Moved and Gettin Better!

My brother was moved out of ICU yesterday and into a room of his own! This is great news! The family met with a doctor yesterday as well. We were all able to ask questions of her and she was great with her time and answers. This was set up because it was felt by a few of us that it was unfair to Teds' spouse to have to be the mouth piece for the doctors and nurses. I had asked one of his nurses some questions and was asked "who are you?" I told her that I am his brother. I was then told that I must go through my brothers spouse. Well, in all respect to her, I felt that she was kinda wiped out from all this, lack of sleep, trauma from being there when he was vomiting up "gallons" of blood, having to call 911, sitting at his bedside etc. etc. Also I realized that she is not a doctor or a nurse and that she should not be expected be able to pass on their medical jargon accurately.(I do not mean to slam her, I just didn't think it right to lay this extra burden on her) They do this, they say for "privacy" reasons.
Anyway it was nice to get everyone there and have anyone's questions answered.
He still has a long road ahead.
Thanks for your prayers.
Keep praying and get in touch with God!

Apathy

Read and Think....
How Long Do We Have?

About the time our original thirteen states adopted their new constitution
in 1787, Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the University of
Edinburgh, had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some
2,000 years earlier:

"A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a
permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up
until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous
gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always
vote for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public
treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due
to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship."
"The average age of the world's greatest civilizations from the beginning
of history, has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, those
nations always progressed through the following sequence:

1. From bondage to spiritual faith;
2. From spiritual faith to great courage;
3. From courage to liberty;
4. From liberty to abundance;
5. From abundance to complacency;
6. From complacency to apathy;
7. From apathy to dependence;
8. From dependence back into bondage"

Professor Joseph Olson of Hamline University School of Law, St. Paul,
Minnesota, points out some interesting facts concerning the
2000 Presidential election:

Population of counties won by: Gore: 127 million; Bush: 143 million
Square miles of land won by: Gore: 580,000; Bush: 2,427,000
States won by: Gore: 19; Bush: 29
Murder rate per 100,000 residents in counties won by: Gore: 13.2; Bush: 2.1

Professor Olson adds: "In aggregate, the map of the territory Bush won was
mostly the land owned by the taxpaying citizens of this great country.
Gore's territory mostly encompassed those citizens living in
government-owned tenements and living off various forms of government welfare..."
Olson believes the United States is now somewhere between the
"complacency and apathy" phase of Professor Tyler's definition of democracy,
with some forty percent of the nation's population already having reached the
"governmental dependency" phase.

If Congress grants amnesty and citizenship to twenty million criminal
invaders called illegals and they vote, then goodbye to the USA in fewer than five years.
All it takes for evil to flourish, is for good people to do nothing!

Teddy report

Sunday after church I visited my brother in the hospital. I don't know if he knows I was there...He is off life support, meaning they took the tracheal tube out of his throat. He is breathing on his own. I am sure his throat is very raw from all the vomiting and having the tracheal tube down his throat for three days... OY! This is all great news!
I am not sure what all he was hooked up to, but most of it was taken off... He is looking much better. He was moaning and trying to get up out of the bed while I was there. He is in a lot of pain right now. So I think it best that they keep him somewhat sedated. It was a long process getting the internal bleeding to stop. Many efforts by the doctors to penetrate his liver to get it functioning. My understanding is they were not successful and had to by pass his liver, they said they were going to put a shunt (1.to shove or turn (someone or something) aside or out of the way, Surgery. a. to divert blood or other fluid by means of a shunt) Into his liver, but the liver was too hardened and they couldn't get it in. So, they put something else in called a coil. This is to stop the blood, or divert the blood from the liver. The liver is not functioning properly and so the blood would not flow through it and was backing up causing the blood vessels of the esophagus to burst.
The bleeding is under control after two full blood transfusions. Now his body must deal with all the strange possibilities that can arise from having other peoples blood coursing thru his veins.

Today we meet with his doctor to have the opportunity to ask any questions. I am looking forward to this as I haven't spoken with a doctor yet and have been getting all my information from his common law wife. I don't know if I like getting the information from her second hand. Something might get lost in translation!
Keep praying! He still has a long road.

FUNNY? NOT FUNNY?

The Pope in Alaska


The Pope took a couple of days off to visit the mountains of Alaska for some sight-seeing. He was cruising along the campground in the Pope Mobile when there was a frantic commotion just at the edge of the woods.

A helpless Democrat, wearing sandals, shorts, a "Save the Whales" hat, and a "To Heck with Bush" T-shirt, was screaming while struggling frantically, thrashing around trying to free himself from the grasp of a 10-foot grizzly.

