Have you seen these folks below? They are wanted for unspeakable acts against cake. If you are to see them, do not attempt to aprehend them, especially if you happen to be carrying baked goods.


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So around the time I started here at MindComet (February 2005), I also started a different new chapter in my life: graduate school. For various reasons, I decided I wanted to get an MBA (it's what all the cool kids are doing these days). As far as the school, well, there was no doubt I wanted to go back to my alma mater, the greatest educational institution ever to exist, the University of Florida. (By the way, I have been a student at UF for every football or basketball national championship that they have ever won. I think UF needs to pay me to attend school there so they can win more championships. Can you say "free law degree"?)

Anyway, my long, difficult journey came to an end last Sunday. I finally got my MBA. I am now officially smart. Compare the before and after pictures below. I mean, don't I just look so much smarter now?



So what did I get for the $35,000+ I paid, the 2+ years I spent and the 100's of hours of work and studying it took to get my degree? Let's go down the list:

1. A UF MBA t-shirt
2. A UF MBA computer bag
3. A tiny Dell laptop that is now pretty much outdated
4. A UF MBA desk clock
5. A very expensive piece of paper to hang on my wall (which I actually won't receive in the mail for a couple of months)
6. Cheap student football tickets
7. An education (hopefully)

Anyway, getting an MBA while working full-time was one of the most difficult things I've ever done, but I can't recommend it enough. It's very satisfying to know that I will be harassed by the UF Alumni association for donations for years to come.

And although it will be nice to finally have a life again, it was with a bit of sadness that I realized that I will no longer be able to use school as an excuse to get out of house chores or certain annoying social obligations.

But do you know the truly sick thing? I'm thinking of starting a 4-year study-at-night law program next year. I'm such a masochist.
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...that make me love MindComet.

Today I was in between projects, looking for something to pick up, and I overhear a commotion on the other side of my faux-wall.

I stand up and I am passed on a present. I'm not sure where it came from, and I'm not really 100% sure what it is.

At first glance, it appears to be jell-o molded with a surprise inside... huh? I was warned not to eat it, as others have been poking at it (though this hasn't stopped me in the past...) But it smells like real jell-o, you know, the blue flavor! I'm not sure that I know the name of this blue flavor or care to know, so I affectionately call it "blue", just like I call my kool aid!

I've worked in a handful of locations, but at none of them have I been granted such a gift. Only at MindComet!

And by the way, while we're on the topic of weird stuff around the office, I want to take the opportunity to apologize to all of those who have eaten out of my strategically-placed jelly belly jar. Those are the infamous Harry Potter every-flavor beans which include earwax, soap, pepper, and other various disguising creations.

I have witnessed a couple of people draining the jar from afar. The one thing that I haven't witnessed is anyone retching over the flavors. But everyone outside of MindComet did... do we just have a different taste? Or maybe we're just too busy to taste at all?

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A few weeks ago, we challenged PayPerPost to run against us at the Corporate 5k. Unfortunately, they had a prior commitment and they were unable to accept the challenge. The MindComet team planned to go regardless; there was of course, the rest of corporate Orlando to run against...

We made our way to the Citrus Bowl Thursday evening, with just enough time to make the 6:45 PM starting time. The gun went off and 7,300 runners were on their way to pound out 3.1 miles on of the streets of Orlando.


MindComet and 7,296 of our closest friends

Our team of four did a fantastic job!

Ross: 23:15
Trey: 25:30
Maddy: 27:51
Val: 29:32

So good in fact, we took First Place for Co-ed Teams in the Advertising / Media / PR industry.

It's official. We Rock!

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Cakeplowing has come a long way since its advent many years ago. Though moderate peer pressure is still required in some cases, most MindCometeers jump at the chance to have their online video debut involve them covered in frosting.

This month we hosted the BIGGEST cakeplow extravaganza yet. Congrats to all for another great year with MindComet. Next month, we tackle the ice cream cake.
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I just recently found out that you can customize your very own Google home page, of course this does not surprise me, what isnt Google doing these days. But anyway, I have all these fun features that keep me going throughout my day like Quote of the day, Google News, YouTube:: Most Viewed Videos Today, a handy ToDo list however I still rely on the pen and paper and How To of the Day to name a few. Todays How To is what compelled me to share it with you.

