Posts Tagged ‘magic’

Magic Update

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

I still work on magic, and most of what I practice is larger effects.  It’s easy enough to stash a deck of cards, some rubber bands, and whatever else in my pocket to tinker with on lunch at work.

It’s a little more difficult to work with big metal rings or bass cups from the office break room while phones are ringing in the next room.  I suppose I could keep pulling ropes through my neck.  It’s quiet enough, but potentially unnerving.

I am also writing.  A lot.  I have a journal full of idea scraps and a system of randomly pulling scraps together.  It’s been a lot of fun.  While I have no doubt that some of the writing in this blog is rough, the fiction is written, re-written, proofread, and re-written again.  So, I do that in my lunch breaks.

Magic needs to wait until those times between the kids, the wife, and simply unwinding.

At the Magic Club

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

Last night was magic club night.

Wow.  There were performances last night the likes of which I have not ever seen — the likes of which most of the club was astounded by.   Not only is this a very talented club, but the people are just amazing to speak with and be around.

I learned a new effect and had a prop passed on to me, with the promise made that one day when I was a seasoned member that I help another new member with advice and a new tool.  The member who helped me had been given the same chance years ago, and passed that on to me along with the new tools.

I hope to do him proud both with the effect and with my future help of a future member.

I would like to point out as well that this is an effect I have wanting to study for quite some time.   And now it will be one that I study and enjoy practicing for some time.  My oldest is already astounded by my less-than-polished efforts.

I can only hope that my future recipient is as happy when I pass whatever it is I can offer on to him or her.

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.

Why Learn Magic?

Wednesday, February 11th, 2009

Everyone has this reason why they want to learn magic.  This defining moment, if you will.

I can find no such defining moment.

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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.