As the Pope watched horrified, a group of Republican loggers came racing up. One quickly fired a .44-magnum into the bear's chest. The other two reached up and pulled the bleeding, semiconscious Democrat from the bear's grasp.

Then using long clubs, the three loggers finished off the bear and two of them threw it onto the bed of their truck while the other tenderly placed the injured Democrat in the back seat.

As they prepared to leave, the Pope summoned them to come over. "I give you my blessing for your brave actions," he told them. "I heard there was a bitter hatred between Republican loggers and Democratic Environmental activists but now I've seen with my own eyes that this is not true."

As the Pope drove off, one of the loggers asked his buddies "Who was that guy?" "It was the Pope," another replied. "He's in direct contact with heaven and has access to all wisdom."

"Well," the logger said, "he may have access to all wisdom but he sure as Heck doesn't know anything about bear hunting! By the way, is the bait holding up, or do we need to go back to Massachusetts and grab another one?"

Weird Guilt

Why do I feel guilty to be healthy? Walking around, enjoying life. Eating, drinking and making merry!? While my younger brother is laid up in a hospital. I watch T.V. Read a book, eat food, laugh, cry and basically carry on.... But I have thoughts of him, in the back of my mind, at all times, he is there, lurking. While driving to the store, eating dinner, going off to sleep, he is there...In my mind, his presence is felt... At any moment he could die, leave the land of the living...
Tell the ones you love, tell them you love them...

Life and Death

My brother Ted might die. He was admitted into Valley General yesterday at about 6:30 pm, his liver is failing him. Years of alcohol abuse has hardened his liver to the point that the blood won't flow and it caused the blood to back up into his arteries in his esophagus and they have now burst. He vomited large quantities of blood. The docs. Have been working on him basically around the clock.
His liver is so hardened that they are having a helluva time getting anything in or out.
It isn't good.
So, Pray for him.
He may need a liver transplant if he makes it thru this phase.
If you don't mind and you are reading this, say a prayer for his recovery and his family.

Day two..
Ted is still in ICU..
He is stable, it is a wait and see for now.
They have by passed his liver.
They have found some lumps on his liver and will be doing a biopsy tomorrow to see if they are malignant. If they are malignant, I do not know if he will be able to survive because they would see no reason for a liver transplant down the road.
He has a long way to go. Keep praying, I am!

Choir Concert

Went to my daughters choir concert tonight. Brought back a lot of memories of being in the 8th grade. Watching the young men and ladies singing and carrying on. The posturing of the girls was interesting to watch as the boys were singing. The eighth grade girls were hootin and hollerin after the ninth grade boys sang. Kinda neat to watch all the by play! I have been going to these choir nights for several years now and it is nice to hear some good singing. When they are little we applaud but the singing ain't the greatest, now they are actually getting quite good.

Focus, Focus, Focus

Scotty said he would be unable to host a magic session tonight, so I was left scrambling around to try to find one or make one or???
I was in contact with Solomon Notik and we decided to get together at the Starbucks near his home, about that time I heard back from Jose and he wanted in on the fun. Well, I picked up Solomon at 7:30 and headed to Starbucks, they were closing at 8.
Before we arrived Solomon presented me with a gift. A magic book called "Ultimate Street Magic." By Gary Sumpter... Thanks Sol....We called Jose and headed to the Denny's in Renton. We started the session with Sol giving each of us a paper to read and jot down the magical effects we can do technically, the ones we can do all around anytime, and the ones we are working on that are new.
This lead us into a magical discussion as to what is important to spend the majority of ones time on. So often, we as magicians are so busy accumulating new material that we never polish or become proficient at anything! This was an exercise in focusing on our magic, becoming honest in our own self appraisal, and ruthless with our time management!
Having done that we worked on a few sleights for real world card magic. Solomon then demonstrated the art of misdirection on two unsuspecting Denny's workers. Needless to say he floored them. They were awestruck, they invited another gentleman to witness the magical miracles that Sol is capable of. Finally I did a couple of card effects as well and they too were received favorably.
Here is an email I received from Jose a few minutes ago, I think it speaks for itself as to why and what we are trying to accomplish!
Tim,

As many times as we've spoken about smaller focused sessions, I think I've learn more tonight than in the last half dozen sessions. The smaller sessions work for me. I know a few tricks somewhat well, but know many more half-assed. It's time that I spend the time necessary to learn them well. The presentation tips of looking outwards towards your audience and not at your cards will help me immensely.

I especially enjoyed watching the both of you entertain the restaurant help. Unlike at session, when magicians are there to critique the effect, I enjoyed seeing the enjoyment of the audience.

Let's try your idea of a focused session working on only one effect and learn it inside out

thanks,
Jose
Now that's what I'm talking about!

