Thanksgiving Week

Tuesday night I met up with Jose and Leslie for a magic session, Jose wanted to work on palming.
I do use a palm at this time in any of my card effects although I would love too...
The palm is a devastating tool to have in your arsenal. I recently purchased the Card College series by Roberto Giobbi. His volume two teaches palming. I brought the book along and Jose read the short chapter on palming.
We worked on some sleights together. It was a nice time to just be together magically.
Leslie's wife Sarah recently gave birth to their first child. A girl! At the time of this writing I have not found out the name of their girl. She was born Nov. 19th!
Leslie has produced a dvd of magic and it is really well done! He is planning a second one. He asked me to do an effect for it. I do not know which effect to do yet... we will see!
Thanksgiving arrived and we had my wife's family over to celebrate.
Thanksgiving has become the last pure holiday left. Not too much commercialization with it. I think this is why it is becoming many people's favorite holiday.
Christmas, Easter, Halloween, Valentines day etc have been hijacked.
Thanksgiving and the 4th O' July are the two last times that are central to family and just getting together. Maybe I'm jaded!? I know I am.
Christmas is about the gift of Jesus to a sinful world for redemption from sin into the presence of God. Somehow it has become all about what "I" want, what's in it for me. What can I GET!
Instead of, "what can I do for others!"
Kind of like the way our nation has become, a welfare state with a lot of people with their hand out looking for something for nothing. What can I get from the government?!
I remember the lines from a famous speech that went something like this, " Ask not what your country can do for you, but rather what you can do for your country!"
We have gotten so far away from that, that it is rather sickening!

Anyway, we had a wonderful thanksgiving, the bird was cooked to perfection by my wife, and the food was excellent, although the football was lacking. The Sea Chickens lost to Dallas.
Ryan stayed with us for four days and we enjoyed the time together.
We built a suspended bed for Katie.
I am pretty cheap at times and was looking for a way to cut costs, so I decided to purchase a used water bed and make the bed from the wood. The bed I bought cost me 30 dollars. The frame was 2X10 Pine in a very dark stain. I got out my table saw and cut the wood to 2X8 width, I then sanded the wood and stained it in a much lighter color. Looks pretty good! Also included in the water bed was the plywood for holding the bed. I think I saved some good money, but sanding all the pine wood was no picnic!
It was great working with him!
Cutting wood and talking numbers, measurements and the like. He has a degree in Civil Engineering, and has worked recently for a structural engineering firm, so he was able to put some of that knowledge to practical use!


We rented a couple of movies, both magic themed, The Prestige and The illusionist.
We liked the Prestige better, but they were both really good!
Ryan's drivers side door on his car hasn't been opened in about six months or more. He has had to climb in thru the passenger side all this time.We decided to tear it apart and see what we could see!
It was difficult because, since the door was locked in the closed position, we could only get the panel off a few inches.
With perseverance and some luck, we were able to get it opened.
We found that as long as he doesn't pull on the outside handle or inside handle with the door in the locked position, it will work fine.
I am chuckling because I know he will walk to the passenger side of the vehicle for awhile!