After five days of magic, magic and more magic, I’m in the Miami airport waiting to fly back home. I really had a great time at the International Brotherhood of Magicians convention.
On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to talk with the I.B.M. Youth as the anchor speaker in the afternoon. I spoke on the Top 10 Misconceptions of Life On The Road. The young people in attendance were very responsive and had lots of questions during the talk. As it turns out, several of them became friends over the next few days and the “brotherhood†of the organization became apparent.
I gave a brief update at the general business session to the membership and the Board of Directors of the progress and successes of the Healing of Magic over the last two years. It had been a while since I had taken the time to do that so this was important.
Hours later, I had the privilege of conducting a workshop on the Healing of Magic. The response was overwhelming – people packed into the room, overflowing and standing room only. Unfortunately, we turned away several dozens of people who just couldn’t get in. But those who did participate left excited and ready to make a difference in their communities using their magical skills. I could not have been more pleased.
Some of the highlights for me were:
1. Being interviewed by Keith Barber and Andrew Payne from “Go Magic Go†Podcast (www.GoMagicGo.com). You can listen to the interview online or download it and listen later.
2. The overwhelming response we received from the Healing of Magic presentation. I met some really inspiring people as a result and was especially impressed with a young man named Clark who is considering the program as his Eagle Scout project.
3. Attending the President’s Party (invitation only – yikes!) in the Presidential Suite on Friday night. This is a great chance to informally meet with friends and acquaintances in magic.
4. The Saturday Evening Gala Performance at the beautiful Olympia Theatre. All of the performers were outstanding and there were numerous standing ovations throughout the evening.
5. Attending the 50th Birthday Party of magic celebrity and friend Michael Ammar. Unfortunately, the hotel LOST his very cool birthday cake but they did manage to send up to the suite some desserts of their own which were very good. Hannah, Michael’s wife, had prepared a wonderful celebration of food, music and fun.
6. Being interviewed by Enigma DVD Magazine (www.EnigmaTheDVD.com). This is a bi-monthly “video magazine†that includes magician profiles, discussions, reviews, lectures, etc.
7. Shopping at South Beach!! There is a reason why they call this an amazing beautiful place. The architecture is incredible and the restoration of the area is impressive – not to mention the restaurants and clothes. It’s the Melrose Avenue of the East!
8. Meeting the President-Elect of the Society of American Magicians, Maria Ibanez. She was a gracious and lovely woman filled with excitement and enthusiasm for magic and the possibilities of our art to impact people’s lives.
9. The autograph table at the convention. This sounds more pretentious than it is. This is where all the lecturers and performers at the convention gather at a single location so that participants can get their programs autographed, etc. It is a very humbling experience as you meet hundreds of people who take the time to say hello and share their time. Meeting this people was really special. I sat next to three very unique performers – Junge Junge from Germany. They actually performed three times during the convention with a different type of performance each time. They were warm and friendly and really livened up our end of the table!
10. And, most importantly, spending time with some of my best friends in the world. This was a great chance to relax and enjoy the company of people I rarely get to see but with whom I have a life-long connection.
There was one significant low point of the convention for me too. On Friday night, my very expensive PDA/Cell Phone was unexpectedly exposed to a significant amount of water! Immediately, it was destroyed and I was without communication or schedule. I was borrowing anybody’s phone I could to try to call Cindy. She is at home recovering from an ear infection. I haven’t been able to talk with her since Friday night. Each time I called, the phone would go to voice mail because I don’t think she could hear the phone ring! So, I haven’t spoken to her for what seems like forever but has only been a little more than 24 hours. It’s amazing how much you miss the person you love when you have no contact with them for even a brief amount of time.I can’t wait to get home today just to hear her voice! I’ve missed her very, very much during this time away!
This week will be filled with finishing up marketing projects and getting things to the printer. Then we’re off to Ohio and Indiana for performances and the FCM Convention. We’ll be the closing performance for that conference. I’ll be writing updates from there as well.
That’s it – busy week and I’m really tired!