What's on my mind?

Wednesday

Great afternoon chumming around with Buster. After school when I got home we hopped in the car to go on an adventure. The idea was to go somewhere that we hadn't been before. Not hard to do, as we pretty much stay in Alki Beach. It was a beautiful afternoon, one of those cool, crisp fall days like a Granny Smith apple.

I've always known that Buster has some artistic talents. I really like some of what he's done so far. He has great ideas of shooting and editing multi-angle shoots. I'd really like to help and encourage him. Seattle has some of the best Independent Film Making Schools around! Right ON.

I like the 4 minute clip we came up with yesterday. We co-directed and co-edited it. It was time for me to get ready to go to the Owl & Thistle, so he finished up the project.

I was checking my email and got something from the ex. More lies in a War of Hate. It breaks my heart every time. It rips away that scab on my heart in one quick motion and brings back the pain and sorrow quickly. "Fuck it!" I said to myself. "This don't mean shit." I will keep on coming on. I will complete the parenting class and jump through what ever little hoops you want me to. I will be your trained poodle to see my kids. I'll piss in any cup you want, pick the kids up at any police station that meets your sick, fucking deranged, paranoid, fat, lazy, drunk needs.

Ok I feel better. . . do you?

My new mood is battling the happy one from the afternoon. I try and loose the vibe, relax and mellow out. Remind myself that I'm about to be dancing with beautiful women who can actually stand my company. I got to the pub and took our normal corner table. No one else showed up from our posse. Which was good, cause it let me wallow and stew a bit more. KD (pronounced Katie) was there. I always look at her from across the room and want to talk to her. We've chatted and danced in the past and she seems like a nice girl. One of the few my own age. I didn't go and talk to her. Rather I took out my emotional pacifier and started shuffling them. Broke in a new deck of Tally-Ho Circle Backs while smoking my cigar and drinking a Crown Royal Kamikaze, straight up in a Martini glass.

The band started and played a few songs, I wanted to dance with KD but choked. I was full of doubt and fear. Fear of rejection, fear of dancing shitty, fear of not being good enough. My desire to dance overpowered all of my petty insecurities when they started to play "Beyond the Sea". I walked across the small dance floor put my hand out and asked her if she would like to dance. The world became a better place. I danced a few more dances with Maggie and KD.

Negative thoughts kept seeping in. I left after the second set and came home. I wondered what my kids ate for dinner.

Houdini & his brother

Soprano Style Tenki Pennies

Buster and I were out and about shooting and editing. This is what we came up with.



Video Click Here

Shit

If it looks like shit, and smells like shit, and tastes like shit. . . . . meet my ex wife.

Divorce-Related Malicious Mother Syndrome

Latest round of bullshit

Dear Ms. Tynan:

I have received from Mr. Frank the following visitation schedule request:

He would like to visit with them on Sundays, commencing on 10/30/05, picking them up at 10:00 a.m. and returning them at 6:00 p.m. As I remember, you were willing to make the transfer point in North Bend and would suggest either a commercial establishment, i.e., McDonalds, or a public facility such as a Police Station, etc.

Mr. Frank would also like to see the children for a few hours on the following Holidays:

10/31/05 Halloween
11/24/05 Thanksgiving
12/25/05 Christmas Day

Additionally, he would like to spend time with Max on his birthday, 11/23.

For your further information, Mr. Frank has enrolled in the Apple Parenting Classes which commence 10/18/05 through 12/6/05.

I would appreciate hearing back from you at your first convenience so we can resolve the issues regarding the appropriateness of these dates and times.

Best Regards,

James A. Feldman

Latest round of bullshit pt. 2

October 24, 2005

Dear Mr. Feldman:

I appreciate you communicating Mr. Frank’s requested visitation schedule. During our meeting on 10-12-05 that followed the Court hearing, I know Mr. Frank agreed to check his calendar and forward this information the next day. I have been waiting to hear from you since that date.

Although self-employed, during that meeting Mr. Frank was adamant about not being able to visit with the children on ANY Saturday or Sunday due to his anticipated weekend work schedule. Based on the delay in his response time, I was concerned that Mr. Frank had chosen to continue not exercising his visitation time.

