Instructional Piece (One That I Made and Am Giving to Someone Else)

PART I (for original recipient of this envelope):

CHOOSE:

A. TO OPEN THIS ENVELOPE AND COMPLETE THE PROJECT INSIDE TO THE BEST OF YOUR ABILITY WITHIN THE ALLOTED TIME.
OR
B. NOT TO OPEN THIS ENVELOPE, BUT FIND A PERSON WILLING TO TRADE THEIR PROJECT FOR THE UNKNOWN PROJECT ENCLOSED.

*NOTE: THERE IS NO TRADING BACK, REGARDLESS OF HOW BAD YOU MAY FEEL FOR THE UNLUCKY SOUL WHO HAPPENED TO CHOOSE TO TRADE WITH YOU, OR OF HOW BAD YOU FEEL FOR GIVING AWAY THE BEST OPPORTUNITY OF YOUR YOUNG LIFE. YOU MAY WANT TO TRICK SOMEONE INTO THINKING THAT THE PROJECT INSIDE IS REALLY COOL, OR THAT THE PROJECT HE/SHE RECEIVED IS THE DUMBEST THING YOU HAVE EVER HEARD OF. UNFORTUNATELY FOR YOU, THE PROJECT YOU HOLD IN THIS ENVELOPE MIGHT BE THE “BEST” PROJECT IN THE ENTIRE CLASS, BUT YOU WON’T KNOW UNTIL YOU CHOOSE BETWEEN CHOICE A AND CHOICE B.

PART II.B (for any secondary recipients of this envelope):

REPEAT THE ABOVE INSTRUCTIONS (PART I)

**NOTE: THE PROCESS DESCRIBED IN CHOICE B FROM THE INSTRUCTIONS IN PART I CAN BE REPEATED UNTIL THE TRADING HAS REACHED EVERY MEMBER OF THE CLASS. BUT REMEMBER, TRADING BACK IS NOT ALLOWED. THIS IS A ONE-CHANCE OPPORTUNITY.

PART II.A (no turning back now)

ENCLOSED IN THIS ENVELOPE YOU SHOULD FIND:

1. THESE INSTRUCTIONS.
2. TWO (2) BALLPOINT PENS WITH BLACK INK.
3. TEN (10) SHEETS OF COLLEGE RULED NOTEBOOK PAPER.
4. A SEVEN HUNDRED MEGABITE (700MB) CD-R INSIDE A JEWEL CASE.
5. A SHARPIE MARKER WITH BLACK INK.
6. ONE (1) STRIP OF STAMPS.

***NOTE: IF NOT OF ALL OF THE ABOVE ITEMS ARE IN THIS ENVELOPE, NOTIFY BEN BERTIN, THE KID WHO MADE THIS PROJECT. HE SHOULD BE IN CLASS WITH YOU RIGHT NOW, BUT IF HE IS NOT HIS CELL PHONE NUMBER IS (248)-404-7743.

READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE PROCEEDING

INSTRUCTIONS:

II.A.1 OBTAIN A PHONEBOOK.

II.A.2 CHOOSE A PERSON IN THAT PHONEBOOK WHO YOU DO NOT KNOW. YOU MAY WANT TO TRY USING THE “FINGER-POKE” APPROACH: FLIPPING TO A RANDOM PAGE AND POKING YOUR FINGER AT THE PAGE, THE PERSON WHOSE NAME YOUR FINGER SITS ON TOP OF BEING THE PERSON WHO YOU CHOOSE. BE CAREFUL, THOUGH; YOU MAY ACCIDENTALLY POKE SOMEONE YOU ALREADY DO KNOW.

II.A.3 COPY ALL INFORMATION THAT THE PHONEBOOK HAS ON THIS PERSON ONTO A PIECE OF A PAPER (IF YOU WISH TO, YOU CAN USE ONE OF THE ENCLOSED SHEETS – BUT YOU WILL NEED THIS PAPER LATER, SO USE IT SPARINGLY).

II.A.4 USING THE REMAINING PAPER AND THE BALLPOINT PENS, WRITE A LETTER TO THIS PERSON. YOUR ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH THIS PERSON, SO BE THOUGHTFUL WITH WHAT YOU WRITE. TELL HIM/HER ABOUT YOURSELF. YOUR INTERESTS, YOUR DREAMS, YOUR LIFE SO FAR. TRY NOT TO SCARE THIS PERSON ANY MORE THAN HE/SHE ALREADY WILL BE WHEN THEY GET A LETTER IN THE MAIL FROM A PERFECT STRANGER. BE CREATIVE.

