That’ll Teach Her
contests, Fun, work October 20th, 2008A co-worker who reads my blog suggested there was something terribly wrong with me because I kept five old containers of Parmesan cheese in my refrigerator for so long.
Oh, yeah? Is that right?
A few days later she had a birthday. Heh-heh. Have fun tryin’ to get at your desk.
When she arrived this morning and the shock wore off, she asked me how she was going to get any work done.
"Hmmm. Don’t know. That’s your problem."
Is there a lesson here, kids? Sure!
It’s best not to suggest I need therapy, at least not to my face, or you might find yourself the victim of something circus-y. Next time it might be the animals.
Anyone up for a contest?! The first person to submit a guess closest to the number of balloons pictured here wins a box of 15 bacon bandages or 1,000 Entrecard credits, your choice.
Helpful information (or not): There is a 17" box monitor buried under the balloons in the first shot.
Rules:
1. One guess per person.
2. You can’t ask me if it’s more or less than some number. In fact, I’ll get it over with now. It’s more than 1, but less than 500.
3. The closest guess can be under or over the actual amount.
4. Entries must be received by Monday, October 27, 6PM EST.
CONTEST IS CLOSED. It turns out the response was way over the top. Future contests will likely not be open for more than a few days, long enough to allow a reasonable amount of responses. Thanks for playing! Click here to find out who won.
Stumble it!
October 21st, 2008 at 4:16 am
We will guess 244, because we don’t think you’d want to blow up 500 balloons. Or would you?
Gandalf and Grayson’s last blog post..Updates – Figgy & The Story Game
October 21st, 2008 at 4:47 am
GOOD GUESSES EVERYONE! Thanks for playing!
goinglikesixty — Was it really Talk Like Elmer Fudd Day? How’d I miss that?
Kaye — Good question.
Daisy the Curly Cat — It took me a little time to figure out how I was going to keep them from escaping. Would have been easier if my coworker had partitions, but we just moved there and she doesn’t have any yet.
Emily — OMG. That must have taken FOREVER! I love that idea, but I don’t know if I’d have the patience for it.
Matt Savage — For the record, there was no breakage. No balloons were injured during the making of this prank.
DJ — Thanks!
Regan — I think I can arrange that.
JD at I Do Things — And she thought I’d let that little comment slip. Tee hee!
Babs beetle — We all had a fun day with that sea of balloons. Occasionally some would escape the pen and we’d have fun kicking them back in. More would fall out and we’d do it again. I think balloons make a fine addition to an office, don’t you?
Bruce — How can you not want bacon band-aids?
Indian Idol 4 — I was flattered to read what Griz wrote about me and my blog. Glad you found me and good to have you!
Kristie — Check the link. I think you’ll love them (as long as you’re not vegetarian).
Jeannine — Next time I’m making her write “I love your blog and you’re not crazy” one thousand times.
Trish — If more than one person guesses exactly, then I’ll award prizes to both.
Jaffer — That’s OK, just let me leave the office first! BTW, she’s going to start popping today. She’ll need to listen to her iPod or something. Going to be like gunfire for a while.
Angi — Awesome idea! Now that I’ve done this once, I want to do it again. Everyone with an upcoming birthday should brace themselves.
Preston — You, sir, are correct! I believe the bacon bandages are just like any other. I don’t want to open the box to look, though I did buy two. I’m really curious what they look like up close.
Riayn — It was a lot of work, but great fun! We enjoyed moseying over to her desk and soaking up all the color. I’m definitely doing it again.
Mama O — We might. We might not.
Sare — Thanks! Glad to have you on board.
Fancy — I’m so sorry your birthday was forgotten. That’s the thing about celebrating birthdays in offices. It often leaves the burden on a few people to remember and plan things. Where I used to work we had to bring in enough goodies to feed an office of 25 people. Stupid, huh?
Grandma Betty — Thanks! It was so much fun to see the finished product.
Beth — Funny about your mom. Who’ll be laughing at Christmas now?
Carla — Do not toy with me. Hear me?
