I’ve been having a recurring dream in which I have dinner with Penn and Teller.

The first time I had it, I remember that Teller didn’t talk much (go figure!) while Penn kinda worked the room. He would sit down at the table with me, but then have to rush away and go greet somebody else. He introduced himself to me 3 times, and I kept reminding him that not only had we met each other at this dinner, but I had had dinner with him and Teller 2 other times, once in New York City and once in Cleveland. Then he seemed to remember me and we had a good talk. Neither one of them really ate anything, except when apple pie was brought out. It was about a quarter of a pie, meant for us all to share. Teller ate the whole thing like he never ate before in his life.

(I actually wrote down details of the dream when I woke up because I knew it was a weird dream. That’s why I can recall the details. The other 2 dreams, I barely remember.)

All I really remember about the second time, which happened a few weeks later, was going into a dinner with P&T and thinking “Wow, this is just like the dream I had! How weird!”

And then I woke up this morning with just a vague recollection of having another P&T dinner dream, except this time I hosted them at my house, where the other two times we were in a restaurant of some sort.

I dream about some weird shit, huh?

Andster

Spoiler alert!

Andster

The other night I was shopping at Wal-Mart and started browsing the playing card section, looking for something new. I was happy to see that they are carrying David Blaine’s trick decks, along with some Criss Angel branded gimmicks. I love seeing magic available in regular stores. It’s one of the ways I started out. (Anyone else remember Magic Works?)

I had no use for the Criss Angel gimmicks, but decided to buy one of the David Blaine marked decks. I got it home, played with it a bit, and I am very impressed. The deck itself is a silver/grey split spades deck, made to the same quality of a normal deck. Often times gimmicked decks are made with cheap quality cards, but this is definitely not the case here. The marks are easy to read, but they are by no means subtle. A layman could easily see them if they were looking, however if you present the tricks properly they shouldn’t have a reason to look.

The deck comes with a booklet of tricks written by Joshua Jay. The tricks are good. One of them is so good that it fooled my fiance, even though she knew full well I was using a marked deck. You also get a double backed card, a special ace of spades with a card reveal in the artwork, and a queen that can also be used as a reveal. Having these extra cards that can also be used with a normal split spades deck is a very nice touch.

All in all, I’m extremely satisfied with this deck. If you get a chance I’d recommend picking one up, especially if you already use split spades decks. I’m sure you’ll come up with many uses for it.

Andster

Around the time I bought my house, I started a new job. Sick of my 26 mile commute, I found work managing a movie theater that’s only a couple miles from my place. It’s a great job, but it can get very boring very quickly. There are periods of busy-ness that last for about 40 minutes around the showtimes, then when the movies play there’s nothing to do for 2 hours. And when we have movies that aren’t very popular, those 40 minute busy times dwindle down to nothing.

I very quickly learned that I needed to bring something to do to keep my sanity. So I put a deck of cards in my suit pocket, and fiddle with them during the down time. Only a couple people there know that I do magic, and I haven’t been making a huge deal of it. I’ve made the cards part of me, playing games with the employees sometimes and mostly practicing magic in the office.

About a week ago, one of the girls there was joking about reading minds. I got real serious and said, “Sometimes I can actually do that. It’s pretty weird.” Of course, she didn’t believe and did the cliche “Okay, what am I thinking?” response. I said something about it not working like that and that we need a common thing to focus on. So out came the cards.

I pulled out the jokers while glimpsing the top card, and shuffled a couple times while retaining it on top. I forced the card on her, and did Sean Field’s Metronome Revelation. (I absolutely love this reveal. It’s like real-time mind reading.) She was amazed, and I had her shuffle the deck. I got really lucky and was able to see the bottom card when she finished shuffling, so my key card trick became hands-off. I turned my back, had her pick out any card, cut it into the deck, shuffle a couple times, and hand it to me.