II.A.5 USING YOUR COMPUTER AND THE BLANK CR-R, BURN A MIXED CD FOR THIS PERSON. LET THEM KNOW THAT YOU REALLY WANT TO BE FRIENDS. AGAIN, BE CAREFUL WITH WHAT MUSIC YOU PUT ON THE CD. I DON’T SUGGEST PUTTING ANY GANGSTER RAP, HARDCORE, HEAVY METAL, OR ANY OTHER COMMONLY DISLIKED MUSIC INTO THE MIX. ALSO, BE CAREFUL IF ANY LOVE SONGS MAKE THEIR WAY ONTO THE CD. YOUR NEW FRIEND COULD GET THE WRONG IMPRESSION. USE THE BLACK SHARPIE TO DECORATE THE CD AND THE JEWEL CASE. IF YOU HAVE ANY PAPER LEFT OVER, MAYBE WRITE A TRACK LISTING FOR HIM/HER.

II.A.6 PUT THE LETTER YOU HAVE WRITTEN, THE MIXED CD, AND ANY OTHER THINGS THAT YOU WISH TO SEND TO YOUR FRIEND INTO THE ENVELOPE THAT ALL OF THIS CAME IN. ADDRESS THE ENVELOPE TO THE PERSON. PUT AS MANY STAMPS AS YOU NEED ONTO THE ENVELOPE. IMPORTANT: YOU ARE WRITING TO A STRANGER. IT MAY BE RASH TO ASSUME THAT THIS PERSON WILL NOT BE UPSET ABOUT RECEIVING A LETTER FROM YOU. PEOPLE CAN BE WEIRD LIKE THAT. SO AS FAR AS YOUR RETURN ADDRESS GOES, MAYBE YOU CAN SKIP THAT ALL TOGETHER OR MAKE A FAKE ONE AND INSTEAD GIVE YOUR FRIEND AN EMAIL ADDRESS TO REACH YOU BY, AT LEAST UNTIL YOU CAN DETERMINE HOW MENTALLY SANE HE/SHE IS.

II.A.7 USING YOUR COMPUTER AND THE INTERNET, MAKE YOUR WAY TO www.blogger.com. CREATE A FREE ACCOUNT (IF YOU DON’T ALREADY HAVE ONE) AND CREATE A BLOG. MAKE THE TITLE OF THE BLOG READ “It Started With a Phonebook” AND MAKE THE URL OF YOUR BLOG READ “fingerpokeapproach.blogspot.com”. TIME IS LIMITED, SO DON’T WORRY TOO MUCH ABOUT HOW THE BLOG LOOKS - THIS CAN BE CHANGED LATER ON YOUR OWN TIME AND AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION. IMPORTANT: DO NOT TELL THE PERSON YOU ARE WRITING TO THAT YOU MADE THIS BLOG. THIS WOULD ONLY PUT THEM OFF FROM RETURNING YOUR LETTER.

II.A.8 EMAIL THIS URL TO EVERYONE IN THE 2D SECTION OF AMY VOGEL’S, CHUCK JONES’, AND BRIAN MCCUTCHEON’S CORE STUDIO CLASS. IF YOU WISH, YOU CAN SEND IT TO THE OTHER SECTIONS OF THE CLASS.

II.A.9 CREATE POSTS ON YOUR BLOG DETAILING INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROJECT. LIST THE TRACKS ON THE MIXED CD, PERHAPS, OR COPY THE LETTER THAT YOU WROTE TO YOUR FRIEND. USE INFORMATION THAT YOU THINK PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW. TO AVOID TROUBLE (LEGAL OR OTHERWISE), YOU MAY WANT TO WITHHOLD THE REAL NAME OF YOUR FRIEND. UPDATE THIS BLOG REGULARLY, TELLING ABOUT THE PROGRESSION OF YOUR FRIENDSHIP.

II.A.10 FORM A LIFE LONG FRIENDSHIP WITH AN AMAZING BACKGROUND STORY. (YOU’RE WELCOME).

****NOTE: THE RULES OF THIS INSTRUCTIONAL PIECE ARE NOT CONCRETE. AS LONG AS YOU SEND A PERSON WHO YOU DON’T KNOW A TYPE OF MESSAGE OF FRIENDSHIP AND A MIXED CD, AND THEN RECORD YOUR PROGRESS ON THE INTERNET FOR YOUR CLASSMATES TO SEE, EVERYTHING IS SQUARE. FIND LOOPHOLES. BEND RULES.