Laurie just after 1:00 PM 11/04/2009 MTC here I am. :)
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Friends Don't Let Friends Play in the Dryer
The six roommates had made a list of things to do before the semester ended and they all went their separate ways. They had managed to cross off a majority of the items on their list and had even endured the stresses of finals week. The only thing that remained between them and summer vacation was the dreaded white glove, the thorough cleaning of their apartment that had to be done before they moved out. Laurie hadn’t even bothered to change out of the basketball shorts and t shirt she had slept in to start her cleaning. She sat on the floor of their tiny kitchen with her head inside the oven, scrubbing away. After several hours of cleaning, Laurie reappeared, thinking if she ever saw the inside of an oven again it would be too soon.“Do you know what I’ve always wanted to do that we didn’t put on our list?” she asked, metal scrubber in hand. “I’ve always wanted to get in the dryer.”
This may sound strange at first, but it was not too unusual of a feat for those living in the apartment complex of Greenbrier. Each apartment was equipped with a washer and dryer. The dryer, stacked on top of the washer, was huge and many people had crawled inside before. One girls’ apartment had pulled a prank on several guys in the complex using the dryer as the key element. They would call up an unsuspecting victim, claiming something was wrong with their dryer and asking him to please come take a look. When he would come over and open the dryer, out would pop one of the girls while the poor guy was caught on camera. One guy was so scared he shut the dryer and almost turned it on.
“Kids die in dryers, you know.” Jess said in response to Laurie’s idea. The other girls looked at her in bewilderment.
“What?!” They all asked in unison.
“Yeah, my mom said every year three kids die in dryer related incidents.” She calmly told her roommates, to which they all burst into laughter.
“Jess, I think your mom made that up so that you wouldn’t play in the dryer.” Amy told her when she could finally speak again.
Jessica continued to protest that kids really did die in dryers and her roommates continued to laugh and tease her. They joked for several minutes, coming up with several funny sayings, including “Friends don’t let friends play in the dryer.”
Despite the claims of Jessica and her mother, Laurie still wanted to get in the dryer. She pulled a stool over so that she would be high enough to climb in, then pulled the lint trap out to make getting in a little easier. She then climbed on the stool and stood there, unsure of how to approach the task.
The girls discussed several ways to get in. Laurie tried feet first, then head first, then several other ways. Try as she might, she just couldn’t get into the dryer. It was time to call in the reinforcements.
Michelle knew their friend Jordan had gotten in the dryer before to scare his roommates, so she called him up to see if he could help out. He came over right away and was in the dryer in less than thirty seconds.
“You have to go in butt first. No other way will work. Then you pull your head in, then last comes the legs.” He explained. He then climbed out of the dryer to let the other girls have a try.
Laurie was first. She wasn’t able to get in quite as fast as Jordan, but she did get in, laughing during most of the process. After Laurie climbed out, everyone turned to Jess—she was the only other roommate that was small enough to fit in the dryer. Despite her years of believing that she would die if she climbed in the dryer, her roommates somehow managed to convince her to climb in. She nearly panicked when she was completely inside, but she stayed in just long enough for her roommates to snap a picture, then she was out. And now, after climbing into the dryer, the girls could say their semester was complete.Extravaganzafestavillathon--A Grilling Experience
The plan was simple; Lisa, Michelle, and I would take our thirteen ugly lamps over to Apartment 5 and leave them in the living room while the guys were all gone to the priesthood session of general conference. Amy would have you know that she was out of town while all of this happened and was in no way involved. We thought we had planned out all of the possible hitches. If Apartment 5’s door was locked there were two options—find the RA’s key and let ourselves in as I had done with former roommates or else crawl in through the living room window. It seemed common knowledge that a person could get into any downstairs apartment through the living room window. Allison came through our window one morning when she had been locked out after going for a run and I had heard of other experiences of people going through living room windows as well. We figured nothing would go wrong and we would be in and out of there in no time. We were going to laugh so hard when this worked out.
Knowing there was no real way to carry thirteen ugly lamps across the parking lot inconspicuously, we decided to scope out the situation first and see how much work we had to do before we got in. It came as no surprise that the door was locked, so we stood outside their apartment weighing our options.
We decided to try to get the RA’s keys first, so we headed to that apartment. This door was unlocked and we went to the place where the former RA had kept the keys. When we didn’t find them there, we chickened out and decided to just try the window instead. If we were caught, the repercussions for breaking and entering seemed slightly less terrifying than if we had stolen the keys to get in.
