Well, yesterday I spent my day busking. Didn't do too badly either. I'm coming to the conclusion that the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica may not be the best spot for busking, at least for a magician. The hip-hop dance troupe who was to my left, and then my right, and then my left again were having no problems drawing people in, and they were quite good. It's just a little difficult to draw a crowd when one group is so noisy and bouncy and is holding two of the three spots on the street. Asshats.
Anyway, I did have some good come of yesterday: had a few people come up and ask me for a business card, and one man who was wearing an "FBI Special Agent" badge (can't say if he was or not, but I'm going for not...) asked me, out of the blue, "How has magic changed your life?" Not kidding. First words out of his mouth after introducing himself. I'll be posting a bit about that on my Magic Today blog in a bit.
Then there was the little kiwi kid (kiwi being slang for New Zealander) who thought I was amazing and his dad had him take a picture with me. Really kinda made my day.
Right now I'm sitting at the bakery, it being 8am, waiting until I can head into Santa Monica (legally can't start busking til 9 or 10) to get my pier registration (yup...they don't tell you about that extra little rule that you can be ticketed for when you get a permit) to perform on the Pier today.
I figure the pier might be a better place to perform seeing as no one on the pier is there to shop or anything other than just be entertained, so I'm not interrupting them. I'm pretty excited about the prospects; the pier is nice and cool and there will be a good number of people there, so wish me luck...
Other than that we have a dinner party tonight. Lots of Stevie's friends whom I've heard quite a bit about and now get to put faces to names. So that's what's going on with that...
Oh! Parkour was fantastic. We did precisions which involve jumping from balance beam to balance beam and doing tic-tacs (running and then jumping off a wall to scale an object.) Then Stevie and I stayed after and those of us left messed around with random insanity. We stacked a set of mats up to where there was two foot clearance from the top to the bar above it that we were using to swing through the gap. That was great! I'm loving it.
Well, I guess that's it. On disk 5 of season 3 of Galactica. Fantastic show. Everyone should watch. Just spilled coffee on my favorite shirt (which, in it's defense already has a tea spot and a blood spot...This is why I can't have nice things...) though the coffee is fantastic.
There are a slew of other things I'm sure, but I just can't remember them. This having no internet at the apartment thing is really hampering my spilling my brains into words...
Oh, and it turns out google spell-check things "internet" needs to be capitalized and that "asshat" isn't a word.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Rainy days are here again
So it's another rainy day here in the city of angels. Rainy might not be the best word...misty might be a better word. But despite the fact that there isn't actual rain (not car-flooding rain) there are people out with umbrellas and ponchos, afraid to get their precious hair wet. Think of the frizz (and not the teacher from Magic Schoolbus).
So plans...I haven't really got one, at least i didn't until today. I've been kind of lost the last bit, not really sure where to go or how to begin anything. Stevie gave me a pep-talk of sorts and made me realize that while being fiercely independent is fine and all, in this town you need to know people. You ask for help or you drown are the words I think she used. Apt advice. So I guess it's time to get over the 'I don't need help' shtick and start using the tools at my disposal which, it appears, are vast. Apparently I know people who know people. So that's going to help.
Still attemtping the busking, though it's seeming more and more like the magicians who have tried here before are right: it's hell. But I'm planning on hitting the pavement some more anyway. If nothing else, it's good experience and exposure.
I'm at the public library, North Hollywood branch, because the internet in the complex has been disrupted while some people move out and others move in, so if I don't post often or reply to emails, that's why.
Anyway, parkour again tonight. Stevie and I went out and did the warm-up bits at the park two days ago (Tuesday I guess) and let me tell you, it's harder to do those things in the park than in a gymnasium.
Well, if anyone pops up any good ideas for anything, let me know.
Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation. ~Oscar Wilde, De Profundis, 1905
So plans...I haven't really got one, at least i didn't until today. I've been kind of lost the last bit, not really sure where to go or how to begin anything. Stevie gave me a pep-talk of sorts and made me realize that while being fiercely independent is fine and all, in this town you need to know people. You ask for help or you drown are the words I think she used. Apt advice. So I guess it's time to get over the 'I don't need help' shtick and start using the tools at my disposal which, it appears, are vast. Apparently I know people who know people. So that's going to help.
Still attemtping the busking, though it's seeming more and more like the magicians who have tried here before are right: it's hell. But I'm planning on hitting the pavement some more anyway. If nothing else, it's good experience and exposure.
I'm at the public library, North Hollywood branch, because the internet in the complex has been disrupted while some people move out and others move in, so if I don't post often or reply to emails, that's why.
Anyway, parkour again tonight. Stevie and I went out and did the warm-up bits at the park two days ago (Tuesday I guess) and let me tell you, it's harder to do those things in the park than in a gymnasium.
Well, if anyone pops up any good ideas for anything, let me know.
Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation. ~Oscar Wilde, De Profundis, 1905
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Seven down...
Well, spent my day today first writing up some more lecture notes, these over vanishing an object. Perhaps I should look at submitting things to some of the magic journals.
Then I spent a while contacting seven restaurants around the area. Out of seven of them, two said to contact corporate (both said they didn't need me though), one said just send me a brochure, one the GM is there in the mornings, one I left a message on the GM's machine, and the last two refused to allow me to speak to the GM (one of them actually hung up on me).
So...going pretty well. There's another that the GM is out of town until later this week.
Fantastic.
So I'm trying to come up with other ideas, but I'm fresh out. And no, I still haven't heard back from the CityWalk people yet.
Then I spent a while contacting seven restaurants around the area. Out of seven of them, two said to contact corporate (both said they didn't need me though), one said just send me a brochure, one the GM is there in the mornings, one I left a message on the GM's machine, and the last two refused to allow me to speak to the GM (one of them actually hung up on me).