I pulled out the card I thought was hers, and placed it face down in her hand. I asked her to turn it over, and she yelped. I knew it was a gamble to use the finesse, but it worked well. She asked how I did it, and I just kinda smiled and said “I’m not too sure. Weird, huh?” She has to know it wasn’t really mind reading. I hope. If not, I guess that just makes it even better.

Andster

I’ve been playing around with a concept for a little while. I’ve audience tested a handful of times, and have had nothing but great reactions. Based on my tests at home, this works pretty often, but not 100% of the time. I’ll be interested to hear how it works for the rest of you.

I’m sure we’re all familiar with the key card principle and using it to find a selected card. It’s in pretty much every beginner’s magic book since the beginning of time. The instructions all say the same thing: “Cut the cards as many times as you want, and you won’t disturb the order of the cards. Only a shuffle will change that.” Well, I’ve found that you can give a deck several sloppy riffle shuffles, and still have a really good chance of the key card setup staying in place.

When I say “sloppy riffle shuffle,” what I’m trying to describe is basically the way a layman would shuffle. Don’t cut the deck exactly in half. Don’t prefectly interlace every other card. Just casually shuffle, letting some flip off from the left hand, some flip off from the right. In fact, you can shuffle once or twice and then let the spectator shuffle a couple times themselves.

I usually start by (after glimpsing the key card, of course) cutting the cards a few times, then shuffling once or twice, then letting the spectator shuffle a couple times. I spread through so only I can see the faces looking for the key card. I pull the card next to it out and hand it to them face down. They name the card they picked, and 4 times out of 5, they’re holding it.

Depending on how you shuffled, if the chosen card isn’t directly next to the key card it should still be close. If you missed it on the first try, it’s relatively easy to cut to the right card and switch it with a top change, reveal it by using a palm, etc. But I prefer to just play it straight. If it hits, it’s a test-conditions miracle. If you miss, shrug it off and follow up with something else.

I hope someone reads this, plays with it, and lets me know how it works for them.

Andster

Still here, not dead, checking in.

Bought a house, got a new job, shit’s crazy.

Gig fell through, possible lead on another, been practicing.

AGT needs more magicians.

Andster

Well, 88 days into 2011, I figure it’s time for the first post of the year. This time, I’ve got a great reason for not blogging: I took a break. I haven’t been doing magic for a while, instead focusing on work and friends and family. I had some fun, but now I’ve got the itch again and so I’ve been picking up the cards and coins and getting back into it.

I’ve been working on a couple Japanese/samurai routines for a possible upcoming gig, and am working on a couple other routines for table hopping. When I know more, you’ll know more.

I’ve got a few things I want to talk about that I’ll try to get out over the next few days. Other than that, I’m still here and still the same Andster who doesn’t post for months on end. The secret to longetivity on a blog is only posting twice a year.

Until next time,

Andster

Hey folks. Been several months since I’ve updated this. I know, I suck. I’m trying to get back here. In brief:

I’ve moved into a new place. I now have high speed wireless internet, so since I’m not tethered by dial-up anymore, I can participate in live chats and update things easier. I’ve been inspired recently and have a lot of ideas I’d like to share and discuss. So hopefully I’ll stick with it this time and get some things out there.

The big party in August never materialized. It was way overbilled, and ended up being my core group of friends and a couple other people. I showed some of them Lit, and they liked it. Other than that, no big show.

In a perfect world, I’ll get a post up within the next couple days that’s actually worth a damn. You can follow me on Twitter (@Andster) or email me (professorandster (at) gmail (dot) com) if you wanna get in touch with me. And of course, the phone number’s on the site somewhere if you care to find it.

Until next time.

Andster

Last Wednesday, I went with Becca to a nearby amusement/water park. There was a group outing there, with a picnic and people riding and sliding and whatnot. I brought along a bit of magic with the intent to practice some stuff for the party in August. I had a normal deck of cards, my homemade invisible deck, a book of matches, a Frixion pen, a real pen, and some business cards.