The living room windows at Greenbrier were massive—extending almost from floor to ceiling, taking up a large portion of the wall. The bottom corners were the only portion of the window that actually opened. Large bushes grew in front of Apartment 5’s window, making our task difficult. The first part of the window was easily accessible. Lisa climbed into the bushes, and got the screen off but was unable to get the window open. We decided to walk around and see if any of the other windows in the apartment were open or if the kitchen window would be any easier to get in through.
When all of these attempts failed, we went back to our apartment to get a butter knife and enlist the help of Allison. We tried to get that first living room window open with the butter knife, but this was no more successful than any of our other attempts. For some reason, we decided to have Lisa crawl through the bushes and try her luck at the second window. As Lisa fought her way through, the bushes scratched her skin and tugged at her clothes, barring her access as if too tell her her journey was in vain, but we could only wait anxiously, hoping she would be successful.
Just as Lisa was about to reach the window, the door of the apartment above us closed and some guys started walking down the stairs. In a panic, we took off like a thief in the night and hid behind the apartments. We laughed nervously and were glad they didn’t see us. As we waited for them to pass, we realized Lisa was trapped in the bushes and couldn’t run away as we had. As soon as it was safe, we headed back out to see what had become of Lisa. When we got to the front of the apartment, we couldn’t see her anywhere. We called out to her and heard her voice, still hidden in the bushes. Discovering she hadn’t been spotted, we laughed in relief and apologized for just leaving her.
Lisa was no more successful in getting the second window open than she was the first one, so she had to climb back out of the bushes with nothing to show for her scrapes. Not willing to give up, we decided it was time to formulate a new plan. We accepted the fact that we were not going to get in their apartment, but we didn’t want to leave without pranking them in some way. I suggested we write them a note saying we had stolen something, then slip it inside through the front door. Michelle suggested we hide the barbeque grill that was sitting outside of their front door. Every year the guys had an Extravaganzafestavillathon where they invited people to come eat lunch in between conference sessions. They would grill whatever meat people brought and supply buns and the fixings. We had never been to one yet, but surely they must use the barbeque grill.
Before we got to work on our new plan, we made sure an envelope would really fit through the front door. When it did, we decided to make a scavenger hunt to lead the guys to the grill. Clues were written on the flyers for the Extravaganzafestavillathon, then taken to several different apartments.
After the clues were put into place, it was time to hide the grill. There was a big, grassy area behind the guys apartments, so we decided to hide it somewhere back there. It took two of us to move the grill. We got it behind the apartments without any problems, but when we got to the backyard, I dropped my side of the grill and ashes spilled out everywhere. When we got the grill upright and started moving it again, it left a trail of ashes. The guys wouldn’t need the scavenger hunt after all; they could just follow the trail.
At last the grill was hidden and we headed back to our apartment. We started making cinnamon rolls as an alibi and wondered how long it would take the guys to find the grill. The wait was not a long one. Before they even changed out of their suits, they came over to interrogate us and find out what we had taken. Michelle was unable to keep a straight face, so she claimed she was covered in flour and needed to take a shower. Lisa and I claimed we were innocent, but tried to help them figure out the clues. They decided we probably didn’t even take anything and so they went home without even trying to figure it out. We had failed again.
Unfortunately, this was not to be our last failure. When they found out the grill was gone, the laugh was on us. They didn’t use the barbeque grill for the Extravaganzafestavillathon, they used a griddle! All that worked we had gone through was for naught! Our only consolation was that they didn’t know just how much we had failed.
Even though the guys didn’t need the grill, they continued to interrogate us while we continued to feign innocence. When their questioning didn’t let up, we decided that somehow we had to get the grill back to their doorstep. We waited one night just before curfew to deliver the grill with a little note that said
“Roses are red
Violets are Blue
Here’s your dumb grill back
Now leave us alone!”
The grill was carried from its hiding spot and placed right in front of Apartment 5’s door where it could not be missed. Just as we were setting it down, the door of another apartment opened and without even waiting to see who it was, Lisa took off running as fast as she could. She had the tape with her and when she ran, it flew out of her pocket, landing under a car. Meanwhile, Amy and I were left standing in front of Apartment 5’s door with the grill while someone walked right past us. We said hi to them and just stood there. They looked at us kind of funny, but kept on walking. We then found a big rock and put it on top of the paper to hold it down, since the tape was out of the picture.
