The Art of Being Random 2 PC Swap

I love getting those silly emails or memes that say "Grab the book nearest you, open to page 42, and tell me what line 7 says." Sometimes the quote is boring, sometimes bizarre, sometimes enlightening. This swap will likely be the same.

Note: If you did the first Random PC swap with me, this one will be a little different!!

1. Go to your nearest public or private library, school or university library, or friendly bookstore.

2. Go to the 3rd aisle - you decide how you want to determine what the 3rd aisle is - and position yourself about 1/2 way down that aisle.

3. Look at the 2nd shelf - you decide how you want to determine the 2nd shelf (up, down, whatever). Close your eyes, reach out, and touch a book.

4. Look at the last sentence of that book. If your book has a bibliography or references, advertisements, math problems, etc. at the end of the book, ignore those and look for the last sentence of the book proper.

5. Write down (or memorize) the sentence, plus the title and author/editor of the book.

6. Buy or make a postcard that has something to do with the sentence you found. You may want to take a few days to think about your sentence and its meaning especially if you're not familiar with the book, if it's written in a language you don't know, or if the subject is something you're not familiar with. It's up to you to decide how to interpret the sentence - you don't need to read the book or know the subject (or speak the language). There is no right answer. I may have read the book and know what the sentence means, but that does not matter! YOU are the interpreter and the artist.

7. On the back of the postcard, write the sentence, the book's title and author, and tell a little bit about why you interpreted the sentence the way you did. Was the book a novel? A how-to guide? A collection of maps? Had you already been familiar with the book? Did you have any trouble deciding how to interpret the sentence? Why does the picture or design on the postcard match the quote? Also be sure to include the name of this swap and your swap-bot username so you get credit and a rating.

8. Send your postcard naked (stamped, no envelope) to your partner when they are assigned. If the quote or image is sensitive (sexually explicit or politically controversial, etc.) you may send it in an envelope for privacy and safety. Look at your partner's profile: if they have small children, live in an area that practices censorship, or if there's any reason to think a graphic image/quote will cause trouble for them, put your postcard in an envelope!!

I think this will be fun and a very creative project for those who like to make postcards by hand. Hunting for the right store-bought card should be equally exciting.

This is sender's choice! The sender chooses whether the postcard is handmade or store-bought! If you do not like to receive handmade postcards, do not sign up! If you think you might be offended by the book or the quote or the image on the card, do not sign up! The quote may come from a holy book, a children's book, a statistics book, or a book extolling the virtues of group sex. You must accept any possibility to play - if that makes you uncomfortable, do not sign up!