Operation: Pissing Dassie
I love it when a plan comes together. I love it more when it's among friends. I love it best when it's borne out of a need for some serious payback.
Way back in October 2005, during the APC Council meeting in Varna, this Dude
climbed up a tree in the middle of the night, with the intention of scaring the shit out of me as I passed by that tree. His plan worked. Brilliantly.
And I've had revenge on my mind eversince.
Fast forward to Ithala 2006, APC board and staff meeting. Revenge was an itch that needed scratching, but I soon realised that revenge was a dish best served with friends. So recruitment began. The first recruit, obviously, was jhybeturtle , who shared the plans with other potential recruits. V came up with the idea of an ambush in the middle of the night. A quid pro quo arrangement: He jumped off a tree in the middle of the night to scare me, we were going to attack him with things in the middle of the night to scare the shit out of him.
Plans were exchanged over lunch, dinner and Yahoo conversations as the Prank Team grew. Thus, Operation: Pissing Dassie was born (though for some team members, it was known as Operation: Kill Karel), named after F's brilliant idea of starting the ambush by squirting The Target with warm, sticky water -- or anything that resembles Dassie pee.
All we needed were tools and the perfect opportunity. For tools, it was agreed that we needed sticky, gooey, icky weapons. It was a challenge, initially, since we were stuck in the middle of nowhere and jell-o was not at hand. But we eventually realised that the Kraal Restaurant was a great source for weapons: pudding, porridge, fruit juices, chocolate sauce...
The first opportunity to implement Operation: Pissing Dassie came on 21 March. We had enlisted KB's help, who agreed to be The Handler -- to ask The Target to an after-dinner meeting then lead him to the pool area, where the Prank Team would wait in the dark and ambush him. But the weather was on The Target's side. It rained that evening, so plans had to be postponed.
Over lunch the next day, Garton was enlisted to be The Handler. His role was to lure The Target to the Ambush Area. Materials were gathered throughout the day: porridge from breakfast, mango and orange juice from lunch, wet tissue balls.
By dinner time, operational plans were very firm: Team to head for Ambush Area (dark path near Chalet 35 where the promise of Permasmile beckoned for The Target) after dinner while The Handler distracted The Target then lured him to The Trap.
Roles were also laid out. The Weapon Deployment Units were identified: jhybeturtle to handle orange/ mango juice squirter; L to launch the wet tissue balls; F to wield the tree branch; c5 to deploy the porridge. V was assigned as Documentor -- having photos of Operation: Pissing Dassie was critical in upping the Fun Factor and Gloating Mileage.
Around 21:30: The Prank Team leaves the Kraal Restaurant and treks to the path leading to Chalet 35 to scout for the optimum position from which to launch the attack. Ultraviolet covers the lamp-post with her jacket for maximum darkness.
Garton sends SMS to c5 --" Leavin now". Prank Team gets into position, amidst giggling and F's final instructions: "We all have to crouch like this!"
21:45: Garton sends SMS to c5 -- "On route!". Prank Team finally achieves silence, strategically positioned and braced for The Ambush.
Then all hell breaks loose.
Garton shifts from The Handler to The Documentor in time to catch Operation: Pissing Dassie in action:
F starts the ambush by wielding his tree branch while making growling noises. Porridge is deployed. Mango/orange juice, squirted. Wet tissue balls, launched. The Target assumes The Baboon Stance (a.k.a., The Crazy Ape Fighting Position), hoping (I think) to intimidate his attackers through role play.
The Target (a.k.a The Berserker Baboon) looks for a human shield to protect him from the onslaught of Icky Things, while F chases him with a tree branch.
I get tackled, which presented the perfect porridge launch point. Got porridge in his hair! A major hit.
The Target is effectively ambushed and broken. Notice the witnesses in the background. Totally unexpected and unplanned, but definitely welcomed.
Mission accomplished.
technorati tags: ithala06
Way back in October 2005, during the APC Council meeting in Varna, this Dude
climbed up a tree in the middle of the night, with the intention of scaring the shit out of me as I passed by that tree. His plan worked. Brilliantly.
And I've had revenge on my mind eversince.
Fast forward to Ithala 2006, APC board and staff meeting. Revenge was an itch that needed scratching, but I soon realised that revenge was a dish best served with friends. So recruitment began. The first recruit, obviously, was jhybeturtle , who shared the plans with other potential recruits. V came up with the idea of an ambush in the middle of the night. A quid pro quo arrangement: He jumped off a tree in the middle of the night to scare me, we were going to attack him with things in the middle of the night to scare the shit out of him.
Plans were exchanged over lunch, dinner and Yahoo conversations as the Prank Team grew. Thus, Operation: Pissing Dassie was born (though for some team members, it was known as Operation: Kill Karel), named after F's brilliant idea of starting the ambush by squirting The Target with warm, sticky water -- or anything that resembles Dassie pee.
All we needed were tools and the perfect opportunity. For tools, it was agreed that we needed sticky, gooey, icky weapons. It was a challenge, initially, since we were stuck in the middle of nowhere and jell-o was not at hand. But we eventually realised that the Kraal Restaurant was a great source for weapons: pudding, porridge, fruit juices, chocolate sauce...
The first opportunity to implement Operation: Pissing Dassie came on 21 March. We had enlisted KB's help, who agreed to be The Handler -- to ask The Target to an after-dinner meeting then lead him to the pool area, where the Prank Team would wait in the dark and ambush him. But the weather was on The Target's side. It rained that evening, so plans had to be postponed.
Over lunch the next day, Garton was enlisted to be The Handler. His role was to lure The Target to the Ambush Area. Materials were gathered throughout the day: porridge from breakfast, mango and orange juice from lunch, wet tissue balls.
By dinner time, operational plans were very firm: Team to head for Ambush Area (dark path near Chalet 35 where the promise of Permasmile beckoned for The Target) after dinner while The Handler distracted The Target then lured him to The Trap.
Roles were also laid out. The Weapon Deployment Units were identified: jhybeturtle to handle orange/ mango juice squirter; L to launch the wet tissue balls; F to wield the tree branch; c5 to deploy the porridge. V was assigned as Documentor -- having photos of Operation: Pissing Dassie was critical in upping the Fun Factor and Gloating Mileage.
Around 21:30: The Prank Team leaves the Kraal Restaurant and treks to the path leading to Chalet 35 to scout for the optimum position from which to launch the attack. Ultraviolet covers the lamp-post with her jacket for maximum darkness.
Garton sends SMS to c5 --" Leavin now". Prank Team gets into position, amidst giggling and F's final instructions: "We all have to crouch like this!"
21:45: Garton sends SMS to c5 -- "On route!". Prank Team finally achieves silence, strategically positioned and braced for The Ambush.
Then all hell breaks loose.
Garton shifts from The Handler to The Documentor in time to catch Operation: Pissing Dassie in action:
F starts the ambush by wielding his tree branch while making growling noises. Porridge is deployed. Mango/orange juice, squirted. Wet tissue balls, launched. The Target assumes The Baboon Stance (a.k.a., The Crazy Ape Fighting Position), hoping (I think) to intimidate his attackers through role play.
The Target (a.k.a The Berserker Baboon) looks for a human shield to protect him from the onslaught of Icky Things, while F chases him with a tree branch.
I get tackled, which presented the perfect porridge launch point. Got porridge in his hair! A major hit.
The Target is effectively ambushed and broken. Notice the witnesses in the background. Totally unexpected and unplanned, but definitely welcomed.
Mission accomplished.
technorati tags: ithala06