Show Notes: October 29, 2026

 Thursday is upon us! The weekend draws ever closer. Halloween draws ever closer. And more importantly, the end of the month draws ever closer! Man o man, October wound up being a very busy month for me. At the start of the month, I took some time off, and went home to Entwislte. That wasn't too bad. The weekend after that was Thanksgiving, and went to my sister's down in Innisfail. And then, I had second Thanksgiving with my brother, and I had to go down to Red Deer for that. I have spent a lot of time on the road this month. So with Halloween here this weekend, I am looking forward to just a nice, quiet weekend at home. One that won't be so rough on my gas budget. I was thinking about that last night when I was filling up my car. With all this driving around, I had to fill up my car, like, three times this month. So some quiet time at home will be good for everyone.  

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Well, the big day is almost here. Halloween is this Friday. Back on Monday, I did what I always do: I ran out to the store, and I panic-bought more candy. I'm always worried that I'll run out of candy for the trick-or-treaters. I don't know why I worry. I mean, I live in an apartment building. If I'm lucky, I'll get the three kids who live in my building. But as I was taking inventory of my Halloween candy, I was quite proud of myself. The box of fun sized chocolate bars I bought two weeks ago...I still have it. Completely untouched. Normally, at this time of year, I would have polished off, like, three boxes of those mini chocolate bars. But I haven't. I've got the one I bought two weeks ago, and the one I panic bought on Monday. So as I'm patting myself on the back for my self-control, I would like to hear from you today. Now, be honest...how much Halloween candy have you gone through already? I mean, we've all been there. You buy it a few weeks before hand, but it's sitting there, looking so tempting, and you're like, "Oh, just one of those fun sized Kit Kats wouldn't hurt." And before you know it, you're all out of Halloween candy. So be honest with me today. How much Halloween candy have you already gone through? 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 Thursday morning. But before I go, I just want to take a moment to wish you all a happy National Oatmeal Day! 

That's one thing I've got in common with good ol' Bert. I do love oatmeal. Especially on the cold winter mornings we're about to have. Something about a nice warm breakfast when it's minus 30 out really helps get you going in the morning. And if I really want to be fancy, I'll have some Cream of Wheat. I haven't had Cream of Wheat in ages. My grandfather ate that for breakfast every morning, and he lived well into his 90s. So happy National Oatmeal Day, everyone! And whatever day you're celebrating today, I hope you have a good one.  

Show Notes: October 27, 2026

 I'm looking at the countdown app on my phone, and it says there's five days left until Halloween. And I'm actually quite proud of myself. It was about two weeks ago that I bought a box of Halloween candy for trick or treaters, and I haven't eaten any of it yet! I still have a full box of Halloween candy. However, yesterday after work, I did run out and panic buy more candy. I'm always worried that I'm not going to have enough Halloween candy. I don't know why I worry about it, because I live in an apartment building. Usually, I just get the three kids who live in my building, if that. But anyway, if anyone does come knocking on my door, I am more than prepared! And I've got two full boxes of Halloween candy ready for anyone who might come knocking on my door.  

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It feels like I've been going flat-out this October, so I haven't done my favourite thing yet: watch a whole bunch of Halloween movies and TV specials! I mean, I have been able to check out a few. I mean, for me, it's just not Halloween until I watch The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. You know...the story of the Headless Horseman. And I'm talking about the original Disney animated one from the 1940s. That was on TV every Halloween when I was a kid, so now that it's on Disney Plus, I watch it every Halloween. And of course, you have to watch It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. I've watched that one already. Spend $5 to get the DVD a long time ago, and one of the best $5 I've ever spent. And I was talking about this last week. I've got to watch Ghostbusters. That became a Halloween tradition of mine. On Halloween, I order a pizza and watch Ghostbusters. So how about you? Surely, there must be some Halloween special or spooky movie you watch it get you in the Halloween mood. Today I want to know, it's just not Halloween until you watch what? 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 Black Cat Day! 

That's the thing, right? There are still a lot of superstitious folks out there who think that black cats are bad luck, and as such, black cats are the least likely to be adopted from animal shelters. So national Black Cat Day was started to bring awareness to black cat adoption, and help people realize that black cats are just as cute and cuddly as any other cat. So Happy National Black Cat awareness day! And whatever day you're celebrating today, I hope you have a good one.  