Shadowsrider — There were probably a dozen pictures taken of the balloons. I needed to pick two that showed all of them. And, yes, I blew all of them up myself (except for maybe 10% of them). On occasion, I had to sit down and rest, as I was getting a little tipsy.
Topaz Horizon — Do it! They’ll love you for it. Or hate you, depending on their disposition.
Ferd — NO ONE mocks me and my cheese!
Alan — People at work already tried that. They wanted me to say “higher or lower,” but I shut them right down. They weren’t even close anyway.
Jamie Sue — Remember this and try it yourself sometime. I guarantee it’ll be a hit with the “victim.”
Lauren — It was a lot of work, but really fun putting it together. Would you believe I wanted to double the amount of balloons? But I ran out of time!
fragileheart — I’ll tell you this. There are more balloons than it looks like. I’m honored to be considered Einstein crazy! Thanks!
kara — A drunk guess is as good as any other.
ImitationAngel — I think she thinks I’m actually crazier than she first suspected.
Jamie — I was asked if I will make a side business out of this, and you know, what would be more fun?!?! I’d totally hire myself out if I could figure out how to market this.
Elle — Yes. I blew 90% of them up myself. Blowing them up wasn’t the hardest part. It was tying them off around two fingers that killed me. I developed a blister at the halfway point. So I went looking for something else that I could use to wrap the ends around as I tied them. I used a hook on a metal coat rack. It worked perfectly. I stretched the end down around a hook, then tied with lots of room to spare. This way, I wasn’t cutting off circulation in my fingers. I’m a pro now!
Gandalf and Grayson — I would have blown up 500 of them if I hadn’t run out of time. I’m completely serious. More is better!
October 21st, 2008 at 6:11 am
my guess is too! too many balloons to wrap my mind around this early in the morning!
debbie lane’s last blog post..Monday Morning Musings….
October 21st, 2008 at 7:04 am
I guess 117. How funny!
Karen, author of “My Funny Dad, Harry”‘s last blog post..5 Things I’d Like To See Changed In U.S. Politics
October 21st, 2008 at 7:32 am
91
Lori’s last blog post..Sad
October 21st, 2008 at 7:39 am
Well, my guess is between 90 and a 100. Since a bunch of those numbers are taken, I’ll go with 96
aldon @ orient lodge’s last blog post..Woodbridge BOE desp the 21st century
October 21st, 2008 at 7:41 am
The hook sounds like a great idea! It kills my fingers when I tie balloons. Now I know what to do at Christmas 😉
Babs – beetle’s last blog post..An award & Memory Foam update
October 21st, 2008 at 7:43 am
When it comes to balloons at a desk, you are RUTHLESS!
October 21st, 2008 at 7:48 am
isn’t revenge sweet? i’m going to guess 212 balloons in honor of your plastic bag tracker. it’s probably way too many but it’s the best number i could come up with! LOL!
Kelly’s last blog post..Dancing With the Stars
October 21st, 2008 at 7:52 am
This is fun! Everybody is guessing pretty low, I’d say 265 :o)
Ivanhoe’s last blog post..Weekend Snapshot and Post Two Hundred
October 21st, 2008 at 8:12 am
I was going to guess 75, but several others went there, so I’m going with …
SEVENTY-FOUR balloons!!! I think you bought three packs of 25 and broke one. LOL!
Jay’s last blog post..Things that look like … things!
October 21st, 2008 at 8:12 am
Kathy, I meant to come back and comment on this yesterday and forgot, so I’m here today. I’m going with 125. I’ll reserve my reasoning for this # until you tell us more. 🙂
Btw: You’d be a BLAST to work with – plastic bags and balloons. Could you be any cooler? LOL
Nicole’s last blog post..Menu Plan Monday 10/20-10/26
October 21st, 2008 at 8:26 am
Way too funny! I’m going to have to go with 185… I know I certainly don’t have the lung capacity to blow up all those balloons before work.
