Art? Prank? Scavenger Hunt?
Bizarre, Fun, Windy, work April 9th, 2010Every spring a honeydew melon shows up on the roof of the university building where I work. I do not understand what’s happening here, but I’m sure students are behind it.
Is it a prank, part of a scavenger hunt or some weird tradition they keep up for the sake of tradition?
Sometimes the melon disappears suddenly. Sometimes it rots until it’s black and stinks. Sometimes it’s placed off to the side. Sometimes, like this time, it’s right in the middle.
Always I ask “why?” but I will probably never learn the reason.
And that gives me a one way ticket to Crazytown. Why? Why is it there?
Incidentally, this is the roof from where I take Windy pictures. She turns two tomorrow (!!!!!) and there will be a cake on Monday. If you work with me, come on over to my office and we’ll celebrate!*
* Tours of the Melon-Windy roof run every hour. Admission is free.
Stumble it!
April 9th, 2010 at 3:49 pm
What an odd little tradition/prank/scavenger hunt. You mean nobody knows the reason behind it?
.-= ann´s last blog ..My Dinosaur =-.
April 9th, 2010 at 3:50 pm
Random weirdness like this is what is awesome about college. Although if I’d spent a little more time studying and a little less time perpetuating stuff like this I probably would have ranked a little higher.
I love how it has a little cairn base to it so it doesn’t roll off.
.-= Shieldmaiden1196´s last blog ..Fecal Matters =-.
April 9th, 2010 at 3:59 pm
That is so funny. Someone somewhere must have the answer but it’s probably more fun not to know ’cause maybe the original reason has long been forgotten and then what? That’ll really make you crazy. Maybe it’s like that thing where on a certain day everyone tries to make a raw egg stand on it’s end…
.-= Grace´s last blog ..Would you believe I forgot our wedding anniversary? =-.
April 9th, 2010 at 4:19 pm
I think it’s fun. Maybe they do it to see if it can stand the test of time, and not fall down on some passerby’s head. It’s precariously close to the edge.
I make it Windy’s birthday was yesterday, according to her Facebook page.
.-= Babs – beetle´s last blog ..Sofa Conversation #1 =-.
April 9th, 2010 at 4:34 pm
It’s like the pickles! Sadly, they disappeared around day 10. My husband and I were bummed, we enjoyed the mystery of it all.
I like the little rock enclosure they made for the melon.
.-= absepa´s last blog ..My name is absepa, and I am a STATS sufferer =-.
April 9th, 2010 at 4:42 pm
You work in such a fun place!!
.-= Sniffie and the Florida Furkids´s last blog ..Tired Thursday – purrs and prayers please =-.
April 9th, 2010 at 4:54 pm
You should get some Mr. Potato Head accessories and make a new honeydew melon face every day!
.-= Tracy´s last blog ..The Reinvention of Edison Thomas: A book review =-.
April 9th, 2010 at 5:13 pm
I bet it’s a relic from a Druid spring ritual. You missed the actual ceremony where they all dance around naked.
.-= Tarheel Rambler´s last blog ..Welcome To Emerald City =-.
April 9th, 2010 at 5:24 pm
It’s obviously a sacrificial fruit offering for Windy in honor of her birthday. Duh.
I agree with Tracy. Mr. Potato Head faces with pictures to document!
.-= Surfie´s last blog ..Spring is in the Air! =-.
April 9th, 2010 at 5:54 pm
Can I friend request the melon?
.-= Cat Lady Diary´s last blog ..Today’s Letter is “H”! =-.
April 9th, 2010 at 6:00 pm
I wish I was free on Monday, I would have come for cake!
April 9th, 2010 at 6:09 pm
Crazy is a college prerequisite, isn’t it? Crazy 101.
.-= Barb at WillThink4Wine´s last blog ..Springtime at the Swamp =-.
April 9th, 2010 at 6:12 pm
I was trying to find something, I googled “spring ritual with fruit” and got all sorts of voodoo crazy stuff – wooooooo (creepy ghost sound) – anyway, it looks altar like – kind of reminds me of when a friend set up an altar to Buddha with the rocks and fruit.
