Just wanted to give you guys an update on my holiday season. For Christmas I went out-of-town to see my grandmother. Christmas morning came and I got a shitload of decks, totaling 10, and no 2 the same. Casino decks, colored Bikes, clear Bikes, Iraqi most wanted, they were all there .

Fast forward to Wednesday evening. My parents take me over to a Holiday Party, which I turn out to be the life of. I was in constant demand throughout the evening after I did a few flourishes when I got bored. I performed for about 20 people throughout the party, and at the end, after 1 family had left, I did a final mind reading effect in front of the entire group. It was so quiet, I've never heard a party like that. It was pretty cool. Anyway, what I did was have 3 people pick cards, and then, one by one, I read there minds. So, yea.

 Flourishing Update: I've been working on and developing my Hotshot Cobra Cut, which I think is pretty cool, its like any cobra cut (actually, it has to use a triad, but so it's either a triad or a king) but as you strike, one card comes shooting out of the deck, then you strike at that card again. I'll have a shoot a vid when I get it just how I want it. I've been mainly working on that and some other original cuts, such as a cool-looking Line display I came up with, a two handed cut (not a sybil, but similar) which I'm not sure what to name yet, and A sybil that form into a mirrored display (also not sure what to name yet.) I was planning on a video called "Who is Michael Marino?", involving not only cards, but more of a short, narrative-less documentary of a day in the life of...Me! I had thrown together some footage of me doing some parkour (free running), some coin and chip flourishes, skateboarding, and card flourishing, but it didn't have that, "feel" that I wanted. I have since planned out the structure and storyboard of the video, and am working with a close friend (and professional music composer) to see what I can get worked out for this video. Don't hold your breath though, many of the shots I have planned are outside, and this time of year, it's freezing out there. I'm expecting it in late Spring 2006.

 Happy Holidays!

 -Michael

Well, this past weekend I went camping, and it was an average of about 20 degrees F, and we pitched the tents on about 3 inches of solid snow and ice. Fun. But, surprisingly, it was. Got there Friday night, set up camp, made some Hot Chocolate, and off to bed. Wake up, can't feel the toes, make some more hot chocolate, and make pita pockets for breakfast. After KP is finished, we're off to the Baltimore Aquarium. That place is sooo cool, but I was disappointed with the dolphin show, it has been much better in the past. Anyway, we were done walking through it about 1 1/2 hours before the time we had to meet back up, so my group sat down in the big cafeteria-ish room and played cards for the remainder of the time. We started with Capitalism for about an hour, then moved on to Egyptian Rat Screw. Got back and made some of the best Chicken I've ever had, great private recipe called Coke Chicken, contact me if you wasn't more info or how to make it. fire building contest, my group kicked ASS! We came in first with 1 math, 3. min 18 sec. to burn a rope 3 feet above the ground, second place group had 5 matches and over 18 min.. Sleep, wake up, breakfast and homemade doughnuts (yum.)

OK, now, onto cards. I'll start with a brief introduction about my background. I've been into magic for about 3-4 years now, with my primary focus on sleight of hand card magic, and secondary on coin sleights. I consider myself fairly-well versed in card sleights, although not nearly as so as those who have been doing this before I was born (as is to be expected). Around August 2005 I became deeply involved in flourishing and took a hiatus from magic to focus completely on card manipulations. During this time I had ALOT of practice and I already knew many of the basics, so I think I progressed rather quickly. Within the past 2 months, I've been introducing magic back into my repertoire, and the difference flourishing makes is astonishing. You develop a sense of familiarity with the deck that is inexplicable. I've completely changed my performances as well, now, instead of trying to present it as magic, I TELL them that I am performing incredibly difficult sleight-of-hand (even if it's not), and the flourishes only complement this statement, in my opinion.

Where I'm at with with flourishes. Some of my favorite flourishes to perform are as follows:

Sybils: Many different varieties, one universal joy.
ARMSPREADS!!!!!
All types of fans, I currently have decent (or better) standard thumb and finger fans, smear fan, twin fans, pressure fan, flipback fan, sanada fan and giant thumb fans.
Any One-handed cut that I can get my hands on.
Hotshot cut: This I think I have pretty much mastered, along with several variations (no, I don't mean using a different cut to get the card out.)
Card Flicks: Such as Snap Shot, Long Distance Spinner, Lonnie's card flicks, and I'm working on juggling cards .
One-handed shuffle: I love this thing.
Cobra: Yes, I do perform this, alot, along with several variations, about half of which are original (haha, an original variation. If that isn't an oxymoron, then I don't know what is. )


I'm working on:
Tornado cut
Ciappi's Palm Back Fan (the thing simply looks awesome)
L-cuts
Kryptonite
That's all for now, I try to work on just a few things at a time, to keep it more manageable and realistic.

-Michael

On Saturday I had the privilege of driving out with about 1,000 other volunteers to Antietam battle field for the annual Illumination. For those who do not know the significance of this place, it is where the Civil War Battle of Antietam was held; during that battle, more Americans were killed in 24 hours than has ever happened in one day before, then or now. Over 23,500 Men fell that day. That's a big number. Picture your average high school graduation class: probably about 200 your less. Now imagine about a dOzen of those groups together, and there still wouldn't be enough people to account for all of the lives lost at Antietam. If you work as a volunteer, You spend most of the day putting out illuminaries, which consist of a paper bag with about 2 cups of sand and a candle in it. After every single candle is perfectly aligned on a 15'15' grid, they are lit. When the sky starts to darken, you attend a service to remember those who fought there. When it's over and dark (and it's definitely dark...your out in the middle of nowhere,) you drive along a road through the battlefield, all in all about a 20-30 min. drive. Every hilltop that you come to, you will not be able to speak. It's just that breathtaking. No more words are needed than those the candles say for themselves. Seeing row upon endless row of candles, and then, after you've taken all of that in, trying to imagine a body lying in it's place. There is simply no way to describe it without experianceing it for yourself. On a lighter note, afterward my group took about a 30 min drive to a border town just in between PA and MD, to eat at a restaurant called Tony's pizza. Awesome place. Great pizza, and many different kinds. A kid I know named Adam set the group record with 17 mother fu*king slices of pizza Holy Shit! So...yea. Watched The Matrix in the car on the way home. Good movie. -Michael