So...going pretty well. There's another that the GM is out of town until later this week.
Fantastic.
So I'm trying to come up with other ideas, but I'm fresh out. And no, I still haven't heard back from the CityWalk people yet.
Pics
Here are the pics from Huntington. The link has 10 downloads on it, so let me know when it runs out and I'll get another one.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Huntington Gardens
So we went to Huntington Gardens today. We saw about half (if that) of the total gardens and museum exhibits that are there. Talk about Stendhal Syndrome. I took over 100 pics, so I'll put them in a compressed file and link to it later.
Get this in mind early: we never grow up. ~Richard Bach
Get this in mind early: we never grow up. ~Richard Bach
Saturday, May 22, 2010
A good night
Tonight was pretty awesome. Stevie got home and cooked a meal of brautwurst, mashed potatoes and saurkraut. The neighbors brought over some salad and we all had a great dinner full of laughing and carrying on.
Then we played cards for a while. Stevie won (like always) and afterwards we took Chopper (dog) on a walk. I think the high point of playing cards is definitely the creative cursing at each other. Try adding twizzler to a string of curses. Works like a charm.
Anyway, off to another episode of Galactica.
Then we played cards for a while. Stevie won (like always) and afterwards we took Chopper (dog) on a walk. I think the high point of playing cards is definitely the creative cursing at each other. Try adding twizzler to a string of curses. Works like a charm.
Anyway, off to another episode of Galactica.
Electronics
Well, here I am, a beautiful sunny day here in California. The temperature is a brisk 63 degrees with a high today of 68. The low tonight is 49 degrees and a high tomorrow of 63.
What's that sport fans? What am I doing at a computer typing away about the wonderful weather instead of being outside enjoying it and practicing my trade? Why I would assume that with a group as smart as you, the answer would become apparent. No, I haven't come down with necrotizing fasciitis (something you won't want to look at pictures of I assure you [the real question is how many are going to now that I've said that?]). What's that? No, no I haven't been hit by a bus. Legs? Still intact. Nope, still got a spleen, as useful as that is to busking.
No folks, the real reason that I'm sitting here at a computer instead of out enjoying the day busking is...drum roll please... my alarm didn't go off! That's right folks! Or at least, when it went off it was set at the quietest possible setting, so it took me a bit to realize what the funny music playing through my dream was.
No problem, you say. It's only 9:45 there. Get out and do something! Let me remind you that the ride to Santa Monica is 2 hours long on a good day, and almost 3 on a bad one. That puts me at the Promenade at about 12-noon. That's not bad, you say to yourself, Scooby-Doo playing in the background (the ones without Scrappy), you munching on your Cookie Crisp cereal (if it can be called cereal) waiting for Mikey down the street to come out and play after the Scooby-Doo marathon.
Well let me remind you that last time we went out all the spots were gone by noon and we just happened to weasel our way into one. One. And then we didn't get a spot for the next bit.
So what have we learned kiddies? Monsters are just people in costumes? No Timmy, the monsters are real and are going to eat your toes like little round olives. Ride bikes! Ride Bikes! Ride Bikes! Oh, a penny. That's right Jason, eating seven bowls of Cookie Crisp in an hour while watching Scooby-Doo is probably the reason everyone and their mother has ADHD in this country. Any other guesses? That perhaps if you want to accomplish something you should ensure that you set your alarm clock and check all of the settings instead of taking out your frustration in a sarcastic and partially cynical blog post about it where you insult little children and tell them their toes taste like olives.
Wow, Susie, um...you're real Johnny on the Spot there. (No Johnny, sit back down.) Anything else to add?
Yes, I will eat their toes like little round olives.
What's that sport fans? What am I doing at a computer typing away about the wonderful weather instead of being outside enjoying it and practicing my trade? Why I would assume that with a group as smart as you, the answer would become apparent. No, I haven't come down with necrotizing fasciitis (something you won't want to look at pictures of I assure you [the real question is how many are going to now that I've said that?]). What's that? No, no I haven't been hit by a bus. Legs? Still intact. Nope, still got a spleen, as useful as that is to busking.
No folks, the real reason that I'm sitting here at a computer instead of out enjoying the day busking is...drum roll please... my alarm didn't go off! That's right folks! Or at least, when it went off it was set at the quietest possible setting, so it took me a bit to realize what the funny music playing through my dream was.
No problem, you say. It's only 9:45 there. Get out and do something! Let me remind you that the ride to Santa Monica is 2 hours long on a good day, and almost 3 on a bad one. That puts me at the Promenade at about 12-noon. That's not bad, you say to yourself, Scooby-Doo playing in the background (the ones without Scrappy), you munching on your Cookie Crisp cereal (if it can be called cereal) waiting for Mikey down the street to come out and play after the Scooby-Doo marathon.
Well let me remind you that last time we went out all the spots were gone by noon and we just happened to weasel our way into one. One. And then we didn't get a spot for the next bit.
So what have we learned kiddies? Monsters are just people in costumes? No Timmy, the monsters are real and are going to eat your toes like little round olives. Ride bikes! Ride Bikes! Ride Bikes! Oh, a penny. That's right Jason, eating seven bowls of Cookie Crisp in an hour while watching Scooby-Doo is probably the reason everyone and their mother has ADHD in this country. Any other guesses? That perhaps if you want to accomplish something you should ensure that you set your alarm clock and check all of the settings instead of taking out your frustration in a sarcastic and partially cynical blog post about it where you insult little children and tell them their toes taste like olives.
Wow, Susie, um...you're real Johnny on the Spot there. (No Johnny, sit back down.) Anything else to add?
Yes, I will eat their toes like little round olives.
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