October 21st, 2008 at 9:01 am
I’m guessing 200 balloons. Good gag by the way! 🙂
October 21st, 2008 at 9:02 am
mmmm first I want to know if you actually blew them up and then lay gasping for air on the floor..or did you cheat and use something..:)))
58 my guess…just a stab in the dark I started trying to count then in the picture but got lost…:))
robert bourne’s last blog post..Safe Haven In Time
October 21st, 2008 at 9:04 am
I didn’t look at the other guesses…but I’m going to make it simple and guess 100.
lala’s last blog post..Alan Shepard Park in Cocoa Beach, Florida
October 21st, 2008 at 9:10 am
I’m guessing 61. Who blew up and tied all those balloons?
feefifoto’s last blog post..Abandoning The Attacks For One Evening
October 21st, 2008 at 10:01 am
I’ll guess an even 200.
Great trick, by the way!
The Hawg!’s last blog post..…And Tuesday was always A-Team Day!
October 21st, 2008 at 10:59 am
This guess is coming from the worst ever balloon blower upper! I HATE blowing up balloons, so, kudos to you! My guess is 113.
October 21st, 2008 at 11:01 am
I’d say there’s 48– because balloons tend to come in packs of 50, and I’d say there were two balloon casualties.
Jenn’s last blog post..Zombie Situation Anti-Cliche Specialist For Hire
October 21st, 2008 at 11:15 am
I’m going to go with 113 balloons. Because I like the number. I know how to do pranks. I once disassembled an Army jeep, and reassembled it on someone’s desk. Man was he bent! I removed my commanding officer’s picture from the entryway to our company HQ, and had “Space Available for Rent” tattoed on his forehead. He never found out who did it, but he made Alpha Company pull guard duty on his picture 24/7 for a week, because they had Charge of Quarters the night I did it. ( I was in Charlie Company, and we hated those bastards) Kathy, I bet you are creative as hell when it comes to skullduggery! Call me if you ever need a hand! My wife won’t let me do those things anymore!
Chris (Casey)’s last blog post..The Birthday Puppy: Guess who’s 12?!
October 21st, 2008 at 11:27 am
So much fun, we did the same thing to a co-worker a while back (http://caroline-songofhappiness.blogspot.com/2008/04/99-red-balloons-or-actually-200.html)
Did you blow them all up yourself, or did you have help?
I am going with 121
October 21st, 2008 at 12:01 pm
I’ll say 73 because I figure you bought 3 packs of 25 and broke 2 of them. And nobody else said 73 yet.
Jeff’s last blog post..Yeah, but imagine the ice cream headache
October 21st, 2008 at 12:08 pm
First of all, it is totally understandable how one would get 5 cheese containers in the fridge at once. It is like the dregs of the cereal that I can’t get anyone to eat- they see the new box and are somehow mesmerized by it and totally disregard the old. IN the cheese example I am sure there is also a little bit of “but I want a LOT of cheese” going through everyone’s mind, and that nearly empty can is not going to cut it!
OK, to your contest: I think there are 56 balloons, and that you did a fabulous job!
maggie’s last blog post..As Ready As I’ll Ever Be
October 21st, 2008 at 1:10 pm
I think there are 113 balloons.
Great job.
When I was in college, my roommate crepe papered me into the bottom bunk while I was sleeping, on my birthday.
October 21st, 2008 at 1:20 pm
I tried to see if anyone had taken 108, but I lost interest. So my guess will be 108, unless someone else has already said that. I TOTALLY want those bacon band aids! I just had gall bladder surgery and I don’t know if bacon will make me sick or not, yet. So, if I can’t eat bacon *gasp!*, I will wear bacon. (if I win) 🙂
October 21st, 2008 at 1:38 pm
I’ll guess 225.
Peter Answers’s last blog post..Introducing BustedTees
October 21st, 2008 at 4:14 pm
I just counted them all. 150 Balloons!
Did that sound convincing enough? 😉
Grizzly’s last blog post..Making Money Online with Social Traffic
October 21st, 2008 at 4:40 pm
The thought of bacon ban-aids kinda make me queasy. Maybe if they were cookie band aids…yum.
