Warm As Toast

My first magical moment happened when I was four years old.  It was a Kansas winter.  A winter of snow suits, mittens, and hot chocolate by the fire.  My older brother, Gene, was on his way out the door to another adventure.   Me and my brother David were not about to miss out so we dashed out the door after him, perhaps not quite as bundled as we should have been.  I remember it was cold.  Really, really cold.  Out the back door, down the hill and there we were, gazing at tree tops, eye level as they rose out of the revine.  The trees, growing straight up from the bottom and the edges reminded me of the hair that grew out of old man Smith's ears.  That morning me and my older brothers, and not for the first time, ventured to the depths of that ravine.  We headed north, walking along the bank and sometimes sliding along the frozen water.  After a time Gene found his spot.  We stopped and with trowel in hand Gene stuck his arm straight out and started to dig right into the bank. I remember the bank was tall, way above my oldest brother's head.  My brother David and I tried to keep warm but after just a little while, the bone chill set in.  

We started to complain.  And then perhaps complained lot.  I remember Gene suddenly stopped what he was doing, turned to us and said - "I can tell you how to be warm if you want."  My brother and I, shaking terribly, said "yes, tell us."  Gene bent over at the waist so his face was level with ours and said with a grin - "it's a magic word, but it will not work unless you believe."  He stood up and looked at us.  "What is it", we pleaded.  Gene again bent and said - "The magic word is supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.  If you say this word over and over, and if you believe, it will make you warmer."  I was eager to believe anything my older brother said.  So I started in. I bent over slightly, cupping my hands to my mouth, blowing hot air into them as I repeated over and over, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious - with in seconds, I was getting warmer.  I straightened up, started moving around, and felt the warmth of this magic word spread through my body and I felt -warm as toast.

2011

It is difficult for me to believe that after almost 25 years I am still performing magic as a career.  I, of course, owe this in a very large part to my wonderful wife who has given me moral and emotional support this entire time, not to mention a lot of financial support.  She never once in the times of monetary drought asked me to "get a job", or question my passion in magic as a waste of time.  So it is to her that I owe so much gratitude for her enduring patience, support and love of me and my chosen profession.

The 2011 year has started with a bang and a lot of work a head for me.  I am finishing up an illusion I call Harry's post.  It is an adaptation of an idea by Alan Wakeling.  The story is of Houdini's challenge to a Ms. Rochelle, a spiritualist who confounded Harry.  He told her if she could perform her seance while being shackled to a device of his making, he would declare her "authentic".  So it is part seance and part switch.  There will be an old lady on stage, "Mom", during the seance helping my assistant Shari.  At the end of the routine and when the curtain that surrounds the post is dropped for the last time, I will have vanished.  Of course you know what's next.  Yes, "Mom" takes off her outfit and it is me.  We have some fun ideas for the "seance" portion and I believe this will be exciting to perform.

Harry's post is  for my up coming show for Resort's and Bally's casino in Tunica, MS in March.  I will also make a CEO vanish during a convention in LR this February.  Sean Westbrook, "Stonehenge" and I collaborated on the method over many hours.

Finally, I am still doing a large number of shows for School Partners.  A fundraising corporation out of LR.  I travel all over the state for them and make frequent trips to OK, MO, TN, and MS.

Thanks to all of you who read this blog and to the one, my old friend Clayton, who has subscribed to it.

Randall