Archive for the ‘Nightly Update’ Category

Five Things I Like

Monday, December 7th, 2009

It’s Monday! Tonight’s blog post is being sent late due to this being the monthly magic club meeting night. Hooray!

Going through even my professional news sites, there is a lot of negativity going around today. Everyone has to do what everyone else says from all sides of all political points of view. The sky is falling on the industry again. And it’s probably falling in real life again too.

I don’t have time to be glum. Today I want to post about five things that make me happy. I am choosing the number five first, and thinking of five things second.

Before continuing, I also want to point out that, yes, the people in my life make me happy. Very happy. However, adding them to the list would be a cop-out. As such, they get first mention and a special place of honor above and beyond this list.

  1. Magic! I wouldn’t be throwing this much money into a hobby that I loathe. More to the point, I love the idea that someone can ask himself or herself how to make the impossible become possible. I love that the mind, the hands, and countless hours of dedication can bring these things into reality. I especially love stage magic, with the colored scarves and rings and all its trappings. The reactions from my oldest son when I get a new effect right are also priceless.
  2. Being alive. Even at its worst, it sure as hell beats the alternative.
  3. Halloween. Like magic, Halloween is a time of possibility. You can be anything you want for one night. (This year I was a wizard.) Then, you face your fears and get your reward. I can not think of a single more moral holiday than Halloween.
  4. Vernor’s Ginger Ale. This wonderful drink is primarily sold in Michigan. However, many grocery stores in the Austin area which are located near college student havens stock this in abundance. My thanks to them! Most people choke and cough the first time they take a drink of this potent beverage. Young children in Michigan are also fed Vernor’s when they are sick. It helps you grow up strong.
  5. Books! I sat on the couch to read a newly purchased book. My oldest son sat on the other side to read one of his favorite books. My two year old son then found a book and sat between us to read. That night it was Terry Goodkind. When I quit smoking several years ago, I sat down with all five (at the time) Harry Potter books to keep my mind and temper focused on something harmless.

I feel happy!

Two Tricks with One Ink Pen

Sunday, December 6th, 2009

Yesterday I made clear an intention to blog once to either this site or to my Nightshine Islands podcast site every day between Saturday December 5 and Thursday December 10.  Fridays are usually out of the question.

Last night I posted a whole list of excuses to my podcast as to why I have not uploaded any new audio in 14 months.  I did so in video blog format so that I would need to actually show my face while making those excuses.

A good friend of mine asked me to make one blog post a “magic” post.  I enjoy performing solely for stress relief and personal pleasure.   I will perform in public if asked, and am capable of balloon animals as well.  One day I will probably be a self-made party clown.  In order to get feedback from friends and family, including my brother and fellow amateur magician, I will post private videos.  These are practice videos of a handful of routines that I am working my way through.  I primarily am concerning myself with presentation now, and not so much learning the magic itself.

As a side effect, some of my friends now seem to expect it from me.  Maybe I should be glad I’m that guy?  I sincerely don’t know — I’m just enjoying it for the sake of enjoying it.

Tonight I did have fun re-practicing and pulling off a couple of effects.  The difficult one went off without a hitch, and the easy one was suffering some bizarre malfunction that had to be dealt with on the fly.  Go figure.

My oldest son was present to be a spectator, and to ask me to do magic with some tiny sponge dinosaurs.  He interrupted between the “two tricks” to make this request, and I had to politely turn him down.  His reaction to the easy effect made everything else worth the struggle.

I hope the friends and family who see it think as well of it as my son did.

More of the GeoCities Migration

Sunday, May 24th, 2009

The biggest reason I had for clearing out the Geocities space was to keep my Downtown Nowhere pages alive.

Downloading the files to a separate folder then uploading them by FTP to their new home was a breeze.  Getting Google and Yahoo and the other search engines to see that the pages have a newhome was going to be more difficult.

For the time being, I’m taking the advice of this artice: How to Deal with the Geocities Closure.  I will also try to report back after a few weeks have passed.

Finally, I may create a new section of this site to host my old page, just for laughs and nostalgia.

Clearing Out My Old Geocities Pages

Wednesday, May 20th, 2009

So, Geocities is closing.
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Nail Care

Monday, March 9th, 2009

Today marks nine consecutive days without biting my nails.  This is a new record.

This really hit home to me during a recent meeting, when my finger nails were chewed short and the cuticles were shredded all apart.  That would no longer do.

What follows is just a little self-congratulation.  Most of the worst is showing considerable improvement.  My wife is offering me a manicure once everything has grown out well enough.

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Today Was Film Geek Day

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009

A filmmaker in Detroit asked me to put together some “interview yourself” footage, as I can’t actually make it to Michigan to let them do it.

I just finished filming everything, and will send this to them tomorrow afternoon.

The last two days have been the kind of thrill ride that makes life wonderful.  Long, long days, big projects ahead, big ones behind, and wonderful times.

I could say what an awesome day I had.

Monday, February 2nd, 2009

But I really shouldn’t.

I can only say that it was an awesome day and that I’m glad to have faced one fear.  The things I saw today were incredible.

This is why I love Halloween, on that note.  And a lot of horror movies.  The people who face their fears live to tell the tale.  I think that with every possible consideration of the word live, this is accurate.