Last night I did some strolling magic for the Montgomery County Parents of Multiples meeting, which was carnival-themed.  But out of about 300 attendees, I only say two guys, so I'll stick to the less politically-correct, but more alliteration-filled, Moms of Multiples.

These ladies were a blast.  Escaped moms out to have a good time are always up for a magic trick, and their reactions were most excellent.  It was a unique event, and I very much enjoyed being a part of it.

Although I did have several of them tell me I was cute … and there's nothing like a mom of twins or triplets saying you're adorable *nervous laugh*

~ Peter

Last night, Matt and I attended the Columbia chapter of the Society of American Magicians' monthly meeting. The theme of the evening was originality, and they held their annual "Lindsay Crawford Originality Contest."

Much to my surprise, I now have a big trophy, and the prestige of having senior magicians vote my illusion the most original. Matt and I performed our "Crystal Clear Prediction" routine, where a shape, number, and word are chosen by three volunteers, and I correctly predict all three on a pre-recorded CD. The CD had been previously displayed in a clear locked box throughout the show, hence the title.

It's very rewarding when magicians like our effects as well For the full story, check out this link: http://www.shazammagic.com/news/news_04_16_07.pdf

Even though it's not a sexy leg lamp, it's still a major award.

~ Peter

I can't really do magic.  But if I could, what would I do with it?  Sure, I'd probably solve world problems, fight crime, etc.  But I certainly wouldn't have people choose cards or pull a rabbits out of top hats.  Let's assume that I truly had magical powers, but wished to showcase them in a magic show to entertain and amaze people.  What magic would I perform?

This is a good question, and one that David Copperfield has asked himself for his most recent tour, An Intimate Evening of Grand Illusion.  Copperfield entertains with illusions that tap into what people would do if they had magic powers: guessing lottery numbers, making the car of their dreams appear, being transported to a tropical island, or simply disappearing for a while.  While I have no intention of copying Copperfield's theme, I do think that inspiration can be found in this thought process.

So I ask you, dear reader of the third paragraph, what would amaze or entertain you on stage?  Do you enjoy scratching your head over a good mystery?  Or seeing something elegantly choreographed and skillfully performed?  We magicians make many performance decisions in a vacuum, and being surrounded by other magicians often makes this worse.  What new tricks would you like to see me performing onstage?  Please comment all you like … your thoughts are valued!

~ Peter

So we premiered this original routine last year at the HoCo Fair.  Check out the video here:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1199890619977376155

We're currently performing a different version in some of our stage shows, where I correctly predict a shape, number, and word chosen by three volunteers.  Not only is it three times the magic, but there's a $1,000 gamble if I mess it up, and so far I've been able to keep my grand.  Perhaps a video of that will make it online someday, but for now, you'll have to come see us in person

Well, Matt and I had a great time tonight at our church, doing a few new tricks and a few old favorites for the crowd.  For better or worse, about 75% of the audience had seen us perform in the past, so we knew that we couldn't do just a standard show.

We premiered two new tricks that they seemed to enjoy, so we'll likely be adding them to our pro shows soon.  One is The Amazing Shrinking Crayon, where a volunteer and I attempt to shrink a large crayon bank.  Despite their best efforts to follow directions closely, their crayon always ended upside-down, while mine would be right-side-up.  Finally, five magic wands were simultaneously employed to shrink my red crayon down to about half the size.

Another new routine that we introduced tonight was The Rubik's Race, where Matt and I each race to solve a Rubik's cube in our own unique way.  His was involves sheer skill and talent, as he actually solves the cube before the audience.  My way involves a bit of magic, as the cube disappears from a little box, and reappears in my hat, solved.  Although it's staged as a race, tonight we tied, and I suspect that will occur more often than not

To do a home show for our church "family" is always a pleasure, but the audience tonight gave particularly good reactions and feedback for us, which made all the difference.  There's talk of us performing at the St. Paul "50 Fabulous Years" celebration in November, so that's something to look forward to!

Until next time,
~ Peter

Last week, Matt and I enjoyed a meeting of the Columbia Conjurors in Columbia, Maryland.  The small group and their welcoming personalities made us feel right at home.  The theme of the evening was "Boxes and Cups," so magicians from around the area entertained each other with tricks of this nature.  I brought along one of my favorite close-up mysteries, the In-N-Outer Boxes, as well as a recently-aquired box that causes a silk scarf to vanish and reappear.

Afterwards it was great to mingle with fellow magicians and magic enthusiasts from the area, including some who had seen us perform in Howard County.

The group is through the Society of American Magicians, which we aren't yet a member of, but expect to be soon.  Matt & I look forward to future meetings!

~ Peter

Matt and I had a great time at the Blue Mountain Express trucking awards banquet last Saturday evening!  The crowd was excellent, and in their feedback later everyone really loved our Crystal Clear Prediction trick (which is really mind-boggling, but a bit too complicated for most birthday party shows).

Thanks to the Blue Mountain folks, as well as the Red Horse steakhouse staff, for making us feel welcome!

~ Peter