talkmagic.co.uk

Good afternoon. My name is Christopher and I'm 29 years old. My wife and I have two dogs, two cats, two rats, two gerbils, a hamster and a pig. Sometimes it really feels like a farm in here. I work for a mutual fund company and enjoy video games, reading, and sleeping.

I started performing magic in 5th grade when I picked up the Klutz Book of Magic. It's where I got my first TT and scarf, and how I learned some basic sleights. I started picking up magic books more and more as time went on, such as Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic, the Tarbell series (I'd still like to pick up six, seven, and eight), Greater Magic, a David Roth coin magic book, and various packets on card and coin tricks.

As I got more into magic I performed for my friends and at school in talent shows and for family gatherings and a few work gatherings. Up until about ten years ago I practiced on a regular basis and had a favorite with the card in the orange. I really enjoyed coin and card magic and always had some of both on me at any given time. I earned myself many magic related nicknames, some affectionate, some not, in high school and was known for always having something up my proverbial sleeve.

For some reason I drifted away from it as college set in and I had less time to practice and somehow never got to it. I've been away for a good long while now but still have a few sleights that come pretty naturally. I'm looking to get back into the habit and pick up my old skills again as well as some new ones. A trip to the magic store got me a new Scotch and Soda coin, a Lethal Tender set, and a new spool of IT and wax. I spent some time today fiddling with coins and mentally reliving the "good old days" and I came across this forum. I hope to get to know plenty of people on here and pick up some good advice while sharing what I've still got and having a good time.

So... what's new in magic that would be a good place to start picking up more recent effects? I particularly like books and effects that rely on sleights, but I'll use a gimmick or a tool for a nice effect if I can make it my own. I'm sure that's all out there on the forum, and I'll look, but hey, I've got to make small talk until I get my bearings.

Thanks and I'll be seeing you around.

Hello Christopher and welcome to the forum, that is probably one of the most complete introductions I have seen yet!

With regard to books and things like that, if you have a bit of a background already maybe you would find use out of Paul Haris' Art of Astonishment. It's a three book series and it's packed full of useful ideas. Alot of them can seem a bit off the wall, but there is quite alot of gems too. You will find things like producing a full deck of cards from an empty deck box you have folded up in your wallet, a nice little effect where you get someone to sign both sides of a card and you change the signature on one side to your own. Hell, the books even show you how to get a full deck of cards into an empty bottle of whiskey!

Best of luck,
Ian

Hi and welcome - excellent into, I feel I know you very well already!

reifidom wrote:My wife and I have two dogs, two cats, two rats, two gerbils, a hamster and a pig...

Hello Christopher and warm welcomes to TM.
I was just expecting to read: "...and we live in an arc."
It's nice to know you have found your way back to magic. It's wonderful to have this strange hobby.
Best greetings from Iceland!

Great intro, Welcome!

hey Christopher welcome

after reading the whole "get to know" story, you sound like a nice guy,
it did raise a question..
does your job have something to do with all those animals?
or do you use em for magic

as a dutchguy, our common thought is that in Kansas they have alot of farms and most people are farmers... but I have no idea if it's true? thats just what all the movies tell us..

welcome again! hope you get all your forgotten skills back to the surface!

Thanks for the warm welcome.

The animals are all pets. Many, many pets. Honey Ham, the pig, wouldn't sit still or quiet long enough to be vanished or produced. She screams if you pick her up, so we give her a carrot, then pick her up to put her in the car. She still screams, but she refuses to drop the carrot, so she's muffled. That would be great for a kids show though, especially if I put rabbit ears on her.

Kansas does have a lot of farms, ala The Wizard of Oz, but I'm in Kansas City. Our metropolitan area has just shy of 2,000,000 people. Too many for the way our city is built, but it's home. Drive across the state, however, and you'll see lots of rolling hills and crops. I don't mind the farmboy reputation. Keeps things simple.

While I was practicing last night and looking over a book, my wife was being very encouraging. She knows I used to perform and wants me to do some magic tricks for her.

My work leaves me plenty of free time at my desk, so I can practice with coins or cards quite a bit here. It's a nice, cushy job, but mind-numbing if you don't have something to occupy yourself.

Welcome to TM. I thought i was bad i have the missus (that comes under the pig section only joking) 2 kids 1 dog 1 cat 4 hamsters and 4 fish. I gather your house is a mess at the end of the day like mine . plus we have loads of lizards and slow worms in the garden all the time

welcome