Stephanie C.’s last blog post..my spec of The Office (the storm)
October 21st, 2008 at 4:48 pm
debbie lane — That’s what I said when I got down to blowing up the last few!
Babs beetle — It was a moment of sheer brilliance that I needed right THEN! My fingers were all red and swollen and blistery.
PaulsHealthBlog — I’m starting to think of other ways I can torment my office mates. BWAAAHAHAHA.
Kelly — I stopped to look at the bag when I left my building today. It’s very windy right now. But, alas, it’s tucked in snugly and it’s moving at all.
Ivanhoe — I think yours is the highest guess so far. Won’t tell you if you’re close though.
Jay — Way to break it down. For the record, I blew them all up and had no losses. I’m a professional, you know.
Nicole — Ah, thanks. My coworkers think I’ve lost my mind a little, but I can live with that. Hey, work can’t be all work, can it?
Singular Girl — For the record, it took me about three hours, with breaks throughout so that I wouldn’t faint.
robert bourne — Yes, all lung power, baby!
feefifoto — All me! The tying up part was brutal. My fingers were killing me towards the end. I wound up using a piece of metal hook from a coat rack to help me tie the last bunch.
Lynne — The grossest part was having the taste and smell of latex on me for a while.
Jenn — No casualties, although I did lose one when it went flying out of my mouth and all around the room. But I salvaged it.
Chris — We could make quite a team. Do you have someone you can call when we need to get bailed out of jail? We need to consider that possibility.
Caroline — I love what you did with your coworker’s cube! I wish we had walls here. Would have made penning them in a lot easier!
Jeff — Mr. Studious. For the record, none were harmed in the making of this prank. Every one in the package was used.
maggie — You understand me so well. I couldn’t have explained the phenomenon any better!
Susan K — Awesome prank! I would have been scared sh*tless waking up to that!
mlm — Oh, sorry for your surgery. Yes, bacon makes all thing better. Even big boo-boos.
Grizzly — Yes, it sounds like you seriously counted them. Way to go. Thanks again for the mention of my blog on yours. You see what I did with the title, but I may have more work to do. When you have time, get back to my email. And thank you so much for your excellent advice!
Stephanie C — Oh, don’t say that! Bacon is awesome in all its forms, fake or not! But cookies? Yeah, cookie bandaids would be really good. Have to see if they sell those too.
October 21st, 2008 at 5:13 pm
I’m guessing 137 1/2 beautiful balloons. (At least one of them must have popped resulting in 1/2 a balloon ending up in the trash.) I only have one question: When you’re slightly dizzy anyway, does lack of oxygen make it worse? :0)
October 21st, 2008 at 5:25 pm
Kathy I’m just dying to hear the answer! I’ve been checking every couple of hours. You’ve got me hooked.
October 21st, 2008 at 6:25 pm
I’ll guess 37.
GumbyTheCat’s last blog post..Disco-Dancin’ Dinosaurs
October 21st, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Im guessing 72 because i did a little counting (i hope that is not cheating and if it is than i never said that) i also want to how far can 1,000 points get me and if it is not very far i want the bacon bandages because who doesnt want bacon bandages.
October 21st, 2008 at 8:47 pm
I’m guessing 50. Cute prank! I hope you’re prepared for her “revenge” on your next birthday!
October 21st, 2008 at 10:20 pm
I’d guess 84. Sure glad I didn’t have to blow all those up!
Maritzia’s last blog post..Healing for Obama’s Grandmother
October 22nd, 2008 at 4:30 am
I’m going to pull a Price is Right (plus one) on Maritzia and guess 86.
October 22nd, 2008 at 5:12 am
167 – that’s my guess. I hope you used a pump to blow all of those balloons up!
Neena’s last blog post..KMart Coupons
October 22nd, 2008 at 5:25 am
Lee — Slightly dizzy? Oh, you’re being too kind. I know you meant to say off the wall crazy. What a good friend you are.