.-= Sheila´s last blog ..No More Peecrastinating, I’ve Got A Urination Proclaimation =-.
April 9th, 2010 at 6:39 pm
@ann – that is what I believe she said
@Sheildmaiden1196 – me too – I bet the rocks were carefully chosen
@Grace – I agree – there has to be an old professor lost under the dungeons of the university who must know – if this university has a dungeon
@Babs-beetle – but the rocks ? I imagine it as a severed head on display !
@abspea – those were mine, thank you for making them famous
@Sniffie and the Florida Furkids – She’s having cake with her co-workers too ! I can’t even do that – the sawdust would immediately settle on the icing.
@Tracy – Or get a sharpie and paint a scary face.
@Tarheel Rambler – You said naked – there are girls there too right ?
@Surfie – Windy is in no need for such sacrifices
@Cat Lady Diary – No
@Susan – Too bad – I am sure Kathy would diliver – we all know how generous she is.
@Barb at WillThink4Wine – I was thinking more like it was a condition for graduation seeing that it is that time of the year.
@Sheila – Hmm… unless were are using the same search engine – googly moogly this is what I found http://www.allgoogly.com/tag/burgers/
@Kathy – Is this a prank ? A joke ? Why did I answer to all your commentators ? We shall never know…
.-= Jaffer´s last blog ..ManiaRavings.com is re-launching ! =-.
April 9th, 2010 at 6:50 pm
It does seem ritualistic, probably due to the cairn. That screams ritual. I love the Potato Head idea. You can flip it right back on them. Of course, you have to sneak in during the dead of night so no one sees you do it.
.-= Buggys´s last blog ..My Family – Conversations =-.
April 9th, 2010 at 7:35 pm
What an absurd tradition, but I love it. I think you should camp out every night when the time nears next year until you catch them in the act. I mean….if I were you.
.-= Margaret (Nanny Goats)´s last blog ..Why I Never Comment On Your Blog: (A Disqus Primer) =-.
April 9th, 2010 at 8:08 pm
I felt a little bit scairted when I saw that honeydew surrounded by rocks. Or maybe I was just melon-choly.
.-= Daisy the Curly Cat´s last blog ..How Does THAT Work? Adoption! =-.
April 9th, 2010 at 8:11 pm
At least you don’t work at MIT. There would be a VW Beetle on the roof instead. Easy to get up there when you bring it up piece by piece. Melons are harder to hide under a jacket unless you feign pregnancy.
.-= Chris@TheSnackHound´s last blog ..Paprika Added to the Fiestaware Line =-.
April 9th, 2010 at 8:22 pm
This clearly calls for a hidden camera — unless there already is one. Have you checked You-Tube lately? Maybe under “mysterious melon?”
.-= injaynesworld´s last blog ..injaynesworld we ask "What Would John Lennon Say..?" =-.
April 9th, 2010 at 8:45 pm
I just got a windy in a very high tree. I will take a photo and start counting the days we are on 2 today. MB
April 9th, 2010 at 9:03 pm
Hmmm, honeydew melon…interesting. In the first photo it almost looks like a hand holding it. Windy must be wearing camo because I could barely see her with all those green leaves!
April 9th, 2010 at 10:36 pm
I am not sure about the meaning of this honeydew melon prank, but personally I like the prank where Jaffer answers all of your commentators. Less work for you! Unless you feel the need to comment on each of his comments…
.-= Bryan´s last blog ..Pic of the day – How not to speak in public =-.
April 9th, 2010 at 10:57 pm
that is so cute! it looks like a prehistoric egg or some kind of pseudo religious object. some little worshipers would look great.
)
have a great weekend!
hugs,
puglette
.-= puglette´s last blog ..Who’s This?? =-.
April 10th, 2010 at 12:07 am
The melon simply appeared to wish Windy a Happy Birthday!
.-= Anna´s last blog ..Stuff =-.
