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One Attendees Santa Pen-pal That She Met At Burning Man

There are a lot of odd characters at Burning Man, the annual Labor Day Weekend celebration in the western desert, but the last one folks usually expect to see there is Santa Claus. However, as it turned out in 2017, that’s exactly who one attendee met, and she struck up a penpal relationship with the character ever since.

The idea of penpals came from the 1970s with kids’ programs intended to help them learn more about the greater world and to make connections with similar kids in other countries. TV programs, schools, kids’ after-school care programs and similar all ran some kind of version of penpals. The benefits were multiple. Kids learned to read and write faster, they built relationships with other kids internationally, and they learned more about other communities just on the natural talking to their connections. So, while the idea of writing a paper letter today seems like a memory of yesteryear, the term of “penpal” is still alive and well, referring to long-distance connections that start out of the blue.

Back to the Burning Man, Rudie met Santa Claus, or a fellow dressed up like him in 2017 at the desert festival, complete in costume and carrying a large sack. Of course, Santa Claus wasn’t the only out of the norm character there; Burning Man is famous for all sorts of outlandish costumes, constructs, bike-related vehicles, and lots of partying. Santa was in full character mode, handing out gifts from a large bag he was carrying, while enjoying the crowd at the Jazz Café.

Rudie ended up chatting with Santa quite a bit, but never exchanged anything more in the way of contact information to followup. So she pretty much chalked up the experience to the festival and forgot about it. However, in 2018, Santa Claus was there again at the next Burning Man. And he recognized Rudie from the previous year. They chatted up a storm again, and this time the Man of the North Pole brought a saxophone and started in impromptu gig on the stage. It went well with the name of the café. And, at the end of it all, Rudie was able to get an email address in 2018. She didn’t send an email right away; Rudie waited until Christmas itself that year, and then sent a long email explaining how special the Santa Claus theme was to her and thanking him for spreading the cheer at the festival.

She wasn’t expecting a response, but “Santa” did write Rudie back on Christmas Day the same year. That started an international tradition, and the following 2019 Burning Man, Rudie, Santa and a few other characters participated in the whole Christmas gig at Burning Man, much to everyone’s amusement. Unfortunately, 2020 and 2021 were fouled up by COVID, but Rudie and Santa stayed connected online anyways.

Plans are on though for everyone to reconnect in person again at Burning Man 2022. And Rudie, currently living in Spain and with a full name of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer as a character, is looking forward to the desert party with the Old Man from the North all over again. No pandemic is going to keep them down for long!

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Dolls Mysteriously Take Up Residence In Michigan Man’s Mailbox

Kelly Taylor

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A man in Michigan, Don Powell, was left completely puzzled when he discovered two small wooden dolls in his mailbox one day, along with a note that read, “We decided to live here.” The dolls were named Mary and Shelley, and they came with little pieces of furniture too.

Initially, Don was a bit confused by the whole thing, but he admits that he kind of enjoyed the mystery and intrigue of it all. He went around to the other homes on his cul-de-sac to see if anyone else had received similar dolls, but nobody had. He even asked a neighbor named Shelly, but she denied having anything to do with it.

At first, Don thought about getting rid of the dolls, but something stopped him. Instead, he decided to let them stay in the mailbox, which was custom-built to look like his house, complete with details such as windows that let in light.

As the story began to spread, more and more items began to appear in the mailbox with the dolls, including a rug, art, and even a bed. Someone even swapped the dolls for little skeletons on Halloween, but the dolls returned by Christmas with presents by their side.

Don Powell still doesn’t know who put the dolls in his mailbox or why, but he’s grateful for the mystery and the joy it has brought to his life. He says that every day, he looks forward to seeing what new surprises the dolls and their mysterious benefactors have in store for him.

This story is a great example of how a simple act of kindness or a random act of whimsy can have a big impact on someone’s life. It’s also a reminder that sometimes, the greatest joys in life come from the unexpected and the unexplainable.

Whether it was a neighbor with a sense of humor, a stranger passing through town, or something else entirely, the mystery of the dolls in Don Powell’s mailbox has captured the imaginations of people all over the world. It’s a reminder that there is still magic and wonder in the world, and that sometimes, the most meaningful things in life are the ones that can’t be easily explained.

