10.22.01 ...The idea to have an on-grounds treasure hunt had been in my mind for a couple of years, but I just couldn't think of a good enough prize or places to hide the "treasure." When I wrote a story in my fiction writing class about a commercialized treasure hunt theme park, it prompted me to bring the idea to fruition. I've also done treasure hunts for the kids in the day care center where I work over the summer, but that treasure is finding puzzle pieces that together bring out an embarrassing fact about "Mr. Dave."

Now granted, these clues were incredibly vague and difficult to decipher. I was thinking about running additional clues in the paper the next day to speed up the process. I kept on checking my e-mail inbox constantly, waiting for a response. Instead I get a frustrated e-mail from my friend Duncan Brook, which included these choice excerpts:
...So, it's late last night, I'm tired, and I'm thinking "yeah baby, my bed is looking sooo good right now!" Then I figure I'll take a look at Monday's CD comics -- innocently thinking that I might get a laugh or two and then be off to bed. But nooooooo, Mr. I'm-So-Sneaky Werner ambushes me with a freaking riddle...and now I'm tossing and turning, thinking: PANDA TABLE? PANDA TABLE? EtcEtera? What is this, the UVa Winterguard? An ee cummings poem on the poetry walk? And what's with the notes? A percussion rhythm? The Chapel bells? Ahhhhhhh! Tossing and turning, Dave, tossing and turning. Shame on you. Shame on you.
But Duncan didn't give up, and his persistence paid off. As you'll see, he was on the right track with the e.e. cummings idea.

1.23.01 ...i've heard several stories of people who looked in the wrong places, searching around electrical engineering (e.e.) classrooms or the piano in Newcomb Hall.

Duncan had resorted to using VIRGO, UVA's online library catalog, to look up e.e. cummings, and sure enough, he found the treasure in the collection of unfinished and unpublished poems, Etcetera. Smart guy. Incidentally, the password was "There's Treasure Everywhere," taken from the title of a Calvin and Hobbes collection. To this day I have no idea what happened to the other two envelopes...anybody out there know?

10.24.01 ...so here's what I came up with for the prize. Duncan gave me the basic formula and I developed it further...we went over several sketches of himself to see which one he liked best. Check out duncan.is.dreaming.org for Duncan's take on the whole thing. This game went over so well that I think I'll do it again in the spring...