April 10th, 2010 at 4:29 am
ann — Nope. Although I’ve emailed a few professors in the building who’ve been around for over 30 years. Maybe they know. I’ll update here if they do.
Shieldmaiden1196 — And how I’d love to hear the stories about the stuff you did. Something tells me it’d be both hilarious and high-brow. I like the rock stand too. So purposeful.
Grace — Yeah, I’m sort of wondering if it’s just something the kids do for no other reason than to check off a box that they completed the task. I still would like to know the history of it.
Babs Beetle — Thank God for that. It’d be tragic if something so silly was the cause of someone’s concussion. For the record, that ledge isn’t perfectly level. It slopes inward a little bit, so without rocks it probably would roll back onto the roof. I might be off a couple days for Windy’s b-day. I was too lazy to look it up and I’m saying it’s this weekend because it gives me time to buy a cake!
absepa — And so you never learned the reason for the pickles then either, huh? I really wanted to know. I’m surprised they stayed as long as they did. Weird how you get attached to these inanimate objects, no?
Sniffie and the Florida Furkids – I do! Especially with Windy out there. You can’t believe how many people I can get to come to the window when I start telling her story. They always walk away with a smile.
Tracy — Awesome idea! But then I’d have to destroy its smooth face jamming pieces in it, right? Still… I wanna do it!
Tarheel Rambler — No doubt. And for college students, they wouldn’t balk at having to dance around naked, would they?
Surfie — Aw, I like that idea! If I potatoize him, you’ll read about it here.
Cat Lady Diaries — Oh, boy. Do I or don’t I create a Facebook page for the melon?
Susan — I would have loved to meet you! Last year, a whole bunch of people I hadn’t seen in a while made it to the party. It was a hoot!
Barb at WillThink4Wine — Absolutely. Yesterday we got an email with this video linked to it, from people at the library where students took part in an annual tradition. It’s tame, but the singing is awful.
Sheila — Voodoo! I like it! The ledge makes a nice altar, but if it is an altar, I think we need more fruit!
Jaffer — Dude, you beat me to it! Can you be my fill-in support when I take a vacation from the blog? It’ll be a paid position. I’ll pay you in cupcake bandaids.
Buggys — Yes, I’d have to do it in the dead of night because when I went out on the roof to take these pictures, a student walking by was so curious and followed me out there! I’d have been totally busted if I tried to put a face on our melon friend.
Nanny Goats — You’re dying to catch they, aren’t you? I wonder if they do it on the same day every year. I’ve never thought about it hard enough to record the date, and now I’ve lost my chance.
Daisy the Curly Cat — Oh, you’re just so funny! Tee hee!
Chris at TheSnackHound — Oh, man. How outrageous would that be? I’d love it if we found a car up there. Too bad the melon perpetrator doesn’t read my blog. I’d be an excellent idea.
injaynesworld — I haven’t, but I did google the situation. I was really hoping to find something under “melon” “roof” and the name of our building. I got nothin’ and I’m seriously annoyed!
MaryBeth — Awesome! Send me a picture if you want (kathyblog07@gmail.com)
Brenda at SplitRockRanch — Yes, a big rocky fat-fingered hand! It’s almost impossible to see Windy through the leaves. I had a co-worker take really good pictures up close on Thursday. I will post a current picture on Monday night or Tuesday. She ain’t lookin’ good.
Bryan — This is a first for Jaffer. I’ve enlisted him to be my vacation coverage when I need a break from the blog. Maybe I can get him to write posts for me too.
puglette — It does look like a dinosaur egg! It’s so perfect and smooth. I love it!
Anna — I like that idea. It’d be the closest anyone’s gotten to her (besides me) in two years. Maybe she likes the company!
April 10th, 2010 at 5:09 am
Kathy, that melon is there just to drive you nuts. Or at least drive everyone there nuts. I am sure the reason that it disappears sometimes, that someone gets hungry. It also could be some kind of sacrifice deal. Put another one up there Kathy and see what happens.
.-= Marg´s last blog ..Today is 8 birthdays, Yikes =-.
