Cakeplow

MindComet Hunter

2009-01-23T16:52:00.003-05:00

Today in the midst of the bird flu going around the office we were able to find a beautiful specimen of the "ghetto bird". The hunt did not last that long as we had spotted them in the past. The only thing was that we had never been able to get one on video in the past. This is where all of the excitement came to fruition. Check out the video to see the hunt and attack. Caution: There was no harming of animals in the making of this movie.

I Just Got "Pants-ed"

2009-01-22T10:27:00.005-05:00

I just got "pants-ed" in the office. I was going about my normal business and next thing you know, I get "pants-ed".

OK, let me explain. If you are an avid reader of our blog, well, then you know we like to have a little fun while getting the work done. And if you have visited our offices then you know its not your typical office. We have pods instead of cubicles, flat screen TVs, game portals galore, overhead music and funky lamps instead of florescent ceiling lights to name a few of the office features.

There is one lamp in particular that has made its way from every office move we've done and settled into our headquarters. Its hard not to notice this lamp because its a lamp with a base made from a pair of pants. Unfortunately, the lamp gave way one day and since then we have just had this pair of pants floating around the office. We have had the lamp for so long that nobody wanted to throw it away so instead we found a new way to use the pants. We decided to start "pants-ing" people in the office. It's quite simple really and all done in harmless fun. The objective of the game is to leave the pair of pants by an employee without them noticing. If you get away unnoticed, you have officially "pantsed" that person. It is then their turn to "pants" someone else. I wonder if the person I just "pants-ed" has found out that they got "pants-ed".

Orlando Florida Drupal Camp - Feb 7th 2009

2009-01-16T10:18:00.005-05:00

Florida Drupal Users Group is happy to invite you and your Drupal interested friends to the first Florida Drupal Camp on Saturday February 7th from 9AM to 5PM yes a full day of Drupal love. What could be better than enjoying a day of Drupal in Sunny Florida in the winter time?!?!

Register now. Seating is limited and the price is right (free !!!) go to: http://drupalflorida.eventbrite.com/

Thanks to our great friends at MindComet for hosting Florida Drupal Camp at their really nice location in Orlando.

MindComet

http://www.mindcomet.com/

385 Pearl Lake Cswy Altamonte Springs, FL 32714

For information on what sessions we are planning check out http://groups.drupal.org/node/16299 we need people to sign up to organize one of the listed sessions or come up with an idea of your own !!!

Britt Storms the Capitol (And Blogs About It)

2009-01-15T09:28:00.004-05:00

Brittany is more than a MindCometeer, she's a super hero.

And every once in a while our country calls on her to serve. This time she's up in DC for the Inauguration. Her and Obama are like this:

Ok, nothing is true about that (not even the hair), except for the fact that she's in DC. She is actually attending the Presidential Inaugural Conference sponsored by the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. Yes, she a lady and a scholar!

As a Faculty Advisor, she will be overseeing the conference and in charge of all kinds of neat stuff. And you're in luck! She's going to be blogging about the whole thing.

Stop on by her blog, http://beholdalady.wordpress.com and check it out!

Some girls have all the luck*

MindComet Fit Club

2009-01-14T11:31:00.003-05:00

In the spirit of the New Year, a handful of us have resolved to make it to the gym around the corner a few times per week together.

It hasn't happened just yet, but we're still hopeful - maybe tonight!

I have faith that our trainers will do a decent job of whipping them into shape. They're not pretty, but they get 'er done. You might know them from the hit TV show, The Biggest Loser

Look at how fantastic of a job they've already done with ChrisP!

Sweaters So Ugly We Had to Belate Them

2009-01-13T13:55:00.003-05:00

So before we left for the break, our pal Jenn decided that it would be a good idea to have an "Ugly Sweater Potluck." This wasn't the first.

Below you will find pictures of some of the ugliest sweaters known to man. I hope you haven't eaten lunch yet, because you might want to consider anything within three feet of your desk a "splash zone." These are some seriously ugly sweaters, people!

I actually barfed three times while uploading these pics. (OK, not really. I'm getting a little carried away, but what's a good blog post without a dash or two of outlandish exaggeration)?

