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I was about to post this in Current Events or Site Related, but then I felt the need to somehow brighten up this forum by adding something not entitled "NAO Outage" to it. :-)

So, as Mel's idea was a success last year, I'd like to invite you all to participate again (or for the first time) this year.

Here's how it works, the short version:

• You go here and enter your NAO username and your address.

• A couple weeks from now, all addresses will be sold to direct marketing companies will be thrown into a virtual hat. The virtual hat will be virtually shaken, and the computer will randomly distribute the addresses among the participants.

• You send a small (that means inexpensive) Christmas present to the address you're given, and in turn receive a small present from another random person.

• Everybody is happy about receiving a random present from a random stranger!

Life's too short to be able to afford not to enjoy the things you see on detours.

Yep, already joined it, thanks :) I will make sure that Hawkeye joins too this year! I can't wait to know who will be the receiver of my present :)

One suggestion though: Would it be possible to start sooner this year? At least we should be more or less guaranteed of receiving the packets before Christmas. If it gets too soon, we just have to be patient and wait! However, I do think that it would be nice to be able to open it on Christmas day, don't you think? So, maybe if we could send everything by the 2nd week of November (like at most around the 20th), all the packets should be able to make it to wherever in the world, with a non very expensive postal fee. What do you think?

Un bacio è un'apostrofo rosa scritto tra le parole "ti amo".

I'm planning to distribute the addresses in about two weeks, so that everybody has at least five weeks to get & mail their present.

Life's too short to be able to afford not to enjoy the things you see on detours.

All right, seven people have joined the bunch so far, which is not bad :-) but I'm sure we can somehow talk another two people into participating.

The first of two e-mails will be sent this weekend. (Please make sure the e-mail address in your NAO profile is still valid.) It will tell you whether the recipient of your packet is male or female.

The second e-mail will be sent Thursday the 16th and contain your target person's real-life address. This means that your packet has at least five weeks (25-30 workdays, depending on how your postal service treats Saturdays) to get to its destination.

Life's too short to be able to afford not to enjoy the things you see on detours.

This post was edited by null on Nov 06, 2006.

The first of two e-mails has been sent and should have arrived in your mailbox in the meantime. (If it's not there, check your Junk folder or talk to your spam filter)

It should look a lot like this one -

Hello your NAO user name here!

This is the first of two e-mails you'll receive.
The addresses have been randomly distributed, and will be revealed soon.
You now have a few days to get a small present (don't spend more than 10 bucks).

The recipient of your present is gender and has left the following comment:

----
Some text... or not
----

Below is your postal address, which will be sent to another participant in a few days.
Please make sure it's correct, and report mistakes ASAP.
(Make sure you've mentioned the country you live in!)
Your own real-life address

If you run into problems or have any questions, direct them to me - null@web-world.ch.

Merry Christmas!

If you didn't get this e-mail, please let me know ASAP and I'll send you a copy.

Happy present buying!

Life's too short to be able to afford not to enjoy the things you see on detours.

The second e-mail has just been sent and should be in your inbox by now. Now have fun spreading the love everybody!
(Christmas is in a little more than five weeks. Remember to post your packet soon enough, overseas mail often takes up to four weeks or even more to arrive.)

Hello your NAO user name here!

You should have received a first e-mail a few days ago with the gender
of your target person and any additional comments they might have left.

Now please take the packet you've prepared, and send it to:

Real-life address, with or
without full or abbreviated
real-life name

Don't spend a fortune on postage, but if possible the packet should
arrive in time for Christmas. (Also, please check with your local
postal office for customs regulations, you might need to fill in
some small form informing the customs people about the packet's contents.)

If you run into problems or have any questions, direct them to me - null@web-world.ch.

Merry Christmas!

Life's too short to be able to afford not to enjoy the things you see on detours.

Boah I just spent a fortune on postage! I wasn't aware of that being so expensive! I think I seldom made such an expensive present before. But what to do? You can't just buy something that fits in a small envelope. Maybe for next year we should only bring people together who live on the same continent! I hope it arrives intactly and delivers a little bit of joy :)

This post was edited by Anonymous on Nov 17, 2006.

Well, mine'll fit into a parcel :)
Alas, the postage costs were the first I looked up after receiving the address whom I'm going to send a present.

cu, w0lf.

Multiple exclamation marks are a sure sign for a diseased mind!

Mine can fit into a parcel too, even though I have no idea about the postal rates yet :P I guess I will find out tomorrow at the post office ;)

And now... guess who is the lucky receiver of my present :D

Un bacio è un'apostrofo rosa scritto tra le parole "ti amo".

The package to Japan is on its way too. Should be there in up to a week or so, according to what I have been told.