April 10th, 2010 at 5:52 am
mmmmmmmm….caaaaaaaaaaaaaake…………
April 10th, 2010 at 7:56 am
Hmmmm, I have a few ideas,
Perhaps you can introduce your new roof top guest to another melon friend, maybe a canteloupe and see what transpires between them.
OR….
Maybe someone had a hankering (yup, I just used that word) for some melon jerky.
In any case, I have cleared my schedule for Monday, I am pulling all the kids out of school, coming down for the tour and cake, I’ll bring the sunscreen and camera, alert the presses about your melon friend and sell 8 X 10 color glossys.
April 10th, 2010 at 8:05 am
You know what I love? I love how you can post about something so strange and silly and nonsensical, and EVERYONE just dives in and plays along. Fruit sacrifice? Friend reqeust? Mr. Potato Head accessories? I love these people.
And Jaffer, assuming the “respond to commenters” duties. What a fun place.
.-= JD at I Do Things´s last blog ..I Compare Hoboes and Gypsies so you don’t have to =-.
April 10th, 2010 at 9:12 am
I love cake… Hope the honeydew melon won’t attack us!
.-= Vladimir Hristov´s last blog ..Growing Your Business With Social Media =-.
April 10th, 2010 at 9:18 am
I love that they “nest” it so it doesn’t roll off!
.-= Momma Drama´s last blog ..Miss Snarky =-.
April 10th, 2010 at 9:44 am
Maybe it’s part of a melon cult. You know how to join certain frats and stuff, they make you do stupid stuff in your underwear?
Well, for this secret melon society, to be a part of it you must stay up on that roof as long as possible.
April 10th, 2010 at 10:13 am
Research? Like Grace said, maybe it’s more fun not knowing the origin. We can all use our imaginations.
April 10th, 2010 at 10:15 am
@Kathy – Can I get paid in those “eye” bandages instead ? Write posts for you ? hahaha – I can hardly write posts for myself !
@JD – You were also on my short list to among 5 or 6 other blogs – yes I had this ‘planned’ for sometime !
But this post of Kathy’s was as if fate really wanted me to do it !
Posting about a prank, commentators I am familiar with and their colourful comments – was a golden opportunity.
: )
.-= Jaffer´s last blog ..ManiaRavings.com is re-launching ! =-.
April 10th, 2010 at 11:19 am
Kathy, run away!! Far away!!!! Didn’t you see “Jurassic Park”?!?!?!?
.-= Crabby Blogging Lady´s last blog ..Another Killer SUV On the Loose =-.
April 10th, 2010 at 2:12 pm
That roof is one happenin’ place. I can’t believe you posted this without solving the mystery first. You should magic-marker your email on that honeydew with a plea for an explanation.
Because it’s going to bother me all day.
.-= Wendy´s last blog ..This is for Texan Mama =-.
April 10th, 2010 at 5:51 pm
Marg — I should put another one up there. All different kinds of fruit, actually. See what happens.
BabaBooey — I’ll save a seat for ya! Ordered the cake today. Lady at the bakery was totally weirded out when she pulled Windy’s picture from the envelope I gave her. Just stared at it. I said “Oh, don’t even bother. It’s not even a person.” The Giant bakery people know I’m certified now.
Donna — I would totally sh*t if you showed up at my building with all your kids. I’ll write a note to their teachers. Something along the lines of “We had an educational outing today. The kids toured a university and they learned about food biology.” How’s that?
JD at I Do Things — That’s the Junk Drawer for ya! I love it too! The friending on Facebook had me rolling. Jaffer’s been so active everywhere lately. Get on his ass about blogging again, will ya? He’s giving away some great stuff that should be at his place.
Vladimir Hristov — Don’t worry about the honeydew. It’s only scary when it’s been sitting in the sun for three weeks. As me how it looks and smells then.
Momma Drama — Injury prevention, but I like to think — as others have suggested — that it’s all part of a ritual of some kind.
Regan — Yes, I’m sure it’s part of some crazy frat thing, but I want more information!
Linda — OK, so if I find out, I shouldn’t share it? Don’t you want to know just a little?
