full respect to sumo

i've never really understood the reasoning behind having giant inflatable dolls outside your used-car lot. if this inspires people to pull in and buy a car, it is news to me.

nonetheless, full props to these two car lots i drove by yesterday on the way back from the beach.

used car lot #1 has decided to cash in on the Nacho Libre craze -- they've gone with the inflatable Masked Wrester theme. right away, i'm a huge fan of used car lot #1

but used car lot #2 decides to bring it with NOT ONE, NOT TWO - BUT THREE(!) inflatables




Even with THREE inflatable giants, i was still favoring the Masked Wrester -- until i saw the sumo wrestler. And, THAT, is what you call a Tipping Point.

SO -- didn't buy a car -- but was certainly entertained for at least 5 seconds; and, THAT counts for something!

Madonna and Me

I was in Miami this past weekend to see Madonna in concert. Little did we know...Madonna was staying in the hotel next to us and we actually saw her on the beach!! I didn't get a picture of her actual face, but people.com already has them up, so you can check out more pictures there. Very exciting!

Here is Madonna heading back to her hotel, since there was a gang of paparazzi shooting pictures of her. She is in white and her daughter is in pink. I was in shock it was her, especially since she is TINY in person, so I only got a picture of her backside. Not bad : )



Here she is with the towel on her head. Bye Madonna, see you tonight at the concert!!!



After Madonna left, her kids (Lordes & Rocco) came back out to play, with nanny and bodyguard in tow. My brother shot this picture being very sneaky on his cell phone. Too cute.



Here are a couple pic's from the concert. She was singing "Like a Virgin" on the side stage very close to us. She ROCKED!!!!

HOORAH

The Marines commandeer last month's festivities and force our recruits into doing a new form of Cakeplow - the Push-up Plow. Check it out at the History Page!

Got $55,000 for a quarter?

So you think YOUR hobby gets expensive? Check out this link to an online ebay store where they sell rare coins. I mean RARE coins. It just so happens that their inventory is a bit low right now and their most expensive coin is "only" $55,000 grand...sheesh!

link to store

I admit it: I collect coins. I like the history and (if you buy with thought), the financial upswing coins can provide. It is like a small interest bearing savings acount for me and I can usually get at least what I paid for them if I want to sell one and go buy an xbox 360 or something. Although I don't have deep pockets, there is something cool about owning some of the first coins produced by American hands. In our crazy world of technology, the internet, ipods, and blogs, there are still some "old school" things out there for us to enjoy. What about you? How many of you have a coin or two passed down from a grandfather or another relative? My bet is most of you do!

Vancoubear, how I miss you so...

While on my travels to a faraway land known as Vancouver, I stumbled upon many, many various bears all wearing a different variety of costumes. I did some research and discovered that these bears are actually known as "Spirit Bears" and local artists create their own unique designs and the bears are displayed in various parts of the city-- they were everywhere! Spirit bears are also fabulously philanthropic in these parts, as they will eventually be auctioned off to benefit local charities. Some of the interesting names for the bears include the Bearrister Bear, Bearthoven, Lambearghini, Bear-Leve in Magic, Summer Cone Bearing, Berto-Bear.

My favorite was the Vancoubear (as seen in the picture above) with his city rags, flip flops and sense of worldliness and as I sit at work on this hot July day, I know I have a friend in a faraway place who I will never forget.

Bigger IS Better

I come from a huge family--tons of cousins, siblings, children, aunts and uncles everywhere--so a family dinner is nothing short of a banquet. So how does one have a quick seafood dinner for twenty-nine people? With a 14.5 pound lobster, of course!

Bigger than a cat with half the hairballs...

So, recently I became interested in acquiring a pet; something furry to keep me company on those nights I'm not out getting down. I wasn't interested in a pet of the traditional fair. I wanted something exotic.

One day my crew (Viper, Kodiak, Trigger) and I were chatting about it when Viper commented that he fancied the leopard gecko. leopard gecko Yes, it's one of the many fine lizards that licks its own eyes for moisture. But y'know, that's not my kind of pet.

I was thinking more along the lines of a wolverine...

Y'see, someone somewhere once told me that wolverines are really sweet. So, I went off of that and did a little research.

I was interested in finding out what family of animals wolverines belonged to. They're awfully large to be gophers and way too small to be bears. As it turns out wolverines are huge weasels! As most of you know, weasels are in the same family as ferrets. And so, I'm pretty sure I'm allowed to keep one in my apartment.

And really, who wouldn't want a wolverine as a pet? They'd bring home dinner AND and make better guard dogs than...well, guard dogs.

They can even take out a moose! I mean, that's impressive! For those of you who need it spelled out...


I'm sold! Now, does anyone know where I could actually get one? Maybe Petco?

everyone is nicer in texas

I just noticed something - every time I get onto or off of the elevator in my building, men wait until all the ladies are on or off before embarking or disembarking. is this a texas thing or have i just never noticed chivalry of this type before?

lovin' it in Texas, ya'll,

Snowflake

Bahama Breeze, baby!