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A Fat Cat Becomes the Highest Rated Tourist Attraction in Poland

Kelly Taylor

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Gacek the fat cat in Poland is a beloved feline who has become quite famous in his home country. Gacek is a large, fluffy cat who has a laid-back personality and loves to laze around in the sun. He is known for his love of food and often overindulges, which has contributed to his chubby physique.

Gacek became famous after appearing in a YouTube documentary. People were immediately drawn to Gacek’s cute face and lovable personality. 

Gacek is still just a regular cat who loves to nap, play, and eat. He lives in a box outside of a shop. The shop owners have become his guardians and asked that any food offerings to Gacek be left in sealed containers.

Gacek is one of the top tourist attractions listed on google maps. He has a perfect 5-star rating, with one reviewer even flying from Norway to visit him.

Despite his fame, Gacek remains a humble and down-to-earth cat. He still spends most of his days lounging in the sun and enjoying his favorite foods. Gacek the fat cat in Poland is a lovable and relatable feline who has captured the hearts of people all over the world. Whether you’re a cat lover or not, it’s hard not to fall in love with Gacek.

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A 47-Year Late Library Book

Jess

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If you’ve ever had a late book due back to a library, then you know it comes with penalty. In most cases, that penalty is a fine. Sometimes the staff will waive the charge simply because the book was returned, but not always. In the case of a Minnesota book, however, the fact that it was due some 47 years ago might have scared off the borrower from returning it for almost half a century.

The particular missing book was finally returned this year, in 2022, after being absent for the same amount of time. The returnee signed the explanation with the book anonymously, which might have been a good thing if the library folks wanted to pursue a hefty fine reward on it. Additionally, the book came back in the mail, pretty much avoiding any personal contact, visual siting or interaction with grumpy librarians as well.

The particular book in question was a mechanic’s guide, namely, Chilton’s Foreign Car Repair Manual. The original checkout was back in 1975 and it never surfaced again until this year on the return. Inside the book, once unpackaged, was an apology as well as the original borrower’s reasoning for why it took so long to get the book back.

As the writer explained, he had originally borrowed the book to understand how to do some technical work on a German vehicle. What he didn’t realize at the time, however, was that the borrower was going to end up moving out of town shortly after. Along with all his other belongings, the book got packed up. However, it was never unpacked or returned. According to his explanation, the book only showed up again while going through some old boxes in a trunk.

The writer noted he was well aware the overdue penalty was likely huge if calculated mathematically and without any offset. And, the implication was also included that he wasn’t able to pay for it either. That said, the writer did provide a donation along with the book return. So, the fee was waived by the library staff. Staff noted penalties were stopped years ago, so there is now only a replacement fee if a book is permanently lost or damaged. However, like true librarians, their focus was only on the return of the missing book. Having it back was more than enough of a solution and a good ending to the story.

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Punk Kid Goes From Homeless to Opening A Quirky Barbershop

Renee Yates

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If you’ve ever seen the musical movie, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter, then you could be forgiven for thinking twice before stepping into a barbershop for a straight-razor shave. However, many people have that reaction as well when stepping into Daryl Bidner’s Little Barbershop of Horrors in today’s Vancouver Island.

Bidner himself was never one for being mainstream. Growing up as a punk kid in his teen years, the barber today is a close-cropped fellow, arms blazoned with tattoos, and a late 1960s skinhead-style outfit décor via collared shirt, sleeveless sweater matched to his jeans and boots. However, when it comes to cutting hair, Bidner is all the professional and about business.

Starting off definitely wanting his barbershop to stand out and apart from the competition locally, Bidner modeled the entire theme of his haircutting venue around the movie, Little Shop of Horrors. He parlayed his interest in cutting hair for friends with mohawks into a bona fide skill, and now enjoys regular business as a barber for clientele young and old.

However, life wasn’t always peachy-keen for Bidner. He was a school drop-out, had been in and out of drug addiction, and reached his own personal bottom after being homeless for an extended period. Ironically, it was a tattoo that finally seemed to put the young man back on track. His first tattoo allowed Bidner to skip the usual downspin of wasting the night high on something, and he sobered up. A number of days later, he did it again, using tattoos to get clean. By the 40th inking, Bidner was fundamentally off his addictions and broke his need to use mindlessly.