As everyone was eating, I showed Becca’s brother and his girlfriend a trick with the Frixion pen. Just something simple with some scribbles that change to form the name of a chosen card. I learned that using matches with the pen is not a good idea when you’re outside and it’s windy. Gotta either be inside for the matches, or use a lighter. I ended up borrowing one from someone so I could finish it somewhat successfully.

After some waterslides and rides, Becca’s brother told me I needed to show his friend Anthony that trick. We went back to the pavillion, and Anthony was grilling. When he finished, I showed him the Frixion trick, this time using the heat of the charcoal grill instead of a match or lighter. That worked REALLY well, but it’s not that practical for everyday use.

Right as I was moving my business card over the grill, 4 more people walked up and caught the tail end of the trick. Of course, they asked me to do it again. I said I’d show them something different. I did the Biddle trick, one of my all-time favorite go-to tricks. I pocketed the cards and switched them out for my invisible deck. I got everybody involved in thinking of a card (red or black? clubs or spades? high or low? etc.) and that went over really well. I did one of David Stone’s three card monte-esque tricks (can’t remember the name) and one where I sniffed out the chosen card.

I did the Frixion trick one last time, cause even through they knew what was coming it was still cool as hell. Sue me. I finished up with Sean Fields’ Metronome Revelation. I’ve been using that for years, and until you try it, you probably won’t appreciate how great it goes over. Everyone loved it, and it made me feel awesome.

Later in the evening, Becca and her parents were in line to ride a roller coaster. I wasn’t in the mood, so I was chilling on a bench. It was about half an hour before closing time, and across the way was one of those “test your strength with a mallet” booths. The kid running it had 0 customers for the 20 minutes I was watching him pace around his booth. I kept telling myself, “Go show him a trick. Just get up there, and go show him something. You need the practice. Get off your ass and go do something.”

I finally walked over and said, “You look bored.” He goes, “Yeah, I am.” I asked him if he wanted to see a card trick, and he said “Sure.” I did the Biddle trick for him, and he was pretty impressed. I asked him if he wanted to see one more thing, and did the Frixion trick for the third time that day. (Can you tell what my new workhorse is going to be?) He really liked that one, and with perfect timing, Becca came off the ride just as I was finishing up.

I had some good practice time in front of real people, and also got to approach a complete stranger to do magic in literally years. I’ve got about a week til the party, so I gotta get back into the swing of things quick. I think I’ve got the material picked out. I’d like to try things out another time, but I don’t know when I’d have the time.

I’ll keep you updated.

Andster

First of all, I must confess that I feel like an idiot. I spent all day of my birthday Twitter-hyping my contest and wondering why nobody was taking me up on it. Now I know. It’s because the post explaining what the contest was about and how to win was saved as a draft and not published. Rookie mistake, and again, I feel really stupid.

Anyhoo…

About a week ago, I was having dinner with a friend. We were going over details about a party we’re throwing in August (which reminds me, if anybody wants to party the first weekend in August, email me) and he said he’d like me to do a magic show on one of the nights. I had to convince him that I’m not the “magic show” guy, but the “walk-around magic” guy, but he finally got the point.

Then he said something which, on the surface, seems almost like a put-down, but I think it’s actually a pretty big compliment. He said, “I’m not gonna lie dude, you used to impress me sometimes.” See, I’m a big believer in the whole ‘a prophet is never recognized in his own town’ thing. It’s why my family (with the exception of my mother, because come on, she’s my mother) and friends don’t usually appreciate my magic as much as strangers do. They’ve changed my diapers. They knew me before I got into magic. They see my shelves full of books and videos when they come over. They know that I’m not special, and they know they could do what I do if they had those shelves.

So to hear that I’m actually impressive to my friends kinda made my night. I reassured him that although I hadn’t been doing anything lately, I’ve still got my chops. I started going through my material, trying to come up with a “set list” so to speak. We’ll see how this goes. Hopefully, in just under a month now, we’ll see my triumphant return to the world of magic.

Today marks the triumphant return to blogging. We’ll see how long it lasts.

