Can you share what the audience sees, Andrew?

Jim

Hey guys,

So I haven't been on in a long time, kind of had a rough year. Doing okwy now and thought I would check in. Dick Oslund is in the VA Hospital in Iron Mountain, MI. He has Cellulitis and he also suffered from blood Poisoning. He is doing better now but it will be acouple weeks of therapy before he is released. Prayers for Dick are welcome.

I hope you are all doing well and keep up the practice!

Pete

Jim:

It's a shadow coins routine on the table...four coins traveling from one side to the other in a beautiful fashion. At the end, the coins begin to multiply until you're left with 16 coins in front of you. Really a stellar piece if you put the work into it.
As the holidays are approaching I've been sticking to my normal material since I'm performing more this time of year.
Glad you're doing well, Peter!

Hey Pete,

Thanks for the heads up on Dick. I knew he was in the hospital but I was thinking he'd be home any day.

I got an answer to a PM I sent Dick few days ago today so apparently he has access to a computer.

Hope things are going better for you Pete.

I've been working on Ring and Ribbon and it keeps improving but the "finish line" keeps moving farther and farther for completion. Weird.

So, like Andrew I'll have to start concentrating on my working repertoire till the New Year (mostly).

Hope you all get lots of good gigs for the Holidays!

-Mary Mowder

I'm still here, too. Have had a lot going on in the last 5 months. I'm working on my new website, using the old template. Did a lot of photography this summer, but haven't had the energy to work on magic. Feeling inspired now to get to work on polishing up some old stuff and starting on some new! Stuff in progress: fishing grizzly (coins), the GOOSE , black sheep C&B. Photographing props and taking inventory- I've got quite a little menagerie and I think there are some individuals I've forgotten are housed within the lot. Time to get them out, make a list, and cast some new numbers.

Hi Folks!

Good to hear what is happenin'.

I had a good halloween season, and really enjoyed the dip into macabre and mentalism. I took a little break to get back into chess and enjoyed the Championship coverage. Now, I think I am going to follow Andrew's lead, and work on coins. The Dean Dill sounds really intriguing, but I need to get some of my other stuff back up to speed first. Oh no, that means more work on the classic palm!

Since I am usually out of town the week before New Year's I don't have any gigs that week, and just one Christmas party to do. Looking forward to having some days of free time to get back into the regular practice I need.

Hope you all have a GREAT Thanksgiving, and life is short, so go ahead- eat too much!

Regards,

Jim

Dear All

So it is that time of the year again... the time when it comes to New Year resolutions.

Mine is to put some work into false shuffles and cuts. More specifically, I want to be able to do a in the hands false riffle shuffle.
As per topic guidelines:
Practice false in the hands riffle shuffle (currently I am looking at the one from Derek delGaudio) 5 times per week, at least 15 minutes.
This is a real knuckle buster so I do not expect to have this down before the middle of the year.

What are your goals for 2014?

Wishing you a merry Christmas and a happy new year - and a lot of success with your resolutions.
markus

Happy Holidays, Markus!

Your mission sounds like a good one- good luck with it!

As for me, I am going to devote some solid practice to coin work, starting with another attempt at perfecting the classic palm. I can do one reasonably, but my hand is never quite as natural as some can make theirs, and I am still a bit insecure about dropping the coin. I would love to get proficient with my morgans, also. Now I generally opt for halves.

Also plan to start work on the "stupid bean trick". Gonna try for 30 minutes, five days a week.

Have a great NY eve!

Jim

I might have a go at fulfilling some of my 2013 goals.

You know, Lose weight, get better at "The Biz", keep in better touch with family and friends, finish Ring and Ribbon, get good photos and video.

Good luck (and perseverance) to us all!

-Mary Mowder

Planning to work the castle at least one weekend a month to really keep my live performances sharp. That's my goal.
Happy New Year to all!

Andrew

That is a great goal, Andrew- I envy you! Have a great year!!

Jim

So far, no good! I came down with pleurisy while I was in Seattle for the holidays, and a month later I'm still fighting it! I'm back at work but it's been a struggle, so unfortunately magic has taken a backseat to being able to breathe and walk up a flight of stairs. I'm only 32 for cryin' out loud!

Mary...I drove through your neck of the woods in December and again in January. I should have stopped and harassed you!

Very sorry to hear that, Andrew. I had a breathing scare not long ago, but evidently it was just a bit too much exposure to -15 degree weather from feeding our farm animals. Hope you recover soon and can get back to your magic. Harass Mary for me, will you? She hasn't been around to do it much here...

