Show Notes: October 9, 2026

 It’s here, everybody! Friday has arrived, and we’re kicking off the Thanksgiving weekend. I am so ready for it. Bring on that turkey dinner. Me? I love the stuffing. Perhaps one of the best worst things I ever discovered is how easy it is to make Stove Top stuffing. I’ll have it anytime of the year now when I’m sick of rice and potatoes. But I know I’ve talked about this quite a bit over the past few weeks, about how I feel that Halloween has gotten so big that it overshadows Thanksgiving. I think I mentioned that I broke out my pumpkin earlier this week. I don’t carve a pumpkin anymore. I got one of those plastic ones from Canadian Tire a few years ago. The kind with a nightlight bulb in it. But I got fancy and got the lightbulb that flickers like a candle. So I am ready for Thanksgiving, Halloween, and whatever adventures October has in store! So let’s get moving, shall we?  

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Well, the big weekend is here! Thanksgiving has arrived! I know, you’re probably taking off this weekend to have Thanksgiving dinner with the family. And because you might be heading off to Thanksgiving dinner, I need to ask...what are you bringing to Thanksgiving dinner? That’s one of those things where I never really thought about it. I went to the bank the other day to get some laundry money, and you know, when you’re making chitchat with bank teller. She told me she’s just having a friendsgiving around town, and everyone’s bringing something, and she’s making the pie. And that’s when it donned on me...I have never brought anything to Thanksgiving dinner. No one’s ever asked me to, and I’ve never offered. I don’t cook so I don’t have any signature dishes that I can bring. In the past, when I’ve been asked to bring something, I just get a bucket of KFC. So this is part of the Thanksgiving experience I’ve never been privy to. What are you bringing to Thanksgiving dinner? Text in and let me know!  

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And that’s it for me, I’m done for the day. Thanks for hanging out with me on this lovely Friday morning. But before I go, this is my last chance to wish you all a happy Thanksgiving!  

This is one of those weird rabbit holes I fell down a few years ago. When it comes to Thanksgiving, we all know the American story, right? The pilgrims had the feast with the native Americans for surviving their first year in the new world. But that’s not the Canadian story. The Canadian story begins in 1579, when Martin Frobisher’s fleet returned to Newfoundland after a failed attempt at finding the Northwest Passage. They gave thanks for surviving the attempt. That’s the first thing that vaguely resembles Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving feasts were then held sporadically over the years. When the British Loyalists fled to Canada during the American Revolution, they brought alot of the American customs with them, which is why we have the Turkey dinner and all that. Canada became a country in 1867, with Thanksgiving being proclaimed a holiday in 1879. When it first became a holiday, the prime minister would proclaim when Thanksgiving is and what we were giving thanks for every year. As I mentioned in Hit and Quiz It, from 1921 – 1931, Thanksgiving and Remembrance Day were combined into one holiday, it was in November, and the reason for giving thanks was to thank the troops. Finally in 1957, Thanksgiving was standardized as the second Monday in October, and the reason for giving thanks was the abundant harvest. So there you go! The history of Thanksgiving. So Happy Thanksgiving, and whatever day you’re celebrating today, I hope you have a good one.  

Mark Tastes Firehouse Subs' Thanksgiving Turkey Sub

 Time for what I lovingly call the lonely guy's Thanksgiving dinner: a turkey sandwich from your favourite sandwich shop. And with a Firehouse Subs now in town, I see they've got a special Thanksgiving sub, complete with a gravy dip!

It's Firehouse Subs' Thanksgiving Turkey Sub, today on Mark Tastes Random Things!

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Show Notes: October 7, 2026

Wednesday’s here. I need to confess. I finally did something I’ve been threatening to do for a long time. A remember a few months ago, for the texting takeover, we were talking about foods you occasionally get a weird craving for. And for me? It’s those pizza subs you get at the gas station. What can I say? I occasionally get nostalgic for them. As a kid growing up, I lived in an era where I could walk home from school for lunch. And Mom would occasionally have one of those for me on the days she didn’t feel like cooking. Anyway, we were talking about those, and some of you mentioned that you can get them in a six pack down at the grocery store. I know! I’ve seen them. So what did I finally do? Well, I pack a lunch to work everyday, right? So when I was getting my groceries on Sunday, I bought one of those six packs, and I’ve been having one for lunch everyday this week. I feel kind of guilty, because I know my dietician will have words for me, but hey. October is crazy with Thanksgiving and Halloween. All kinds of goodies to throw off your diet. As long as I don’t make it a regular thing, I’m sure we’ll be fine.  

