All You Need Is An Email

Lights! Camera! What just happened?!

That's most people's reactions to watching magicians. These entertainers are paid to fool every single one of your senses and keep on your toes for x amount of hours. However, not many magicians are well known nowadays. The occupation, as entertaining as it is, is hidden behind actors and musicians. But, I'm sure you'll recognize these names:

Penn & Teller

If you didn't recognize the names, hopefully the included picture helped. If not, you should jokingly feel ashamed and Google them! Penn and Teller are extraordinary magicians that have redefined the world of magic. They even have their own TV show, "Penn And Teller: Fool Us," which you should totally check out in your spare time.

Here's something you might not have heard of: fanmail.biz. Fanmail.biz is a website dedicated to celebrity autographs, supplying you with addresses, instructions, and other stories of success. Through fanmail.biz, I saw a website-THE OFFICIAL website of Penn & Teller. There, was an email address where you could request a 100% authentic autograph. Based on several successor's stories, I decided to give it a go. BONUS: unlike requesting most other autographs, you wouldn't have to waste two or three stamps.

I emailed autographrequests@pennandteller.com requesting an autograph, including my name and address on June 25, 2015. Almost one month later, on July 20, 2015, my mum sent me to the mailbox to send out a bill and letter. Too bad the mailman already came. Most of the mail was bills and junk, but I received a mysterious envelope and some information about college.

Once I was back inside, I looked up the business, Buggs & Rudy Discount Corp, in the yellow pages and followed it to a website, pennandteller.net. IMMEDIATELY, I opened the envelope to see an authentic picture of the two entertainers and their signatures.

(sorry it's a bit blurry and the sun glared over Teller's signature)

I'd like to take a moment to thank Penn, Teller, and their management for this gift. While this summer has been great, it has had it's downs. However, with this gift, no other three month vacation could top it. So, thank you! 

Older Cousin Rights

Every family argues and celebrates with one another. It's what we do. But, there are some things we do out of the goodness of our hearts that's never really recognized. I was just cleaning my room (shocker) and going through some of my clothing items when I came up with a thought.

Being an older cousin with no siblings, my toys and clothes are passed down to my younger relatives. Female relatives. It occurs to me that this is not only a small, friendly tradition, but saves the others money. Now, I know girls can be expensive, but when we hit our puberty years, your money is going right out the door. Based on how our body shape changes, we need more protective undergarments and the sized clothing will strongly vary. Thanks to our older siblings or cousins, however, some of the pain of that shopping is taken away as you now have clothes for these stages of life. Now that hole in your pocket is smaller.

I thought about it. Sometimes a parent will demand a child cleans their room or goes through their stuff, and sometimes the child does it on their own. Either way, the stuff being passed down is in a way donated by the older child. However, does this ever get recognized by society? All the donating we've done, the help we've provided our distant families; it's often overlooked. Just think about it for a moment. What items from your own personal collection have you, not sold, but just given a friend or family member? Think deeper. What impression have you made on them?

Here's an example! My older cousins grew up to love Pokemon. I mean LOVE it. At my Nana's house, thanks to their dedication to the franchise, she has maybe twenty VCR tapes of Pokemon movies and TV shows. One day, when I was visiting with my mum (I don't think my dad was there that day.), the colorful boxes with adorable anime creatures caught my eye. I knew how to work a VCR thanks to my constant watching of The Land Before Time at home, so while my mum caught up with her mom, I snuck away to another room with a small arm load of Pokemon movies. And I've been hooked ever since.

Once my cousins found out I was hooked, they gave me some of their old belongings as they had grown out of Pokemon (sadly :( ). I think, correct me if I'm wrong. I think my cousin Kevin gave me a giant two inch binder full of Pokemon cards he'd collected. Let me tell you now, I'll never forget that. All those Pokemon cards, rare and common alike.

Am I being a hypocrite? Did I ever thank Kevin with genuine feelings of gratitude? I did thank him, and when I see him again, I'll probably try to bring it up. But that gift was ten years ago. MY POINT EXACTLY! You might not realize it, but take a look at your belongings. What have you bought? What have you received on holidays? Most importantly, what items that you treasure were given to you randomly out of the goodness of an older relative's heart?

Think about and remember what friends and family have done for you. Maybe reflect your gratitude in an upcoming gift for a birthday or holiday. If they gave you something Supernatural related some random day of the year because you're a huge fan, think about giving a little more thought to their Christmas present.


Of course, I also wanna hear your stories and thoughts! What have you given to someone or what has someone given to you? Leave your tall tales of family donations in the comments below!