During the hearing of 10-12-05, the Commissioner stated that the visitation time Mr. Frank has with the children would not change adding that Mr. Frank may, if he chooses, exercise his visitation with the children on a half-day basis per the guidelines outlined in the Parenting Plan. The Commissioner also stated that Mr. Frank was responsible for the pick-up/drop-off of the children in Ellensburg. I respect the Commissioner’s recommendations and decisions of our hearing on 10-12-05.

Since January of 2005, Tom has never exercised his visitation schedule. However, I will agree to Tom’s request of a visitation schedule of every other Sunday, beginning on 10-30-05. I do maintain my concerns regarding Mr. Frank’s drug and alcohol problems and the children’s safety while in his care. Therefore, I request that each visit be limited to five (5) hours each, commencing on and/or after 12:00 Noon with a return on and/or before 6:00PM. (As Sunday is a school night, it is in the best interest of the children to be home by 6:00PM). Since he will be driving the distance to Ellensburg for these Sunday visitations, I believe Mr. Frank will agree this is a reasonable time frame in comparison to the after school visitation times agreed upon in our Parenting Plan. Exchanges will take place at the Ellensburg Police Station, as a Restraining Order is in effect. In order for the children to be ready and available, I am requesting from Mr. Frank, before his first Sunday visit (10-30-05), a written calendar of his Sunday dates and times. This is to ensure a commitment from Mr. Frank. If he fails to contact me regarding not being able to exercise any given visitation or does not show up, I will assume he is choosing again to stop exercising his visitation times.

Per the 10-12-05 Order, please refer to the Parenting Plan regarding Mr. Frank’s request for the Holidays, Special Occasions, etc. However, please know that the final Parenting Plan was determined based on the collateral input of Mr. Frank and myself. Even though Mr. Frank had every opportunity, this past year, to exercise his holiday visitation dates (Hanukkah, July 4th, Father’s Day and his birthday) he never made arrangements; not even a telephone call. Therefore, I am assuming that Mr. Frank will continue his choice of not exercising his holiday visitations, unless I hear differently from you, of course, in a timely manner.


Sincerely,


Moira Tynan

Pics du Jour

Here is the group I performed/lectured for in Coeur D'lane. Nice folks, great audience.

Tuesday

Slept in. Got up and prepared to ship some cups. Farted around the house, watched the end of "Deal Of The Century" Staring Chevy Chase and Gregory Hines as arms dealers. Strange, after just seeing Lord of War about arms dealers. Coincidence. . . . ?

When Buster got home from school, we went to the bank, (I got a $400 money order to send in for part of my child support), Dropped off the cups at the post office. Then we went to Schmitz Park to take a walk. 2nd day in a row! I love walking and talking with my boy. He's a great kid and he's doing great. . . that makes me very happy. I love being a father and can't wait to start seeing my other 3 kids more!

This evening I attended my second parenting class. This week we watched old Brady Bunch Episodes and discussed Freudian overtones in TV parenting as it relates to our children in 2005. Fascinating discussions in lieu of lashing out with an argumentative attitude and a bloody lip.

After the class, I got home and jumped into the Tuesday night session, already in progress. The guys were discussing various handlings for Dr. Daley's Last Trick. A great trick, and one of my "6 tricks" that I know. Later in the evening I performed the effect as an impersonation of Dr. Daley.

Had a good time. We all did a bunch of tricks, couple of round robins. I did Paul LePaul's Gymnastic Aces. We discussed the faro shuffle (that's what gave me the idea to do Gymnastic Aces), we talked about the 4 and 8 handed faro poker deals. Steve took it a step further, instead of stacking the 4 aces, do a royal flush instead. Because of it's binary nature and properties, adding another card is no big deal. After 3 faro's there's still 7 cards between each card from the royal flush. Good thinking Steve!

Scotty hung around after everyone else had left and stayed for another cigar and a cocktail. We talked more magic and watched some video footage of some European Buskers I shot back in 1991. Scotty is off on a European Adventure next week. He'll be flying in to Paris (I think) and looking for places to street perform. Good Luck my friend, I know you'll do great!

In my "In Box"

Dear Tom Frank,
Thank you for travelling to the Idaho panhandle this weekend to entertain (and inform) us local magicians and magic enthusiasts with "An Evening of Comedy Magic with Tom Frank".

As clever a wordsmith as I often presume to be, I cannot possibly render in words the feelings of pride and glee that I have about your willingness to assist in my first attempt to magnify the value of magical entertainment in this region.