Why do such beautiful people choose to wear such ugly sweaters? And who's sweater was the ugliest? You decide.

And Zero couldn't make it, but still wanted to show off his "Cat Couture":

So Much Power - What Would You Choose?

2009-01-12T17:14:00.002-05:00

Last year (as if it were so far ago), I won a "Vending Machine Exclusive" award as a part of our Roundo Elko RE:08 kickoff internal promo. This allows me to pick anything (within reason) and fill our vending machine with that item.

It's been burning a hole in my pocket, staring me in the face day after day. What to pick? What says I'm healthy, but I'm also yummy? What can the boys and the girls all agree to love? What says "I accidentally put my underwear on after my jeans today and decided it looked better so I just kept it that way?" OK, maybe not the last one - guess I got a little carried away.

One of my favorite treats that I found on my first trip to NYC is Tao Kae Noi, a Japanese Crispy Seaweed that comes in Wasabi flavor - yum! But I can't seem to find it here in FL - bummer! It even seems to come in small enough sizes - blargh!

So if you had this kind of ultimate power, what would you pick? Would you use it for good or evil?

Even the winners lose

2009-01-07T13:28:00.002-05:00

Hear ye, Hear ye. Gather round children for today witnessed a battle of the mightiest cucumber eaters in all of the land. The most honorable Dean, Cox and Mitches gathered to contest who was truly the fastest cucumber eater. In a battle to the end that involved many jokes Mitches proved to be victorious in eating the cucumber quicker than Dean and the Cox by opening his mouth after devouring the entire thing to prove that he had indeed swallowed.

Pictured (l to r): Dean, Cox, Mitches

Game Day

2009-01-06T13:23:00.000-05:00

I finally remembered to bring in my Settlers of Catan board game which I got for Christmas. Since everybody was new or rusty I ended up leading a four person educational game to get everybody up to speed. Fun was had by all around and I think I created some addicts.

Not Pictured: Jennifer Carey

Christmas Jealousy

2008-12-30T13:08:00.006-05:00

So my Christmas wasn't quite fantastic or post-worthy. Instead, I thought I'd post about someone else's awesome trip.

Mr. Mitch just made it back to the states after 19 hours of travel from Budapest. Poor, poor guy... I feel so sorry that he had to travel to Prague, Vienna and Budapest. OK, I don't, I'm just jealous.

If you want to be jealous too, check out his photos here.

Maybe he'll stop by and share a story or two...

Did You Get the Memo?

2008-12-17T18:03:00.003-05:00

Today was wear your pink shirt, black sweater, jeans and Chuck taylors day.

Jen and I pulled into work today at the same time and laughed as we got out of our cars realizing our matching outfits. Least we both agreed we have good taste!

Celeb Style Holiday Party

2008-12-16T17:00:00.005-05:00

MindComet had its annual holiday party this past Saturday. Our holiday events are a way for the team to come together before the year wraps and everyone parts for their holiday vacations but we also like to bring everyone together and collect gifts for Toys for Tots to give back to those less fortunate. We celebrated the night in style with our sister company, IZEA and managed to collect a table full of unwrapped gifts to give to the Toys for Tots Foundation, even a bike!

Each year we have a themed holiday event, we find it always makes for a more entertaining night and Ill admit it, our group just enjoys dressing up and acting the part. Past years holiday events have included Rock N Roll Karaoke, a Formal Event where we had other party goers sneak into ours because we are that fun and black and white poker night. This years theme was celeb style so attendees either came dressed to impress or played the part of a celebrity. We had Tiger Woods stop by, Lil Wayne paid a visit, even Angelina and Brad managed to drop in with their kids. The night included paparazzi, red carpet runways and gift bags for guests, good food and drinks, music and of course great company!

Enter the Ninja

2008-12-05T12:37:00.003-05:00

As much as I love my Ruckus, maxing out at 42MPH on my 26 mile ride to work was getting a little old. Two hours per day was more than I wanted to spend commuting each day for the rest of my life.

So it was time for the Ruckus to grow up! Enter the Ninja.