Weekends

I remember when I was a young workin man, oh, about 28 years ago. The weekends were the most exciting of times! Couldn't wait for Friday to roll around, it meant goin out on the town with my lady friend (who later became my wife)...
This last Friday, I got off work at 6 a.m. and met my friend Solomon for an early morning magic session. I picked him up at his home and we drove to the nearby Starbucks.
It was good to see my young friend and session with him. Solomon has fantastic chops and I can learn a ton from him. It is funny though, that if you are open minded and ready, you can learn something from everyone. I shared with Sol the new trick I have been working on called "Mind Reader." I am always surprised when I get to slay one of my magical mentors. It was so wonderful to be able to give back something!
Sol called me up later when I got home and we went over the effect in deatail. His excitement was palpable. During the session I enjoyed watching and learning from Sol as he did some real world card magic with some Starbucks patrons. Rather than get caught up in the tricks, I watched how Sol conducted himself, his mannerisms. It was a nice opportunity to learn. We discussed the realm of entertaining, not just being able to "do a trick."
It was a nice one on one session.
Thanks Sol...

Saturday was pretty much a lazy day, although I did get the lawn mowed and the hottub cleaned. Watched a thrilling Huskies loss in overtime! Washed the car too...

Sunday of course was a day of rest! Went to church with my family and heard a good sermon about being and staying as a child in Christ. Keeping the wonder in our lives and in our walk with Jesus. I like to try to apply the lessons learned in Church to my everyday life. In magic, it is important to keep the wonder as an entertainer as well as to try to help the audience get the wonder back in their lives. We are so beat up by the world around us that it is often difficult to remember the awe and wonder we had as children, how sad!
Spent some time after church rehearsing for some upcoming events....then...
Took my wife and daughter out to dinner at the Keg restaurant in Kent. It was my wifes 29th birthday again... we enjoyed good food and a good time out! Happy Birthday Joan, I love you! Thanks for the many great years!

Americans Shame

I find it terribly odd that in our country today, a country at war... That we walk around doing nothing in support of the war. No draft, no posters proclaiming "loose lips sink ships" nothing... We just go about our merry way as if everything is hunky dory. We attend all the sporting events as if they really are important. The Washington Huskies quarterback is out for the season. Oh NO! The Seattle Seahawks won a squeaker against arch foe the St. Louis Rams. Their heralded defending most valuable player, out indefinitely. OH No!
We cheer for these people we've never met. Most of them don't even live in our city.

We don't see any men and women in uniform walking the streets, or attending ball games. As though somehow we are ashamed of them and this war. How utterly sad and absurd. We Americans act like a two year old child that hides behind his own hands, thinking, now you cannot see me, because I cannot see you!
Ten soldiers died today is a "HUGE" loss. And I am not down playing that. But think people, In the war to end all wars, the first World War over SEVEN MILLION men in uniform died, civilian casualties were impossible to count! The American death toll was 58,480 with 189,955 wounded that we know of.
The men came home as heroes and wore their uniforms proudly in public.
Same thing happened in World War II.
But not in today's America, where political incorrectness rules the day. We are taught by our own people that we are bad. We are the aggressor. America is a filthy rich undeserving nation trying to ram their moral onto the rest of the world. Forget the facts, just pass the popcorn sister!
America is the greatest country on the face of the planet. We are the ones who send humanitarian aid throughout the world, especially through our churches. The corporate world and the secular world does extremely little in this area unless it somehow benefits them.
Heaven forbid you ever see a man or women in uniform except on a military base, don't those people know their place?!
Instead of pride we shun them. Fools! Counsel with a fool and what will that make you!? Fools! Biting the hand that feeds you, the very hand that allows you your feeble existence!
How did this happen? That we would turn our backs on ourselves.
It happened because we handcuffed ourselves in Vietnam. Our soldiers were the best (still are) in the world, but we handcuffed them in their jobs. We quit the field, much like Roberto Duran in his "no mas" fight with Sugar Ray Leonard. Duran wasn't tired, he wasn't beaten. He was fed up with the dancing of Leonard. He wanted to fight him, but Leonard stayed away.
We are doing the same thing in this war. America and YOU were attacked for no reason other than you are not a Muslim. You are rich and extravagant. I find it ironic that the richest and most extravagant in our country, the Hollywood crowd, and the lawyers, are the most against America and the war. They are the very people who benefit the most from the America others built for them to live and thrive in.
They scream and yell in the name of freedom, while disallowing others the same freedoms. Political correctness rules their day. As long as they get to determine and define what that political correctness shall be.
They smile in your face, all the while they want to take your place, THEY BACK STAB YOU! Funny thing is the back stabbers are you! Yes, You. Who you vote for, or don't vote for. In your ignorance, you/we allow this nonsense to continue. The issues you don't really understand but that are packaged so you think it is a benefit to you when actually it is stealing from you. Stealing your pride, desire to win and get ahead. Let the government fix everything. Problem is... The government is broken. WE/YOU/I allowed this. How? When?
When you weren't looking. Watching the one eyed monster, the idiot box, being a boob in front of the tube, yeah, I mean television, er helevision.
There is so much nonsensical garbage on t.v. to pollute your precious mind, and you aren't even aware of it. The opiate of the masses. The brainwashing machine to beat all brain washing machines.
Brain dead, you sit in front of it, staring at moving images that have no meaning in your life except to drain you of your life. GET UP! MOVE! Brain dead, watching sitcoms, (Animated sitcoms at that)and sporting events, (I'm Guilty on that one)Dead at age 25, waiting for your body to catch up at 65...
Can't speak the truth because they say, "truth is relative."
Who the hell are "they?" Aren't you and I, part of the "they?"
Not if you don't find your voice!
Get up I say! Do something! Get excited about YOUR life. No one else will if you don't!
We could end this war in a heartbeat if we became focused on it! But we are more worried about our local politicians and their latest lies to get elected. We should stop all the sports games, and kick the enemies behind. NOW! but no, how would that make us look? Do I have a hair out of place? Are my fingernails clean and trim?

