Last night I got home to a voicemail from my apartment complex manager saying I had a FedEx package. This puzzled me all evening, as I got home after the office had closed and couldn’t go down to get the package until this morning. I didn’t order anything, and no one told me that they were sending me anything. My imagination started going wild. Was it a lovely surprise from a secret admirer? Was it a court summons from a collector from a bill I’d never known about? You hear stories of crazy stuff like that happening. Though usually with people who don’t pay their bills, but you just never know!

I go to the office this morning and the manager hands me a small black box emblazoned with

 

What in the world?

And there’s a logo emblazoned on a number of places. I turn it over and I don’t recognize the return address, from somewhere in New York.

So, I open the box. 

You see correctly. That’s five bags of pita chips. Seeing as how I never really buy chips–and would never have ordered anything, my reaction is definitely “completely mystified.”

Having lived in Boston, where the brand is popular, I knew of it a little, though I can’t say I ever picked any of them up. I’m just not big on buying chips–I have more of a sweet tooth–though I’ll eat them if they’re in front of me. 

Inside, there’s a little pamphlet that explains it all:

Yup, her name’s Stacy, and so is mine. Therefore, I get free chips! Inside the pamphlet, she says:

Hi, I’m Stacy.

Ever since I started making pita chips, I had a dream: to share them with everybody across America.

Well, we couldn’t give them to everybody. So we’re sending them to every person named Stacy we could find in America!

Turns out, yes, that’s exactly what they’re doing, just in time for the Super Bowl. Well, for 133,000 Stacys, at least. I’m not even in a “Stacy hot zone,” and I got them!

And actually, they’re quite yummy. They’re just pita bread baked into a chip and seasoning added, so they’re definitely more healthy than your average potato chip.

Oh, I also got inside some coupons:

an “I *heart* Stacy” sticker (I love it! finding stickers like this when I was a kid that spelled my name right was SO hard
!) 

and a card that I can fill out and send back to them to send a free gift box to anyone of my choosing. How about that? 

Now, who to send it to. I shall have to think on that. There’s always my sister, a natural choice. Or any of my numerous old friends and roommates living elsewhere. But who would reeeeally appreciate a gift of snacks that I paid absolutely nothing for? I’m thinking, my friend who is the Grand Lord High Poobah of Ninja Monkeys, that’s who. Eric, if you’re reading this, you want some chips? 😀 I’m off to scan some examples for my talk for LTUE. Talk-preparation weekend. Except that I’m babysitting tomorrow night.