The plan was to chew up some PTO and get the Motorcycle Safety Course out of the way. I spent Turkey Day weekend getting up at 6AM and driving to Daytona to learn the ins and outs of riding a real motorcycle. Overall, it was a fun experience. I'd recommend it to anyone who has an itch for this niche.

I didn't intend on picking up a bike immediately after, but I fell in love with the Ninja 250 (who I already had feelings for) over my two days of learning on one. That was, in fact, one of the criteria that drove me to Adventure Rider Training, by the way.

So I scoured Craigslist, made some calls, and set up a spreadsheet covering all of my options. I nearly drove to Miami to pick one up, but it was unfortunately sold out from under me.

After trying out a few (probably not enough, but whatever) bikes, I settled on the pretty red ride below. By the day after I finished my course, I already had a bike!

A great thing about 250 Ninjas is that they are low commitment. I could pick up an '07 for about as cheap as another Ruckus, and likely sell it off a while later for close to what I bought it for - there's always a market. Luckily, the Ruckus is the same way.

My first week was not nice to me, bringing freezing early morning weather. But I managed it to bring it in for a little show 'n tell. It's taken over the Ruckus' spot right outside my window for all to see.

Upon introduction to the MindComet team, I found that one of us had a ninja in the past. Unfortunately, he had to let it go due to storage limitations - poor guy!

So it's the end of the week, and I'm on my third day in. It's also my second day on the highway. I thought it would be terrifying, but in fact, it's just boring! I'll have to mix up my daily routes.

What's in the Ruckus' future? It'll stay around for a bit. It may even go to another MindCometeer. One of the first inquiries about the bike was "Are you going to sell the Ruckus?" Hopefully it'll stay in the family.

But what's in the Ninja's future? It'll likely pick up where the Ruckus left off. I wanted to take some long trips on the Ruckus, but the farthest I got was south of Orlando, a 60 mile trip home. Those two hours were a pain in the butt, showing me that any real touring would require a bigger motor, or a real bike.

I just may take it home to Jupiter for the holidays. Stay tuned!

MindComet Owes Me A New Wallet

2008-12-05T11:50:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I wrote some notes on the "FREE FOOD for thought" slips we have by the vending machine. I put said slip in my pocket. I proceeded to put my wallet in the same pocket. A few hours later I removed my wallet from my pocket, only to find it was imprinted / ruined / compromised. See below:

MindComet owes me a new wallet.

Meat Cookies!

2008-12-01T09:03:00.004-05:00

I've decided that cookies are too politically correct and they need to contain meat so today, after much planning, I finally brought in Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies. To make your own Meat Cookies you just need to follow a normal Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe but instead of using semi-sweet/bitter sweet chips use bacon infused chocolate (specialty food markets usually carry these flavored chocolates).

Alas, words alone can not describe the awesomeness that is Meat Cookie so I've provided a picture of it. You may wish to shield the eyes small children.

Behold, the Meat Cookie:

Just Another Halloween at MC

2008-11-04T16:16:00.000-05:00

Halloween has come and gone. This makes us a little sad because we'd dress like this every day if we could!

As you'd expect, we had a great old time. And being SUPAFRI, we had the luck of being able to welcome five new peeps to our team (including a couple of interns who we are grateful for)! They were awarded their honorary first-year beanies.

We didn't have an official costume contest, but many agree that our pal Joe would have been the winner. He went to great lengths to assemble his costume. From fashioning the cane out of a pool cue to hand-painting his vest, it was amazing! He even had a jar of everlasting gobstoppers for us to enjoy.

So until next year, where I impersonate Tom Cruise from Risky Business... yes the part you're thinking of...

Hope your Halloween was fantastic!

McCain Supports The Ruckus in 08

2008-10-31T13:08:00.001-04:00

Even John McCain supports the Ruckus!

McCain/Ruckus '08!

Fans of the Ruckus Unite!

2008-10-31T12:18:00.002-04:00

What? You haven't heard?

The Ruckus got it's own Facebook fan page, check it out!

For a limited time, each and every fan gets a complimentary test ride on the machine that made it all possible!

Are you not sure what exactly The Ruckus is or why you should be a fan of it? Let Jeremy demonstrate.