OH, And the next time you run into someone in the service, or someone who served in the past, extend your hand to them in thanks and gratitude!

Magic night/session

I arrived early and enjoyed chatting with Scotty and Gina as they chowed on some food... Scotty and I discussed a trick I shared with them last week. I think it is called mind reader, remind me to show it to you. I didn't realize it at the time, but Scotty really liked it and so began doing it. So we made it a little better by brainstorming it a bit.
We also played with the voodoo doll because mine arrived last week and I showed it to Scotty. So he gave me some pointers (pun intended) for it's use...
Scottys' rings arrived today! YAHOO! He had a Cheshire cat grin on his face when he showed them to me! Christmas in October you might say! Haha, I know EXACTLY how he feels!!!
So we worked on some ring stuff, Scotty has more skills than we know.(Maybe we'll call him "margarine")(inside joke) It is fun to get into people a bit and see them stretch and open up.
Well, then, Chad and Brian showed up and Randy too. Wish you were there!
I must be getting old because that Brian is rubbing me wrong quite a bit lately... Between me and you! He has a smart ass comment for everything, Chad is that way as well, I must have been that way at their age too I suppose...Like I said, I'm getting old (er)...
Anyway, I taught randy a trick, I call ace sandwich cuz I don't know that we ever named it.. Randy liked it.
I asked Brian for some advice on a card control and he helped out gladly.
Thanks Brian! Sweet tip! Haha, Pinky finger tip that is!
Nash showed up and I picked his brain on a card routine he showed me last week, makes me smile when I play with it!
Well, the young uns(Chad, Nash and Brian) brought up Scotty's up coming shows and started playing with his handcuffs, that was pretty interesting with all the boys getting cuffed and Scotty teaching how to pick the various locks! I didn't really partake in that although I would have liked too... They all wished Steve the police officer was there to try out his cuffs!
Well, I left for work, and that's that!

Thanksgiving in October!

I worked the weekend, but couldn't sleep Saturday as my mind sometimes won't shut down, I guess I would be diagnosed as ADD (Attention Disorder) by the experts. I was thinking about the Turkey I was planning on cooking at about 1 pm and the Huskies game against the Oregon State Beavers. So, I got out of bed and prepared the Hibatchi pot for cooking. It needed to be emptied of ashes so I would get a good air flow. That done, time to cook the bird. I was curious about this bird as my wife said it had been frozen for maybe two years. I was worried that it might have gone bad.
Well, I was excited to try cooking one in the Hibatchi so went ahead anyway, hoping not to get food poisoning. The bird might be freezer burned but I really didn't worry about that as much as the chance of getting sick.
All went well! Turkey,Mashed potatoes and gravy in October!

Words...

As I gave the the newly married groom a congratulatory hug, I said to him, "good on ya, she's hot!" Then proceeded to give his new wife a hug saying to her how nice she looked and that it was a nice ceremony... Fast forward three days later, My wife says to me, can I talk to you a minute? Now, when I hear those words from my wife I know I messed up someway, somehow.... My daughter and my wife both heard me tell the groom, "she's hot," speaking of his new bride. My daughter asked my wife what I meant by that, and now three days later I get to explain myself... Well, this didn't sit to well with me. I felt like I was being questioned out of turn and out of context, in an accusatory fashion. Maybe, maybe not. Did I do something wrong? Well yes, too my daughter and wife I made an unwelcome comment about someone else's wife.
To a man, I thought I was giving him a compliment on catching a good looking wife.
So, I guess I'll buy a zipper and learn to use it for my mouth.