Jaffer — Oh, yes. Eyeball bandages. Note taken. You can’t write posts for yourself because you’re giving it all away here and at Tribal (see my remark to JD). Waiting for you to reopen your blog, dude.
Crabby Blogging Lady — Oh, man. Yes, I have. Trust me, if I see a giant Pterodactyl, I’m running for cover!
Wendy — You know, that is NOT a bad idea! I think I’ll do that. If I get a response, I’ll post again. Maybe a video interview with the mystery melon-placer.
April 10th, 2010 at 6:31 pm
Why, this is a migratory melon, of course – they come north in the springtime to nest on a circle of rocks!
I think that Windy probably knows something about this, too.
.-= Lidian´s last blog ..Spaghetti That Sings =-.
April 10th, 2010 at 9:39 pm
You should leave a little note with your email address or something asking someone to tell you why it’s there every year. I’m curious too!
.-= Cashier´s last blog ..Little Things I Hate: Slow Talkers =-.
April 11th, 2010 at 12:09 am
I know all about the melon prank, including how, where, and when it started and the reason behind it. I would tell you, but Crazytown is a fun place and I would hate to ruin your fun.
.-= Will´s last blog ..The Smell of Napalm in the Morning =-.
April 11th, 2010 at 1:59 am
An offering for the immortal Lord Honeydew? If the melon falls off the roof it means there will be six more weeks of winter? Who the hell knows what college kids are thinking?
.-= Knucklehead!´s last blog ..The Fine Line Between Stupid and Clever: KISS vs. Spinal Tap =-.
April 11th, 2010 at 8:18 am
It’s important not to ask the whys of these kinds of things. Faith, Kathy, faith.
.-= Jen´s last blog ..Good Customer Service =-.
April 11th, 2010 at 10:47 am
It’s like a little Inukshuk. I like how they secured it with rocks. Very bizarre to choose a melon.
.-= Mom To The Power Of Three´s last blog ..Casey James – Jealous Guy =-.
April 11th, 2010 at 9:37 pm
It’s not a melon! It’s a dinosaur egg! OMG!
(I am soooo coming down to you for a tour!)
.-= Lisa @ Boondock Ramblings´s last blog ..Tales from the Office: The Conspiracy Theorist. . . Again. =-.
April 12th, 2010 at 5:54 am
Sounds like fun. But melon? That looks like an egg to me, lol! Have an awesome day Kathy.
Jodi
.-= Jodi´s last blog ..Grannies On The Road Again….. =-.
April 12th, 2010 at 6:15 am
Can you try to take a new shot? Where you focus towards the colorful sculpture, try to place the melon in the middle of the sculpture.
Oh, its best to do it around 13:09pm.
.-= Øyvind´s last blog ..A trip to Austevoll =-.
April 12th, 2010 at 7:56 am
I’ll bet it’s some type of spring fraternity tradition! I thought it was an egg at first. Gee, I would love to know the story behind it. Curious minds want to know!
.-= SuziCate´s last blog ..Garanimals For Men =-.
April 12th, 2010 at 8:11 am
Looks like RBC isn’t the only building taken over by melons. I saw a squashed melon right at the entrance to one of the labs across from the gym. Sounds like a physics project to me.
April 12th, 2010 at 8:47 am
I like the sculpture in the background, that’s fun.
.-= Buggys´s last blog ..Open Season on Parents =-.
April 12th, 2010 at 9:42 am
Hey I think you should get it and have it four lunch. then know every year you will have a treat for lunch, at the cost for melons nowadays, It would be a lovely gift. don’t you just love pranks?
.-= Auntie E´s last blog ..NCB Festival =-.
April 12th, 2010 at 3:06 pm
Wait. Does ANYONE know why that melon is there? *dawns on her to read the comments!*
.-= meleah rebeccah´s last blog ..Doing Things Differently™ – My Week In Review [Part Ten] =-.
April 12th, 2010 at 3:08 pm
And now after reading the comments apparently NO ONE knows!
.-= meleah rebeccah´s last blog ..Doing Things Differently™ – My Week In Review [Part Ten] =-.
