Mission #15: Storm Chase. (2000pts)

I must be in Salina by noon on a day that the weather channel labels the area from Salina to Manhattan as red (i.e. severe thunderstorms are likely). Then when strong thunderstorms build up I must follow behind and watch for tornados. I may not make the trip back along the interstate. I must stop at least 3 times for photo shoots, and I must drive for at least three miles on dirt roads. If there are no tornado warnings for any county in eastern Kansas, that day is considered a bust, and no points are awarded. 300 bonus points if I take a picture of hail that is at least quarter size. 1000 bonus points if I take a picture of a tornado.

If you are playing along: You may start anywhere that is at least 100 miles away from your home. No changes other than that. Make sure that the roads you stop on for photo shoots are legal roads to stop on.

Mission #14: Go to a minor league baseball game. (400pts)

For this mission I must attend a minor league baseball game. I must be at the game for player introductions, and I must stay until the game is over. I must eat at least one hotdog and sing ‘Take Me Out to the Ball Game’ if played during the 7th inning stretch. 400 bonus points if I come home with a game played ball (as in a foul ball, homerun, or other ball that was used in play that day).

If you are playing along: No changes, although I will award 100 bonus points if you get a picture of yourself attacking the mascot (200 if it is the opponent’s mascot).

Mission #13: Dress up for a Koyotes game. (600pts)

For this mission I must dress up for a Koyotes game. I must wear all burgundy and gold, and must wear something to the game that I never would otherwise. Face painting is always an option. I must be dressed up for the game, before arriving, and I can not take it off until after the game is over. 50 bonus points if I get complemented by a stranger. 50 bonus points if I wear the stuff to Steak and Shake afterwards.

If you are playing along: If you do not live in the Topeka region you may substitute any minor league team. If you do not have a Steak and Shake in your area, you may choose any 24 hour restaurant for the bonus.

Mission #12: Go to the APFL Championship game. (450pts)

For this mission I must go to the APFL Championship game. I must be at the game for the player introductions, and stay at the game until the game is over. If they let the crowd onto the field after the game, I must go out on the field for at least 10 minutes. 50 bonus points if I get my picture taken with a player from the winning team after the game. 50 more bonus points if the player is holding the championship trophy as well.

If you are playing along: If you do not live in the Topeka region you may substitute any minor league. If you choose a league that has a series for the championship, you must attend the final game in the championship to get the points.

Mission #11: Go to an away Koyotes game. (450pts)

For this mission I must go to an away Kansas Koyotes game. I must be at the game for the player introductions, and stay at the game until the game is over. If they let the crowd onto the field after the game, I must go out on the field for at least 10 minutes. I may get the points every time I go to an away game. So this mission may be completed more than once. 50 bonus points if I get my picture taken with a player from the Koyotes after the game.

If you are playing along: If you do not live in the Topeka region you may substitute any minor league team. If you choose sport that plays many games you can only complete this mission once per away stretch (so if you go to an away baseball game series, you only get points for going once).

Mission #10: Make and wear five homemade t-shirts. (600pts)

To complete this mission I must make five t-shirts, either by iron-on transfers, iron-on letters, or other means. Then I must wear each t-shirt for five days in a row. To collect to points I must take a picture of me in the t-shirt in some public place. Each t-shirt must be worn for at least 12 hours for it to count for the day. (25 bonus points a day for a picture of me wearing the t-shirt in an ironic location. Like if you wear an "I love Taco Bell" shirt to Chipotle.)

If you are playing along: No changes.

Mission #9: Play Risk. (150pts)

For this mission I must play a game of Risk with at least 4 other people. The game can not be mission Risk. And turning in cards start at 5 and add up by one every time they are turned instead of the traditional values assigned to turning in cards. (50 bonus points if I win the game of Risk.25 bonus points if I watch a war movie during the game.)

If you are playing along: No changes.

Mission #8: Have a picnic. (200pts)

To complete this mission I must have a picnic with at least 3 other people. The food must all be made at home, including the drinks (so no soda, but homemade iced-tea is ok). The picnic must take place somewhere outside of city limits, and it can not be on or near a picnic table.

If you are playing along: Unless it is impossible for you to have a picnic outside of city limits there are no changes. If it is impossible for you to get outside of city limits you may have your picnic in a park, but you only get 150 points.

Mission #7: Buy something crazy at a garage sell, and wear it the next day. (300pts)

For this mission I must go to a garage sell and buy something that I would never normally wear, and is something that is not commonly worn (for example: spurs). I must then wear the object the next day and take at least three pictures of me wearing the object at various locations around town. (50 bonuspoints if I wear the crazy thing in an appropriate place: like wearing spurs into a saloon. 100 bonus points if I wear the crazy thing in an inappropriate place: like wearing a inmate jumpsuit to a police station.)

If you are playing along: No changes, but remember if you dont document it you dont get the points (especially true for the bonus points).