Just Married!

A young friend of mine was married Friday! It was a nice ceremony and they treated everyone to a great feast afterwards. Weddings are fun because they are usually a positive, upbeat time! Makes you think about many things. Like your own wedding, mine was 25 years ago. Also makes you think about your children's weddings. Are they going to get married? When? To Whom?
This couple,Jason and Rebekah, are just starting out in life. OOH, they have no idea... The joys, the laughter, the tears the sadness, the whole gamut of emotions they will experience over their married life.
I wish them nothing but joy and happiness. I know Jason thru his father Jay. It will be interesting to watch them grow and change over the years!

Limping along

Went in to the foot doctor Thursday because I had a somewhat large, hard pump growing on my foot. Turns out to be a wart,Probably a plantar wart, ooh, just the sound of that is ugly.... 47 years and I finally get one. The podiatrist scraped the outer skin off to get to the core and then put some kind of medicine on it. OUCH!
said it will burn for a couple of days. It does! He tried some new medicine I forget the name of... Great being a guinea pig!

Questing, The inner secrets of magic

Is Magic about fooling someone? Yes! NO! Both!
Is it Entertainment? Absolutely! How is that done? What makes an entertainer? Can you read a book and be an entertainer? How about watching a movie or DVD?
Why do magicians do what they do? Why do I love magic? Am I on an ego trip? Or do I truly want to entertain people?
Rene Lavand said in his excellent book, "The Mysteries Of My Life"

"Any art should be pursued for only one reason: the love of it! There should be no expectation of any reward. The reward is having pursued the art, the act itself, and the pleasure of creating is the highest prize you can receive."
So, are you working to develop your magic to touch the soul of your audience? Or just to trick them? Are you after endless routines, never satisfied, always searching for more and more tricks? Sometimes I feel this way...
I must find my magical niche. How? Perform, perform, perform!
It takes time, impatience is creeping in... It takes intensity and struggle. You cannot just "make a decision" and "be there!" I must go thru the fire! Am I willing?!
My friend sol

had this to say to me tonight.(Printed here without permission)
"Sol has a challenge. He loves these tricks but for some reason he seems to always have something new and cool to work on, like the new twist for Ashers' Twist, and a new pool ball routine. Sol needs to understand that to get good at magic you can't dabble around like a man whore that tries a little of every girl in the city. In my opinion, Magic and routining is a lot like a salad bar. There is a lot going on, a lot of different things to choose from. Eventually you take what you want and go sit down. Once you've worked on eating and digesting what you have taken and used it for energy or for something useful, then its okay to go back to the bar and select some other this and thats.
Magic is sometimes like the salad bar that after you've visited it and are on your way to your seat, you encounter another salad bar with more and more options. You get distracted by this new salad bar and soon forget the good, incredible, useful flavors that you've just picked up a little while ago."
Well said Sol!
Here are some thoughts I have been trying to grasp and incorporate magically, these are gleaned from Quentin Reynolds...

What kind of style are you naturally?
Dynamic or Magnetic?
Dynamic, like Bill Malone, or magnetic like Eugene Burger?
One of these styles will be your natural style, however, you cannot nor should you stay that style throughout a performance, One cannot maintain a HIGH PITCHED show for the length of the show, nor can one remain magnetic, low key for an entire show, both ends of the spectrum must be touched but also the middle as well!
So a routine, Structure and balance..
Trick 1) Dynamic,
Trick 2) Enchanting, magnetic
Trick 3) Pure personality, letting the audience into your world
Trick 4) Bringing it back up, Audience participation, on stage
Trick 5) Great Finale
So, as I study this, I look at my tricks and try to incorporate them in this type of structure...
BUT, one must have the chops to be able to relax and "let go" so as to be more natural... It is a wonderful journey isn't it... And, My typing is improving...LOL

Check Engine Light

What's up with that!? I was driving to work last night and looked over at the car next to me. I had to chuckle because I noticed that their check engine light was flashing. Mine has been on for several months now... I hate the darn thing. Most automotive shops will charge you UPWARDS of fifty bucks (most are seventy five) just to put your car on their computer to diagnose why your Check Engine light is on.
My car is ten years old and has just over 200,000 miles on it. I suppose I could dis connect the battery for a few minutes and reconnect it to see if that would make it go out. But would that fix the problem?
Here's some info I found...
Treat check engine light, and all dash lights like traffic signals. A Red Warning light indicates an immediate danger. Pull over, turn off the car immediately and assess the problem. Symptoms that usually cause red warning lights are engine over-heating, low oil pressure, transmission over-heating, low battery voltage, and brake failure.