The next day, Jon came over and said “So, rocks are red…” We all looked at him funny. “Rocks are red? Rocks?” They couldn’t even get our note right!
In spite of our many failures, we attempted to keep our dignity in tact through denying that we had ever done anything, but even that didn’t work out for us. At church one Sunday, our other roommate who hadn’t really been involved was telling someone about our little adventure. Then in shock she realized that that someone was none other than an Apartment 5er. So much for maintaining we were innocent!
Knowing there was no real way to carry thirteen ugly lamps across the parking lot inconspicuously, we decided to scope out the situation first and see how much work we had to do before we got in. It came as no surprise that the door was locked, so we stood outside their apartment weighing our options.
We decided to try to get the RA’s keys first, so we headed to that apartment. This door was unlocked and we went to the place where the former RA had kept the keys. When we didn’t find them there, we chickened out and decided to just try the window instead. If we were caught, the repercussions for breaking and entering seemed slightly less terrifying than if we had stolen the keys to get in.
The living room windows at Greenbrier were massive—extending almost from floor to ceiling, taking up a large portion of the wall. The bottom corners were the only portion of the window that actually opened. Large bushes grew in front of Apartment 5’s window, making our task difficult. The first part of the window was easily accessible. Lisa climbed into the bushes, and got the screen off but was unable to get the window open. We decided to walk around and see if any of the other windows in the apartment were open or if the kitchen window would be any easier to get in through.
When all of these attempts failed, we went back to our apartment to get a butter knife and enlist the help of Allison. We tried to get that first living room window open with the butter knife, but this was no more successful than any of our other attempts. For some reason, we decided to have Lisa crawl through the bushes and try her luck at the second window. As Lisa fought her way through, the bushes scratched her skin and tugged at her clothes, barring her access as if too tell her her journey was in vain, but we could only wait anxiously, hoping she would be successful.
Just as Lisa was about to reach the window, the door of the apartment above us closed and some guys started walking down the stairs. In a panic, we took off like a thief in the night and hid behind the apartments. We laughed nervously and were glad they didn’t see us. As we waited for them to pass, we realized Lisa was trapped in the bushes and couldn’t run away as we had. As soon as it was safe, we headed back out to see what had become of Lisa. When we got to the front of the apartment, we couldn’t see her anywhere. We called out to her and heard her voice, still hidden in the bushes. Discovering she hadn’t been spotted, we laughed in relief and apologized for just leaving her.
Lisa was no more successful in getting the second window open than she was the first one, so she had to climb back out of the bushes with nothing to show for her scrapes. Not willing to give up, we decided it was time to formulate a new plan. We accepted the fact that we were not going to get in their apartment, but we didn’t want to leave without pranking them in some way. I suggested we write them a note saying we had stolen something, then slip it inside through the front door. Michelle suggested we hide the barbeque grill that was sitting outside of their front door. Every year the guys had an Extravaganzafestavillathon where they invited people to come eat lunch in between conference sessions. They would grill whatever meat people brought and supply buns and the fixings. We had never been to one yet, but surely they must use the barbeque grill.
Before we got to work on our new plan, we made sure an envelope would really fit through the front door. When it did, we decided to make a scavenger hunt to lead the guys to the grill. Clues were written on the flyers for the Extravaganzafestavillathon, then taken to several different apartments.
After the clues were put into place, it was time to hide the grill. There was a big, grassy area behind the guys apartments, so we decided to hide it somewhere back there. It took two of us to move the grill. We got it behind the apartments without any problems, but when we got to the backyard, I dropped my side of the grill and ashes spilled out everywhere. When we got the grill upright and started moving it again, it left a trail of ashes. The guys wouldn’t need the scavenger hunt after all; they could just follow the trail.
At last the grill was hidden and we headed back to our apartment. We started making cinnamon rolls as an alibi and wondered how long it would take the guys to find the grill. The wait was not a long one. Before they even changed out of their suits, they came over to interrogate us and find out what we had taken. Michelle was unable to keep a straight face, so she claimed she was covered in flour and needed to take a shower. Lisa and I claimed we were innocent, but tried to help them figure out the clues. They decided we probably didn’t even take anything and so they went home without even trying to figure it out. We had failed again.
Unfortunately, this was not to be our last failure. When they found out the grill was gone, the laugh was on us. They didn’t use the barbeque grill for the Extravaganzafestavillathon, they used a griddle! All that worked we had gone through was for naught! Our only consolation was that they didn’t know just how much we had failed.
