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- Despite our best efforts and the summertime assurances of a well-meaning friend, we have determined that fall AYSO and marching band are irreconcilably incompatible. Noted for 2016.
- Remember 1¢ Ford gum machines, that dispensed a single chiclet along that extruded curved path, custom-crafted for them? When was the last time you saw one? Are they anywhere anymore? In 2015, can a gum machine profitably dispense even a single tiny piece of gum for a penny?
- Phil Collins has unretired! He was an unhappy and unhealthy person, and I’m genuinely glad for him that he’s feeling better. But honestly, I’ve not been much enthused about his output for more than 30 years. I liked Duke and loved Abacab. I enjoyed Face Value. But I think “I Don’t Care Anymore” was the last truly great song he did—solo or Genesis.
- The boys and I are enjoying Halo 5. They’ve done some online multiplayer, and we’ve each eaten a little bit of the campaign. So far we’re united in our assessment that your fireteam AI allies are abysmally stupid.
- Aaron wrote a story for a Halloween assignment in his English class that genuinely unsettled me when he read it aloud. Part of me said “wow, that’s amazing work, man!” Another part of me said “Aaron, you’re a happier kid than this…”
- We got some GE jobs this week. Yay, us! But, I was hoping the big announcement was a Del Taco. I think Lucy was hoping for an In-N-Out.
- We’ve had an unusually high number of fatal car accidents in the area this week. God be with the families and friends of the departed.
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BoWilliams.com
Bo, I remember the Ford machine at Windsor’s and I bet that is the one you remember, too. I used to get excited when I saw that the machine lever was “stuck” because I knew if I was patient enough I could jar that thing loose and get a free piece of gum! I have not seen one in decades.
Abacab was great…I remember seeing the video countless times at your house. I used to think the “fading away” of the band members was pretty cool back then, haha.
Dave, that’s the one! Windsor’s had pretty much that machine and that was it. The Winn-Dixie on 78 in Oxford had a phalanx of six or eight machines, with jawbreakers and stupid little rings and what-not in them.
Oh, yeah. Loved the video for “Abacab.” I’ll tell ya, I always preferred that single mix too. The extended outro is just too much.
Abacab also had “Man on the Corner” and “No Reply At All,” with accompanying videos. It’s really a great album top to bottom.