Red lights can also indicate a safety issue, so proceed with caution as you maneuver to stop the vehicle. Unfortunately, when the red light is illuminated the problem is at its peek. It can be a matter of seconds before permanent engine damage occurs.
A Yellow Warning light, (Usually a Service engine soon light) indicates "Proceed with caution." The onboard computer system has indicated a potential problem and is alerting the driver. This computer system resets and re-tests all sensors and indicators each time the car is started. The computer system is capable of correcting some minor abnormalities, but if the light continues to come on after multiple car starts, it is probably sensing something that would imply a visit to the diagnostic mechanic is in order.
Heck with it, My brother keeps driving his.... So Will I!

Sessioning!

Arrived at Scotty and Gina's just after seven P.M. Bernard and his wife of four months were just leaving...Gina baked wonderful choco chip cookies, Thanks Gina, my rumbling belly thanks you as well! :)
All of a sudden there was Roger Needham, cool.(Someone older than me)

I shared with him a trick involving a blank deck of cards, finding his chosen card. You say chosen card? It was a blank deck! Well, yeah, I had Roger merely think of a card, and using my magical blank deck I found his chosen card. It was good! I liked it anyway! Haha. Chad Rees, Brian Masters, and Mark Storms arrived and the finger flicking began in earnest. It was nice having the young guns show up. NOT! They fry me every time!
Jose arrived after nine, as well as Randy. We began to work a bit on the World Famous Banana Trick...

The finger flingers gave us a hard time about it, but what do they know? None of them can even do the cups and the balls! HA!
Randy liked his new table. I hope he has a blast with it!
Nash Fung arrived and shared a sweet blank deck routine using only one blank card. Very nice! Hope I can remember it!

Well, that's about it for now, I went to work, oh, did I finally mention work on my blog?! Ye gads! 28 years at Boeing and It gets such little print! That's as it should be! HA!
After work I am golfing with some fellow Boeing employees,
Out, from the man that never sleeps.

Creating something magical?

As you will see, it takes quite a bit of work to make a nice performing table for someone. My friend Randy ordered a special table from me and I thought I'd share a little of the process. Randy wanted a special size table. We have been discussing this for about a year. Finally we decided on the right size for him. He also wanted the paisley red fabric shown in the photo's.
I start out by cutting a piece of plywood to the dimensions specified.

I use spray on glue to attach quarter inch header material over the board and then I am ready to staple the selected fabric to the board. Once this is accomplished, I begin the exacting cuts needed to frame the table using Oak molding. I make the cuts using my chop saw. I use wood glue and nails to attach the molding and fill the holes with fast drying wood putty.

I cover the fabric with a plastic liner using masking tape to protect the fabric as I sand the molding. This for me is the hardest part of the project. Once the molding is sanded to my satisfaction, I stain the wood and let dry. Then I use a spray on lacquer to finish the project.
Voila!

Day Of Magic Revue

I arrived at the Day Of Magic at the Everett PUD at about 8:30 am...Having never been to one of these events I did not know the protocol. I had emailed my friend Roger Needham advising him that I would be needing a table to sell some of my magic that has been sitting around collecting dust... Also I was hoping to sell a magic table or two as I have about four sitting around as well.. I noticed immediately that all the magicians there early setting up sales tables are really there to get a jump on buying stuff from other magicians. Not me! I had slept zero hours from the previous night so was tired from the 55 mile drive to Everett. I started dragging in tables and setting up. I also had several Used DVD"s to sell, those sold nicely. I think I sold about 90 to a hundred bucks worth of old magic clutter. It paid for my fees to attend the function and I made a bit of money so ended in the black in the money dept.!!!
I had a great time! I gave out my name and business card to a few people who may be interested in purchasing a table "down the road." We all know that means "it ain't gonna happen!" That's O.K.