Todays How To is How to Wiggle Your Ears! I cant do it and Ive always been frustrated by those that make it look like blowing bubbles, whistling, snapping your fingers, I can do all those so today Im going to make wiggling my ears look like a walk in the park!

If anyone else cares to join me, here are the how to directions.

1)Know what youre after. (I think I conveyed that above)
2)Ears have muscle above and behind them. (and I thought they were all cartilage). The muscles are the auricularis superior and the auricularis posterior. ohhh thooose, at least Ive added two words to my vocabulary
3)Flex those muscles. Its as if youve never used them so you have to teach your brain which muscles they are and how to tell them to move. Transferring signal from brain to muscle. Go!
4) Put a finger right behind your ear and look in the mirror or feel your ears as you are trying to flex those muscles.
5)Side effects: Raising eyebrows, opening and closing of the mouth.
6)However if your scalp or hair starts to move especially when you are raising your eyebrows then you are on the path to success.
7)If you can move all of those muscles, fantastic however its not going to look all that impressive so now one needs to isolate their ear-wiggling muscles. So practice without moving your scalp, hair, eyebrows and mouth. Riiight
8)Exercise. Your ear muscles may be out of shape. What! Nobody ever told me to stay in shape that I should focus on the ear muscles too.

Well I can say for sure I probably am better off using my ears for listening opposed to wiggling. I wonder if I did get my ears to wiggle and exercised them on a daily basis, would they bulk up like my other muscles are? (I like to tell myself that, boost of confidence, ya know). Some additional tips I can leave you with from todays How To, twice as many men can wiggle their ears than women, try moving one ear opposed to both, dont beat yourself over it if you cant do it but I will think youre cool if you can and dont practice this at work, your coworkers may start to question you.

And in case you were looking for a weekend job around the house this weekend, todays second How to of the Day is How to Tile a Shower. Good luck!
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So one of the more interesting facets of MindComet corporate culture is the obsession some of us have with "Your Mom" jokes. At the moment, I can't think of any of these jokes that I can repeat here, but I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.

In any case, I decided to investigate the history of the "Your Mom" joke. So I turned to the Oracle of the 21st century, Wikipedia. Not surprisingly, they have an entry for this style of joke/insult. From the entry: "Your Mom" jokes prey "on the fact that people commonly love and revere their mothers, making the insult particularly and globally offensive." Interestingly, Shakespeare used an early variant of the "Your Mom" joke in one of his plays:

Painter: "Y'are a dog."
Apemantus: "Thy mother's of my generation. What's she, if I be a dog?"

Translation: "You're a dog." "Yeah, well, your mom's a dog." Even Shakespeare liked a good "Your Mom" joke.

Anyway, let me leave you with my favorite "Your Mom" joke: Your mom's so fat, when I yell "hey Kool-Aid man" she comes bustin' through the wall.
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France, home to the language of love, culinary innovation, elegant wines, and Giant Smoking Baby. From his humble beginnings in the rough streets of Paris, to his tobacco hazed nursery days, Giant Smoking Baby faces his biggest challenge yet, a pending ban of public smoking in France. But instead of dealing with the harsh reality of a smokeless homeland, Giant Smoking Baby has decided to travel the world in search of that place where happy babies can freely crawl with cigarettes in mouth. A place where 15 month old babies look 5 and scratchy throaty cries fill the air. He seeks to find his Giant Smoking Baby Mecca.
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Vote for Cakeplow - nominated for Best Corporate Blog as part of the first ever Blogger's Choice Awards!




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Right around the corner, on April 19th, The Corporate 5k, touted as the biggest office party is happening at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando.

We are not a crowd that generally misses a party, and we are also fond of a little friendly competition. So, in that spirit, we have challenged our friends at PayPerPost to compete against us.

We are waiting for a response from them. Can they bring it? Will they take the challenge?

The MindComet crew has been spotted at various running events across the state this year, including the Lady Track Shack 5k, The Clearwater Halfathon, and most recently the Winter Park Road Race 10k.

We are looking forward to hitting the streets with the expected turn out of 8,000 participants.

Is PayPerPost up to the challenge?

We shall see...