Stuart and I have a bit of a rivalry that has been going on for a little while...

Anyway, today I asked Stu how much he weight he could do on the fly machine at the gym. He started with "110", then changed his tune to "110" to warm up. As he likes to drop by my desk and and show off his biceps almost daily, I thought I'd drop the bomb that I did 295lbs last night. Naturally, Stu didn't believe me.

So here you go, Stuart. Eat your heart out!

So here's my photographic proof. Just an average day, stopping by the gym to pump some iron. I started with 295.



Then I bumped it up to 300 just to make it sting a little.



Look Stu, I'm all the way back - no cheating!



I never said it was easy...



But up it went. And if you know anything about me, you know I can't photoshop to save my life... so it's all real!



Another look at the weight, just so you can see there are no tricks!



So don't fret, Stu. You're drinking milk. One day you'll grow up to be big and strong, just like me!

But until then... just playing, no hard feelings, right?

Being a sedentary computer programmer through the day is not conducive to a Brad Pitt body. In fact, it's pretty hard to be anything but fat when you're a programmer. It's something I know, I've fought before, but now I'm trying something new.

My girlfriend and I try to walk at least 2 miles a night, usually managing it 3-4 times a week. Nothing heavy yet, just a comfortable stroll mostly. We're working up to a more cardio-intensive pace. But along with that I've disliked my lack of strength. I'm a big guy and at one time I played football and rowed for my High School. So now I'm embarking on a new challenge.

It started with a video from Mike Rowe about his 'Prison Workout' - see below:


I've known what burpees were, we did them for football and I recall just how difficult they can be. So I began toying with how to best utilize them in my own workout. That's when I found this awesome idea: The 100 Burpee challenge!

The thing about burpees are that they're an amazing workout. They cover a wide range of muscles in your body, utilizing the pushup for upper body strength. It works your abs as you kick your legs out and pull them back in. And it works your legs with the upward leap. And if you do them back to back it become a great cardio workout as well.

The challenge is obviously doing this exercise, but on top of that this is an increasing series. Today you start with 1 burpee. Tomorrow is 2 burpees. Then 3. 4. Five. Six... Ten... Twenty... and on all the way to 100. I'm on day seven and my shoulders are sore from the pushup in each burpee. It's not used to this abuse! I keep thinking, "I could take one day off. I could rest my poor shoulders..." but I fear falling off the wagon. Losing my momentum. Returning to my unmotivated self.

So I'm going to keep pushing through. And I'll post back when I have my 100 burpee day to let you know how it's gone.

We've been fortunate to have Douglas White on our side for the last ten years. That's a whole decade, 3,652 days, 70 dog years - or an eternity in the Interactive business!

He's consistently been a driving force for MindComet since the very beginning, landing key clients, surmounting the insurmountable and pulling rabbits out of hats, caps, lids, berets and even a scarf once (he's very resourceful in a pinch).

I think we all know what he's capable of, and since this site is about fun, let's take a look back through the years to see what kind of mischief Doug has gotten himself into. Stick around until the end for some real blasts from the past!



Don't forget to leave him some love via the comment button down below. Tell us what Doug means to you. Write him a haiku. Or even stop by and give him a big hug - but then you've got to take a picture, post it on Flickr and drop us a link. Don't skimp!

Doug, thanks for bringing it with the thunder! Here's to the next ten!

At MindComet, we believe strongly in community - professional communities, peer groups and all other forms. Being a bit of a gear head, I'm consistently active with whatever group is appropriate for what I'm driving that month. First it was Team-Integra, then on to Total Ruckus and The Ninja 250 Rider's Club, and now S2ki (S2000 International). I'm most excited about this new group, with meets each week that consistently have a strong showing. They're doing something right!

Each week, there is a new destination and new people to meet. Last night was especially fun, at the Lil' 500 track, not far from our offices. I had my first go there around a year ago with the MindComet peeps. We had a fantastic turnout with nearly the entire executive team showing up. There's nothing like smoking your boss on the track!



Some that hadn't been there before took a look at the tiny track and didn't think they'd have any fun. But once they got in the kart and started sliding sideways around the corners, they changed their tune!



That was all good and fun, but I was there to show off. And to admire others' cars. Mine is the yellow one with the top up, in case you haven't been following. You can see many more pics by clicking here.



Once that was all said and done, we rolled out for some great local BBQ. I'm fairly certain that our convoy turned a few heads. If they didn't see us, I'm sure they heard us!

I implore you, if you're a car nut, look around and there's a club for you. If you're any other kind of nut, I'm sure they have groups for that too!