I met many magicians and budding magicians like myself. A young boy of about 13-14 named Adam and his father approached my table and inquired about the set of Phoenix cups and balls I had on sale. (Sorry Tom! I have three sets).. anyway, the boy was performing on stage later in the day, but is involved in "Stage" magic and had never seen the cups and ball. His father prompted me to perform the routine so I of course set up and went into it. I haven't performed the cups and balls using the Phoenix cups in over a year. I have been using the Gazzo Routine and pouch so it would be interesting to handle the smaller cups again. As the routine progressed it dawned on me that I was drawing a crowd. Weird. My adrenaline began to spike but I carried on. The routine went superbly and I fooled them all! Many smiles were seen in the crowd, a crowd of mostly magicians. It was fun! I had one man ask me if I taught the cups and balls. I told him I would love too, but also directed him to the Michael Ammar DVD's on the cups and balls. He replied that he already owned them.
Flattering to be asked!
Soon it was time for the headliner to lecture. Oscar Munoz. He was very funny. I wish I could be so funny. He has a very wonderful wit and relaxed demeanor with his audience. He taught some moves using a sponge donut. FUNNY! Also he performed his linking rings routine. Very Nice. A Nice linking balloons routine involving three balloons. Some great tips on performing and a few easy to make gimmicks. I wanted to buy his lecture notes but by the time I got to his table, he was sold out! Oscar, to his credit, did not have a "Bunch" of tricks to sell. He was truly there at the disposal of the audience to teach and not just "hawk" his magic. There just wasn't any magic tricks to buy!
Well, after lunch or before, I don't quite remember.... the contest was held for anyone wanting to perform. There were seven entrants. I must apologize as I do not remember all of their names....
First to perform though was a friend of mine. John The Magic Guy.

John performed his cups and balls routine which is almost identical to mine. John and I were both at the Gazzo Master class last year. I liked Johns performance, he came out with some great comedy warm up before he jumped into his routine. I think the time spent on his opening monologue cost him however, because the performers only had eight minutes and John had to rush through his ending of the cups and balls.I was actually rooting for John to take home some hardware. He is becoming quite a nice entertainer.

Up next was a young man, Sterling Deitz (s), not sure how to spell his last name. I am sure you and the magic community will be seeing a lot of this performer. He wowed the crowd. He is a disciple of Jeff McBride. He did his whole routine to music and had many dance steps. It was a very nice, fast paced routine. I believe Sterling has been a direct pupil to McBride for about two years. It showed.
Linking rings, Card flourishes that never seemed to end.A wonderful lighted dancing cane that ended in A D'liteful sequence and so much more I can't remember it all! He had good poise and crowd presence as one would expect of a McBride student.
Jeff Dial performed a wonderful Renaissance piece. Actually it was Whit Haydn's comedy linking ring routine. Jeff was dressed in Renaissance garb., spoke in the dialect of the day with all the thees and thous and M'ladies... Funny, but watching this routine was like gold to me as Scotty and I have been delving into it recently. Jeffs stage presence was very good as well. I voted for him. I spoke with him later and got to meet his wife. Nice people!

Payne did a wonderful sponge ball routine. He was funny, eloquent and waxed poetic. The sponge ball routine revolved around three college coeds and a vampire. the three coeds were red sponge balls and of course the vampire was a black sponge ball. Having been bitten by the vampire, the coed turned a sickly green. Of course the coeds win in the end and vanquish the dastardly vampire with a very large cross. This from Payne, an avowed atheist, drew much laughter!
Sorry I cannot remember the other performers names. They were quite good and it was great fun, one was a children's performer from Canada and did a nice schtick involving two children and the needle thru balloon.
Another did a stand up card trick. He quipped that he might not win but guaranteed he had the shortest routine.
Another magi did a nice routine using four audience members and they each selected a very large card with a number on it, numbers 1-5. They could trade numbers if they liked and many did. One number was left to the magician. No one new what the numbers were. They corresponded to brown paper bags on a table that were upside down. One bag had a knife in it, or so we were told... Each spectator was asked one by one to reveal their number, hold their hand over the bag that matched and slam their hand down onto the bag. no one got hurt and the magicians number revealed the knife. I wish I knew his name because he took second place in the competition. Tied for second with Payne.
Sterling Deitz took first in both categories.
Later we were treated to some magic buy several children and then the headliner performed his magic act. Oscar had the crowd eating out of his hands.most all of his magic was performed to music
I won't go into all that he did but I will say that his control of the "billiard' balls was excellent. He had a wonderful trick involving a little girl and a change bag and the appearance/disappearance of a live dove. Had the audience in stitches.

I ran into Becky, and Nash and hung with them a bit as well as Roger Needham and it was nice to see Glen Price again,and Prof. Gizmo too!
Well, by now you are snoozing, which is what I should be doing but my magical mind isn't letting me!

Gifts

You can never tell when someone is going to do something nice for you!
At the session at Scotty's home last night, as I was preparing to leave, Scotty pulled me aside saying, "Tim, Come here, I have something for you." He presented me with three G.I. Joe figures. All three are Marines in different military garb.
I told him he didn't have to do that. He said he had these for many years and it was time to clean house a little, and thought that I would enjoy them because our son Eric is a Marine! OOOO-RAAAH!
It will be fun to display these in our sons room!
Thanks, Scotty!

