And So It Goes....

Thoughts on Magic: How can a weekly magic show exist?

I watched the new Criss Angel episode this past Wednesday and found myself becoming frustrated with the quality of the show. I don’t know if it was the seizure like reaction induced by a theoretical ice bath; perhaps it was the fact that it appears as if the man is now repeating himself. But then I got to thinking that most magicians spend their entire lives perfecting just a few routines. Criss Angel’s show is set up with the intent to come up with new material all the time.

Now that is a feat more difficult than one would initially think.

Given that there are only 19 effects possible in magic.

Dariel Fitzkee spelled out all of the 19 effects possible in magic as:

· Production (Appearance, creation, multiplication)

· Vanish (Disappearance, obliteration)

· Transposition (Change in location)

· Transformation (Change in appearance. character or identity)

· Penetration (One solid through another)

· Restoration (Making the destroyed whole)

· Animation (Movement imparted to the inanimate)

· Anti-Gravity (Levitation and change in weight)

· Attraction (Mysterious adhesion)

· Sympathetic Reaction (Sympathetic response)

· Invulnerability (Injury proof)

· Physical Anomaly (Contradictions, abnormalities, freaks)

· Spectator Failure (Magicians' challenge)

· Control (Mind over the inanimate)

· Identification (Specific discovery)

· Thought Reading (Mental perception, mind reading)

· Thought Transmission (Thought projection and transference)

· Prediction (Foretelling the future)

· Extra-Sensory Perception (Unusual perception, other than mind)

(Fitzkee, 1976)


Every illusion is either one of the aforementioned effects or a combination of them. I initially believed this is why a weekly show wouldn’t work. However (to my astonishment) it has worked creating four seasons. The biggest illusion is that each 30min episode only has a few minutes of magic. This teaches us that building suspense is essential in the TV format of a weekly magic show.

And so it goes......

I was talking with Nicole the other day about future endeavors and my dream of eventually becoming a university professor. She then convinced me to create T-Shrits for future students once they finish one of my courses. One must realize that I'm finishing up my master's degree......if one does not know this then the joke shall be forever lost in a haze of wonderment:

I gave my two oldest nephews a magic kit today.
When I purchased the magic kit I crossed paths with a friend who said:

friend: "magic kit, really? I thought you were an expert".

me: "oh no, it's not for me it's for my nephews"

friend: "That's sweet, I bet ya they'll love it"

me: "well my sister has five boys, she had triplets not that long ago. I'm convinced I can get at least one of them to get into magic".

friend: "If not a magician at least a musician".

me: "Damn straight, one has to be a magician or a musician, and if not..............one must be a graphic novel artist or writer."

Later upon reflecting on all the magic the 3 and 5 year old were learning I stated to my girlfriend:

"We should have bought two of these things, one for them and one for me".

Moral: When acting as if a child's magic kit isn't for you don't secretly want it for yourself.

"The first real action film of 2009" - in reference to the new movie "Push". In fact that quote is supposedly a positive review of the movie. But what is it really saying?

That it is the first real action film of 2009?
Fact: It's been one month since it was 2008.
So in essence, the statement (which is the complimented review) is: "Push is the first action film in a month".

My guess is that this movie is going to suck big time.

I apologize for not being as vocal as I once was. One of the many things I have been working on was a presentation on anxiety disorders. This presentation recently took place and I feel the need to share a minute from that work in which is now completed.

Things to know: Panic translates into "pertaining to Pan".
Here is one minute of that presentation:

New variation on an old classic learned at the Timid Rabbit:
http://www.gerardenterprises.com

A quick tutorial on a fantastic dish you can impress your friends with:

This video helped bring me out of a depressed mood:

SO.....this exchange of words took place about an hour ago:

John: My aunt used to throw certain shoes into the washing machine....

Nicole: What kind of shoe?

John: Um....I think it was rebok

Nicole: I suppose it depends on what type of shoe. Some shoes would start to tear apart.

John: Yeah (looks down at shoes). I'm cool, I'm wearing NIKE. So the stiching is very fine considering the eight year old hands that sewed them together.....

(Awkward silence)

John: Yeah, that's right....... Imagine the shit that I actually filter away from saying.

A birthday drink......it seems harmless doesn't it?

I was nervous until my girlfriend stated:
"I know most minors are illegal..... but this minor is OH SO Legal!"