And hear what he has to say about the Ruckus and benefits of membership into this exclusive group.

He has since been on a number of trips (even prepaid for $2 worth - about 75 miles) and is considering a scoot for himself.

Who's next?

Halloween in Denmark

2008-10-29T13:40:00.000-04:00

On a recent trip to Copenhagen, visiting the world headquarters of one of our clients, we learned that Denmark is just starting to learn about and celebrate Halloween.

Being old pros, we decided to help them out. Upon our return, we put together a care package, full of candy, decorations, spooky sounds and even classic horror films!

As long as customs doesn't decide to snag our goodies and throw their own party, our Danish clients should be well on their way to having a nice little holiday!

With the time zone difference working in our favor, we just may be able to get some pics together and demonstrate how to throw a Halloween party - MindComet style! Stay tuned on the 31st!

It's National Seafood Month

2008-10-27T13:24:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the late reminder, but October is National Seafood Month! Don't worry, you've still got plenty of time to enjoy it.

We decided to celebrate by putting together some funky aprons and sending them to our clients in the seafood industry. See them in action below!

And if you're looking to learn more, or maybe just find some tasty recipes, then you need to visit the sites below, created by MindComet:

AboutSeafood

EatShrimp

More on the way soon!

RE:08 - The RE:cap

2008-10-21T11:20:00.010-04:00

By now, you've surely heard little bits and pieces about our RE:treat, but here's your chance to catch it in its entirety.

We snatched up all the cameras that we could, shuffled things around a bit, did our best to put them in order, and the end result is the slide show that you see below. Read below for a day by day recap!

Day One:

We meet up at the MindComet compound to answer any questions and tie up loose ends. It's work as usual until noon, then we're off in our carpools to the train station!

We check our bags, then hang out for a few, pulsing with anticipation until the train arrives. Once it does, we take our place at the caboose and claim our territory for the next eight or so hours.

First things first, we have to work for our supper. Making the most of the captive audience created by the confines of the train, we sit down to watch a presentation, finely-crafted by our Management team, giving us a sneak peek into what we are to expect at the retreat, and a primer as to the year to come. Once completed, we receive our Train snack stipend.

We make the best of a long ride, spending quality time with our fellow team members. We share drinks, movies, mp3 players - anything to make the trip as pleasant as possible. Along the way, we even made some friends. We recruited a German tourist and made friends with the "Red Hat Ladies".

With just a bit of spunk left, we disembark the train for a bus ride over to the Wild Dunes resort. Jeremy decides that it is a good time to dig up his famous Gouda or Cheddar routine, entertaining us until we reach our destination. Worn out, we assemble our teams, claim our houses, find our bedrooms and unpack. Right to bed for most.

Day Two:

After a hearty breakfast, we gathered in a shady spot on the boardwalk to have a company-wide town hall style meeting. We further discussed our vision for the new year and answered any questions that could be thought up by the team. During the break, we all made friends with a cute puppy belonging to a resort employee.

Afterward, we broke up into teams to prepare for our RE:08 challenge. Each team's mission was to throw a party in their bungalow on a budget of only $150. The team's director was sent with a shopping list and only about an hour to gather goods. Upon return, teams let their creative vision flow, and constructed parties that would be judged upon various criteria by their fellow MindCometeers: food, drink, music, ambiance and overall theme.

Following an afternoon of intense preparation, the time had come for everyone to make final adjustments and prepare to party. First up was our Pink team, led by Marcelle, who assembled a high-class, laid-back, Jamaican gathering with a spicy kick.

Our next stop took us into the deep south for a good ol' Redneck hoedown. The Red team led by Kelly and Andrew threw a real authentic shindig, complete with all the trimmings.

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Stop number three, the Green team led by Jeremy, ultimately won our competition. Their Polynesian luau came with gourmet salmon, pineapple fizzes and hula lessons from a certified instructor. It was no surprise, as MindComet loves to shake it any chance it gets, and we can't get enough of Jeremy's sophisticated dishes.

With all of this commotion, what our team needed was a little bit of RE:laxation, and that is what the Blue team set out to do, piloted by Doug. We were greeted at the door with warm cloths to cleanse our bodies, followed by fine sorbet to clean our pallets. They went beyond what could be bought and offered free massages which everyone enjoyed.