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 Well, it’s Would You Rather Wednesday, when I like to hit you with a would you rather question to really get you thinking. And I can’t help but notice that we’re heading into Thanksgiving. So I figured I’d start up the classic Thanksgiving debate again. Would you rather have turkey or ham for Thanksgiving? I mean, I’m lucky. Sometimes, my mom makes both. We’ll have a turkey, and then a small ham for those who prefer ham. But actually, we’re having Thanksgiving at my sister’s this year, so I don’t know what my sister’s planning. But I digress. I think both are fine. They both make good sandwiches if you’re planning leftovers. But I know some people have a clear preference. So how about you? Would you rather have turkey or ham for thanksgiving dinner? Text in and let me know!  

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And that’s it for me, I’m done for the day. Thanks for hanging out with me on this lovely Wednesday morning. But before I go, I just want to take a moment to wish you all a happy Canadian Beer Day! 

Of course Canadian Beer would have its own day! We make some of the finest beer in the world! I checked out the official website, Canadian Beer Day dto c a. Canadian Beer Day was started eight years ago to celebrate our brewing industry and promote Canadian brews. And of course, we’ve got the big ones, like Molson and Labbat, but there are so many wonderful smaller craft breweries out there these days! My dad was amazed at how many of them set up at Farmers Markets these days. So pop down to your favoruite craft brewery and raise a glass on this Canadian Beer Day. And whatever day you’re celebrating today, I hope you have a good one. 

Show Notes: Oct. 6, 2026

 Welcome to Tuesday! I hope things are going fine for you right now. I can’t help but dream a little. I noticed that the Lotto Max jackpot is up to $75 million. Man, I remember, like, 15 years ago, when the Lotto Max was still relatively new and the jackpot got up to $50 million for the first time. In case you missed the news, they overhauled the Lotto Max back in the spring, so now the jackpot maxes out at $90 million. Ya know, just for funsies, I decided to use ChatGPT to find out how much my dream vacation would cost. As cliched as it is, I would love to go to Walt Disney World. I want to stay in the Contemporary Resort. That’s the most famous hotel at Walt Disney World. That’s the one where the monorail goes right through the lobby. And of course, I want to go to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. That’s the Star Wars land at Walt Disney World. And I want to build my own lightsaber and my own droid. Anyway, according to ChatGPT, a vacation like that would run me about $20,000. ChatGPT helpfully pointed out that that’s only zero point zero two four percent of the jackpot, so a bargain...if I win the Lotto Max. But no matter how clever AI is, it can’t give you the winning lottery numbers just yet.  

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Yesterday, I’m hanging out, doing the office stuff I do around here when I’m done doing my show, and the boss comes up to me, he wants to show me his pictures. This past weekend, my boss lucked into some Oilers tickets, so he took his grandson to see the Oilers game. Fantastic. The little guy got his picture on the jumbotron, got his picture taken with Hunter, the whole thing. And of course, the boss was telling me about the prices. I haven’t been to Rogers Place to see a game, but from what I gather, the burgers and beer are ridiculously high. And then I got to thinking about the last time I saw an Oilers game. Last time I went to an Oilers game had to be, like, 25 years ago. Dad lucked into some tickets through work, and he took me. And then I’ve got my sister. My sister is the baseball nut in the family, so a few months ago, she and her family went down to Seattle to see the Blue Jays play the Mariners. And that reminds me of a guy I used to work with. He was a real big NFL fan, and his bucket list was to see an NFL game in every NFL Stadium. Had to fly down to San Francisco twice to see his 49ers play. So I just want to hear from you today. Have you ever been to any major league sporting event? What was like? How much was it? Tell me your major league sports story! 

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And that’s it for me, I’m done for the day. Thanks for hanging out with me on this lovely Tuesday morning. But before I go, I just want to take a moment to wish you a happy National Taco Day! 

Taco Day is on Taco Tuesday! I love how that worked out! And of course, I just had to go with the old Taco Bell Godzilla commercials for my clips. Who doesn’t love a good taco? The beef, the cheese, the veggies...all in a crunchy shell! And there’s a reason why I went with the Godzilla clip. The Gordita is my favourite thing at Taco Bell. They take a regular taco, then they take a soft taco, fill it with cheese, and then put the regular taco in it. So good! Anyways. I hope you treat yourself to a Taco on this, National Taco Day. And whatever day you’re celebrating today, I hope you have a good one.  

Show Notes: October 5, 2026

 And we’re back! Hi! How’s it going? I had some vacation time I had to burn off, so I decided to take half of last week off. Give myself a five day weekend. But we’re back now, and heading into another long weekend, because Thanksgiving is coming up this weekend. But yeah. I had some lovely time off. I went home to Entwistle to visit the folks. And while I was there, my Mom suggested we take a day trip out to Jasper. I was down for that. I love Jasper. You know, I’ve told you how, when I got my new car two years ago, I was going to take so many lovely day trips with it. I don’t know why I never considered taking a day trip to Jasper. We definitely live close enough that it’s doable. So that’s what we did. We checked out downtown Jasper. Just from my brief tour, it looks like they’re recovering from the fire damage at a steady pace. Then we went up to the Miette Hot Springs for a dip in the pool. I love those hot springs. So, yeah. I had a very pleasant autumn vacation. But now I’m back, and I’m ready to get back to it! 