Even though the guys didn’t need the grill, they continued to interrogate us while we continued to feign innocence. When their questioning didn’t let up, we decided that somehow we had to get the grill back to their doorstep. We waited one night just before curfew to deliver the grill with a little note that said
“Roses are red
Violets are Blue
Here’s your dumb grill back
Now leave us alone!”
The next day, Jon came over and said “So, rocks are red…” We all looked at him funny. “Rocks are red? Rocks?” They couldn’t even get our note right!
In spite of our many failures, we attempted to keep our dignity in tact through denying that we had ever done anything, but even that didn’t work out for us. At church one Sunday, our other roommate who hadn’t really been involved was telling someone about our little adventure. Then in shock she realized that that someone was none other than an Apartment 5er. So much for maintaining we were innocent!
Extravaganzafestavillathon II--The Sweet Taste of Sucess
Our many failures in the plot to prank Apartment 5 didn’t discourage us. Instead, they made us all the more determined to pull a good prank on our friends. We knew security would be tight on their apartment and they were probably just waiting for us to strike again. Attempts were made to steal a key so that we could enter their apartment at our convenience. We also thought about leaving the window open just a crack so that we actually could get in that way without the use of a butter knife or being eaten by bushes.
Besides thinking of ways to get in, we also thought of what pranks we could pull on them that wouldn’t backfire on us. Jon had a number of items that would be delightful to steal. One such item was a pen from his mission that he was very attached to. If anyone asked him to borrow a pen, he had a hard time giving that one out and he would hover over whoever borrowed it until they gave it back. We thought it would be pretty funny if we could some how steal his pen. We knew he always carried it with him, so it would be no easy feat. The opportunity presented itself one Friday night when Amy, Lisa, Michelle, and I had gone Latin dancing. We saw Jon there with a date and before they headed over to the ballroom side, he took off his suit jacket and hung it up. Amy had watched where he hung his jacket up and as soon as the coast was clear, we all but ran to it, knowing the pen would be ours. Failure was not an option this time around.
We had great plans for this pen. No ransom note or scavenger hunt would be made. In fact, we would be returning the pen ourselves—in Jell-o. Knowing how much Jon cared about his pen and wanting him to still be friends with us after getting it back, we secured the precious item in a Ziploc bag before we added it to the Jell-o. Since this was our first time at such a trick, we thought the pen was supposed to go in at the beginning and so it floated to the top rather than staying in the middle like we thought it should. A rock was used to weigh it down to the desired level. At last the tasty treat was done and success was ours.
The next golden opportunity was actually handed to us by Apartment 5 themselves. We were visiting them just before they were leaving to go somewhere and when it was time for them to go, they practically walked off and left us sitting in their apartment. We were unsure of how long the other roommates would be gone for and didn’t want to get caught in the act so speed and simplicity were vital. Furniture was overturned, marbles were placed in shoes, and remote controls along with silverware were hidden. My personal favorite was sticking silverware in Elliot’s coat pocket and having him find it on his way to school.
And so it was that the very guys who bragged about being pranksters themselves were pranked. For a while we feared retaliation, but they never struck back. Perhaps they thought they were being gentlemen in not doing anything back to us, or maybe they were just too chicken.
The last semester we would all be together at Greenbrier soon came. Amy, Lisa, and I thought it would be funny to pull one last prank on Apartment 5. So while they were gone to the priesthood session of general conference, we thought it would be funny to write a note saying we stole something and slip it through the front door. This time, we wouldn’t even attempt to take anything. We wrote our little note and headed over there. For some reason, Amy decided to see if the door was unlocked and it was. Not sure what to do, we stood there, dumbfounded. Finally, we walked in and set the note on the counter next to some cookies. It turned out that Apartment 5 really hadn’t left their door unlocked. One of the girl RA’s who was also the relief society president had gotten the keys, unlocked all of the guys apartments, cleaned them, and left cookies, a far cry from the shenanigans we had pulled. Our possibilities were endless! However, we decided to just leave the note on the counter, knowing it would bug them more that we somehow managed to get in after all our failures than any prank we could pull. At last, we were successful.
