In some kind of emotion-processing meeting the guys have instituted, Mark bitches about Clay's whole ass-kissy deal with George, calling it contrived. Yes, totally. That's the perfect word for what that was. Good on Mark. Clay kind of responds, in a slickly covering-his-ass way, that he just doesn't want to be caught out in the boardroom and have them accuse him of keeping quiet about his issues on the task. It's not why he did it, but it's a moderately good, fast answer that a bright toddler could still see through. Randal's awesome: "How is that constructive?" and Markus blunders in. Social genius that he is, he counsels them to bury the hatchet, and that's all fine and good, and the way it's edited I can't tell if he's being overbearing or interrupting to do this, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. Sadly, he then calls the conflict a "lingering turd in the pool," which...no. No, Markus. Everyone's kind of taken aback and they giggle, and Markus...doesn't get why what he's just said would be a problem. He goes on to state that he hopes it'll get "fished out soon," which...God, I hate him. There's no fixing that.

The presentation at the Excel Expo looks totally amazing. Lots of those graphic cardboard marketing-tool things, brochures on every product, bright colors, some kind of focaccia delight, balloons -- it looks professional and fun, like a mini-convention. Accessible and not overwhelming, but very exciting. I have this obsession with PR and event protocol -- I still remember the lead graphic designer on a client meeting I did in Phoenix two years ago, from his name to the details of the rings on his fingers, because he was so cool and efficient and carried such brightly-colored posters -- so I was very interested in this task, and I was impressed by the guys' stuff even before I saw Capital Edge's setup. Josh hugs Randal some more and they laugh and perfect their delivery, and Randal tells us all about it. The theme is "Connecting The Generations," which is smart and a little sad. It's so perfect that it's...something. Depressing? Cynical, maybe? There are three stations, the first focusing on "Hobbies and Interests." At this station, Clay and Brian teach an old man how to use the internet to look up his old girlfriends. The second station is "Connect and Share," and it's all about photography: Adam taking pictures of old folks and letting them take 'em home. Very cute. The last station is "Fun and Entertainment," which is all the home theatre stuff and the TiVo, where Markus is quite confidently and competently explaining stuff like pausing live TV and all that.