Tuesday Session

Arrived at Scotty and Gina's place about 7pm... Sat down with Scotty and Gina and shared with them the diabolical "Aunt Mary's Terrible Secret" I've been working on. It went pretty well. Gina was totally mystified. It is a routine to use only in those special occasions, when you have built a rapport with a small audience. Is it worth learning? I think it's great, but must only be used in the right setting. That setting may never happen. But at least my knowledge of magic is growing as I traipse along the journey! One can never tell when that right moment will present itself!
Cub Scout Motto" Always Be Prepared!
Scotty shared something he learned as a child called the piano Trick, quite a little mind bender. But sooo easy too.... Nice!
Randy and Jose arrived and I shared it with the two of them, Randy fried me with his knowledge of a piece of information involved in the effect. It was great thinking on his part and helped prepare me for the eventuality of someone else "catching" that little known tidbit! Always Be Prepared!
Steve Ameden showed up next and we sat down and went of a Harry Lorayne piece he has been enjoying, Out Of This Universe. It is a sweet piece of Mind boggling card work to mess with the laymen! I liked it! I love Steves' easy way of talking, it may be "patter" but he seems to just be Plain talking!
Jose presented me with a nice wallet to carry some credit cards in. It doubles as a card holder as well. Thanks Jose!
Isaac Louie made an entrance as well. Things got really heated up then. He worked with us on his wonderful Misers Dream Routine.

Isaac also impressed with his new svelte figure, he has lost 30 pounds! Good on ya, Isaac!

Randy, Jose, Scotty, Isaac and myself played a bit with the cups and balls, mainly the ending loading sequences. Isaac shared a nice ending with the large orange loads, and made it look "pouchless." This was basically a timing/pacing thing. This is the essence of what the sessions are about, not just the sharing of new effects or tricks, but the sharing of proper timing, pausing and gesturing in magic!

Bernard and his wife of three months, Alison were there as well. We shared many different ways to false cut cards. Gina and Bernard were having a blast with those!
Bernard is a sponge when it comes to card work, he is so eager and enthusiastic. His childlike demeanor rub of on me and make me eager to learn as well...Randy coughed up a card for Alison. I don't know who liked it more, Randy clearing his throat, or Alison!?
I had to leave at 10:30ish to go to work, what a shame, things were just heating up!
As I was leaving, I noticed Steve teaching Gina a great rubberband trick!

You gotta love magic!

Hahaha... Because of my love for magic, my wife and I were invited to dinner at the home of budding magician Mickey Hanrahan, really, that's his name... That is a cool stage name, say it again, Mickey Hanrahan....hahaha.. Sweet!
Anyway, Mickey has his performance coming up in a few days and wanted to go over his progress from last week. Gladly! We enjoyed a great meal
cooked up by his mom Robyn and worked on the cut and restored rope, the Chinese sticks and a few other magical endeavors. I performed several card tricks for his sister and her boyfriend (Our audience!). It was a magical evening and lots of fun. All because of magic!

In My In Box

Proud to be white

Someone else besides me finally said it. How many are actually paying
attention to this?

There are African Americans, Mexican Americans, Asian Americans,
Arab Americans, Native Americans, etc. And then there are just
Americans.
You pass me on the street and sneer in my direction. You call me
"White boy," "Cracker," "Honky," "Whitey," "Caveman" and that's OK.
But when I call you, Nigger, Towel-head, Sand-nigger, camel Jockey or
Beaner, you call me a racist.
You say that whites commit a lot of violence against you, so why are
the ghettos the most dangerous places to live?

You have the United Negro College Fund.
You have Martin Luther King Day.
You have Black History Month.
You have Cesar Chavez Day.

You have Ma'uled Al-Nabi
You have the NAACP.
You have BET.

If we had WET(White Entertainment Television) we'd be racists.
If we had a White Pride Day you would call us racists.
If we had White History Month, we'd be racists.
If we had any organization for only whites to "advance" our lives, we'd
be racists.

We have a Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, a Black Chamber of Commerce,
and then we just have the plain Chamber of Commerce. Wonder who pays
for that?

If we had a college fund that only gave white students scholarships,
you know, we'd be racists. There are over 60 openly proclaimed Black Colleges in
the US, yet if there were "White colleges" that would be a racist college.
In the Million Man March, you believed that you were marching for your race and
rights. If we marched for our race and rights, you would call us
racists.

You are proud to be black, brown, yellow and orange, and you're not
afraid to announce it. But when we announce our white pride, you call us racists.

You rob us, carjack us, and shoot at us. But, when a white police officer shoots
a black gang member or beats up a black drug-dealer running from the law and
posing a threat to society, you call him a racist.

I am proud. But, you call me a racist.

Why is it that only whites can be racists?