Hmm... I am dying of curiosity now! I wonder who could be my mysterious gift giver! LOL!! I love this idea of the kringle, it's just so much fun!!

Un bacio è un'apostrofo rosa scritto tra le parole "ti amo".

Elena, you're package is on it's way, and according to Postal Service Estimates, should be there in 4-7 days.

Orchid, your present might delay a bit, mainly because I have so much to do at work that I'm probably not having time to put your Kris Kringle present to a postal office, so that it arrives at time (24th to 26th of December, whenever Christmas is celebrated in your country).

So it probably will also be a new years eve present, too ;)

This post was edited by Anonymous on Dec 06, 2006.

I got my present yesterday from a certain Excell guy ;) I was amazed by the fact that it got here without problems and quite early for Christmas too. I feel sort of bad for how much you paid in stamps!

I wonder if my present has already made it to the lucky one, and I am curious to know how they liked it. As for what concerns mine, I liked it a lot, and I am having fun with the candies (don't think naughty stuff about that!). I was too curious so I opened it before the time, but afterall... how could I resist?

Now I gotta admit I regret it a little because of an episode that happened with Hawkeye. He had gotten me his Christmas present, and didn't wrap it... he hid it in my parents' bedroom at their place, but my mom moved it to my old bedroom without telling him. And an accident occurred, and I saw it even if I wasn't supposed to. It wasn't wrapped yet, so I know exactly what he got me. I sort of knew even before because I told him what I would have liked, but of course I couldn't be sure he'd get that. And now I know for sure, and I don't know if he was going to get me another present. I got him two. A pair of shoes - I bought them last November, and then I allowed him to wear them since he needed some heavy shoes for the winter, and a second one which is still a surprise... He will have a surprise package to open for Christmas, and I won't... now, doesn't this suck?

Un bacio è un'apostrofo rosa scritto tra le parole "ti amo".

Ah well .. If you'd place your address somewhere only bernie has access to, some of us could send you another one ;)

Elena... Surprise presents is long gone. I can't remember when I got a surprise present last time. It's something for kids who make a list of thousand toys and things ;) Hmm... Now it's just that I say: I want this and I usually get it because people are glad to hear what one wishes because so much things don't go down well like socks from grandma or ugly nippes nobody really wants. So it's better to ask and fulfill wishes ;)

Anyway, don't you want to tell me what you got from Hawkeye?? I am sooo curious :)

"Sie wollen nichts anderes. Sie wollen kämpfen! Sie sind Soldaten! Fucking Wahnsinnige!" - Noel G.

Anyway, don't you want to tell me what you got from Hawkeye?? I am sooo curious :)

Well, it is nothing really romantic :P Quite the opposite I would say... probably it will lose all its romanticism as soon as I write the name of this object on this virtual sheet of paper :P

He got me... lol an electric hairbrush. It dries the hair while it styles it. It is perfect for me, because otherwise I'd spend hours in the bathroom trying to straighten my hair with the usual brush and the hair drier.

Surprise surprise... he also got me a second present. I didn't ask him anything in particular, so I have absolutely no idea what it could be. And this time it was wrapped, and I didn't even get the chance to see its size :P

Bernie and Tamara, I am going to mail your present as soon as possible; certainly within a couple days. I don't know if it will make it there by Christmas, because it all depends on the speed of the mail service here and there. I will give you a hint though ;)

It is something you will hopefully use every morning. Since it is somewhat related to Christmas, though, Hawkeye thinks you'll use it only in this period of the year. However it is something that can be used regardless every day of the year.

Did this give it away? Certainly not (or at least I hope not)! I am trying to learn the technique from Hawkeye ;) you reveal something that will make a lot of sense in the end, but won't reveal what the object is before the receiver has opened the package! Yes... I am sooo evil >:)

Un bacio è un'apostrofo rosa scritto tra le parole "ti amo".

I am trying to learn the technique from Hawkeye

So, I assume he never fails to make you almost die of curiosity :-P

Life's too short to be able to afford not to enjoy the things you see on detours.

Sorry, I've been busy and it's been a long time since I've been able to post.

Andromacha, your gift renewed my faith in the goodness of man (and women). Let me explain.

Last year I didn't receive a gift. And this year I had generally forgotten - until I got this amazingly beautiful trinket from Italy! Even the box and wrapping was beautiful!

So I immediately went out and bought some Japanese trinkets and sent them on - very late, sorry Null.

Please contiune to vote AND post.

very late, sorry Null.

No, it was on time and I liked it!
(Especially after I found out that those were not nattô beans in that Kit Kat)

And I'm glad you liked yours, too :-)

Life's too short to be able to afford not to enjoy the things you see on detours.

This post was edited by null on Feb 07, 2007.

