Welcome to October  -  This month always offers a cornucopia of delights and frights. We're looking forward to a handful of things in October, including Canadian Thanksgiving, a solar eclipse, fall foliage festivals, the World Series, and of course, Hallowe'en. It lands on a Tuesday this year which kinda sucks ... Anyway, in this issue, you'll find: 

• Highlights from Roy's road trip
• Nick's afterthoughts about Paul Reiser 
• Headline Headscratchers
• Listener Feedback 
• Recommendations ... and so much more! 

Have you heard of Naked Attraction?  It's the new nude dating game show from the UK that arrived on Max last week and is already the No.1 show on the streaming platform. Naked Attraction aired in July 2016 in the UK, but the series just made its way to this side of the pond. And, wouldn't you know it, it has everyone titillating over full frontals, squishy butts, and pubic hair ... we kid you not!  

This year, as part of my music career, my wife and I (my wife is my roadie) began the trek in our RV from Naples, Florida. The first stop was Charleston, South Carolina.  What an amazing city the historic downtown area is, just steeped in Southern Antebellum history. It is a perfect mix of old and new, great food and people-watching. The next stop was Lake George, New York, in the Adirondack Mountains.  If you have never been, you should try it: crystal clear water, mountains, and a picture-perfect town. The next leg of the trip was Vermont which was cut short due to the fact that many towns had been victims of the floods in July 2023. Still, it's so pretty and the strong people are already rebuilding. Next up - New Hampshire. Wow!  I was blown away by the natural beauty of this state. It is one of the most impressive wonders: mountains, lakes, quaint towns, and some of the best food we had on the trip. If you decide to visit New Hampshire, don't miss Flume Gorge. 

On our way back south, we made our way to Newport, Rhode Island. We've been to Newport many times and it never disappoints. We toured the Gilded Age Mansions of the wealthy robber barons of the 19th and 20th centuries. Newport is like a throwback to the days when boats were the transportation of the day and the seafood was amazing.  We also stopped in Hilton Head, South Carolina. It's a laid-back beach town with more golf courses than Naples! The beaches were so picturesque and great waves that we don't usually see on the west coast of Florida. 

This tour was 16 days of travel and adventure. I'm so blessed to be able to see these wonderful places and also so lucky to share them with my wife - my one and only true best friend!

Each of the images below represents a well-known saying. Can you guess what that saying is just by looking at the image?  If you're stuck, scroll down for the answers. 

Did you know?  Pasta cooks more evenly and faster in a skillet or sauté pan. It's also a more environmentally-friendly method because it uses less water. Many Italian mammas cook pasta this way. 

A few months ago, my wife and I were gifted two tickets to see Paul Reiser at the Rose Theatre in Brampton, Ontario.  We have always loved Paul Reiser's style of comedy. He was great in Mad About You, in Beverly Hills Cop II, and on Netflix. But, as a stand-up comedian, he is just golden. 

At one point during his 90-minute set, Reiser talked about his life before playing to sold-out venues across the U.S. and Canada. His reflections made me wonder what other comedians did for a living before they got their big break. This line of inquiry revealed some unbelievable - and totally useless - information: 

• Martin Short was a part-time social worker in Hamilton, Ontario. 
• Robin Williams was a mime in Central Park. 
• Danny DeVito was a hairdresser and beautician in New Jersey. 
• Larry David did odd jobs, including a cab driver, a bra salesman, and a chauffeur. 
• Whoopi Goldberg applied makeup to dead people at a funeral home. She was also a phone sex operator.
• Jerry Seinfeld was a lightbulb telemarketer.  
• Chris Rock worked at Red Lobster; and
• Bill Murray roasted chestnuts in front of a grocery store. He claimed that no one bought any; people just liked looking at them roast.  

Here are some wacky - but true - news stories and articles that Nick collected this month. 

• A luxury bar in Lake Como (Italy) charges customer € 2  to cut a sandwich in half
  
• The Strange Mating Habits of Goats  
• Gecko uses tongue as a windshield wiper for eyes 
• Spotless giraffe born at Tenessee Zoo
• Burger King in Thailand offers burger with 20-slices of American cheese

This month's time capsule (pictured above) is not a torture device, even though it kind of looks like it could be used to cause a lot of pain in seconds. It's called a spacer.  It was invented in the early 1900s, and it was used together with the pully-system outdoor clothesline to keep the upper and lower lines from touching each other. The invention also prevented bedsheets and trousers from tangling on the clotheslines in windy conditions. Remarkably, the spacers are still sold at Canadian Tire. 

Believe it or not, the kinship between King Charles III and Vlad the Impaler is distant - but it is real. King Charles III is the great-grandson 16 times removed of Vlad the Impaler. This 15th-century ruthless warlord was the real person on which the fictional character of Count Dracula was based. King Charles III also owns several properties in Transylvania.  "It is a strange world, a sad world ...," quoting Count Dracula himself. 

This email comes to us from Richard in Savannah, Georgia:  Hey guys, remember the hoax about the Pumpkin-spice-flavored condoms a few years back?  How many real condom flavors can you name?  Hope I didn't make you guys blush! 

Response: Richard, thanks for your question. We tried to come up with 31 Flavours of Condoms, but it wasn't meant to be. Here are some of the wackiest, but real, condom flavors that we found online: (1) Garlic-flavored; (2) Bacon-flavored; (3) Coffee-flavored; (4) Scotch-flavored;(5) Vanilla popsicle-flavored; (6) Weed-flavored; (7) Nutella-flavored; (8) Pineapple-flavored; (9) Banana-split flavored; (10) Bubble-gum flavored; (11) Mango-flavored; (12) BBQ Rib-flavored; (13) Butterscotch-flavored; (14)  Caipirinha-flavored (limited release for 2014 World Cup in Brazil); (15) curry-flavored; and last but not least, (16) fizzy cola-flavored.

• Cathy from Toronto writes:  "I listen to Newstalk 1010 during the day and also when I go to bed. I happened on your show one night when it first aired. It was a happy discovery and I've been listening to it ever since." 
  
  
• Tom Worrell Jr. from New Jersey writes:  "I workout every weekend and I always listen to your podcast twice because I enjoy it so much."
  
  
• Gerald in Leamington, Ontario writes:  "Where is the only place in Canada that you go north to enter the United States? Windsor Ontario is south of Detroit Michigan. Thanks, guys! You're awesome."

1. crossed your mind; 2. strikes a chord; 3. kidding around; 4. count on me; 5. put two and two together; 6. mixing business with pleasure

Thanks for reading.

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