We switched things up a bit from our normal SUPAFRI shenanigans and threw MindComet's first ever Chili Cook-Off, hosted by our pal, David Martin.

Our executive team stewed up some fine chow: Doug opened up a can and turned up the heat while Marcelle showed us that it wasn't all about the meat with her tasty veggie chili. David went a little unorthodox, infusing his chili with venison (that's deer meat for you uncultured folks), and Andrew supplied the home-made cornbread. The team chowed down and had a good ol' time!



Then, James May won his first Employee of the Month trophy after just a few months with the MindComet creative team. He deserves it - THIS GUY IS REALLY AMAZING!



And of course, then there's the Wheel of Destiny. It was comical as usual. Some think it's like Santa Claus - knowing whether you've been naughty or nice - but Santa wouldn't fling pudding at you, now would he?

Speaking of pudding, Stuart was a good sport, taking a few good shots of the stuff. Cathleen played a game of shake-a-can-o-soda-roulette (no one wins that game), then the wheel showed it's softer side, awarding an afternoon off to both David, Stephanie and their department's new intern Sarah. The odds of that happening are... well, they're just crazy.



David had quite a good afternoon. In fact, we all voted on our favorite chili, and although Doug & Marcelle made awesome concoctions, David took home the prize!

Check out our slideshow below to see how it all went down.

Dean demonstrates that he can accomplish more in sandals than most men in cleats!



I totally got D3wn3d.

[No New Media Managers were harmed in the making of this silly little animated gif, unless pride counts.]

He's not even a day old and already involved in social media - but it's befitting of the son of our social media guru.

Who am I talking about? Ethan John Hilton, 6lb 13oz and 20.75in. Son of our pals Jeremy Hilton and Richelle Triscari. Ethan was born just a few hours ago, announced via @JeremyHilton on Twitter (click through to see more details - maybe Jeremy will share more pics).

Here's the little guy, ready to celebrate his birthday - wearing his birthday suit and all!



Please join us in congratulating Jeremy as a new first-time daddy, Richelle as a new mommy and Ethan in his very first time being a baby! I'm sure all three will be great in their new roles, and we wish a speedy recovery for Richelle! The entire MindComet office is excited to see little Ethan as soon as we can, and hear from Jeremy as a new daddy.

Be sure to drop Jeremy a line here or via @JeremyHilton and congratulate him and Richelle!

UPDATE: Here's another (more peaceful) picture of little Ethan. Such a cute little guy!

Yes ladies and gents, you read correctly. BYOM.
Last Tuesday, we celebrated Bring Your Own Meat day here at MindComet.
Our team discovered their inner Bobby Flay, and in one case (I won't mention any names), their inner Gordon Ramsay, to create all things heavenly.
Everything from ribeyes, filets, brats, "Gordon" burgers, veggie burgers and a delightful salsa verde topping, MindComet employees experienced a lunch that was pure awesomeness.
The lunch was so splendid and successful there are talks to do it again, first though, how NOT to fall into the inevitable meat coma....

As the self-proclaimed coolest interns to ever work at MindComet, Alfred, Laura and Moni have proven they have what it takes to be awesomely badass - especially after their first SupaFri experience.

For those of you who don't know, SupaFri is a monthly gathering where MindComet employees kick back and relax while enjoying food, friendly conversation and possibly some adult beverages. But there is one part of SupaFri that most employees dread: the Wheel of Destiny.

The Wheel of Destiny (which may or may not be rigged) is something that all MindComet employees must go through. Some call it a rite of passage, but for others it is a humiliating experience they don't want to relive. Unfortunately, at this past "Build Your Own Taco" SupaFri, those employees who were pre-selected to spin the wheel were conveniently on vacation.

