After last night's show, I had to stop and get gas. While I was pumping, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that a young black woman was staring at me. She was also pumping gas. She had a nice little sports car.

I watched the digital read-out on my pump for a little bit, then I turned fully in her direction. And it was then that she said, "Nice cape."

I sort of clumsily mumbled thanks, and that was the end of it.

Sometimes I wish I were more debonair. Nice cape. That's an ice breaker if I've ever heard one. Instead, I went home to my cat.

I was just surfing the internet, looking for any interactive magic that could be done through the computer. And I found this site:

http://www.onlinemagicshowroom.com/frhypnotize.htm

Prepare to be hypnotized!

I have recently, as a hobby, taken up the study of mind reading. We all possess the capacity to interpret thoughts. I'm convinced of it. All it takes is a little cultivation and proper practice to draw upon it.

Mind reading is not something I'd wish to do all the time.  Where would the fun be in that? But just during those key moments in life when the interpretation of a person's speech and body language is not enough. When you just have to know. And also, I think a mastery of this skill would greatly improve my magic.

Right now, I have been focusing on a 19th century method that involves placing one's fingers where the pulse can be felt of the person you're trying to read. I've been told to start off having them think of numbers. Once I'm proficient at this, I can then proceed on to names and sentences. So far, I'm impressed with the results. But the process is slow and my accuracy is still well below 100%. I'm keeping a journal to track my progress, and I've yet to go a day where I have not improved.

Should this method prove credible, the only downfall would be the apparent need to feel one's pulse. And how many of those key moments in life are we be able to do that?

Humble Beginnings

When I started out as a working magician, I already knew a lot of impressive tricks. But for whatever reason, the majority of the children were not responding to them. About two months into my new line of work, I found myself without any gigs, seated in a pub (the owner of which insisted on calling a bar). So I was at my favourite watering hole, when Marvin, an old friend of mine, sat down beside me. Marvin is a real inspiration to me. For a good decade of his life he moonlighted as a clown. While I never saw him perform, nor did I ever once catch him in full make-up (though sometimes he would go about his day with white face paint left behind his ears. Oh, and one time he shook my hand with his red clown nose attached to his pinky. This made him laugh. I never understood why).

So I told him about the problems I'd been having with my act. While he was by no means affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Magicians, nor would I have endorsed his membership into it, Marvin gave me some very good advice. He said, "Children don't care about any of that fancy shit. That stuff is for adults. Adults are cynical, they need to be tricked. Kids do not. They enjoy simple things that allow them to use their imagination. If you tell them you are The Great Baldini (my former stage name), they will believe it. You don't have to prove it to them. Just keep it simple and keep it colorful."

Now, on the fifth anniversary of his passing, I can't help but think his advice was meant for more than just my act, that it applied to life as well. 'Keep it simple and keep it colorful.' You got it, Marvin.

A Trick For You

This is the first magic trick I ever learned. It is a very simple trick. You may even think it too simple. But in all the years I've performed it, not once has someone devised a solution. Sure, there are more skilled, spectacular ways of retrieving one's card. And it boggles my mind that I've yet to be exposed and lampooned for this particular routine (while I've never done it on 'stage', you'd be surprised how often it springs up socially). I suppose if a friend or foe ever caught on, I would simply ask to do the trick again, wherein I would switch to a more accomplished illusion, thus debunking their attempt to debunk me. As for you, those other methods will have to wait. Now on to the trick!

Since I can't play both the magician and the participant (without the use of trick photography, which I guess is a form of magic unto itself), I will designate myself the participant. And for the purposes of this demonstration, the part of the wise magician shall be played by Bernie.


Say hello to Bernie. This shall not be Bernie's first attempt at this trick.

Okay, for this trick, the only thing you need is a normal deck of cards. But that deck must feature a non-symmetrical, easily discernible pattern on the back. Such as-

You'd be surprised, decks such as this are hardly ever out of arms reach (especially my own). Next, go through the deck, and make sure the card backs are each turned the same way.
Then go find someone you love or want to impress (sometimes both), and kindly ask them to pick a card.

*Please excuse the gloves. I have a prominent birthmark on one of my hands. The Masked Sorcerer's identity must never be revealed.

While they look to see what card they've got-
Unsuspectingly take back the deck-
And flip it around, so the opposite side of the deck is now facing towards the participant.
Now ask them to return the card to the deck, allowing them to place it wherever they choose. 99 times out of a 100, they will return their card exactly as they took it, without a rotation (thus it will easily stand out to you which card was theirs). Just make sure you watch them the whole time. If they do turn the card, you of course will have to flip the deck around again. But trust me, this part is such a breeze.
Sometimes I get a little cocky a turn away while they do this.
Now it's just a matter of rifling through the deck, employing some careful shuffling. The more you do this and the faster you can do it, the more impressed the other person will be (of course, there comes a point where you will lose their attention. Shuffling and sorting for over two hours is not recommended). Anyway, either work their card to the very top or bottom. And now all that's left is to-

-reveal the card.