The tattooing was cathartic for Bidner, and he finally began to think about tomorrow instead of the next binge today. That in turn got him into thinking what Bidner could do for a proper living. Obviously, the young man was not going to go and wear a corporate suit the following Monday. So, he looked around at what made sense. Being a tattoo artist was logical, but then haircutting and being a barber appealed even more.

Bidner knuckled down, figured out how to get himself into barbering school, and after three years of grinding to perfect his skill, he had a license and started his own business with a single barber chair. Since that major breakthrough, Bidner has been at it as a barber for over five years, and he’s been involved with community help drives and giving free haircuts to the homeless at local shelters as well. No surprise, Bidner credits his profession for saving his life and giving him direction, but it has also been a living lesson to others that no matter how bad it gets, people can pull themselves out and up again.

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Hell, MI, Appoints Wonky Feet Big-Eyed Cat as Mayor

Renee Yates

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Don’t let the name fool you, because Hell, a town in Michigan, is nothing like the name might suggest. Most recently, the town went as far as to install its most unlikely mayor, a cat! Keep reading for all the details.

A small Michigan town will very soon have as its mayor, a cat with big eyes and crooked feet. And it’s not just any city either. Hell, which is approximately 20 miles to the north of Ann Arbor, will be under the control of this tiny black cat.

Just about anyone can elect the mayor of Hell for one day. Part of the town’s marketing strategy. Pets, on the other hand, are a very different story. This is going to be an unprecedented move to have a cat intervene to keep Hell from erupting on April 24.

They’ve been together since Jinx’s rescue by her owner, Mia, three years ago. Jinx follows Mia anywhere she goes. Mia is always in Jinx’s vicinity.

California is where they reside. Because of Jinx’s large number of followers on social media, Mia, a.k.a. MiaJinx, refused to have her surname included in this tale. We’re talking about 735,000 TikTok followers as well as 400,000 Instagram followers here.

“I didn’t even hunt for a cat when I saved Jinx in 2018,” Mia told MLive. “I returned home from a football event early one day. I was meant to get home a long time later. I found her after hearing her meow in the backyard. She was only 3 weeks old at the time.”

As Jinx developed, Mia claims she began to notice something odd about her new kitten.

“She had large eyes that didn’t shrink in size as she grew larger, and I also noted she had large feet. The vet says she’s healthy and hasn’t found anything wrong with her. She’d just been born with these abnormalities. She’s also a touch sluggish and awkward compared to other cats. This is her first year of landing on her feet.”

From afar, Jinx will control Hell for the day. At approximately 4 p.m. ET which is 1:00 p.m. on the Pacific coast, Mia intends to make a huge declaration through Livestream on Jinx’s Twitch page.

On the day before the cat’s impeachment by the Reverend, Mia plots to jokingly produce graphs demonstrating how Jinx was elected mayor by a landslide, as well as what her proclamation states for the day.

According to Hell’s Reverend Vonn, who will swear in Jinx as mayor over the phone, “We adore our in-person and faraway mayors.” When it comes to individuals who are difficult to buy for or already have everything, the Mayor of the Day bundle is the ideal solution. They get to spend one Helluva wonderful day and then get the dreaded telephone call that they’re about to be impeached.”

How did a viral cat’s owner in California come across the small town of Hell and realize that she could appoint her beloved kitty mayor for the day?

“I made a joke about Jinx running for president on Twitter. After seeing animal mayors earlier, I asked on Twitter how to make Jinx mayor, and somebody mentioned Michigan as well as the possibility of paying to be the mayor of Hell for a day.

For both animals and humans alike, it costs $100 to reign Hell for a day. It comes with a certificate of impeachment, a cup from Hell, a shirt from Hell, along with a certificate of mayor proclamation. In Hell, the mayor will have the property of his or her own as well. One square millimeter of space.

Interested in becoming mayor of Hell? Fill out a form or contact them at 734-878-2233 to find out when the position is available.

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