Show Notes: October 23, 2026

 So yesterday on the texting takeover we were talking about things that get you irrationally excited, and I was wondering if I should bring this up. Halloween is eight days away. And I seem to have come up with this arbitrary made-up tradition. On Halloween, I order a pizza and I watch Ghostbusters. A nice, simple way to mark the day. It's so simple and so understated, but I am getting really, really excited for it. I mean, the other night, I opened up DoorDash on my phone, and I started browsing for whatever takeout I'm going to order on that night. I don't use DoorDash that much. In the two or three years we've had it in town, I've only used it twice. But Halloween's going to be my night, man! DoorDash, Ghostbusters, waiting for trick-or-treaters! Hurry up and get here, Halloween! 

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I was messing around on Reddit, and I saw this story from a fellow Gen X'er. I've always identified as Gen X, right? I'm at the tail end of Gen X. Sometimes, we were called latch key children. See, when we were kids, after school care really wasn't a thing, and both our parents were working. So we would be left alone at home for, like an hour before are parents got home. And I'm sure that's how most of us learned how to cook mac and cheese. The folks would leave out a box of KD with a note that said, "Get supper started." Well, this guy on Reddit was saying that, for him, it wasn't a box of KD. It was a can of Chef Boyardee. When both his parents were going to be late, and they left him a can of Chef Boyardee and told him he was making his own supper that night, he thought it was the most special treat ever. So now that he's an adult with kids of his own, he figured it was time to introduce his kids to the magic of Chef Boyardee. He sat his kids down for lunch, served up that canned ravioli, and the kids thought it was the most disgusting thing ever. Dad, though, he loved it. Said it was still as good as he remembered. So inspired by this tale, I want to hear from you today: what's that one food that's still as good as when you were a kid? We keep hearing those stories. They bring back some of your favourite junk food from when you were a kid, but when you try it, it just doesn't taste the same. So what does taste the same? What food still hits as good as it did as when you were a kid? 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, I just want to take a moment to wish you all a happy National iPod Day! 

Feist with 1 2 3 4. Used in an iPod commercial back in the day and really made her career. It was on this day in 2001 that Apple's Steve Jobs first unveiled the iPod to the world in one of those legendary presentations he'd always do, and then it went on sale in November of 2001. The iPod completely revolutionized music because now you could quite literally put your entire music library in your pocket. And while Apple officially stopped making the iPod four years ago, they're making a comeback! Turns out people love being able to listen to their music without an ad blaring at them every five minutes. So happy National iPod day, everyone! And whatever day you're celebrating today, I hope you have a good one.  

Show Notes: October 22, 2026

 Must be Thursday. Could never get the hang of Thursday. But on the plus side, the weekend is almost here! I know I mentioned this yesterday when the news first broke. Somebody won that $90 million Lotto Max jackpot right here in Alberta. The news from the lottery commission would only say the winning ticket was sold in Alberta, and NOT in Edmonton or Calgary. I know yesterday I said I was going to check my ticket after work, but I haven't yet. I mean, I know it's not me. I'm just not that lucky. But still, I'd just like to spend the next day or two dreaming its me, ya know? For instance, I've been using ChatGPT to budget my dream vacations. The most expensive one is $20,000. Which makes me wonder how a buddy of mine did it a few years ago, because I know he was making as much money as me. But I learned a long time ago, it turns out you can buy whatever you want as long as you don't mind going into debt. But until I work up the nerve to check my tickets, I'll just keep dreaming. 

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So we were having our weekly staff meeting back on Monday. And I...I kind of lost control a little bit. As you've been out and about, you've probably noticed some new construction in town. And I was completely nerding out about this new construction. And everyone was just wondering why I was nerding out so much. I mean...come on. I grew up in Entwistle, OK? They never build anything new in Entwistle. The last new thing they built in Entwistle was the overpass 40 years ago. I remember there was, like, a month where they'd finished construction, but it wasn't open yet, so me and my friends would go up there and play road hockey on it. But I digress. The point is because I grew up in a small town where hardly anything changes, I tend to get irrationally excited whenever something new comes to town. So I want to hear from you today! What gets you irrationally excited? Today's the day to nerd out! Maybe you have some niche hobby and whenever there's a new development you get excited. Maybe  you're one of those folks who loves hitting up the museums when you're on vacation. Maybe you love obscure sports like track and field and the Olympics is your time to shine! I want to hear from you today, what do you get irrationally excited about? 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 Thursday morning. But before I go, I just want to take a moment to wish you all a happy National Nut Day! 