Besides thinking of ways to get in, we also thought of what pranks we could pull on them that wouldn’t backfire on us. Jon had a number of items that would be delightful to steal. One such item was a pen from his mission that he was very attached to. If anyone asked him to borrow a pen, he had a hard time giving that one out and he would hover over whoever borrowed it until they gave it back. We thought it would be pretty funny if we could some how steal his pen. We knew he always carried it with him, so it would be no easy feat. The opportunity presented itself one Friday night when Amy, Lisa, Michelle, and I had gone Latin dancing. We saw Jon there with a date and before they headed over to the ballroom side, he took off his suit jacket and hung it up. Amy had watched where he hung his jacket up and as soon as the coast was clear, we all but ran to it, knowing the pen would be ours. Failure was not an option this time around.
We had great plans for this pen. No ransom note or scavenger hunt would be made. In fact, we would be returning the pen ourselves—in Jell-o. Knowing how much Jon cared about his pen and wanting him to still be friends with us after getting it back, we secured the precious item in a Ziploc bag before we added it to the Jell-o. Since this was our first time at such a trick, we thought the pen was supposed to go in at the beginning and so it floated to the top rather than staying in the middle like we thought it should. A rock was used to weigh it down to the desired level. At last the tasty treat was done and success was ours.
The next golden opportunity was actually handed to us by Apartment 5 themselves. We were visiting them just before they were leaving to go somewhere and when it was time for them to go, they practically walked off and left us sitting in their apartment. We were unsure of how long the other roommates would be gone for and didn’t want to get caught in the act so speed and simplicity were vital. Furniture was overturned, marbles were placed in shoes, and remote controls along with silverware were hidden. My personal favorite was sticking silverware in Elliot’s coat pocket and having him find it on his way to school.And so it was that the very guys who bragged about being pranksters themselves were pranked. For a while we feared retaliation, but they never struck back. Perhaps they thought they were being gentlemen in not doing anything back to us, or maybe they were just too chicken.
The last semester we would all be together at Greenbrier soon came. Amy, Lisa, and I thought it would be funny to pull one last prank on Apartment 5. So while they were gone to the priesthood session of general conference, we thought it would be funny to write a note saying we stole something and slip it through the front door. This time, we wouldn’t even attempt to take anything. We wrote our little note and headed over there. For some reason, Amy decided to see if the door was unlocked and it was. Not sure what to do, we stood there, dumbfounded. Finally, we walked in and set the note on the counter next to some cookies. It turned out that Apartment 5 really hadn’t left their door unlocked. One of the girl RA’s who was also the relief society president had gotten the keys, unlocked all of the guys apartments, cleaned them, and left cookies, a far cry from the shenanigans we had pulled. Our possibilities were endless! However, we decided to just leave the note on the counter, knowing it would bug them more that we somehow managed to get in after all our failures than any prank we could pull. At last, we were successful.
Friday, April 24, 2009
The Big Red Exercise Ball
This was the first of my college adventures. It happened long before I knew the girls in apartment 17, let alone lived with them and long before the guys in Apartment 5 lived in Greenbrier. It was my first semester of college when I lived in Apartment 9 with Aubrey Frandsen, Amber Bath, Sherise Rawson, Chelaine Hoffer, and Celeste Bath.
That semester we were FHE siblings with Apartment 1. They once told us how some girls stole their big red exercise ball and it had made them mad. They only had themselves to blame for what happened after that.
Amber, Aubrey and I went to Apartment 1 to return something. They weren’t home, so we did what any other person in Greenbrier would do, we just walked in. There in the living room in plain sight was the same big red exercise ball they had just finished telling us about. There was no way we could leave it there. It practically called our names and begged us to take it with us. We gave in to temptation and carried that ball across the parking lot to our apartment.
We weren’t quite sure what to do with the ball now that we had it, so we stuck it behind the couch. The ball peeked over the top of the couch, but we weren’t too concerned. However, while we were sitting there our FHE brother Jason Tonks came over to our apartment and sat on the couch directly in front of the exercise ball we had stolen from his apartment. We threw pillows over the top of the ball and hoped he didn’t notice. We nervously watched him, hoping he would soon leave. Instead, he made himself at home. He rested his head on the back of the couch and the pillow covering the ball slid off. We were terrified at what would happen if he were to turn his head ever so slightly and be face to face with the ball. Our good luck continued though and he never noticed it.
After he left, we discussed our options. Celeste suggested we hold the ball ransom for ice cream or something. Liking her idea, we pulled out old newspapers and magazines to make a ransom note. When it was finished, it read “If you ever want to see your red ball again, leave chocolate ice cream in the lounge freezer at 5 pm on Thursday. Then we will deliver it”
That semester we were FHE siblings with Apartment 1. They once told us how some girls stole their big red exercise ball and it had made them mad. They only had themselves to blame for what happened after that.
