Homecoming Shenanigans

Posted by Braden

I had an exciting Monday. :) I asked someone you all may know (Elise Biancardi) to Homecoming Spectacular, and she replied in pretty much the most awesome way I have ever seen.

Part One:

I felt like I should do something for Homecoming, but I didn't really feel like going to a dance. I don't mind dances, but they're not my favorite thing. There is this Homecoming Spectacular thing going on, and I know a girl who would like to see it and who I would like to go with--and that's where it started.

The night before I asked, I filled out about 100 notecards, each with a word and a number. I also found a sudoku puzzle online and attached with it a key for converting numbers to letters. Once the sudoku was solved and the numbers converted to letters, the circled boxes spelled out "Fibonacci." The Fibonacci sequence told my "askee" which cards were relevant; only the cards with numbers that were in the Fibonacci sequence mattered. The 100 notecards were taped to her door--all over her door. The relevant words spelled out: "Elise, will you make Homecoming Spectacular extra spectacular by going with me this Friday night? --Braden"

Along with these cards were a bunch of other cards which had words, phrases, and names like elephant, yellow, date, evening, Erziehung und Wissenschaft, Jason Mraz, not, both, many, David, Chadd, Dwight, John, etc. I made sure that a bunch of the names were of people she knew by looking up her ward's Facebook group and grabbing names from there--creepy, I know, but worth it for the extra confusion, I think.

I taped all the cards and sudoku puzzle up, took a picture, and left for class.

Part Two:

I got home that night around 6 p.m., and my roommates told me that I had received a present about an hour before--a Rubik's Cube with letters and numbers taped to the different faces. I solved that to get a library call number: "HBLL UA 776.P63 513."

I ran to the library to what I think is the Russian military history section--I'm not sure, I can't read Russian--and on p. 513 of that book was an envelope with my name in it.

In this envelope were step-by-step directions leading me to the second-floor periodicals help desk, which the directions said I needed to get to before 7 p.m.


I found the previous clue at 6:50 p.m., so I walked quite briskly through the library, as running is frowned upon, to the described location.

There I found a girl named Daniele, as described by the clues, and spoke the words, "The jailed bird flies at morning." She replied with the second half of the . . . sonnet? . . . and gave me a box.

In that box were Reese's peanut butter cups (I love chocolate and peanut butter!) with colored tops that, when placed in the rainbow spectrum, spelled out "ABSOLUTELY." And Braden rejoiced.


Nobody in Ohio ever responded in sweet ways like that--man, I love Mormon dating culture!