Riddle Me This ...
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Question: Where does a 100 pound German Shepherd sleep?
Answer: Anywhere he wants.
Now is as good of time to write a quick note. I lost my bed to Rexx this morning. Sure he left me a corner of it .. but, I figured it was time to get up anyway. Tomorrow I leave on my annual journey to the Columbus Magi-Fest. It's an annual gathering of magicians from across the country and this year marks their 80th anniversary. I've been attending since the early 90's and I look forward to it every year.
You would have to be out of your mind to make the lateral move from cold and snow to more of the same. It couldn't come at a better time though .. in the dead of winter it really lifts my spirits.
My good friend Carol will be the co-pilot for the trip. She'll remind me to watch my speed and to check in with mother while I'm away. It's only a few days out of town but, we've got a lot to do. Along the way we'll be making stops to visit friends in Dayton, Columbus and Bowling Green, Ohio. I think I've got just about everything ready for the trip .. including my iPad. We'll have to dress warm of course .. but, I do have a pair of swim trunks just in case.
Ya never know ...
Steve
Post ID 513 · recovered verbatim from the database
Here, There and Back Again ...
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Let's just say .. I pack a lot into each and every day. I feel good, if at the end of the day I'm exhausted. Then I know I've done my job. I make no exceptions, especially if I'm out on the road for work or for pleasure. My trip to Ohio was a little of both ... but, by the end of the day I was usually out like a light when my head hit the pillow. Let's turn back a few pages of my calendar and see how my adventure went.
The original plan was to leave later on Wednesday and stay over night in Indianapolis. My friend Carol joined me on the adventure to Magi-Fest once again this year. Last minute, I changed plans and we hit the road a few hours earlier so we could make it all the way to Dayton that evening. Our first stop was in Rensselaer, Indiana at a little place called Pizza King. It was little off our path but, well worth the drive. My good friend and fellow performer, Kevin Spencer had mentioned it more than once so .. we decided to give it a shot. Wow, it was well worth the detour. Not only was the pizza amazing, they had an old Ms Pac-Man arcade game to pass the time ... it was pretty awesome!
After the long drive it was time to get some rest for then next few days would be busy. First order of business was a little breakfast at Bob Evans and then off to Mrs. Sheppard's house for a visit. It was great to see her and she was doing well. I see her every time I'm out that way .. she's a very special friend of mine. From there it was off to Columbus for the 80th annual Magi-Fest.
This years event was downtown at the Marriot .. and let me tell you, I'm not really use to staying anywhere fancy. It took a little getting use to but, I just couldn't relax. The parking was valet and so we had no access to the car unless we were leaving. I wasn't really prepared for all that. The other down side of things it that there was no where to eat after hours. Let's just say we survived on half a bag of chips and some soda out of the vending machine one night.
The convention was fun and some of the lectures were outstanding .. especially Jim Steinmeyer and Joanie Spina. The dealers room offered a good variety of apparatus and equipment that help us work our wonders. I think it would be pretty amusing seeing a layman walk through .. there are plenty of odd things to see.
Friday we made our annual stop to visit my friends at Cabbage Cases. As usual, I brought along a few tricks to share with the workers. It's always enjoyable to see their reactions .. especially when I bring the magic to them.
Later in the day, it was time for a quick run to Skyline Chili with my good friend Tom Rozoff. It's the only time of year I can have a few of those Coney Dogs and the 3-Way Chili. I'm getting hungry just thinking of it .. it's killing me! Tom is always good for a few laughs and I've known him since I was just getting started.
The convention is always well organized and one of my favorites to attend. I'm not too fond of staying downtown but, we made the best of it. I'll be better prepared next time .. and have some snacks ready. On Saturday the dealers room was all but packed up by 5pm and the Headliner Show was down the street at Veterans Memorial Auditorium. There was no reason to stay the evening so, we hit the road after the show and headed up to Findlay, Ohio. This would save us a few bucks and we would have less driving to do on Sunday.
After a fun visit with Owen Redwine and his family it was time to head back home. Again it was a fun-filled journey and Carol survived. I still don't think she understands that I just can't sit still and relax .. it's just not my thing.
Steve
Post ID 517 · recovered verbatim from the database
Your Head Would Spin ...
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
I've said many times before that I have not led a very normal life. Looking back on what I've done in the past few months ... you would understand. Sure, I'm not as busy as some people .. but I do fit a lot into a day. Although I don't have a "real" job .. somehow I've managed to survive.
Back in February we had a little road trip to see the Spencers perform up in Hartford, Wisconsin. Only days later I was shooting a new video with my good friend Morgan Strebler. It's an effect that will be sold to magicians .. an effect called Shadows.
The following week we ran into Weird Al Yankovic right here in Naperville. He was in town for a book signing .. and we snapped a photo. That's one more thing I can cross off my "bucket-list."
Since then things have been picking up and I'm back to doing regular shows every weekend. Somedays the schedule has been tight .. for instance the past two weekends we had shows at 7pm and 9pm. No big deal right .. but, they were different locations. This included sound, backdrops and 45 minutes of stage magic. Sounds impossible .. well, it was close. Of course I couldn't have done it without Carol packing things up behind the curtain .. during the show. We pulled it off ... and it was back to work the next day.
Speaking of shows .. we also got to go backstage to visit with my new friends David and Jamie DaVinci. They are traveling with Ringling Bros. Circus. After the show we had a nice dinner at the Outback and wound up talking for hours. Carol and I had a great time seeing their show in Champaige, IL back in March.
As I'm writing it's just about June and I've got a busy summer planned. I'll try to keep things up to date .. but, you know how that goes. I've got a few fun surprises in store to announce soon .. but, it will have to wait for now. I still have much to tell you but, its time to get moving ... I've got a lot to get done today!
Steve
Post ID 530 · recovered verbatim from the database
Question: Where does a 100 pound German Shepherd sleep?
My good friend Carol will be the co-pilot for the trip. She'll remind me to watch my speed and to check in with mother while I'm away. It's only a few days out of town but, we've got a lot to do. Along the way we'll be making stops to visit friends in Dayton, Columbus and Bowling Green, Ohio. I think I've got just about everything ready for the trip .. including my iPad. We'll have to dress warm of course .. but, I do have a pair of swim trunks just in case.