Amber, Aubrey and I went to Apartment 1 to return something. They weren’t home, so we did what any other person in Greenbrier would do, we just walked in. There in the living room in plain sight was the same big red exercise ball they had just finished telling us about. There was no way we could leave it there. It practically called our names and begged us to take it with us. We gave in to temptation and carried that ball across the parking lot to our apartment.
We weren’t quite sure what to do with the ball now that we had it, so we stuck it behind the couch. The ball peeked over the top of the couch, but we weren’t too concerned. However, while we were sitting there our FHE brother Jason Tonks came over to our apartment and sat on the couch directly in front of the exercise ball we had stolen from his apartment. We threw pillows over the top of the ball and hoped he didn’t notice. We nervously watched him, hoping he would soon leave. Instead, he made himself at home. He rested his head on the back of the couch and the pillow covering the ball slid off. We were terrified at what would happen if he were to turn his head ever so slightly and be face to face with the ball. Our good luck continued though and he never noticed it.
After he left, we discussed our options. Celeste suggested we hold the ball ransom for ice cream or something. Liking her idea, we pulled out old newspapers and magazines to make a ransom note. When it was finished, it read “If you ever want to see your red ball again, leave chocolate ice cream in the lounge freezer at 5 pm on Thursday. Then we will deliver it”
When Sherise came home and realized what we were doing, she said she wanted no part in it, so it was just the three of us.
When our note was done, we were too chicken to take it over there, so we went over to Apartment 7 where some of Aubrey’s friends lived and had them deliver the note.
Before the appointed day arrived, we heard our FHE brothers talking about how someone had stolen their ball again. We asked if they had any ideas who took it and they thought it was the girls who lived in 16 because they were the ones who swiped it before. We tried to keep a straight face and encourage them in their beliefs.
Knowing the guys from Apartment 1 would be watching the lounge like a hawk, we devised a plan to get our ice cream without getting caught. I would go up to the lounge and play the piano while my cousin Lisa who did not live in Greenbrier would come up to the lounge and pretend to study. If the guys from Apartment 1 where in the lounge and it was not safe to get the ice cream, I would play one song as a signal to leave. If the coast was clear, I would play another song. Lisa would then put the ice cream in her backpack and go the back way to my apartment and I would soon follow.
Our luck held and no one from Apartment 1 was in the lounge at the appointed time. Lisa took the ice cream and headed out while I waited a few minutes to avoid looking suspicious. Unfortunately, Lisa forgot to take the back way to my apartment and Jason Tonks spotted her and followed her. When I got there, we went to my bedroom to see the goods. In her backpack was a container of Ben and Jerry’s chocolate ice cream and a note saying
Unfortunately, the ice cream was half eat and Jason was still sitting in our living room. We put the ice cream in the bath tub since we couldn’t gain access to our freezer and we waited him out.
“So you think you’re funny…Well we can be funny too! This is all you’ll see of your precious ball until we see something a little more substantial to what YOU lost. You will take the ransom to #7. Do not ask questions. Do not say anything or the ransom will be double! Try to get it right this time. We demand 1 (one) full quart of ice cream. The ball will be delivered by messenger upon receiving the ransom.”
Good luck can only hold out for so long and ours came to an end. Jeremy Furniss came over and asked Sherise for the ball, stating he knew she had it. Sherise denied having the ball or having any part of the whole incident, but he kept hounding her. Turns out we had written the ransom note on the second page of Sherise’s resume and they were able to trace it back to her. Knowing the game was up, it was time to return the ball without the ice cream. We walked over to Apartment 1 and rang the doorbell. No one answered at first, so we thought about walking in and leaving it just as we had taken it, but Jared Mangum soon came to the door. He thanked us for returning the ball and we were free to go. And so ended the story of the big red exercise ball, but my pranking days had just started.
When our note was done, we were too chicken to take it over there, so we went over to Apartment 7 where some of Aubrey’s friends lived and had them deliver the note.
Before the appointed day arrived, we heard our FHE brothers talking about how someone had stolen their ball again. We asked if they had any ideas who took it and they thought it was the girls who lived in 16 because they were the ones who swiped it before. We tried to keep a straight face and encourage them in their beliefs.