RE:freshed, RE:laxed and RE:ady to go, we embarked to our final destination. David's Yellow team brough Candyland to South Carolina. They took the last stop as an opportunity, and offered desserts, sweet drinks, balloons, driving music and a dance floor to let the team do what it had been looking forward to for the last year - break it down!

As the night carried on, we slowly dispersed, some down to the beach, some to restart earlier parties and some just kept on dancing. Slowly, the parties died down and we retreated to our rooms for a little shut-eye.

Day Three:

With plenty of fluids, and as much rest as we could jam into the wee hours of the morning, we ate a quick breakfast and were divided into our various departments for some serious learning. We workshopped on fine tuning our skills some areas and discussed how we can work together within our teams to be the best MindComet that we can be.

Charged up, we assembled our costumes and met back as a group - not MindComet, but Killers International - part of a game we had started before leaving Orlando. We each had a role to play, sporting elaborate costumes and playing along to find out who had betrayed the group! Over lunch, we discovered the culprit and voted on who we found to be best-dressed. Notice David's excitement as the knight in the front below.

In the afternoon, we found a little free time. Some laid by the pool, some watched movies with their compadres, and some made it over to the salon for a massage, pedicure, or even a long-belated haircut!

For the second time that day, we had to dress up. But this time it was in our Sunday best to honor the MindCometeers that throw what is expected of them out the window and blow us away, each and every day. But we've already covered that in detail, so click on the picture below to see how it all went down.

Bellies full from our award feast, we headed to back to our rooms to pack. This allowed us to enjoy the last few hours that we had before we were to head back to FL.

Scattered from house to house, we enjoyed the time that we had left. Some took naps, others stayed up until we had to head out around 3:00AM to catch our bus.

You won't find any pictures of the trip home. Unlike the first train ride, we spent this one sleeping, worn out, and satisfied with what we had accomplished together.

The Haircut

2008-10-17T10:36:00.004-04:00

Back in middle school in the mid 90's, I decided growing my hair out would be the cool thing to do. And it was. So I grew it out, shaved it underneath (that was happening back then) and everyone loved it (especially the ladies).

Through high school, it just kept on getting longer. At some point, I must have made the decision to just let it go about it's business - growing and growing. Fast forward almost ten years, and I'm a guy with obnoxiously long hair in need of a makeover.

Wanting the change, but a little afraid at the same time, I let two of our lady team members talk me into it on the long train ride to Charleston, SC - the destination for our 2008 MindComet Retreat.

They facilitated what I could never do and made the appointment. I was lightly taunted by the fact that it was immediately too late to cancel.

The time had come and I was walked to the in-resort salon. One of my supporters hadn't yet shown, and I did everything possible to stall. I even pulled the forgot my money trick, but it just didn't work.

They finally sat me in the chair and just as the cutting commenced, she flew right in the door.

Not being an expert in hair styles for the last ten or so years, I let Tiffany do her thing. Well, with influence from the half a dozen team members that had gathered as well. I guess that's a bit of a throwback to my prior plans of a cakeplow-infused, user-generated haircut. Funny how those things work out.

For about 30 seconds, I shared the same haircut as another one of my supporters.

Finding out that a fauxhawk wasn't prime for me and my hair, the results came through as you can see below.

My thoughts? Well, my heart never pounded out of my chest as I had expected, and it was undoubtedly an improvement. But what really mattered to me was what everyone else thought.

Just as we finished, Jenn and Marcelle, both my boss and our President, emerged from their lengthy massages from a door conveniently next to my chair. Shocked, I hope I didn't undo any effects of their intense relaxation sessions. For the record, Marcelle said it looked hot ;).

But what did everyone else think? Unbenounced to me, my a good friend and fellow MindCometeer held interview sessions during our yearly awards dinner.

Donning my new suit, I was feeling like a million bucks. I'm not usually the one to pose and take pics at arms length, but tonight was a definite exception.

