Break Glass In Case Of Emergency

I have a bit of an emergency to deal with today. It’s nothing serious, but it’s going to keep me from having the time to work on a post today.

Fortunately, I have something saved for just this type of situation.

It’s a Penguin marketing email from 2009 where Alvo Stockman rhapsodizes about gum. (This is real, I didn’t make it up.) He speaks of gum with more reverence than people speak of the polio vaccine. I held onto this email for a decade plus because it always made me laugh. I’ve heard people talk about their newborns with less adoration and awe than he lavishes on gum.

But you also get the sense there are some gum regrets lingering under the surface as well. It ends on a bittersweet note that suggests his gum experiences—while having a profound effect on him and everyone else in his life—had the potential for so much more.

Here it is…

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Magic is all about giving.  Giving an experience of wonder, laughter and excitement.  But wouldn't it be great to give all that AND something that's slightly longer lasting?

In high-school, I was the gum guy. I always had a pack of gum in my pocket and I loved how easy (and cheap) it was to put a smile on someone's face with a fresh stick of juicy, flavorful gum.  They'd be chewing it for hours.

It AMAZED me how simple it was to start talking to anybody, even the prettiest girl (Kristen, 5th period) when I had such a casual, fun gift to offer.  Who doesn't want a piece of gum?

To this day, no matter who I'm talking to, or who I WANT to be talking to, it's ALWAYS a great time to ask, "Want a piece of gum?"

Enter Jeff Prace.  GUM by Jeff Prace takes this simple RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS to a WHOLE NEW LEVEL.  Jeff is pretty much doing what I WISH I could have done growing up. Blowing people away with super cool closeup MAGIC with gum.  And people are eating - well, chewing it up! ;)
Check out the trailer here: http://bit.ly/7iifOG

And what are the two DREAM effects people want to see with gum?  1) Making MORE appear, and 2) turning OLD gum back to NEW gum - DONE and DONE.  This DVD knocks both out of the park! PERFECT for anyone looking to interact with humans in their natural habitat, Jeff goes through in detail how to perform AND get the most out of these EASY-TO-DO and KILLER effects plus two more!

Oh what I wouldn't give to go back knowing what I know now... enjoy GUM!