Andster

Modern Coin Magic by JB Bobo

Price:$8.95

Available From: Your favorite dealer

If you haven’t heard of Modern Coin Magic by now, you’ve been living under a rock. I don’t really think there’s much I can add here. If you’re starting out and want to learn coin magic, check this out. Be warned, some of the descriptions of sleights can be difficult to follow (especially if you’ve got coins in your hand and are trying to hold the book open).

Other than that, I have no complaints. This is one of the classics, and if you’re just starting out, you should pick it up. If you’re not just starting out, chances are you already have it.

Andster

Street Magic by Paul Zenon

Price: $10.95

Available From: Your Favorite Dealer

This book is primarily aimed at beginners to the world of magic, with a focus on street magic tricks. Although I didn’t get this when I was first starting out, I was able to find a couple interesting bits and ideas that I think I can put to use. If you’ve been in magic for any length of time, you’re probably not going to find anything groundbreaking here.

For a beginner though, I think this would be a decent place to start. The book begins with the obligatory history of magic and a few self working tricks. There’s a section on coin magic that teaches a couple basic moves (classic palm, French drop) a couple tricks, and a bit of sleeving. He talks about a few basic gimmicks and some tricks using them, like a thumb tip, a nailwriter, and a pull. You’ll learn some basic card controls and sleights like the injog, break, and double lift, as well as quite a few tricks and flourishes.

There’s a section on mental magic, where you’ll learn the center tear, the one-ahead principle, and a magic square, among other things. Something that I found interesting and useful was the section on street scams, such as three-card monte, fast and loose, and the shell game. You don’t usually see that in beginner magic books (actually, not in any of the books I have) and it’s nice to have a print reference for it.

Finally, there are a few so-called “party tricks” that aren’t earth shattering, not overtly magical, but still something fun and entertaining to do at a party. This part has things like the voodoo ash trick, paper balls over the head, and the cup through the table. He also includes a version of Paul Curry’s Out of This World, one of my personal favorites (although I must admit I prefer Paul Harris’s version Galaxy) and a nice inclusion.

There’s also a glossary of magical terms, as well as a couple suggestions for magic websites, magazines, and dealers that the beginner may want to look into. As I said before, there’s probably nothing here you haven’t already seen because this is geared towards the beginner. However, if you are a beginner I think there would be a lot here for you, and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.

Andster

Does anyone else get random bursts of creativity at times when they’re not prepared to deal with them? It seems like every day I’m at work I think of random ideas for a routine, or a new handling for something, or bits of patter. I’m not in a position to work on it then and there, and it seems that even if I write things down the creativity leaves me as time passes. When I’m home and ready to work on something, it just doesn’t come for me. I don’t know why that is, and I’m trying to overcome it. Hopefully I will soon.

Andster

I had some remodeling done a few months back, so I had to pack most of my things into boxes and shove them into the basement. I was digging through them today trying to find a book to loan to a friend when I uncovered a bunch of magic I knew I had, but didn’t quite know where they were:

Maximum Entertainment - Ken Weber
Swami/Mantra - Sam Dalal
The Art of Krowd Keeping - Gazzo
100 Ways to Win a Ten-Spot - Paul Zenon
More Magical Science - Eric Ladizinski

I’ll add these to the Magic Shelf Master List and get reviewing them. It’s been a really slow start on the reviews, but I’ll get there eventually.

There was also a bunch of magazines that I don’t know if I’m going to consider part of the shelf, simply because I don’t know how I’d be able to review them. I’ve got roughly 15 assorted copies of MUM, Genii, and Magic magazines from the 70s, and what I believe is the entire run of Street Magic Magazine. I also found my Rocky Raccoon, my escape shackles, and several decks of cards I’ve been missing from my collection.

It’s like Christmas!

Andster

I’m taking the first step to completing one of my resolutions by finally posting the inventory I took of my magic shelf. It’s right below this post, and there’s a link to it on the right hand side, right above the “Sites of Interest” category for when this gets buried.