Knowing the guys from Apartment 1 would be watching the lounge like a hawk, we devised a plan to get our ice cream without getting caught. I would go up to the lounge and play the piano while my cousin Lisa who did not live in Greenbrier would come up to the lounge and pretend to study. If the guys from Apartment 1 where in the lounge and it was not safe to get the ice cream, I would play one song as a signal to leave. If the coast was clear, I would play another song. Lisa would then put the ice cream in her backpack and go the back way to my apartment and I would soon follow.
Our luck held and no one from Apartment 1 was in the lounge at the appointed time. Lisa took the ice cream and headed out while I waited a few minutes to avoid looking suspicious. Unfortunately, Lisa forgot to take the back way to my apartment and Jason Tonks spotted her and followed her. When I got there, we went to my bedroom to see the goods. In her backpack was a container of Ben and Jerry’s chocolate ice cream and a note saying
Unfortunately, the ice cream was half eat and Jason was still sitting in our living room. We put the ice cream in the bath tub since we couldn’t gain access to our freezer and we waited him out.
Feeling confident from the success we had enjoyed, we decided a half eaten thing of ice cream wasn’t good enough. With our helper from Apartment 7, we schemed up the following note and deliver it with a little red bouncy ball.
“So you think you’re funny…Well we can be funny too! This is all you’ll see of your precious ball until we see something a little more substantial to what YOU lost. You will take the ransom to #7. Do not ask questions. Do not say anything or the ransom will be double! Try to get it right this time. We demand 1 (one) full quart of ice cream. The ball will be delivered by messenger upon receiving the ransom.”
Good luck can only hold out for so long and ours came to an end. Jeremy Furniss came over and asked Sherise for the ball, stating he knew she had it. Sherise denied having the ball or having any part of the whole incident, but he kept hounding her. Turns out we had written the ransom note on the second page of Sherise’s resume and they were able to trace it back to her. Knowing the game was up, it was time to return the ball without the ice cream. We walked over to Apartment 1 and rang the doorbell. No one answered at first, so we thought about walking in and leaving it just as we had taken it, but Jared Mangum soon came to the door. He thanked us for returning the ball and we were free to go. And so ended the story of the big red exercise ball, but my pranking days had just started.
Monday, April 20, 2009
The Ugly Lamp
In the college town of Rexburg, Idaho was an apartment complex called Greenbrier. We lived in Apartment 17 and were good friends with Apartment 5. In Fall 2006 our apartment consisted of Amy Barrus, Lisa Summers, Laurie Summers, Michelle Perroni, Alison Walker, and Carley George. In Apartment 5 lived Jon Boizelle, Jesse Cottam, Luke Cottam, Nathan Mcbride, Elliot Walters, and Jimmy Mitts. Many good times were had, from pranks that failed miserably to just throwing a ball around while sitting and talking in Apartment 5’s living room.
Once when we were visiting Apartment 5, they tried to pawn an ugly lamp off on us. We told them we had our own ugly lamp and we didn’t want theirs. After leaving their apartment, we decided it might be fun to take their ugly lamp and start an ugly lamp collection.
One of the lamps broke while in our apartment. From the looks of it, this was not the first time it was broken. Elliot said he had a brand new tube of epoxy we could use to fix it. However, we think he didn’t trust us with such a strong bonding agent because he never did let us use it. Luckily, Lisa had a hot glue gun and the lamp was soon restored. 
Although many of the lamps didn’t work, we put them to good use. Light bulbs were pilfered to replace the ones that had burnt out in our apartment. When we played village idiot, the idiot would have to wear a lampshade on their head. And of course, ugly lamps are always a great topic of conversation.
Despite the many uses of the ugly lamps, not all of the tenants of Apartment 17 were happy with them. We decided a good way to get rid of them and bring peace back to the apartment would be to return them to where the idea started—apartment 5. It was decided that while the guys were at the priesthood session of general conference, we would take our thirteen ugly lamps and put them in their living room. Unfortunately, we discovered entrance through the living room window cannot be gained in all of the apartments at Greenbrier, even with the help of a butter knife. However, that is another story for another day.
And so the stay of the ugly lamps was lengthened while tempers shortened. It was finally agreed upon that the lamps could stay unto Halloween, then they were gone. We turned the lamps into witches for our Halloween decorations by making dresses out of garbage bags and heads out of balloons. We won the Halloween decorating contest that year.