Charlie, I am very glad you liked it. Not knowing your tastes, I decided to get something about the city I live in. It is one of my favorite monuments, the Antonelli tower aka the Mole Antonelliana. It was made in the XIX century, and it is about 170 meters tall. It is the symbol of Turin, and of course also of the past winter olympic games :)

The only thing I am sorry about is that you received it only now. (or maybe you received it by Christmas, and just didn't have the time to post here?). If that were the case, I do apologize. I did send it in time, and I really don't know what could have taken it so long.

Anyway, like I said, I am glad you liked it. Not seeing any posts about it, I really dreaded it got lost, but I am happy to know that it made it your way :)

Un bacio è un'apostrofo rosa scritto tra le parole "ti amo".

Aw, you're stringing me along! Unfair... Well, no worries, it's okay for me to wait. I am looking forward to your package even if it doesn't arrive till june ;)

"Sie wollen nichts anderes. Sie wollen kämpfen! Sie sind Soldaten! Fucking Wahnsinnige!" - Noel G.

Hmm, my present still didn't arrive. Could you manage to send it after all? Because if yes, it might have gone lost somewhere on the way to me. What a pity :/

"Sie wollen nichts anderes. Sie wollen kämpfen! Sie sind Soldaten! Fucking Wahnsinnige!" - Noel G.

I wanted to mention that I am yet to receive a parcel, either.

At 07:20 this morning, to be exact. :-P

And it contains lots of goodies from Japan! Thankee :-D

(I'm unsure about the the Kit Kat tho. Dear [insert preferred deity here], are those with nattô beans?? I think I'll just let them randomly lie around the apartment to impress my buddies, the package is pretty cool.)

(Also, thank you very much for not sending me squid-on-a-stick)

Life's too short to be able to afford not to enjoy the things you see on detours.

Ey, ya both nasty hobbitses. Unveil ya present before the x-mas-day, tsss.
-Krampus/Knecht Ruprecht/Schmutzli ;)

"Sie wollen nichts anderes. Sie wollen kämpfen! Sie sind Soldaten! Fucking Wahnsinnige!" - Noel G.

-Krampus/Knecht Ruprecht/Schmutzli ;)

The Hogfather

... Schmutzli - sounds pretty nice compared to "da Krampus kimmt di hola" :D

Alternately, try for pandas with battle axes nearby the polar circle.

cu, w0lf.

NP: Taake - Omfavnet av Svarte Vingar

Multiple exclamation marks are a sure sign for a diseased mind!

:D i got the perfect present! hoorah! _nice_ bath stuff, chocolate, a teddy bear and an uber cool diary. thankyou beautiful! Also, thanks to null for your presents, i havnt opened them yet... :) but i read the letter, and a letter has been started that will be sent your way soonish...
*hugs for ALL*
-Mel

Look at me! I'm a prostitute robot from the future!

Uh, I'm glad you liked it :) And I hope you can use it ;) I just hoped you'd forgive me the "bath crap" thing ;)

Totally forgiven, it was very thoughtful... also, i nearly wet myself giggling when i opened it.

too much information?
-mel :P

Look at me! I'm a prostitute robot from the future!

What? Why this? I can't remember having put in something funny...

The bath crap, you remembered! This made me giggle like a schoolgirl

Look at me! I'm a prostitute robot from the future!

Many apologies to a certain canadian who will be getting a late present this year. postage was entrusted to a family member who has just informed me that they have not yet sent it, so, consider it a happy new year as well as a merry christmas. If you're lucky it may even be a happy birthday as well!.

Love always,

Santa xoxo

Wow, it wasn't late? The Japanese postmen are fast! I'm always late (as you can see by this post). I sent it after I got my package.

And those aren't natto beans, they're anko beans. Natto is nasty! I wouldn't wish it on anyone. But anko is delicious. Enjoy!

(Also, thank you very much for not sending me squid-on-a-stick)

Oh! Good idea for next year! That's something to impress your friends with!

Please contiune to vote AND post.

Many many apologies to a certain German. I checked my post box yesterday and got your parcel back - return to sender.

I shall post it again ASAP and youll get it soon.

Again so so so sorry.

If its been me who should receive that parcel and the location is Karlsruhe, this is probably the fault of one of the lazy postmen bringing out the post over here. I already had this idiotic behaviour about 2 months ago, because then I was at home, NOBODY rang, but when I went downstairs on noon, there was a notice in the mailbox telling me there was a parcel waiting for me at the next post station, he/she/it rang but noone was answering the door. Lazy assholes everywhere - he/she/it probably didnt want to step up to the 5th floor.

cu, w0lf

Multiple exclamation marks are a sure sign for a diseased mind!