When our monthly team outing fell on a night I had made a prior commitment (which is tonight!), I was bummed - I was missing the opportunity to hang with my teammates and celebrate our recent work, launches, laugh a little and let's be honest, have a coupla margaritas. I missed the last team night as I was out of town and I began to suspect that they were hazing the newbie rookie with the scheduling...until I realized our fearless leader, Ted, had also missed the last two due to scheduling conflicts!

But no matter as it turns out: around 5:30 pm yesterday a company-wide email went out entitled "Bahama Breeze" - and it wasn't about the work we were doing for that client. Oh no: this was a call to the troops to pack it up and go grab some appetizers & drinks! A group of us rallied and inside an hour from the email "battle cry", we all had tasty cocktails in hand and our appetizers ordered from our friendly waiter-dude, Lenny.

Not only was it a fun evening, I learned a few tidbits:
-2006 is the "Year of Ryan": updates pending
-Kelly B's birthday is in the works and it is a national disgrace that it is not formally recognized as a federal holiday
-Scott's sunglasses don't belong on Ted. That said, Scott's head provided Ted some nice shade from the setting sun.
-When ordering margaritas at Bahama Breeze, defintely go with the "Ultimate"

Well, I still have to miss tonight's company event - but given it is at the Wing House - CakePlow will be updated shortly with a post on that, no doubt!

Cheers!

EJ

Hooray Beer!!! Red Stripe Commercials

Red Stripe recently launched a hillarious ad campaign. It's their "Hooray Beer" campaign and the video below is my favorite ad out of the bunch. Honestly I wonder how many people are trying Red Stripe now based off of these ads. When you get a chance you should head over to You Tube.com and type in "red stripe" in the search to see more videos. But for now please enjoy this bit of advertising genius.

A Slurpee Haiku, Part 2

7-11 You provide me with Slurpees But I must pay you

Happy Birthday Cake Plow!

Our Little Blog is All Growned Up!

Everyone, please join us in wishing Cakeplow a very happy first birthday! To show your appreciation, we suggest you go to your local grocery store, buy the grandest birthday cake you can afford (chocolate, please), bring it home, and firmly plant your face in it. No? Ok. How about stopping at a gas station on your way home, getting one of those packages of Hostess Cupcakes, and mashing them on your forehead? Alright, fine. Get that can of Redi-Whip you've got sitting in the door of your refrigerator and spray the entire contents in your mouth. C'mon, you know you've done that before.

Happy Little Monday Morning

As I find myself sitting in front of my computer this Monday morning, it is evident that the effects of last weekend's "festivities" have reared its ugly head and landed hard on my levels of motivation. Feelings of being indolent, sluggish, and slightly apathetic are no good when trying to kick start a new, successful week at the office. What I need is a motivator. I require someone to bring encouragement and light to my downtrodden attitude. Someone like...Bob Ross!

With your large, perfectly shaped Afro and equally flawless brown beard, your voice was like a comforting stack of warm flapjacks on a cold winter morning. As a child, your words, which were coated in benevolence and sugary sprinkled mountaintops, were as powerful as ten Hover Dams atop Zeus' shoulders.

"Something bothers you? Change it. This is your world; you control it. Maybe a little path lives right here, a happy little path." "But Bob," I cry silently in my mind, "I've worn myself down and Monday is a drag!" So genuinely he replies, "There are no mistakes, only happy accidents." Oh Bob, what would I ever do without you!!!

Poor Lost Soles

We've all thought it about, some have shed a slight tear, others just keep on driving and pretend to look away like they didn't notice. One lost sole on the side of the road. Some are sneakers that have journeyed across the world, up stairs, across a wood-planked bridge, conquering a hot pit of coals. Some may have been high heels, taking us dancing where we met our life partner or even to the beach in comfort and style with the thong resting next to our big toe. So why does it happen? Who leaves a life of memories to lay at rest on some of the busiest most notorious roadways in America?

The problem is worse than I ever could've imagined--I conducted a quick search on Yahoo and pulled the report for "I lost my shoe" for June. 496 results show up for "lost one shoe" and 131 for "I lost shoes". In one month a mere 627 people have resorted to the Internet to reconnect with their soles. The numbers are frightening when you do the math. At this rate in one year over 7,524 people will have lost their solemates, a mere percentage of the U.S. population drastically increasing at every moment.

Take the "Fake or Photo" challenge!

So, you think you can tell the difference between a 3d rendered image and a photograph? Prove it by taking the "Fake or Photo" challenge! This link http://www.autodesk.com/eng/etc/fake_or_foto/index.html will take you to a grid of ten images. Test your visual prowess by choosing if the image is a rendered piece of 3d graphics or an actual photograph. You can click the thumbnails for a larger version to make deciding a little easier. I got all of them right PLUS the bonus questions at the end...score! (Although to be fair, since I have been staring at 3d rendered images since around 1990, I might have a slight advantage!) So have some fun, take the challenge, and post your results for the world to see!

Thor is live!

After an eternity of development, copywriting, design and illustration, MindComet.com v8 (aka: Thor) is live.

http://www.mindcomet.com

Thanks to all the people that helped put this together. Now... let's get started on v9!!!