So, I’ll let you know how this is going to work, along with some things to keep in mind about the list:

1. As of right now, things are not organized in any particular way, except for separation of books and videos.

2. This list only has things that are actually on my shelf at this moment. For example, I own Swami/Mantra but I don’t know where it is. Since it’s not on the shelf, it’s not on the list. Until I find it again.

3. I’m not planning to write reviews in any particular order, so if there’s something you want to know about, comment or email and I’ll bump it to the top.

4. This shelf contains stuff I’ve been collecting since I started in magic oh, so long ago. So don’t make fun!

Well, I think that’s it. Let’s hope for the best and see how this thing works out.

Andster

Books and Magazines
Sankey Unleashed - Jay Sankey
The Magic Show - Mark Setteducati and Anne Benkovitz
The Art of Astonishment vol 1 - Paul Harris
The Art of Astonishment vol 2 - Paul Harris
The Art of Astonishment vol 3 - Paul Harris
Mark Wilson’s Complete Course in Magic - Mark Wilson
Hollywood Illusion: Magic Castle - Milt Larson
Street Magic - Paul Zenon
Penn and Teller’s Cruel Tricks for Dear Friends - Penn and Teller
The Magician and the Cardsharp - Karl Johnson
Thirteen Steps to Mentalism - Corinda
The Royal Road to Card Magic - Hugard and Braue
Modern Coin Magic - J.B. Bobo
Sleight of Hand - Sachs
Expert Card Technique - Hugard and Braue
Mastering Magic - Walter B. Gibson
Strong Magic - Darwin Ortiz
Strong Magic (sealed) - Darwin Ortiz
The Secret Art of Magic - Eric Evans and Nowlin Craver
Tricks - David Ben
The Complete Idiots Guide to Street Magic - Tom Ogden
Mysterious Stranger - David Blaine
Workers vol 1 - Michael Close
Workers vol 2 - Michael Close
Workers vol 3 - Michael Close
Workers vol 4 - Michael Close
Workers vol 5 - Michael Close
The Art of Escape vol 1 - John Novak
The Art of Escape vol 2 - John Novak
The Art of Escape vol 3 - John Novak
The Art of Escape vol 4 - John Novak
The Art of Escape vol 5 - John Novak
THe Art of Escape vol 6 - John Novak
The Art of Escape vol 7 - John Novak
The Art of Escape vol 8 - John Novak
Street Magic - Edward Claflin and Jeff Sheridan
Making Magic - Fay Presto
Third Eye - Andrew Mayne
Body Morphin’ - Andrew Mayne
Shock Magic - Andrew Mayne
The Blindfolded Car Drive - Devin Knight
Gris Gris - Ryan Matney
X Rated - Sean Fields
Some More Tricks - Anthony Owen
Crossroads - Ben Harris
Quarks and Quirks - Ben Harris
Hole in the Head - Ben Harris
Magician Magazine - Blacks Magic
Magic Tricks - Usborne Hotshots
Modern Day Houdini - Bill Shirk and Dick Wolfsie
Fun, Inc. catalogue 54 - Fun Inc.
US Toy Magic Catalogue - US Toy
Pick a Card, Any Card?: Forcing Techniques and Uses - Royal Magic
Impossible Card in Bottle - Gerard Kirchner
Cups and Balls - Royal Magic
The Pinned Card - Damien Vappereau and Jean Mark Sainclaire
101 Thumbtip Tricks - Gary Darwin
125 Magic Tricks With a Regular Deck of Cards - Royal Magic
The Amazing Jonathan’s Every Trick in the Book - The Amazing Jonathan
Method Impossible - Jason Messina
Wi - Jason Messina
Hockmann the Great Exposes Himself - Milt Larson
The Restaurant Worker’s Handbook - Jim Pace and Jerry MacGregor
Tricks With Your Head - Mac King and Mark Levy
Explicit Content - Sean Fields
Sure-Fire Magic - David Ginn
Bisection - Andrew Mayne
Healed and Sealed - Anders Moden
Armbuster - Andrew Mayne
Facelifter - Andrew Mayne
Black Art - Magic, Inc.
Touching Sky - Andrew Mayne
Lake Tahoe Card Magic - Louis Falanga
Dreamweaver - The Enchantment
The $1000 Secret Seance - Docc Hilford
Some Tricks - Anthony Owen
The Secret Illusion Show - Andrew Mayne
The Klutz Book of Magic - John Cassidy and Michael Stroud
Backyard Magic - Todd Karr
Close Up: The Real Secrets of Magic - David Stone
The Glass Box Revisited and Other Predictions - Devin Knight & the late Al Mann
Magic Magazine: Andrew Mayne -
More Magical Science - Eric Ladizinsky
Maximum Entertainment - Ken Weber
The Art of Krowd Keeping - Gazzo
100 Ways to Win a Ten-Spot - Paul Zenon
Swami/Mantra - Sam Dalal

