Show Notes: October 15, 2026

 Thursday's here! But it's just not Thursday, it's October 15! We're about halfway through October, which means halfway to Halloween. And you know what? I'm kind of mad at myself. I haven't put up my Halloween tree yet! Yeah, I've got an old little 4 foot Christmas tree. A few years ago, I saw that Halloween decorations were on sale. So at the start of October, I put my tree, put all kinds of Halloween decorations on it, and it's a Halloween tree! Usually, I put up around October 1, but I decided to take some time off and I never did. And I've been busy this week with MJ being on vacation. When MJ goes on vacation, I've got to do all his office stuff around here. But I think that's about to change. Yesterday afternoon, I came back in, and I dropped off all the stuff. The tree and the box of decorations are immediately on my left. Normally I put it up in my office, but I got permission to put it up here in the studio this year. So I hope to get that up before the end of the week! Bring on Halloween!  

---

I was talking about this a bit back on Tuesday. Had Thanksgiving at my sister's back over the weekend. After dinner, my sister broke out the games. She brought out this one game called Chronology. It's a history game. You start off with one historical event. The other players then read you historical events off their cards, and you have to guess whether it came before or after your event. If you're right, you get that card. Then you start building a timeline, and you have to guess where the events fall on your timeline. First one to get 10 cards win. Now, my sister and my mother started hyping me up quite a bit to all the other players. I'm pretty good at trivia games. I mean, no one plays Trivial Pursuit with me anymore because I was so unbeatable. The only bar I've ever been banned from is the Legion up in Athabasca because I would sweep their trivia nights. I wasn't so sure about this Chronology, though, because history isn't my strong suit. But, lo and behold, I went on to win. So because of my utter dominance in trivia games, I want to hear from you today, what's the game you absolutely dominate? What is that one game where you take no prisoners? Are you trivia master? Are you the grand chess master in your house? Can you win at Monopoly without robbing the bank? What's the game where you absolutely dominated? Text in and let me know!  

---

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

The legendary, groundbreaking sitcom premiered on this day in 1951, and television was forever changed. I mean, I Love Lucy developed techniques for making television comedies that are still in use to this very day. And let's not forget Lucille Ball's contribution to a famous sci-fi franchise. To make I Love Lucy, Lucille Ball started one of the TV's first television production companies, Desilu, and 15 years later, Desilu produced a little sci-fi show called Star Trek. But I digress. Happy National I Love Lucy Day, everyone! And whatever day you're celebrating today, I hope you have a good one.  

Show Notes: October 14, 2026

 Wednesday has arrived, and I love these short work weeks. The weekend is already one day closer! Have you checked your Lotto Max tickets yet? I haven't checked mine. I couldn't help but pick up a ticket. I mean, a new record of $85 million? That would definitely go a long way towards paying off some bills. I know I probably didn't win. Before I decided I wanted to do this for a living, I went to college and got a math degree, right? And the first thing they make you do in any statistics class is calculate the odds of winning. Do that enough times, and that will scare you off. But still, you've eventually got to ask, "Why not?" I even decided to mess around with AI a little bit. I used ChatGPT to budget my dream vacation. Only $20,000. So I can have my dream vacation and still have a little bit leftover. Maybe I'll check my tickets after work. Or maybe I'll leave it a few days and continue dreaming. In the meantime.... 

---

It’s Would You Rather Wednesday on the Texting Takeover! I like giving you a would You Rather Question to mix things up a bit. I will admit, I do spend my free time at work googling them and compiling lists. I saw this one, and I was like, “Ooo! Perfect!” Would you rather have a personal chef or instantly be a gourmet chef? Now that’s the thing, right? Instantly become a gourmet chef. You don’t have to spend the two years at NAIT getting your red seal. You get a genie and three wishes. You say, “I wish to be a gourmet chef!” Pow! You’re a chef now. Part of me would like that, because I get tired of the six or so things I know how to make, and that would really help me mix things up a bit. But...you’d still have to do all the work. By hiring a professional chef, you can just pass of the work to someone else. And isn’t that the dream? Isn’t that why we’re getting so excited about AI these days? It’s the ability to pass the work off to someone else. So I almost think I’d prefer to hire a professional chef. So how about you? Would you rather hire a professional chef, or instantly become a gourmet chef? Text in and let me know! 

---

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 National Dessert Day! 

Desserts! The best part of the meal! Cake, pie, Jell-o, pudding...it’s all good! After a long hard day, you’ve earned that sweet treat. And this is one of the best times of the year for sweet treats. All that wonderful, tasty, Halloween candy out there! And there’s probably some leftover pumpkin pie from Thanksgiving...just so much goodness. So have dessert first today! You’ve earned it, on this, National Dessert Day. And whatever day you’re celebrating today, I hope you have a good one.  

Show Notes: October 13, 2026

 And we’re back! Hopefully you’ve survived your Thanksgiving, you’ve slept off the turkey hangover, and you’ve got a fridge full of leftovers. I had a pretty good Thanksgiving. My sister was hosting down in Innisfail this year, so we all went down to my sister’s place. It was nice catching up with her and her family. And then, they broke out the games. They had this one game called Chronology. How it works is the other players will tell you a historical event, and you have to guess what year it took place. Once you’ve made 10 successful guesses and have arranged them into a neat timeline, you’re the winner. Now when we started this, my sister and my mother were hyping me up quite a bit to everyone else was that I am a trivia master. I’ve talked about this before. No one plays Trivial Pursuit with me anymore because I am so unbeatable. So my sister and mother were all like, “Oh! This is a trivia game! Mark’s gonna win! Mark’s going to be really tough to beat!” I wasn’t so sure, because history is not one of my strong suits. But to everyone’s amazement, I won. Even I was amazed. So I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and you came out on top in whatever it is you played!  

---

Well, we’re all back from the Thanksgiving weekend, and now, that Thanksgiving spirit is going to be with you all week long because, no doubt, you have a fridge full of Thanksgiving leftovers! You know, I’m fond of quoting Uncle Jed from the Beverley Hillbillies: that’s the good thing about leftovers: there just as good the second time around! So let’s talk Thanksgiving leftovers today. What’s your favourite leftover? Of course, the big one is the turkey. No doubt you’ve got a plate of leftover turkey. Are you doing turkey sandwiches? Turkey soup? Maybe you’re really creative and you’re baking a turkey pot pie! Or maybe you’re like Ross on that episode of Friends with his perfect Thanksgiving leftover sandwich. So I want to hear from you today! What’s your favourite Thanksgiving leftover? Text in and let me know! 

---

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 International Day of Failure. 

Of course I had to find the Simpsons clip and go for the joke, but I got to thinking about it. You know, we all face setbacks in our life. No matter how hard we work, sometimes, we just don’t get there. I was telling you about this a few months ago. I tried out for the community theatre here in town. Didn’t get a part this year. And I was a little disappointed. But am I going to let that stop me from trying out again next year? Heck no. We learn from the experience, and we do it again. That’s what the International Day of Failure is all about. Accepting that a failure is something to learn from and give it another go. That’s why I’m changing my mind. The better clip is this one from Rocky.  So happy International Day for Failure, everyone! And whatever day you’re celebrating today, I hope you have a good one.  

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?  

---

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!  

---

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!

Subscribe to my YouTube channel

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.  

---

 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!  

---

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.  

---

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! 

---

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.