Walnuts, Peanuts, Cashews, Hazelnuts, Almonds...we all love nuts and they make such a tasty snack! And today's the day we celebrate those humble nuts. I've been trying to expand my diet to include more nuts. They are a great source of protein, after all, and my dietician keeps telling me that protein is the way to go for weight loss. See, protein takes longer to digest, so it keeps you feeling filled up longer. That's why when I tell you about my morning pick-me-ups, my new favourite is the chocolate covered almond. I love those to get me going in the morning. So happy National Nut Day! And whatever day you're celebrating today, I hope you have a good one.  

Mark Tastes A&W's Hot Honey BBQ Teen Burger

Feels like I haven't been down to A&W in a while. Fortunately, they've just gotten a new offering! It's their usual Teen Burger, infused with Bullseye Hot Honey BBQ Sauce!

It's the Hot Honey BBQ Teen Burger, today on Mark Tastes Random Things!

Check me out on YouTube!

Show Notes: October 21, 2026

 Welcome to Wednesday, and I am very very happy on this Wednesday morning! You know me, I love movies. And I collect DVDs. Yesterday was new DVD Day. See, Tuesday is when the new DVDs come out. And yesterday, I had to go down to Walmart and get myself Masters of the Universe on DVD. I talked about this when Masters of the Universe hit theatres back in June. I absolutely loved that movie. I mean...it's He-Man and Skeletor and Teela and Man at Arms. These were all my childhood heroes. When I watch that movie, I'm just flooded with so much nostalgic joy. I mean, when I got home from work, I had to watch my favourite parts. I had a busy day yesterday, so I couldn't watch the whole thing. But just watching 10 minutes of it and I was over the moon. So I know it's been kind of rough for everyone the past few days, but I truly hope you find something that brings you joy.  

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It's Would You Rather Wednesday on the Texting Takeover! I like to mix things up by giving you a would you rather question to really get you thinking. And the countdown app on my phone says that today is 10 days until Halloween, so I'm already starting to think about Halloween. I saw this question, and it really got me wondering: would you rather be the first stop or the last stop for trick-or-treaters? I mean, we all know there's strategy to planning out the perfect trick-or-treat route. If you know which houses are serving up the good stuff, like full size chocolate bars, of course you'll want to hit them up first, before they run out. But then, if you're the last stop on the route, that means word has gotten around about the stuff you're giving out, and everyone wants to come get what you're giving. So I guess whether you're the first stop or the last stop all depends on what you're giving away. So I want to hear from you today! Would you rather be the first stop or the last stop for trick-or-treaters? 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 Back to the Future Day! 

Back to the Future. One of my favourite movies. All about Michael J. Fox going back in time to the 1950s and meeting his parents when they were his age. So why is today Back to the Future Day? In the second film, Back to the Future Part II, Michael J. Fox travels to the fantastical future date of October 21, 2015. So when the franchise celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2015, they declared October 21 to be Back to the Future Day. Yeah. How's that for making you feel old? All of Back to the Future now takes place in the past. So happy Back to the Future Day everyone! And whatever day you're celebrating today, I hope you have a good one.  

Show Notes: October 20, 2026

 Tuesday has arrived! I am all ready to continue taking on this week. I'm feeling pretty lucky because I've got my lottery ticket on me. Yeah, with the Lotto Max jackpot still at a record-breaking $90 million, I figured "Why not?" I know I've been talking about this for the past few weeks, once the jackpot started getting up that high. I've been messing around with AI, using it to budget my dream vacations. Weird thing is, my dream vacations aren't that extravagant. You know, we've got the Hotel MacDonald in Edmonton. I would love to spend a week at the Hotel MacDonald. I remember when I was kid, right? The Hotel MacDonald was abandoned for most of the 80s and was just being left to rot. But then in the late 80s, they launched a massive restoration project, restored it to its former glory, and reopened it in, like, 1991. So I would love to spend a week at the Hotel MacDonald. But anyway. Haven't won the lottery yet, so in the meantime, I'll just keep having ChatGPT whisper sweet nothings in my ear.  