Videos
Frozen - Adam Grace
Stigmata - Wayne Houchin
Cradle to Grave - De’vo
Kard Klub - Ellusionist
Ninja 2 - Ellusionist
Revolution - Ellusionist
Inside Magic - Ellusionist
Glass - Adam Grace
Mindbender - Anthony Billan Ko
Indecent - Wayne Houchin
Liquid Metal - Morgan Strebler
Spun - Morgan Strebler
Extreme Burn - Richard Sanders
Fiber Optics Extended - Richard Sanders
The Richard Sanders Show vol 1 - Richard Sanders
The Richard Sanders Show vol 2 - Richard Sanders
The Richard Sanders Show vol 3 - Richard Sanders
Escapology with Dixie Dooley vol 1 - Dixie Dooley
Excapology with Dixie Dooley vol 2 - Dixie Dooley
Escapology With Dixie Dooley vol 3 - Dixie Dooley
Escapology With Dixie Dooley vol 4 - Dixie Dooley
Sinful - Wayne Houchin and Criss Angel
The Exchange - David Goring
Stuck! - Greg Rostami
Street Theater - Peter Shatalow
Impossibilia - John Bannon
Knock ‘Em Dead - R. Paul Wilson
Twists of Fate - R. Paul WIlson
Loops - Finn John nd Yigail Mesika
Ultimate Card Through Window - Expert Magic
The Dungeon DVD - Anthony Owen
Real Secrets of Magic vol 1 - David Stone
Real Secrets of Magic vol 2 - David Stone
Mindfreak Season 1 - Criss Angel
Mindfreak Season 2 - Criss Angel
Mindfreak Season 3 - Criss Angel
The Siegfried and Roy Collection - Sigfried and Roy
How to do Street Magic - Ellusionist
The Art of Hopping Tables - Mark Leveridge
Learn to Levitate - A-1 Multimedia
Tear Down - Andrew Mayne
Focal Point - Andrew Mayne
Chain Reaction - Andrew Mayne
Ghost Bills - Andrew Mayne
Gut Buster - Andrew Mayne
Phoneomenon - Doug McKenzie
The Daniel Garcia Project vol 1 - Daniel Garcia
The Daniel Garcia Project vol 2 - Daniel Garcia
The Daniel Garcia Project vol 3 - Daniel Garcia
Torn - Daniel Garcia
Fraud - Daniel Garcia
Saw - Sean Fields
Warp One - David Ren Jenkins
Shade - Daniel Garcia
Symphony - Daniel Garcia
Prime Cut and Phone - Paul Vigil
Geek Magic - Tomas Medina

Fortunately, I didn’t make any resolutions last year that I have to come here and own up to breaking. I probably got sick of making the resolution, promptly forgetting about it, and then having to show up with my tail between my legs afterwards. I’m going to try again this year, but I’m going to set more attainable goals.

Towards the end of last year, we did some remodeling and I got a built in bookshelf that I’m using for my magic books and DVDs. I made a list of everything I’ve got on that shelf, and one of my resolutions is to post my magic shelf and review everything on it.