We did manage to get some of the lamps back to apartment 5 in spite of previous failures. We decided to ask the guys to a girl’s choice dance by making more lamp people and leaving them on the doorstep. When Jesse attempted to return the lamps, we told him not to let his roommates take advantage of him and take those lamps back home with him.
The rest of the ugly lamps were returned to their original owners. By this time, most of the people had gotten used to life without the ugly lamps and didn’t want to return to the former state. Many of the lamps were discarded in the lounge. The saddest fate of them all belongs to the original ugly lamp. It found its way to apartment 6, were it stayed for a time. Then one cold night it was found next to the dumpsters, half buried in snow. Unable to leave it there, Laurie and Lisa carried it back to their apartment one last time.
Once when we were visiting Apartment 5, they tried to pawn an ugly lamp off on us. We told them we had our own ugly lamp and we didn’t want theirs. After leaving their apartment, we decided it might be fun to take their ugly lamp and start an ugly lamp collection.
After picking up Apartment 5’s ugly lamp, we went around to all the apartments at Greenbrier asking people for their ugly lamps. Some people were glad to be rid of them—they pulled them out of closets or off of shelves where they had been stashed out of sight. As we left these apartments, they told us they did not want to see their ugly lamp again. Other apartments greedily held on to their ugly lamps and would not let us have them, leaving us confused as to why anyone would want to keep these lamps and a little put off that we couldn’t add them to our collection. Some plots were made to steal the ugly lamps, but they were never put into action.
We ended up with thirteen ugly lamps in all. They were placed on display on the mantle, shelves, and even on placemats on the coffee table. People would come from other apartments to admire our ugly lamps and decide which was the ugliest. No entrance fee was required. We soon had names or distinguishing features to tell our guests about the lamps. The lamp from Apartment Five was so old it once held oil and there was a lamp with a manually retractable cord. Some of the names of the lamps included the Hot Dog Lamp, the Chocolate Lamp, and the Caramel Lamp. We’re pretty sure one of them used to be an old fashioned lamp post.
We ended up with thirteen ugly lamps in all. They were placed on display on the mantle, shelves, and even on placemats on the coffee table. People would come from other apartments to admire our ugly lamps and decide which was the ugliest. No entrance fee was required. We soon had names or distinguishing features to tell our guests about the lamps. The lamp from Apartment Five was so old it once held oil and there was a lamp with a manually retractable cord. Some of the names of the lamps included the Hot Dog Lamp, the Chocolate Lamp, and the Caramel Lamp. We’re pretty sure one of them used to be an old fashioned lamp post.
One of the lamps broke while in our apartment. From the looks of it, this was not the first time it was broken. Elliot said he had a brand new tube of epoxy we could use to fix it. However, we think he didn’t trust us with such a strong bonding agent because he never did let us use it. Luckily, Lisa had a hot glue gun and the lamp was soon restored.
Although many of the lamps didn’t work, we put them to good use. Light bulbs were pilfered to replace the ones that had burnt out in our apartment. When we played village idiot, the idiot would have to wear a lampshade on their head. And of course, ugly lamps are always a great topic of conversation.
Despite the many uses of the ugly lamps, not all of the tenants of Apartment 17 were happy with them. We decided a good way to get rid of them and bring peace back to the apartment would be to return them to where the idea started—apartment 5. It was decided that while the guys were at the priesthood session of general conference, we would take our thirteen ugly lamps and put them in their living room. Unfortunately, we discovered entrance through the living room window cannot be gained in all of the apartments at Greenbrier, even with the help of a butter knife. However, that is another story for another day.
And so the stay of the ugly lamps was lengthened while tempers shortened. It was finally agreed upon that the lamps could stay unto Halloween, then they were gone. We turned the lamps into witches for our Halloween decorations by making dresses out of garbage bags and heads out of balloons. We won the Halloween decorating contest that year.
We did manage to get some of the lamps back to apartment 5 in spite of previous failures. We decided to ask the guys to a girl’s choice dance by making more lamp people and leaving them on the doorstep. When Jesse attempted to return the lamps, we told him not to let his roommates take advantage of him and take those lamps back home with him.
The rest of the ugly lamps were returned to their original owners. By this time, most of the people had gotten used to life without the ugly lamps and didn’t want to return to the former state. Many of the lamps were discarded in the lounge. The saddest fate of them all belongs to the original ugly lamp. It found its way to apartment 6, were it stayed for a time. Then one cold night it was found next to the dumpsters, half buried in snow. Unable to leave it there, Laurie and Lisa carried it back to their apartment one last time.
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