Hope you are all sticking with the regular practice!

Regards.

Jim

I just worked in a Showcase of entertainers seeking work in the Library Systems in northern Cal.

What an eye opener! Last time I went a few years ago I was not too impressed.
I saw several time wasting Magicians (I. E. "Now this side say the magic word, oh not loud enough. How about this side of the room…?") Ugh!
I saw some great musicians both times I went.
I saw horrible story tellers both times I went.

This time The Magic was better but what surprised me most was the caliber of Tumbling and Juggling acts available. One of the guys had been on the Tonight show. Some of the Tumblers were Circus performers.

I'd say my audition went quite well and I was pleased with my standing among the Magicians I saw but clearly Librarians have a lot of choices other than Magic.

Did I mention the Story Tellers were horrible? I'm from Irish extraction and dinner table stories from kids were more fun than this drivel. They should pay people to listen to this stuff and they should not be able to use the name "Story Teller".

-Mary Mowder

I will keep my fingers crossed for you, Mary. I really like to tell a good story, but have never been in a competition or what not. What was it that made them bad? What those irish dinner stories good? I try to incorporate stories into my magic- it just feels like what I want to do. I would love to improve it all, however! Good to hear from you- take care... Jim

Bad singing and begging for audience participation were the main drawbacks. Big theatrical voices disassociated from the real meaning of the story were also distracting.
Most story tellers would be well of to leave out rhyming unless they are also able to feel the life of the story in the rhyme. Stopping to remember the exact words pulls the audience out of the fantasy.

I think coming from an Irish family (or a family that prides its self in their Irish ancestry no matter how small LOL) there is more interest and recognition in good story telling.

My Grandfather did not tell Irish stories, he told everyday stories in an interesting way. My Brothers and I told our everyday stories of school and such but drew each other in to the feelings and characters in our class. I will admit that in my family there was more emphasis on a good story than in the literal truth. That may have just been in my family. Why tell a boring story when it could be a better story?

I like it when a story teller tells the audience something about the character's feelings and then tells how that plays out I. E. Ben did not want to be out done so he…

Story tellers should give a short space for the listeners to catch the meaning and imagine themselves in that position. I.E. I felt the water and mud soak the to bottom as the sludge over topped my shoe.
I imagined a day of one shoe squishing with every step … and decided …to step in with both feet...
I came to regret my solution.

Choosing a story that is interesting in the first place would be nice.

There was an 8 min limit so perhaps it was hard to find something in their repertoire that fit the time. Mostly it seemed that people who wanted to be in show biz and wanted to make a few bucks thought Story telling was something anyone could do since it was "just for kids".

I don't claim to be a story teller but I know what I don't like.

The highly opinionated,

-Mary Mowder

An interesting read, that. Thank you, Mary.

I feel many who think they can tell a good story need to hear a recording of it sometime. We all see ourselves in a unique way, as Robt Burns so well stated.

I guess I would admit that though I love to tell a good story, I am not sure I do. Carolyn, my SO, complains frequently that she can't follow my approach. I do not like the linear style, I like to put things out there that challenge the imagination and they draw it all together near the end. It is an art. It is harder than it looks. I love to do it, especially with a magic routine. One of my favs is Skinner's Ultimate Monte done to a story-poem. I just feel it gives life to the effect.

So good to "talk" with you-

Jim

Hi all-

Are any of you out there practicing regular-like? I am about to the end of my patience with what has been a sort-of rough winter season, and looking forward to hitting the bricks soon for the fun of busking at some spring events. What you-all got going???

Jim

My Ring and Ribbon is moving painfully slowly and yet is so rewarding.

I'm working nightly about 30 min each on Ring and Ribbon and 2 ring linking ring moves (it's going great in the "move" dept. but not so well in the routine dept.).

Same with Ring and Ribbon. Great moves and lots of them. Not a good routine yet (more of a long kata) and only a mental suggestion of a couple of directions for patter.

It holds great promise but the task keeps growing.

-Mary Mowder

I've been off and on since the New Year. I'm full time now looking for gigs, in between visiting grand kids in Pittsburgh. Working on getting a weekly restaurant gig, have a couple contacts and now need to go after them hard.

Have started working on a stage show. First up is cut and restored rope, combined with professors nightmare. Since most of my work is close up, working on routines that I can perfect one by one will building the show.

Hudson
www.HudsonMagic.com