As the Retreat commenced, I had one last thing to deal with: the real world! I still had to find out what the girlfriend (who was a fan of the long locks) would think. Luckily, she still provided me a ride home, so I take that as an approval.

You might be wondering what happened to all that hair? I donated the hair to a good cause as you can see below.

But in actuality, I am happy to say that the 11.5 inches will be going to Locks of Love to benefit those who can really use it.

I know that this is probably the longest Cakeplow post in history, but I just want to give a big thanks to all of the MindCometeers who made it possible. You know and you know that I know who you are! <3

MindComet RE:08 Awards

2008-10-15T10:44:00.007-04:00

We've just returned and are still recovering from what has been touted as the best retreat in MindComet history. Expect much more about our RE:treat happenings soon, but in the meantime, it's time to recognize some of our top players in 2008 with the MindComet RE:08 Awards.

Watch the videos below, and you'll experience the awards just as we did... well, minus the killer buffet and open bar - but close enough. Our founder and chairman of the board, Ted Murphy, recorded the announcements out and about, whenever he felt the moment was right.

Also, since we're using the new Viddler platform, you can comment on each individual video, within the video - why not try it out?!

And now for the awards:

Tough Cookie of the Year

Culture Award

Motivator of the Year

Work Horse of the Year

Innovator of the Year

Big Money of the Year

Rookie of the Year

And finally... Team Member of the Year

A big CONGRATULATIONS to all of our winners! We love you guys so much!

MindComet RE:treat 2008 is here!

2008-10-09T10:19:00.003-04:00

Over the past few weeks, we've been working hard to pull ahead, as well as find time to plan for our yearly MindComet retreat and participate in the pre-trip activities.

Our theme this year is simply RE:treat. What does that mean exactly? It actually means a lot of things:

And as we've come to expect, the location as well as details were shrouded in mystery. However, this year there was a bit of a twist...

In place of the usually "roomies", we were put into teams, and as teams we had to compete to find clues to uncover the location, itinerary, team competition info and even prizes including "steal an office for a day" and "vending machine exclusive - winner's choice".

Competitions were facilitated by a mysterious figure only known to us as "Roundo Elko". He or she tweeted at us, facebooked us, took over the announcement board and all around keps us on our toes for the past couple of weeks.

Yesterday, we came into the office to find "hobo satchels" suspended on sticks with bandannas hidden around the office in our team colors. Inside we found conductors' hats (signifying a long train ride that we are about to embark on) as well as our team shirts, goodies and yet more puzzling information that has yet to explain itself.

So here it is, the big day. We came into the office and had our normal weekly company meeting, which was pleasantly supplemented by scones - courtesy of Andrew Riley's wonderful wife! Among the RE:treat chatter, Marcelle let us know that she purchased two FLIP cameras to let us easily record the trip. Expect video coverage on Cakeplow and the Lowdown before the end of the month!

We're psyched! Roundo, Marcelle and her crew have planned an awesome trip for us as we travel up the east coast aboard the Silver Meteor to a resort in beautiful South Carolina. Unfortunately, I can't share further details, as they are still shrouded in mystery. Look forward to clueing everyone in upon our return!

Miss us!

One Month, Two Wheels

2008-09-17T17:23:00.005-04:00

It's officially been a whole month since I've given up on cars.

Over the last 30 days, I've only piloted a four-wheeled automobile on one occasion - and that was to sell it... so that doesn't really count, right?

Even when facing mother nature's tears (commonly known as rain), I just somehow don't feel the draw to cage myself for the trip. However, we shall see how things fair soon when Florida's (mildly) bitter cold winter sets in.

I've clocked over 2,000 miles since registration in July and plan to continue piling them on until the little Ruckus has paid itself off through commute savings alone in Spring. Then, I just might move up to a big-boy bike.

Last week had me bravely (read: stupidly) testing out a short stretch of Interstate - my first and last time. The relatively-near future will likely hold a trip to South Florida - very possibly my first trek as an adult to the Florida Keys, where scooters are king!

My scooter-media blitz is still in the works. Fans have been pushing for a blog - can't let them down. I'm also considering mobile updates while on the road courtesy of Bluetooth and Utterz.

Until next time - peace, love and 49cc's!

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