Mission #6: Get a different Route 44 drink from Sonic for 10 days in a row. (600pts)

To complete this mission I must get a different Route 44 drink from Sonic for 10 days in a row. I may never get the exact same kind of drink twice, but I may get the same drink with different flavorings in it. (So getting a strawberry coke one day and a cherry chocolate coke the next is ok.) For 5 of those days I must get a flavor combination that I have never had from Sonic. I must document each Route 44 and post a rating of each flavor combination each day.

If you are playing along: If you dont have Sonics in the area, you may go where ever you go to get awesome drinks.

Mission #5: Have a LAN party, and play one game for 10 hours straight. (450pts)

To complete this mission, I must either play some game with at leasttwo other people at Dickens computer lab, or actually hook my computer up to two more computers. The game must be intensive and semi-modern (So no Civilization, or the original Doom...), and it can be the only game played during this span. It is acceptable to have three breaks to re-supply during this time, but they may only be to Daras to get food and drinks.

For you that are playing at home: You may work out your LAN party however you want it, but at least two opponents must be in the same room as you. Also, you can go toany gas station to get supplies, but you may not go home, or to a restaurant. If you go to 7-11 and take pictures there, Ill give you an extra 50 points.

Mission #4: Beat a Super Nintendo Game. (600pts)

For this mission I can either play on the console or an emulator to beat a Super Nintendo (SNES) game. The game must be both challenging and time consuming. Also, no cheating allowed, that means no game genie for the Nintendo or save states for the emulator (or any other form of cheating).

No changes for those folks playing along at home.

Mission #3: See Star Wars Episode III. (350pts)

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith opens May 19^th, so the midnight showing will be Wednesday night. To complete this mission I must watch the midnight showing of Star Wars. I must also wait in line for *at least* 3 hours.

No changes for the players at home, I guess unless you live on the other side of the world, then the opening of the movie is a day sooner (?).

Mission #2: Beat a Nintendo game. (600pts)

For this mission I can either play on the console or an emulator to beat a Nintendo (NES) game. The game must be both challenging and time consuming (so no beating Super Mario Bros. for the 100^th time). Also, no cheating allowed, that means no game genie for the Nintendo or save states for the emulator (or any other form of cheating).

No changes for those folks playing along at home.

Mission #1: Watch the National Lacrosse League Championship game at Buffalo Wild Wings (300pts)

The NLL Championship game is going to be broadcast on NBC on May 14^th at 2:30pm central time. To complete the mission I must watch all of the game at Buffalo Wild Wings. I can not play trivia for the last half of the game.

Changes for those playing along: If you do not have a Buffalo Wild Wings in your area you may watch it at a sports bar that has at least one huge TV.

Project: Best Summer Ever, an overview

In my attempt to have the best summer ever I have set up this project. I have listed out all the things that I want to do this summer as missions. I have also assigned a point value to each of the missions. Whenever I complete a mission I will receive the points that the mission was worth. The goal for the summer is to accumulate 30,000 points by the end of the summer.

How it works:
Starting the last day of school, May 13^th at 4pm, whenever I complete a mission I will gain the points for that mission. I must have some documentation (most of the times it will be a picture) to show that I did in fact complete the mission, and then post that documentation on this blog. If no proof is given the points will not be awarded, that is, unless it is a mission in which it would be impossible to document. The last day to get points is August 21^st at midnight, as the next day school begins again.

Throughout the summer I will be adding more missions as I think of them, so if you are playing along be sure to check back.

How to play along:
I know that you too would like to have the best summer ever, so I encourage you to play along. The same rules apply to you for gainingpoints, so make sure you bring your camera with while working on missions! For most missions I will include rules that you can use instead of the doing the specific missions that I have, so for instance, if you do not have a Buffalo Wild Wings in your area to watch the National Lacrosse League Championship game at, you can watch it at any sports bar that has a couple big TVs.
You may also add your own mission to do, but when you assign point values make sure that you keep in mind a few factors: the length of time it will take to complete it, how far you will have to travel to complete it, and how much money it would cost to complete it. I started with a base point value of 300, and then add (or subtract) points from there for each mission.
Also missions can only apply to fun things. Even if you have to repaint your house this summer, you can not get points for that, I guess, unless you find painting houses enjoyable.You may want to change your target point value, depending on how much free time you will have this summer.

Update: You may do the same mission multiple times, but it can not be accomplished in the same way. So for an example, you may visit two different family members over 50 miles away (Mission #69) and receive points for both trips, but you can not visit the same family member twice and receive points for both trips.

If you do decide to play along please let me know where you are going to post your completed missions, so that I can keep up with how your summer is going. Also, if you have any missionsthat you think that everyone should do then drop me an email, and I may add it to my mission list. My email (for this project) is projectbse@yahoo.com.

Keep checking up on this site as I post more missions before the summer starts and throughout the summer. Only a couple more weeks until the best summer ever starts, hang in there!

Coming Soon

Until then you can check out my normal blog here.

Update: The Best Summer Ever starts May 13th at 5pm.