Therefore, the MindComet executives took it upon themselves to select other people to spin. The interns were assured at the beginning of SupaFri that they would not have to spin the wheel and were not worried. They watched as the Employee of the Month, as well as two new employees, reluctanly stepped up to the wheel. First off was Joe Carafelli, who unfortunately fell privy to the Water Gun, where MindComet employees got to squirt a water gun at him for a few minutes. Next was Peter Mallett (aka The Hammer), who unfortunately spun Wild Thing, which is why he was dressed as a monkey for the rest of the day. The last was Joe Tucker, who spun for the worst punishment of them all, the dreaded Pudding Fling. For those of you who don't know, the name speaks for itself.

Finally, when everyone thought the Wheel of Destiny portion of SupaFri was over, someone shouted out "make the interns spin!" A look of pure shock and terror washed over the interns' faces, but they were certain that their mentor, Art, wouldn't make them spin. They watched in horror as Art, their most trusted MindComet employee and friend, turned against them and said "yeah, make the interns spin." The thought of having to go up in front of all employees, some of whom were strangers, was horrifying. All of a sudden, SupaFri wasn't so fun anymore.

Alfred, the oldest and most noble of the interns, manned up and decided he would be the first to spin. The interns watched intently as he walked up and spun the wheel. As it came to a stop, it looked like it was going to be Wild Thing, but wait, one more click and the wheel had stopped on iPod. Ha! Score for the interns. Instead of something terrible, Alfred walked back to his chair, pudding free, with an iTunes gift card.



Next up was Moni, who had already resigned herself to the fact that her chance of landing on something good was slim-to-none. She knew that everyone watching thought that too, as its basically impossible to spin the wheel and win twice in a row. As she spun the wheel, the room was quiet. Once again, the wheel looked like it was going to stop on Pudding Fling. As all eyes in the room were fixed on the Wheel, a gust of air suddenly came through, and what do you know - the Wheel landed on Massage! She looked back at all the employees in the room. They were stunned. Could it be that they really were super interns? Two good spins in a row is unheard of!

Last but not least was Laura. Moni and Alfred looked on, crossing their fingers and hoping that their fellow comrade wouldn't fall victim to an embarrassment on the Wheel of Destiny. Laura spun the wheel and everyone in the room was mesmerized with each spin the wheel took. As it slowed down, Alfred and Moni watched in horror as the wheel landed on Pie in Your Face. The rest of the MindComet employees jumped up in pure glee, for a lowly intern had lost. As Laura walked back to her seat, waiting for her pie to be made, Alfred and Moni consoled her and promised they would stand by her.

But by some stroke of pure luck, solemn employees walked back from the kitchen to break the bad news to everyone: there was no whip cream for Laura's Pie. Laura was asked to spin the wheel again. As she walked back up to the wheel, emotionally crushed by the result of her first spin, Alfred and Moni knew that Laura had the luck of the interns and were rooting for her. She spun once again, and to the horror of the rest of the MindComet employees, she landed on $20 bill.

The room fell silent. Employees were stunned. Three winners in a row. These certainly were super interns.

Written by "that intern"

It's not like I planned for this...

My eyes glazed over, not from boredom, but so the tear-like substance could create an additional layer of reflection -- thus enabling me to fully comprehend the awesomeness that was happening before me.

I watched as a car was jettisoned unnaturally high into the air (as if any airborne car could be natural). I guffawed as the car flipped wildly just above the hood of the shimmering black Hummer H3. My mind began picturing the horrors that would surely ensue. Suddenly my attention shifted toward that man. That peculiar man somehow standing atop the H3 seemed poised for certain death as the Ford Taurus flew ever closer toward him.

Then, as if possessed by the spirit of Evel Kenievel himself, the man reached out for the oncoming car, grabbed hold of the lower body skirt, shifted his weight toward the car's underbelly, rotated away from the front axis -- and with his left hand pushing off the skid plate -- flung himself free of the catapulted vehicle -- landing safely back atop the moving H3.

O_O

It was then that I decided to become... a ninja.

Introducing Dean Proctor as Sloth from The Goonies.