It has occurred to me that my blog doesn't offer much. There is little incentive for a person to visit. In short, my writing leaves a lot to be desired. Eight posts in two years leave a lot to be desired. I came on here today to make a New Year's magic resolution, and after seeing I have a comment, I now want to make a New Year's blog resolution. In the coming year, I have resolved to making this a better blog. A place where you can read about and even learn how to do magic.

I spent the afternoon preparing for my New Year's booking. I bought a new trick, it's called the Flying Carpet. It really achieves quite an effect. There is a small possibility of injury (as with any trick worthwhile), but I've prepared enough that I shouldn't incur any problems in that regard. I'm more worried about my delivery of the scripted patter. I'm having a hard time saying Ali Baba.

Maybe I can substitute Ali Baba with Aladdin. I don't have any trouble at all saying Aladdin, plus I think more children are familar with him anyway. These patter cards were probably written before that movie came out.

This will be my first time working on New Year's Eve. While my magic show captivates children in one room, all the parents will be off saying goodbye to 2006 in another. So this really just makes me a babysitter with a cape. And a wand.

Wow, it's the end of another year. What a good year it was. Because my magic is going so well, I now only have to work part-time down at the natural history museum. And it's all because I took out that ad in L.A. Parent. What a risk that was, but it paid off. I could have easily afforded a cheaper, smaller ad, one that didn't include my picture or a graphic. But how far would that have gotten me?

I don't know what I would have done if things didn't work out. I suppose I would have at least gained the knowledge that I wasn't meant to waste my time performing magic. But it did work out, all because I took a risk. And the magicians and birthday clowns who settled for smaller ads probably didn't have as good a year as me (though I'm sure they're no less talented).

That is something I learned this year, not enough people are willing to risk everything for what they want.

Many magicians lay claim to having a secret knowledge of the universe, that their ability comes from a mastery over the the black arts. As for me, I just try my best to remove all the price tags from my props.

Today, I swear to you, I was heckled by a 5-year-old. I've never felt smaller.

October Night

It sure does get cold in October. My hands and face are numb, a drop of rain hangs from my nose. I wipe it off and look back, my mind racing through the night. I just performed the greatest set of magic in my life. I did it all, the three aces, fishbowl levitation, a needle through the arm, a spoon bend, a hammer bend, I swallowed a dagger, I made a bird vanish, and I even caught a bullet.

I had never attempted a bullet catch before. Everyone says it's too dangerous, that it's not worth the risk, especially at a kid's birthday party. But with every look of amazement and pure wonder, with each trick I pulled from the bag, my confidence rose. And then I caught a glimmer of my Colt 45 and thought, there's a first for everything.

Now I find myself standing outside in the unsettling cold, my equipment safely in the trunk, my mask still snug against my face. I clutch my car keys. It's time to go, but I can't pull myself away.

They won't need me for another year. I can't wait that long. I have to see her again.

Justin's mom, I have to talk to her. I've never seen anything more beautiful. I never felt more inspired. I know it is because of her that things went so well.

What's the matter with me? I can't go back in there. The job is done. Besides, what's it been, eight years since I last saw her? Still, I never stopped thinking about her, of wondering what might've been. But it couldn't have ever been, because then there would be no Justin.

It was nice to see her again.

Just drive away, Gary. Just drive away.

I could act like I forgot something.

I would like to take a creative writing class. But I'm afraid all my stories would be about magic. And I think this would bore people.

If it weren't for the dinosaurs, I believe natural history museums would be in deep trouble. No one seems to care much for Malacology, Ichthyology, Ornithology, pre-Colombian cultures, Annelidia, Echinoderms, or Ethnology. All they want to see are the bones of those 'terrible lizards'.

Today, a kid folded his program into a paper airplane and managed to land it in the eye socket of our 25-foot Allosaurus. I was thinking it would be cool to have the security camera footage of that for my blog, but then people would find out I'm 'The Masked Sorcerer.'

Hello.

I've decided that my internet name is going to be Gary.

I work at a natural history museum. And in my spare time I perform magic for children's birthday parties under the name 'The Masked Sorcerer.' You may be wondering why I have such a simple and seemingly uncreative stage name. It is because back when I was using the name 'The Great Baldini' I didn't get very much work. I don't know why that is.

Even as 'The Great Baldini' I wore a mask, which I think confused some people (since I didn't promote it beforehand). So when I decided to change my name, I knew I wanted to include 'mask' somewhere within it.

I've always worn a mask because I don't want anyone I work with to know I perform at children's parties. One time, I was picking up my tux from the dry cleaner (a couple days earlier I had made a mess of my sleeves and cumberbun when the vanishing milk trick went terribly array) and I ran into Derek, one of the people in my carpool. When he saw that I was holding a tuxedo I knew I had to think quickly. So I told him I was attending a wedding. When he asked whose wedding, I spit out the first name I could think of, Gary Baldini.