April 12th, 2010 at 5:26 pm
Lidian — And it’s really hard for them to get around, since all they can do is roll themselves from place to place. I wouldn’t put it past Windy to play a joke on us. She’s like that, you know.
Cashier — I suggested to some people that I would do that and they all said “No way. I doubt anyone would get back to you because they’re just going to leave it there to rot and never check back on it.”
Will — Thanks, Will. Thanks a lot.
Knucklehead — Yes, six more weeks of winter and a lawsuit against the university.
Jen — I know, I know. I shouldn’t be putting too much thought into these things. It only makes my brain hurt.
Mom to the Power of Three — I love the rock aspect. It’s both cool and a fine safety feature. That is, if some animal doesn’t come by and knock it over so that it conks someone on the head below. Pray it doesn’t because I’d feel real guilty knowing it was a concussion risk and let it there anyway.
Lisa at Boondock Ramblings — I do think it looks more like a dinosaur egg than anything else. It’s so smooth and perfect. For now, that is. Ask me how it looks and smells in a couple weeks.
Jodi — Agreed. And an egg from something a hundred times bigger than me who I would thank not to kill me if it saw me messing with its eggs.
Oyvind — It’d look cool that way, wouldn’t it. By the way, that’s my very favorite sculpture on our campus. Nice and colorful and not all weirdo art that I don’t get.
SuziCate — We suspect the same. A woman I work with who came over for Windy’s party today (see current post) said she saw a smashed melon in front of another building on the way over to mine. Clearly, it’s a trend.
Susan — At least we’re getting a little closer to knowing the “why.” I did get a response from one of the professors I wrote about this phenomenon. He’s been here for decades and I was sure he’d know what the deal was. Unfortunately, he doesn’t. I was so disappointed. Good to see you today at Windy’s party!
Buggys — Yes, it’s so pretty and colorful. One of my very favorite sculptures on campus. Believe me, most of them are not that attractive.
Auntie E — Not if you paid me. You don’t know what those crazy kids might have done to it before setting it out. I love pranks, but I do wish I knew its origin and purpose.
meleah rebeccah — No, not in the least. I even asked around my building. Professors who’ve been around for decades don’t even know. I need to interview more people, I think. If I ever find out, I’ll put up the explanation in a new post.
April 12th, 2010 at 8:51 pm
how strange, but at least Windy has a friend for awhile.
.-= grannyann´s last blog ..Classic classifieds =-.
April 13th, 2010 at 7:54 am
Maybe it’s a reference to the film Buckaroo Banzai. In that film, among the supposed high tech scientific equipment, the characters pass a melon stuck there.
One character says to the other, “Why’s that melon there?”
And as if it’s some long complex tale, the other character says, “I’ll tell you later.”
It’s a completely throwaway dialog, but given the film is sort of a cult movie for college students, I could see them doing this.
.-= Jenn of Many Cabbages´s last blog ..Jabberwookiee =-.
April 13th, 2010 at 1:03 pm
i don`t have any idea..
but based from the picture above, looks like that place is nice
.-= Logitech Harmony Review´s last blog ..Logitech Harmony Review =-.
April 16th, 2010 at 4:21 pm
What an interesting tradition. I’m sure there is a great story behind the mystery. It almost looks like a prehistoric egg of some sort. The first image makes the melon look gigantic. That would be some prank.
April 17th, 2010 at 3:26 am
grannyann — But now it’s gone! I looked yesterday and it disappeared. It is not known whether someone took it or whether it fell off the roof. I’m going with the former.
Jenn of Many Cabbages — That sounds like the best explanation yet. How do you know these things???
Logitech Harmony Review — It is quite the nice perch, isn’t it?
Nutrition Degree — Yeah, like some freak lab experiment gone wrong!
April 17th, 2010 at 1:07 pm
Total random weirdness … I’m thinking there is some sort of scavenger hunt that occurs like you mentioned, that seems the most likely for it. Then again there could be some weird random worshipping of the honeydew that we just aren’t privy to!