The Voodoo That You Do: A Journal To Learn From

DAY TWO

8:15 a.m. - Patti has officially stuck another pin(s) into the doll. I don't feel anything immediate. However, my left index finger is bleeding. I pinched it while taking the trash can to the curb, so that mystery is solved. Only a teeny tiny bit of blood rolled out, about the same quantity of blood as when you are pricked with a pin. Huh. This case file has been re-opened.

12:50 p.m. - I have a little soreness on the front of my left leg, upper thigh area. I use the word sore loosely. Also, my right shoulder is a little tricky. There's no shoulder symptom that I can pinpoint specifically, other than that it doesn't feel optimal. I assumed that the effects of voodoo (if true) would be glaring, like somebody pierced my flesh with a cattle prod. However, my discomfort is almost insignificant, and is probably due to yesterday's exercise. What effect is the pin supposed to have? Am I supposed to feel a sharp pain because the weapon is a pin? Or by leaving the pin in the doll for a long time, is that supposed to make a body part degrade throughout the day?

4:28 p.m. - A coworker told me that he had a sharp pain in his foot, so maybe his partner has a fancier voodoo doll.

JAY:  I think there could be two potential places that you stuck a pin. The top area of my left leg is sore, which has less to do with a pin, I'm sure, and more to do with the previous day's events. However, there was a moment in the day when I had brief pain in my right shoulder.

PATTI:  Am I supposed to be intending to cause you harm?

JAY:  I wouldn't say harm necessarily.

PATTI:  I thought this was just a game. I don't want you to hurt anywhere.

JAY:  Well I would have to be able to feel the effects of a voodoo doll or else what's the purpose of doing this experiment? Do you intend for the effect to be an all-day feeling or a momentary feeling?

PATTI:  I don't intend for it to be a momentary feeling because you know the approximate time limit. I stick it in the doll right before I leave for work. If it were something that happened right after I did it, it could be just like, you assigning meaning to something because you're thinking about it at the time. I was thinking the effect would be something that happened during the day. More of a gradual thing that builds up.

JAY:  Okay. So the two possibilities are my left upper thigh or my right shoulder.

PATTI:  Well now I'm freaked out.

JAY:  Why?

PATTI:  Because it's one of those.

JAY:  Seriously?

PATTI:  Yes. [Opens box]

JAY:  Oh man. It's my right shoulder!

PATTI:  I don't know if I want to play this anymore. Now we're dealing in black magic.

JAY:  Wow. That's freaky.

PATTI:  It's really freaky. It's not even your arm or your neck. It's your fucking shoulder.

JAY:  Did you think about the doll today, or did you just put the pin in and not think about it for the rest of the day?

PATTI:  I put it in and then I forgot about it. I couldn't even remember where I put the pin.

JAY:  Pretty cool.

PATTI:  It's not cool. It's scary.

JAY:  It's not scary. It's just coincidentally accurate.