:
wink wink.
nudgenudgely,
Jim
David Bowie
:: And on that day, Jennifer Erica Sweda chanted:
::: oh marc lee, you were one dreamy, dreamy motherfucker. I still have
::: your bracelet and your sweater!
:: "The sweater" song flashback!
:: (And that's the cool Cadell Meryn one, not the Weezer one that got
:: overplayed a few years ago.)
: Oh, and I have your twin brother's mix tapes that he made me, too.
: Is it wrong to still have crushes on them?
I'm pretty sure that, at least according to most belief systems, having
crushes on mix tapes is at best unnatural, and almost certainly wrong.
Adela K Smith
: when i was in grade school all the kids used to send each other valentines.
: you know, each kid would send them to everyone in the class. but sometimes
: kids would get EXTRA-SPECIAL valentines from people who LIKED liked them,
: you know?
: so one year i sent myself a secret admirer valentine as a sort of joke
Dude, I totally sent a valentine to myself once. From a mysterious person
who wanted me to know that Steven, the boy I had a crush on, had a crush
on me. I thought the power of suggestion alone would work on him. The
valentine said something - in totally disguised handwriting - like:
I know someone who has a crush on you. Unscramble the letters to find the
answer: ETVENS
It didn't work until two years later. He asked me to come watch him play
soccer, but I panicked and I said I couldn't come because I had to help
my mom get groceries. Aw, man. Dork city.
Ian Kaplan
>
>
> Dude, I totally sent a valentine to myself once. From a mysterious person
> who wanted me to know that Steven, the boy I had a crush on, had a crush
> on me. I thought the power of suggestion alone would work on him.
Voodoo valentines! I love it!
--
"Who's there?" --Han "Someone who loves pants." --Leia
Jennifer Erica Sweda
>who wanted me to know that Steven, the boy I had a crush on, had a crush
>on me. I thought the power of suggestion alone would work on him. The
>valentine said something - in totally disguised handwriting - like:
>
>I know someone who has a crush on you. Unscramble the letters to find the
>answer: ETVENS
>
>It didn't work until two years later. He asked me to come watch him play
>soccer, but I panicked and I said I couldn't come because I had to help
>my mom get groceries. Aw, man. Dork city.
These messages are so unbelievably reassuring. NOw I know that I'm not
the biggest dork in the world (not suggesting you are either, just
sayin'...) I had a huge crush on zack, the quiet kid everyone made fun
of, who always had his nose buried in a book. So i wrote this crazy
note with parts missing (like specifics) on bright pink paper and left
it for him, anonymously, under his chair (already upside down on his
desk) one day after school. He came right to me after reading it (how
he knew it was from me i'll never know), and told me he dug me too. And
he shared part of his candy bar. And then he moved to Texas. Like, that
weekend. No time to bask in that glow. DO OVER.
Kieran Snyder
>
>: when i was in grade school all the kids used to send each other valentines.
>: you know, each kid would send them to everyone in the class. but sometimes
>: kids would get EXTRA-SPECIAL valentines from people who LIKED liked them,
>: you know?
>
>: so one year i sent myself a secret admirer valentine as a sort of joke
>
>
>Dude, I totally sent a valentine to myself once. From a mysterious person
>who wanted me to know that Steven, the boy I had a crush on, had a crush
>on me. I thought the power of suggestion alone would work on him. The
>valentine said something - in totally disguised handwriting - like:
could we be any more kindred? i mean really. (i disguised my handwriting
too.)
>I know someone who has a crush on you. Unscramble the letters to find the
>answer: ETVENS
HAHAHAHAHA.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
dying.
>It didn't work until two years later. He asked me to come watch him play
>soccer, but I panicked and I said I couldn't come because I had to help
>my mom get groceries. Aw, man. Dork city.
awww my first crush came to watch me play softball once. it was the game in
which i hit my only home run! and he went to school the next day and told
everyone how great i was.
one year i wrote a matchmaking program in BASIC for a science fair project.
it matched people in our class with other people in our class based on
their answers to a few questions about their interests. only it was very
mysterious, because no matter how the questions were answered, it always
matched kieran up with carl and carl up with kieran! everyone was amazed and
thought it was cosmically significant. (in related news, everyone was
stupid. and we were in fourth grade.)
talk about dork city.
Jennifer Erica Sweda
Kieran Snyder <kmsn...@babel.ling.upenn.edu> wrote:
>
>one year i wrote a matchmaking program in BASIC for a science fair project.
>it matched people in our class with other people in our class based on
>their answers to a few questions about their interests. only it was very
>mysterious, because no matter how the questions were answered, it always
>matched kieran up with carl and carl up with kieran! everyone was amazed and
>thought it was cosmically significant. (in related news, everyone was
>stupid. and we were in fourth grade.)
>
>talk about dork city.
Yeah, i got nothin' for that. Nothin'.
Adela K Smith
: Adela K Smith <ade...@mail2.sas.upenn.edu> wrote:
: >
: >Dude, I totally sent a valentine to myself once. From a mysterious person
: >on me. I thought the power of suggestion alone would work on him. The
: >valentine said something - in totally disguised handwriting - like:
: >I know someone who has a crush on you. Unscramble the letters to find the
: >answer: ETVENS
: >
: >It didn't work until two years later. He asked me to come watch him play
: >my mom get groceries. Aw, man. Dork city.