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So, over the weekend, I got a text from my best friend. He’s out there in Vancouver. Now, apparently, his kiddos have been bitten by the acting bug, and they have a small role in a movie that premiered at the Vancouver International Film Festival. So my best friend got to go to his first-ever big time movie premiere! And of course, he had to dress for the occasion. He busted his suit out of the closet. This is what he had to tell me. He reached into the pocket, and he found a receipt from 2013! So it’s been at least 13 years since the last time he had to bust out his suit. He also told me that when he polished up his black dress shoes, they were so old and worn out, they fell apart in his hand. So he channeled his inner Red Green. He ran down to the dollar store, bought himself a roll of black duct tape, and patched up his shoes with duct tape. So inspired by my friend, I would like to hear from you today. When’s the last time you dressed up? When’s the last time you had to bust out your suit or your nicest dress and get all dressed to the nines? For me, it was the company Christmas party two years ago. What can I say? I think I look good in my suit, and the Christmas party felt like as good a time as any to bust it out. But how about you? When’s the last time you got all dressed up? Text in and let me know!  

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And that’s it for me, I’m done for the day. Thanks for hanging out with me on this lovely Monday morning! But before I go, I want to wish you all a happy Global James Bond Day!  

The very first James Bond movie, Dr. No, hit theatres on this day in 1962, and one of the longest-running movie franchises was born. I remember back in the 1990s, there was this cable TV channel called TBS, and every couple of months they would have James Bond movie marathons. I lost many a weekend in high school and college to those marathons, and that’s when I really fell in love with the franchise. I own most of them on DVD, so I’ll probably watch one this afternoon. And I hope you do, as well. So happy Global James Bond day, everyone! And whatever day you’re celebrating today, I hope you have a good one.  

Mark Tastes KD Ramen

Ever have Cup o Noodles and think, "This could use some cheese?" Well, Kraft decided to answer the call!

It's KD Ramen, today on Mark Tastes Random Things!

Show Notes: Sept. 29, 2026

 Welcome to Tuesday! Shaping up to be another wonderful autumn day. Didn’t get up to too much yesterday afternoon. Got my laundry done. I know what whenever I get laundry done, I bore you with tales of fighting for a washing machine in my apartment’s laundry room. But no...no fights yesterday. Everything went pretty smoothly. I’m just getting tired. You know, I used to have dreams of living in massive house with a six car garage and an indoor pool and stuff like that. But now, I simply dream of having my own laundry room. Being able to do laundry whenever I want without needing a sockful of quarters. Oh, that would be bliss! But in the meantime, laundry’s done. September’s pretty much done, too. We’re off tomorrow for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. So, yeah. It’s a Tuesday that’s feeling like a Friday. Just an overall weird vibe to today.  

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Well, we’re off tomorrow for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, so that means today is my last day of the month! And that means today I’m doing my usual end of the month thing and asking you, what got you through the month? See, I was inspired to do this by my best friend in college, all those years ago. My best friend was the editor of the school paper. Our school paper came out monthly, and he would end each issue with two lists: what annoyed him this month, which is pretty self-explanatory, and what got him through the month, which was all the good things that happened to him that month. So I want to hear from you today! What got you through the month? Share all the good things that happened to you, so we can inject some positivity into the world! What are some good things that happened to me...? Well, McDonald’s had their International Menu Heist again. Those black pepper and garlic Chicken McNuggets were so good! There were some special edition DVDs on sale that I finally got for my collection. I can now watch every single Charlie Brown holiday special ever made! So that’s me, but I want to hear from you. What got you through the month? Text in and let me know!  

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And that’s it for me, I’m done for the day. Thanks for hanging out with me on this lovely Tuesday morning. But before I go, I just want to take a moment to wish you all a happy National Coffee Day! 

I know I’ve mentioned this a few times before. I am not a coffee drinker. I think it was all that time as a kid being told I’m too young for it that kind of killed any desire to start. I mean, coffee’s not like alcohol, right? With alcohol, there’s that magic age, 18, when you can finally drink and you go to the bar for the first time. There’s nothing like that with coffee, where you turn a magic age and you go to Tim Hortons for your first double double. I remember being in grade 12 and my english teacher made a joke about drinking coffee when you’re studying for diplomas, and I was like, “dude, I’m old enough to drink coffee now?” But I still never started. Anyway, happy National Coffee Day everyone! And whatever day you’re celebrating today, I hope you have a good one.