The Brother Punks His Company

A few weeks back, the brother's company did an "employee appreciation" week with a theme of Enjoy Life. All employees were encouraged to submit a dessert with that theme at the end of the week. Everyone in his department asked if he was going to do a jello mold. He said he wasn't.

Now there's a bit of back story here that I need to share with you. It is my understanding that a ton of folks in his department are what you would call "Office nuts." I don't mean the stereotypical people you work with that drive you crazy. No, I mean people who love the show "The Office." Within his first six months of employment, the brother made a jello mold with a stapler in it similar to what the character Jim did to Dwight in the show. The jello mold made it from desk drawer to desk drawer as the brother and his victims continued the joke in good humor from one person to the next. Everyone got a ton of laughs from it.

So the brother didn't want to do a jello mold with a stapler or anything else. He was discussing the issue with me a few days before and had decided he was going to do something simple. Over the course of the discussion, he decided to do an elaborate prank on the entire office: he was going to put icing on a box or two of cake mix and call it a "cake." I suggested that he bake some cookies as backup just in case they actually wanted him to contribute to potluck table of deserts after the contest. He got the cake boxes prepared and did an elaborate job with putting a logo and the "Enjoy Life" theme on the icing.

When it came time for judging, he won his floor, and his cake was put into the running for the best overall. The whole time that this was taking place, he was emailing me saying how he couldn't believe they thought he actually baked a cake. He was having trouble containing his laughter while people kept coming to his desk to tell him how impressed they were with his originality and design. By this point he had told only one person the truth at the office.

Just before they were going to pick the overall winner, he realized that there was a good chance he was going to beat someone who ACTUALLY made a dessert. He fessed up for the prank and explained the situation. So he didn't win first prize overall because he "didn't actually make a dessert." The winning duo got coupons to Starbucks; woohoo! great prize! But he did win most creative which included a prize of free pizza and soft drinks. Hmm...I wonder who got the better prize. Here's a pic of the brother with his "cake."

I'm very proud of him. He did bring the cookies he baked out of hiding to share with the rest of the desserts that everyone could eat. It's my understanding that his dessert was the talk of the office. Way to go, man!