Friday • Lunch at the Magic Castle

I arrived at the Magic Castle shortly after noon. You never know who you might see. I was happy to see Chris Korn. We bellied up to the downstairs bar where he ordered a Bloody Mary and I broke in a new deck of red Tally-Ho Circle Backs. I asked Chris a question I seem to ask all card men at some point, "Do you have any ritual or technique to breaking in a deck?" He said he liked to give a new deck a few LePaul Pressure Spreads, then turn the deck over and repeat. I had never head that one before, but could easily see how that would break the spirit of the deck and aid in the breaking in process. I would be interested in any other techniques that people use to break in a new deck. If you have one, send it as an email or just add it as a comment. Enquiring minds want to know. . . OK just mine. . . but I'm still interested. Performing in the Close Up room was Harry Monti, a child hood mentor of Chris Korn's in St. Louis. We chatted with him a bit. If you haven't figured out yet. . . I love the Magic Castle. So may great memories there from a lifetime ago and many yet to be. I haven't worked there in over a decade, but would love the opportunity to show my stuff to a new generation of Castle Members and their guests.

The place was PACKED. There were lots of Christmas Parties dining in the dining room all the way down to the party room in the basement. Good Job Magic Castle on booking these parties and continuing the legacy of the Magic Castle in Hollywood, California. The place was so busy, that Aye Jaye, Korn & I ate at the bar between the downstairs and upstairs. It was good seeing Aye Jaye again, he cracks me up and makes me smile. A carney through and through, he told me about his mom and a bit about his childhood growing up as a carney.

It was also nice seeing Jon Lovick and a few other new friends. After lunch we went down into the library where we spent some time talking to Billy Goodwin, esteemed Castle Librarian from Oxnard. He showed us a nifty trick using the shoe lace on one of my shoes. He had me put my foot up on a chair and performed what seemed to me like an impromptu Dean's Box style linking ropes except with no box and linking the loops of the bow on my shoe lace. It was a two phase routine where on the second phase after the loops are linked the spectator is left in the magical moment with the loops linked as you walk away scratching your head.

Let it never be said that magic is not alive and well in the City of Los Angeles. . . The Entertainment Capitol of the World!!! There was a rumor that Kenner and Liwag might be making an appearance at the Castle that night. Not sure if they showed or not. I left around 3:30PM and went to work on Hollywood Blvd.

The winter air gets a little crisper and the people walk a little faster. I called Aaron Fisher (who lives near the Castle on Orange) to see if he wanted to hang out a bit before I went to work. He was busy getting ready to go to the Castle where he would be performing in the WC Fields Bar.

So I went to work with break-dancing troups on either side of me. . .oh joy! I did my job, made some people happy, made some money, then came home to Polly who is on her 3 week Christmas vacation from shooting on HBO's hit Big Love.