I’ve made this resolution before, but I’m going to do it again. I’m in the process of talking to a couple different places, so another resolution is to get a regular, paying gig at a restaurant or coffee shop.

That’s probably good enough for now. Especially considering one of those probably won’t happen, and the other one has a 50/50 shot of getting abandoned halfway through. I suck. But I’m gonna try.

Happy new year, everybody.

Andster

Last Monday, I’m at work and it’s snowing like crazy. Literally 24 hours before, we had no snow on the ground. Then this storm comes out of nowhere and just blasts us. Right around the end of my shift, I looked outside at the storm wondering how the roads were going to be for my drive home, and saw a guy hunched over at the end of our driveway. I thought he fell and was hurt, so I stuck my head out the door. Just then he stood up and started walking towards me, and I noticed he was carrying a camera.

I stepped outside and told him, “I thought you fell. I was just making sure you’re okay.” He indicated his camera and said, “No, I’m trying to get some footage. I was trying to get that girl, but she was zig-zagging too much.” I saw the logo for the Weather Channel on his coat, and shamelessly asked, “So…can I be on TV?”

He said yes, and started talking about the shot he wanted to get. He told me he wanted to get some snowy pine trees in the background, and wanted me to walk out about 100 feet into the empty lot across the parking lot, then turn around and walk back. Keep in mind, I’m dressed in a polo shirt, cargo pants, a light hoodie, and tennis shoes. It’s freezing and there’s 6 inches of snow on the ground. But I said sure.

I took my first step into the lot and got snow up over the top of and into my shoe. Two more steps, and I break through some ice. Now I’ve got muddy freezing water filling my right shoe. I pull out, and trudge on. Couple more steps, and I break through again, this time with my left foot. As I pull that leg out, I slip and fall face first into the mud and ice and snow. As I get to my feet, I hear him yell out to me, “Don’t worry, I didn’t get that on tape!”

I turned around and said, “I don’t think this is gonna work!” He yells back, “Okay! You want to film it in the parking lot then?” I said “Sure,” and started walking back through the snow and ice to get to the plowed parking lot. I get back to a clear spot, and he tells me what he wants me to do. “Okay, walk slowly toward me. Count to about 10 and then pull your hood up. Act like you’re trying real hard to hold it down. They eat that shit up! Just don’t look at the camera. They don’t like anything staged.”

So I did, and he said it was perfect and we shook hands and he told me when it would likely be on. I went inside, immediately Twittered and texted all my friends. And then I realized that I was soaked and covered in snow and mud. I looked like I shit my pants and let it drain into my shoes. I squished when I walked, and left muddy footprints and assprints when I sat down. My feet were numb, and it hurt when I walked or tried to move my toes. And I still had 20 minutes of work and a long commute (made even longer by the weather) until I could dry off and warm up.

After I got home and changed and dried off, I parked in front of the Weather Channel looking for my segment. It took several hours of watching, but I first spotted myself at 9:10 and again at 10. It was neat, although I hate how I look on television. I’ve got video of it, which will probably be posted online eventually. Even after all the stuff I went through, I think it was worth it.

Yes, I’m easily amused, but answer me this: Have you ever been on the Weather Channel?

That’s what I thought.

Andster

The Glass Box Prediction by Devin Knight

Price: $41.95

Available From: Your favorite dealer

As I’m sure is obvious from previous entries, I’ve always had a thing for making predictions. Don’t know why or where it came from, but I like knowing the future. I spend a lot of time thinking about how to make me predictions as strong and realistic as possible. For the longest time, I hadn’t been able to find or invent a method that would be the perfect prediction in my eyes. Then I heard about Devin Knight.

At first glance it sounded too good to be true. Three predictions in full view the entire time, removed from the box and opened by the spectator before you even touch them. Although it sounded so great, I let it drop from my radar for some reason or another. And I’m kinda glad I did, because after a while the Glass Box Prediction Revisited was released. This time, I decided to bite the bullet and order it.