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Yesterday, for Hit It and Quiz It, my question was the average kitchen has at least six of these. And the correct answer was fridge magnets. And a whole bunch of you started texting in going, "Pfft! I've got more than that!" So I figured let's talk fridge magnets today! Tell me about your fridge magnets! Which one is your favourite? I mean, fridge magnets can be a popular souvenir, right? Do you have any fridge magnets from a very memorable vacation? A great example is on my fridge. The furthest east I've ever been is Regina. But I would love to go further someday. This one person I used to work with, she retired and moved to Nova Scotia. She sent me a fridge magnet from Nova Scotia that's got a lobster on it. It's so cute! I was also talking about this yesterday. A buddy of mine got married, like, 12 years ago, and there was a "Save the date!" Fridge magnet included with the invitation. Still got that fridge magnet, so I know when their anniversary is. But anyway, tell me about your fridge magnets! Which one's your favourite? 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 Office Chocolate Day! 

Yes, today is the day for bringing all kinds of chocolaty treats into the office. I'm doing that right now. You've heard me mention that, with Halloween right around the corner, I've got a box of chocolates on my desk, and you can come trick or treating around my office. It actually reminds me of my year in Japan all those years ago. It's Japanese custom that, when you go on vacation, you're supposed to bring back a gift for everyone in the office. The common one is a box of chocolates to put in the break room. That way, everyone could pick at it at their leisure. I learned pretty quickly that I should buy a box of chocolates that I enjoy, because I was the only one eating them. So happy Office Chocolate Day, everyone! And whatever day you're celebrating today, I hope you have a good one.  

Show Notes: October 19, 2026

 Welcome to Monday! The brand new week is here. I'm starting to feel more in the spooky spirit season now. I was talking about this last week. I've got a Halloween tree, right? I've got this old, four foot tall artificial Christmas tree. And, like 10 years ago, I was in a craft store, and they had Halloween decorations that were like Christmas decorations. You know, the sparkly little balls, but they had like black cats and skulls and pumpkins on them. So I bought them, got a string of pumpkin lights from Walmart, and bam! Got myself a Halloween tree. Normally I put it up on October 1, but it was a crazy start to the month. But I finally got it up on the weekend. In fact, I got permission from everyone in the office to set it up here in the studio, so it is immediately to my left. So I've got my Halloween tree up! November 12, I swap out the ornaments and turn it into a Christmas tree. One of these years, I'll get Valentine's Day decorations, and after orthodox Christmas, I'll turn it into a Valentine's Day tree. Maybe this year. But in the meantime, the Halloween tree is here! 

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 Happy National New Friends Day! I'm sure you can figure out what this day is all about. It's a day for making new friends. And when I saw that, I figured there's be no better topic for today than to talk about the friends you've made. I want to hear from you today what's the weirdest way you've made a friend? I mean, I don't have a lot of friends to begin with. But I'll never forget how I met my best friend in college. We met...through the newspaper. I talk about this at the end of every month. My best friend was the editor of the college paper, right? And our collage paper came out monthly, and he'd end each issue with two lists: what annoyed him this month, which is pretty self-explanatory, and what got him through the month, where he listed all the good things that got him through the month. One month, I was reading the paper, and on his list of what got him through the month, he said, "My copy of the Transformers: The Movie soundtrack." Dude. I love Transformers. One of the greatest toys of the 80s. And the soundtrack album for their movie had been my holy grail of albums for the longest time. So I sent him an email and was like, "Dude, where did you get that?" And he said, "Come by the newspaper and I'll burn you a copy." And that's how I met my best friend! Through the newspaper and a mutual love of cartoons from the 80s. So how about you? What's the weirdest way you made a friend? 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 just want to take a moment to wish you all a happy International Gin and Tonic Day! 

Gin and Tonic. Perhaps the signature cocktail of the UK. Apparently, it was originally developed in the 1800s, at the heigh of the British Empire, as preventative for malaria. From there, it spread throughout the British Empire and grew into the beloved beverage we know today. So that’s why, in 2011, this day was started to celebrate the drink. I ain’t a drinkin’ man, myself, but it’s one of those things I know I’ll need to try someday. So happy International Gin and Tonic Day, everyone! And whatever day you’re celebrating today, I hope you have a good one.