Data Entry Services — I think I made a mistake leaving the guess period open for a whole week. Check back later today, when I think I’ll announce a winner.
brooke — Nope, you are to be commended for trying to count them! Entrecard is for bloggers who use that service, so if you win, it’s bacon for you. Mmmmm…bacon!
Lori — Ruh-roh. I didn’t think about that.
Maritzia — It wasn’t as hard as you might imagine. Tying them off was the hardest part, but I figured out a way to save my fingers.
cardiogirl — Awesome. Don’t you hate people who do that on TPIR? I bet the person who gets outbid wants to punch them right in the teeth.
Neena — Nope, it was all lung power, baby!
October 22nd, 2008 at 7:10 am
I sure hope your coworker appreciated this balloonfest! What a riot. I scanned the comments and hope I didn’t miss a 63. That’s my guess. If this were my office I’d keep the glorious balloons around for a couple days and then pop them with my arse sitting down one by one. What fun!
Vivienne’s last blog post..How Superman Defeats Broccoli
October 22nd, 2008 at 8:07 am
OMG this just cracks me up – since you said you would have done 500 but you ran out of time, I’m going to guess 219. I was going to keep it around 100, but thought if you were really into this, you at least got 200 done! 😀
Hawksdomain’s last blog post..Snow White and 3 out of 7 Dwarfs!
October 22nd, 2008 at 10:55 am
I’m guessing 121.
Also, you should have found some methane or a bit of some hydrogen sulphide to put in them balloons.
You know, to stink her out when she popped them.
Mike’s last blog post..pH Balance – What is it?
October 22nd, 2008 at 11:19 am
LOL–I would never spend 3 hours blowing up balloons just for a gag. I think you may have just proven there is something wrong with you! I’m not surprised that Daisy the Curly Cat won. She is a very smart cat and makes up riddles all the time that I never can guess.
Karen, author of “My Funny Dad, Harry”‘s last blog post..5 Things I’d Like To See Changed In U.S. Politics
October 22nd, 2008 at 11:47 am
EVERYONE: I decided to stop accepting guesses earlier than next week. There are simply too many now. Check out my latest post for the winner!
Vivienne — Oh, she did alright! We had such fun with them. Yesterday she went around stabbing them with a knife with a crazed look in her eyes (and here I thought I was the demented one). It was so loud, I had to leave the office until she was done. We still have some here and there, so it still feels birthday-ish.
Hawksdomain — You know, if (when?) I do this again, I can see myself doing 500. It got so much easier when I didn’t have to tie them off with my fingers. I had a pretty good system goin’. 500? Piece of cake!
Mike — OK, so listen. I was going to make garlic shrimp the night before I finished blowing them up, but I had mercy on her. I waited until I blew up the last 50 or so before allowing myself to have it. Also, I probably would have been grossed out if I could smell garlic in the office for a day. Everyone would know it was me!
Karen, author of “My Funny Dad, Harry” — Oh, get to know me. I’d do worse than that if the payoff was worth it. Yes, Daisy is so smart and I feel so dumb because I only ever got one of her many riddles. I was really excited that day.
October 23rd, 2008 at 3:03 pm
If this was me, I would have used some Saw movie like contraption for her to escape from and then eventually die. But, hey, I’m the warped minded one here 🙂
Dwayne.
http://probablysucks.com
Dwayne from Probably Sucks Blog’s last blog post..How To Be A Douche Bag
October 23rd, 2008 at 6:27 pm
Dwyne from Probably Sucks Blog — Warped, you are! I was thinking about blowing up 500 more balloons this weekend so she’s walking into something worse on Monday. My mind keeps mulling over what else I can do to her. Poor thing.
November 10th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
That is freaking awesome!
jen brister’s last blog post..Wonderful Comic Book Ad
November 14th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
jen brister — I can’t decide if I like this more or less than what I found out another colleague did to a co-worker of hers. The victim is into the goth scene, so for her birthday, they decked out her cube with everything “princess” they could find. It was a pink vomitfest. Awesome.
August 2nd, 2010 at 12:01 pm
nive