Monkeying around at work

I am sailing on a small ship on a vast ocean, but I do have an audience of almost 1000 people receiving the Deans’ Memo each day.  My boss is busy enough that most days he gives it a cursory scan at best, and the actual Deans almost never have any input for it.  Like so many other writing projects in my life, I wonder from time to time if anyone at all bothers to read it.  Today, I found out that they did.  Most likely while they are supposed to be paying attention in class, but, yes, they are reading the Deans’ Memo.

I am not fond of April Fool’s jokes, mostly because I always fall for them.  Also because I am not that great at thinking them up.  Since I am sailing with people who have swallowed some amazingly dumb stuff (my favorite is still the rope line across the International Date Line), it shouldn’t have been that hard, but I decided to go with a puzzle.  As a little plug for the fundraising campaign we’re in the middle of, I did a puzzle where the first letters of each of the announcement titles spelled out “GIVE SAS MONEY.”  This required some deviation from the usual format, since the second section usually starts with a date, and some weird titles, like “Variations on a Theme” for a talk about the 14 Dalai Lamas. 

The last announcement was “$13 for ice cream??” and it said there was a hidden message in the Deans’ Memo and the first one to heed it would win an ice cream cone.  (Because it’s 2013, they are asking for donations in increments of $13.)

Within 5 minutes of my sending the DM out by email, I had the first correct responses.    I got about 20 correct responses--and about 5 emails pointing out dumb mistakes, to which I replied, “We have those every day.”   There were a few people who picked up on things in plain sight as “hidden” messages, and some who questioned $13 for ice cream.  My favorite email said this:

>>I'm not sure if this is the actual message or just a weird coincidence but the first letter of each line in each paragraph spells out G-I-V-E    S-A-S     M-O-N-E-Y>>

I wrote back, “Ohmigod, that IS weird!  Must have been monkeys at my typewriter while I was at lunch.”  I mean, really?  That would be a pretty remarkable coincidence.

But no one was “heeding” the message, just solving the problem.  I sent out emails hinting they weren’t done until they followed the directions.  Got more specific.  Finally, a student came to my office, hungry enough for ice cream to go find the alumni coordinator and pledge.  She chose chocolate.

As part of the shipboard drive, we’re having an auction.  I offered my house for Finals weekend in some year other than this one.  A UVA undergrad snapped it up for the price of one weekend night at the Omni, corporate rate. The Deans' Memo book has turned into two, because two friends had their hearts set on it.

It’s always amazing to me what people pay for.  Dinner with the Captain is going for the same price as dinner without the Captain. A children’s book signed by Desmond Tutu will cost someone $450.  A week in a beach apartment in Ecuador costs less than $100 per person, but a 4 night stay in a British Columbia ski resort (owned by the Dean) was about 15 times that. 

I am unlikely to return to Semester at Sea, but if I do, I know what I’m filling my luggage with.  Girl Scout cookies went for about $25 a box.

This adorable family of monkeys is made from socks bought in ports around the world.  Today’s Birthday Boy will no doubt be relieved to know they will not be coming home with me.

I have, however, stocked up elsewhere.  Life should not be entirely without surprises.