BTW, your "Tricky Wallet" instructional video tape is wonderful. Thank you for presenting a set to me. Your kind gesture was thoroughly appreciated.* Your ingeniuous "Tricky Wallet" card trick reminded me of "Escape from Bulgaria": one of the three routines described in the FYEO** booklet "Scotty York's Passport Wallet". In York's self-proclaimed "tongue-in-cheek" story-themed routine, paperclips and folded bills of foreign currency bills are employed. As enteraining as York's routine might be, I think he's went to a lotta trouble to dress up a "card trick" with a Himber wallet. To each his own. That said, I believe that _your_ handling, Tom, is, not only much "cleaner", it is friendlier. In other words, your presentation is easier to understand; consequently, it provides a illicits a stronger response.

Tom, "The Legend of the Five Mystic Rings" DVD is superb ! Without question, this is one of the finest instructional video tapes that I own. Your routining is perfect. ***** outta ***** ! Your rendition of the classis Chinese Linking Rings is a modern classic. (The high-definition video quality is remarkable.) I will learn your ring routine. Thank you for sharing your handling with me.

The final card trick that you taught us us at the very end of the show/lecture evening - used to tame a heckler-type - is in published in Karl Fulves More Self-Working Card Tricks_ (Dover, '84), as "4. Penny Plain", on pages 6 - 7. You were correct to describe Fulves' explanation of the trick as "indecipherable". Question: in Fulves explanation, all of the cards in a deck are used. Why did you narrow the amount of cards to be stacked in the two piles to be between 7 and 20?

Please teach me how to active on your magic blog.

Cheers,
Kim "Max" Long

Close-up Conjuror: Dai Vernon

The text below was shamelessly ripped off from some web site. . . . . but I thought it went real good with the picture I wanted to post. Oh well

Dai Vernon (David Frederick Wingfield Verner) was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on June 11, 1894. He got the nickname of "Dai" when a typo in a newspaper gave him Dai instead of David. His last name "Vernon" came from the dancer, Vernon Castle, who with his wife was a dancer in early part of the century. While in New York, his name Vernon was carried over since most New Yorkers could not pronounce it correctly. Vernon is, without doubt, the most influential conjuror of the 20th century.

Magicians know him affectionately as ‘The Professor’ and as 'The Man Who Fooled Houdini.' Harry Houdini boasted that no one could fool him if he saw a trick performed three times in a row. In 1919, in Chicago, Vernon took up his challenge. He performed an old version of 'The Ambitious Card' eight times in a row, and Houdini had no idea how it was done. As a result in the 1920s and 30s, Vernon used the line "He Fooled Houdini" in his advertisement. It was later that Vernon's friend Garrick Spencer gave him the name 'The Professor'. Vernon didn't care for it, but it stuck with him.

If you mention his name to any conjuror, amateur or professional, and you will immediately have their undivided attention. Vernon improved known tricks and created new ones such as Twisting the Aces. He was a smart man, knew old magicians like Max Malini and Harry Houdini. He had friendship with magicians like T. Nelson Downs, Allan Shaw, Manuel, and Welch Miller to name a few.

In 1963, Dai Vernon came to see Jay Ose, visiting the Magic Castle for the first time. Vernon is probably the most notable resident magician of the Magic Castle. Magicians from all over the world came to the Magic Castle to learn from the him. His clinical mind was responsible for many modern classic routines adopted by numerous magicians today. He set new standards, and elevated the art of conjuring more than almost any predecessor. He is probably the greatest contributor to the art of close-up magic. However, he was a modest person blessed with indescribable charm. He was a true gentleman and everyone loved him. It was very rare to hear Vernon say anything unkind about anybody. Even if the person deserved it, he would always find something positive to say about them. He had the rare ability to fill anyone in his company with renewed enthusiasm for their art, magic. There was only one conjuror that he spoke of negatively, and that was Harry Houdini.

Many of today's great magicians (Michael Ammar, Bruce Cervon, John Carney, Larry Jennings, Ricky Jay, just to name a few) came to learn from Dai Vernon. In October 1965, journalist, and amateur conjuror Richard Buffum recorded a series of interviews with Vernon. This amounted to seven miles of tape. An edited transcript of these interviews appeared in the book, The Vernon Chronicles - Dai Vernon a Magical Life, published in 1992, and edited by Bruce Cervon and Keith Burns, both very close friends of Vernon. Sadly ‘The Professor’ passed over shortly after the publication of the book. He died at the age of 98, in Hollywood, California in 1992.