: These messages are so unbelievably reassuring. NOw I know that I'm not
: the biggest dork in the world (not suggesting you are either, just
: sayin'...) I had a huge crush on zack, the quiet kid everyone made fun
: of, who always had his nose buried in a book. So i wrote this crazy
: note with parts missing (like specifics) on bright pink paper and left
: it for him, anonymously, under his chair (already upside down on his
: desk) one day after school. He came right to me after reading it (how
: he knew it was from me i'll never know), and told me he dug me too. And
: he shared part of his candy bar. And then he moved to Texas. Like, that
: weekend. No time to bask in that glow. DO OVER.
This sounds similar to my "relationship" with Kenny Davis. Who always had
a tear in his jeans, over his right knee, above which he'd always tie a
red bandana. SWOON. Anyway, one week we're walking around the playground
perimeter together, the next? He's moving to "the mountains." For
kindergarteners in southern California there's LA, the beach, and the
mountains.
Kieran Snyder
>These messages are so unbelievably reassuring. NOw I know that I'm not
>the biggest dork in the world (not suggesting you are either, just
>sayin'...) I had a huge crush on zack, the quiet kid everyone made fun
>of, who always had his nose buried in a book. So i wrote this crazy
>note with parts missing (like specifics) on bright pink paper and left
>it for him, anonymously, under his chair (already upside down on his
>desk) one day after school. He came right to me after reading it (how
>he knew it was from me i'll never know), and told me he dug me too. And
>he shared part of his candy bar. And then he moved to Texas. Like, that
>weekend. No time to bask in that glow. DO OVER.
the one that got away.
you probably didn't disguise your handwriting.
Kieran Snyder
see, i knew i would be the one to outpathetic everyone else. the person who,
when everyone is laughing and joking around and having a great time, makes
the joke that goes JUST TOO FAR and everyone quiets down and looks awkwardly
at their feet.
basically i am david brent.
Jennifer Erica Sweda
Kieran Snyder <kmsn...@babel.ling.upenn.edu> wrote:
>
>the one that got away.
>
>you probably didn't disguise your handwriting.
TOTALLY did. And left blank spaces for all the relevant details. And no
one saw me leave the note. I remember that I didn't even try to say it
wasn't from me--it just seemed so right when he came over to talk to
me. "I got your note." "Uh...ok!" :) Half a Marathon bar later, he was
OFF TO TEXAS. Stupid dad's job, ruined everything.
Also, zack only had 1 testicle.
Adela K Smith
Man, this thread is taking me back in the most awesome ways.
Kieran Snyder (kmsn...@babel.ling.upenn.edu) wrote:
: Adela K Smith <ade...@mail2.sas.upenn.edu> wrote:
: >Kieran Snyder (kmsn...@babel.ling.upenn.edu) wrote:
: >
: >: when i was in grade school all the kids used to send each other valentines.
: >: you know, each kid would send them to everyone in the class. but sometimes
: >: kids would get EXTRA-SPECIAL valentines from people who LIKED liked them,
: >: you know?
: >
: >: so one year i sent myself a secret admirer valentine as a sort of joke
: >
: >
: >Dude, I totally sent a valentine to myself once. From a mysterious person
: >who wanted me to know that Steven, the boy I had a crush on, had a crush
: >on me. I thought the power of suggestion alone would work on him. The
: >valentine said something - in totally disguised handwriting - like:
: could we be any more kindred? i mean really. (i disguised my handwriting
: too.)
Yeah, man, to make it more authentic-like. Shit. This was *serious*.
: >I know someone who has a crush on you. Unscramble the letters to find the
: >answer: ETVENS
: HAHAHAHAHA.
: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
: dying.
Pretty clever, right? I mean, it's scrambled, but you can totally figure
it out.
: awww my first crush came to watch me play softball once. it was the game in
: which i hit my only home run! and he went to school the next day and told
: everyone how great i was.
Awww
: one year i wrote a matchmaking program in BASIC for a science fair project.
So, Kieran, you've always kicked so much ass? Awesome. I love it.
Adela K Smith
: Jennifer Erica Sweda <jes...@pobox.upenn.edu> wrote:
: >On Tue, 23 Mar 2004 20:20:54 +0000 (UTC),
: >Kieran Snyder <kmsn...@babel.ling.upenn.edu> wrote:
: >>
: >>one year i wrote a matchmaking program in BASIC for a science fair project.
: >>mysterious, because no matter how the questions were answered, it always
: >>matched kieran up with carl and carl up with kieran! everyone was amazed and
: >>thought it was cosmically significant. (in related news, everyone was
: >>stupid. and we were in fourth grade.)
: >>
: >>talk about dork city.
: >
: >Yeah, i got nothin' for that. Nothin'.
: see, i knew i would be the one to outpathetic everyone else. the person who,
: when everyone is laughing and joking around and having a great time, makes
: the joke that goes JUST TOO FAR and everyone quiets down and looks awkwardly
: at their feet.
HEY EVERYBODY! I GOT A LAMPSHADE ON MY HEAD! LOOK AT ME!
Ian Kaplan
> I had a huge crush on zack, the quiet kid everyone made fun
> of, who always had his nose buried in a book.
I appreciate you changing my name to protect the guilty, but did you have
to go with "Zack"?
--
"Yoda... I'm ready to wear pants! Ben, tell him I'm ready." --Luke
Ian Kaplan
>
> one year i wrote a matchmaking program in BASIC for a science fair project.
> it matched people in our class with other people in our class based on
> their answers to a few questions about their interests. only it was very
> mysterious, because no matter how the questions were answered, it always
> matched kieran up with carl and carl up with kieran! everyone was amazed and
> thought it was cosmically significant. (in related news, everyone was
> stupid. and we were in fourth grade.)
That's totally hot. You little nine-year-old hacker you.
--
"Today's weirdness is tomorrow's reason why." --Hunter S. Thompson