For my money, this is the perfect prediction effect for me. Everything stated in the dealer copy is true, and the method is dead easy. As I said before, my girlfriend even knew what I was doing and still didn’t catch the move. It impressed the audience at the time, and they’re still talking about it now, over a month later.

A couple of the ideas (how to change the future immediately comes to mind) seem to be more theoretical in nature than instructional. It’s something that he was able to once to great success, but I don’t think it’s something that could be duplicated very often. It would take lots of work to pull it off just once, and even then I’m not entirely convinced it would be possible. A very interesting read though, and it’s an inspiring way to get your own creative juices flowing and think of your own ways to use the headline prediction to your advantage.

If you’re interested, there is also a glass box available for $7.95 that is supposed to be the perfect size and demensions for this trick. Or, you could go to the dollar store and buy a small Tupperware-esque container like I did. It works just fine, and you can leave it behind with your predictions inside as a souvenir. It’s not as pretty, but you can also use the presentational aspect of buying absolutely everything you need at the store and having it all examined and unwrapped by the VIP to prove there’s no trickery.

If you’re looking for a way to make your reputation with headline predictions, look no further than this. I love it and have zero complaints. I know it’s cliche, but I hope people don’t buy this, so I can have it all for myself.

Andster

So, for the most part, my Halloween party was a success. There were really only two hiccups the entire night. When I got there, I found out there were WAY more kids than I expected. I was told there would be “a couple” when in fact, it was mostly kids. I wasn’t really ready to work for kids, and had to do one of those quick mental inventories of what crap I had in my pockets that wouldn’t fly over their heads. Then I find out that instead of the walkaround I was expecting to do, they were expecting a more formal stand-up show. Crap, time for another inventory.

I ended up opening with a short Fiber Optics routine that was really well recieved. I felt myself rushing through the first two phases, so I made myself slow down and repeat them. It kinda worked out well that way, almost like a “Yes, that just happened. Here, I’ll show you again” thing.

I did a card to mouth that I fucked up by passing the card to the bottom instead of the top and almost Mercury folded a card that wasn’t the selection. Fortunately I realized my mistake and was able to move the card, orient the deck, and fold the card all while pattering to save my life. I think it was one of those things that feels like a lifetime to the magician, but in reality was a non-moment to the audience. Still sucked, and made me be more aware of where I’m passing cards to.

Because it was Halloween, I busted out the old Haunted Key which went over very, very well and actually surprised me. I figured it was going to be more of a throwaway effect, but everyone seemed to enjoy it. A lot. I don’t get it, but I’m not going to argue. I’d like to try this again during a non-Halloween show and see if it has the same impact.

Finally, I used Devin Knight’s Glass Box Prediction to close. I’m going to be writing a more in-depth review for this in the near future, but until then let me just say that this trick is amazing! Everyone was floored, the “move” flew over everyone’s head (including my girlfriend’s, who knew what I was doing and still didn’t catch me!), and it couldn’t have been easier. I’m very, very impressed with this, and will definitely will be using it more in the future.

I was going end with that (I mean, how do you follow up predicting the freakin’ future!) but they wanted more and I just happened to have my mail bag escape in the car, so they got a double finale. I locked a one of the kids inside the bag and let him try to get out, which was a nice way to show there was nothing to hide and the bag was what I said it was. Except for the part where I lost my balance and fell on my head while inside the bag, the escape went off without a hitch.

All in all, the show clocked in at just over an hour. I think I did a good job, because everybody was happy and told me they liked it. I know that I was pretty rough around the edges, but I don’t think that showed to the audience. It’s also something that will go away once I get back into the swing of things, I’m sure. I was more prepared for doing casual walkaround, so the move to a more formal show kinda threw me off. I know it wasn’t my best work because it wasn’t something I was really prepared to do, but I think it turned out well.

Now let’s hope for more work soon.

Andster