Always a slave to fashion

This was shot in 198?. . . something, shit I don't know. But judging by what I'm wearing it's safe to say that I hadn't been married at this point. Life was simple during this period in my life. I met Danny Lord on this Adventure I was on with Jeff Moche. We drove from NYC to Miami, Florida to street perform at the Coconut Grove Arts Festival. Meeting Danny Lord was pivotal in my understanding of street theater. He was a man of extremes, he was not beyond faking an epileptic seizure to gather a crowd. This guy was a NUT! After dinner one night a bunch of us busker's were walking down the street and Danny said, Hey gang! let's do a street show with just what we have on us. (all of our acts/gear was in the car as we were done for the day). He and I were the only ones that thought it was a good idea and as I remember we pulled it off!

A box in front of my house

Near the door. Guess it had been there all afternoon. . . waiting for me. Buster and I had taken two nice walks. One walk, in the afternoon, to Shmitz Park; and the other, after Monday Night Football we walked along the beach. On our return I noticed the box near the door. I was eagerly awaiting this package. For inside it's cardboard exterior and bubble wrap guts, in the placenta of the Styrofoam peanuts, lay a set of cups made by RnT II (Rings and Things Two). This beautiful set commemorates the Paul Fox design. These guys have ALWAYS made good stuff. Hell when I was a kid, Rings and Things was an industry standard. They made the dove pans, linking rings and cups and balls of a generation. I was glad when they hit the scene again.

A nice swap out for a set of Phoenix Cups.

Buster gets a new coat

Today was a foggy day. After Buster came home from school we went and bought him the overcoat that we looked at the other day.

Should a parent be worried when buying an overcoat for a teenage son when he says, "Dad, can we get something that will accommodate shotgun"? Hmmmmmmmmm.

Lecture

Who knew that my lecture would turn into a 5 hour docudrama of magic as seen through the eyes of a street performer. Life the universe and everything was thrown into this discussion. Performance, Stories, Theory, & Pain all told in an inappropriate and irreverent way that only I have the poor taste to deliver. For example, one of the youngsters (a kid of 12 or 13) asked about the coin falling up. I asked him if he knew how to classic palm a coin. I went off on a riff about crawling before you can walk, and taught him about the classic palm of a coin. I demonstrated how to get a coin in classic palm and told him that by developing the muscle at the base of the thumb he would not only learn to palm but he would be on his way to learning the coin falling up. He asked me how to build up the thumb muscle. I said, "You have to masturbate. . . A LOT!"

I think everyone there had a good time and hopefully learned something. I know I had a GREAT time and was humbled and honored that anybody showed up at all. I think there were around 20 men, women and children.

I started out with a 45 minute performance. High energy opening with the cups and balls, followed by cards,silks, coins, the dean's box & the rings.

I talked about my start in show business, working the Kings Island Amusement Park as a 15 year old. I made $250 a week, working six 20 minute shows a day. I was on break more than I worked. The next year I made $300 a week. It ruined me for the rest of my life.

I told stories of meeting Cellini, dropping out of high school and moving to New York City to be a street performer. I shared my adventures working Comedy Clubs and working the corporate market. We discussed marketing for 30 - 45 minutes. I showed all the promo pieces I had brought and discussed ways to measure their effectivness. "If you can't measure it. . . you can't manage it". I demonstrated my sales pitches during the "retail years in the magic shop business" section. We talked about selling magic after your show.

All in all a good time. Special thanks to Kim "Max" Long. The Magic Artists Guild is his idea. He has specific ideas about community building in magic in his area. This is very exciting! I know what it's like to bring magicians together and the power of that. Congrats Max on taking the first step!!! Now remember what I said about getting a weekly session going. I have a feeling a few of the guys from Spokane will come in for it!

Houdini

For this last week of October finishing up on Halloween, I will be featuring a Houdini Pic of the day.

Houdini was into bondage. . . duh!

On the road again

Worked the Fenix Friday night. Saturday morning drove to Coeur D'lane Idaho to do my lecture. This morning I drove back to do a 3PM kids show in Sammamish. Busy weekend of driving and performing, I love it!

It's late, I'm tired, I'll write about the lecture later.

Goodnight

Dinner and a movie

Tonight I made steak dinner for Buster and myself. Afterwards we went to see Wedding Crashers at the Admiral Theater. Funny movie.