Well guys, the journeyman embarks upon yet another journey.  I leave for France tomorrow evening.  This will be my last blog post for another two weeks...After which I will have a storm of posts flooding this journal.  I will be in France for 12 days, testing out the affects of a language barrier on magic.  When I return, you guys will have a new movie to watch as well, hopefully...

School is over now, and the only thing I have left to do during the days is practice more.  I have some exciting news, as well...I recieved a few XCM gifts for graduation (I am a graduate of the Class of 2006 from Marshall County High School, and I have no school until the end of August, biaatchhhh  First, I got a Joe Porper card clip from my girlfriend, and I love it.  It's awesome, and it keeps my cards so nice and flat.  Second, on its' way is my new Dan and Dave "System" DVD.  And lastly, my friend Wil (from Josh and Wil.com) bought me the "Self-Tying Shoelaces" trick from Penguin Magic.  I can't wait to try it out in France.

But that's all I have for now, I'll see you all in two weeks!  Au revoir!

Hey guys.  Well, as most of you know, the presentation went great.  I had a perfect presentation, and lost only 8 points for going over my time limit, of which I went over 2 minutes.  Haha, I knew I would.  But nevertheless, I was pleased, and the 92 brought my GPA up 5 points.  I now have a good, solid B average in the class.  So I was happy.

This month, I've really gotten involved with my two-handed cuts.  I'm working on "Sybil #947" from Kevin Ho, Ragnorak 1 and 2, the KFC false cut and different variations, and I'm trying to tackle the difficult "Squeeze" cut by Darren.  So I'm practicing a lot.

Averaging about 6 hours of practice time at home a day now, not including what I do during the school day.

This past week, I ordered some new cards!  I got 8 new decks of Bikes, all old-school backs...I got some thrush back, cupid back, safety back, and some other back that I don't know...  In addition to those 8 decks, I purchased a new deck of Ghosts, and a new deck of the Black Split Spades, which are bad ass. 

Not much else to say, but I'll keep you all up to date until I leave for France.  The countdown is up to 13 days left, and I'll be keeping a journal in France.  I will also be completing some footage for "The Journeymen".  So, I'll post up a bit later about all that.

Until then,

Peace.

It's official...I'm going to throw up.  I have less than 10 hours until I'll be performing the magic routine that will decide my grade in Senior English, and my final GPA.  This is as life or death as magic gets for me right now, and it's not fun.  I'm practicing my butt off, working on my routine, and making adjustments so that I can get it under the 15 minute time limit.  It's going to be rough.  Here's a copy of what I have so far on my outline:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SETUP

-have volunteer "chain" me to a chair using the handcuffs from Barry. Sit, acting rather uncomfortable, in the chair, and begin presentation talk.

There was a great mentalist named Joseph Dunninger that once said, "For those who believe, no explanation is necessary; for those who do not, none will suffice." My goal today is to make you all believe. (*Slip chains)

I chose magic for my senior project for several reasons (cutting deck, shuffling, manipulating cards, et cetera)...one being, because it is easy to get others involved in. I can get a stage volunteer with a blink of an eye. So class involvement was just another perk. Another reason I chose it was because of an interest I've had since I was very young. I recieved a magic kit from my Grandfather when I was about 12. I have always loved magic, I just haven't always practiced the art. However, the biggest reason I had for choosing magic for a senior project was because of the impact that it can have on people. To be able to do magic is to hold a great power in your hands; the power of influence. It's amazing that no matter how bad someone's day is, you can walk up to them with a deck of cards, one card, or maybe just a coin, and astound them. They can forget all the terrible things that have happened to them in an instant - through your influence alone. That is why I love magic.

That is also why I'll be taking a card out of my artifact box. The card represented my love for entertainment. I'll also be adding a coin to my artifact box - (Flip quarter through the air, roll on knuckles) because over the last 5 months I have learned that my outlook on entertainment was very narrowminded. I thought that only obvious things could be used to entertain. However, I have learned that even something so common as a quarter can be used for amazing things. For example, (Perform coin catch and vanish) making a coin dissappear. This is a perfect example of how you can influence someone with something so simple. So the coin, for me, represents that good things really do come in small packages; even this tiny coin holds the key to amazement.

I learned this lesson very clearly during my service project. For my community service, I decided to take to the streets and show total strangers my magic. JT Newby and I went to Paducah with a videocamera, and filmed me performing magic for total strangers. I got to experience the things that David Blaine and Criss Angel experience on a daily basis. It was absolutely amazing. I made people scream, laugh histerically, run around yelling, and just stare in total shock at the tricks that I showed. That just goes to show you the power that magic holds. It allows you to affect someone's emotions in an incredible way. Let me demonstrate.

START ROUTINE

-Ask for a volunteer

-ask them to pick a card

-find the card in the deck, start ACR

-perform shapeshifter, giving them their card back to sign

-perform full ACR

-passes (two kinds)

-KFC cut, after passing card from middle and shuffling.

-end with several vanishes and sleights

-have the volunteer sit down

That short routine was called an ACR, or an ambitious card routine. The "ambitious" card being the chosen card, in this case...however, an ambitious card could be any card that I choose at any time, or a key card that I might need in a routine. Ok, now I'd like to teach you guys a cut that you learned in that routine, called the "Charlier" cut.

-Ask for two volunteers

-have them practice the Charlier cut

-demonstrate several times for the class, so that everyone can go home and try

Ok, so now that you've seen a few things with cards, I'll show you some tricks dealing with a different form of magic, called "mentalism" - or magic of the mind, so that you see the whole spectrum of magic effects.

-ask for a new volunteer

-have them pick a card, talk about the ability of mind-reading that can be learned through the study of mentalism

-tell them their card that they chose

-talk about another form of mentalism, called "Divination"

-perform Ultra Card Divination

-Give out handout with the secret to the UCD trick

-Talk about one last form of mentalism, called physical mentalism, which is a mind read through one of the 5 senses, mainly touch.

-Perform Stigmata on Mrs. Puckett

"For those who believe, no explanation is necessary; for those who do not, none will suffice."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So that's it.  That's the presentation to rule them all.  I hope you all think highly of it.  I'm so freaking nervous.  If I bomb this, I get a C in english, and I have a lower GPA for my final semester of high school, which COULD result in lower scholarship money to Georgetown - money I desparetly need.

I only have one thing to say:  Thank you everyone at 21Ace!  You have been an amazing support for me these last four months, and I have learned so much from all of you.  I'm glad to have made as many new friends as I have, and I hope that we will change the world with our magic for many years to come.  Thanks again, you are my one beam of sunshine in this rainstorm of a presentation.

Today was awesome...I got sick, and stayed home from school....that's not the awesome part, because it sucked because my throat hurts like a mother.  However, I did go to the doctor's office, and there were some people sitting in the waiting room.  I had a deck of cards with me, (as always) and was shuffling them around.  The gentlemen to my right said something about it, and how he "saw a guy do a trick called the three card monte".  He asked me if I'd ever heard of it, and I said, "actually, I do a trick similar to that with two cards...fools 'em every time..."  The perfect setup.  I went ahead with two-card monte, and absolutely floored him and his wife.  It was awesome, he had a great reaction.  I asked him, "So, do you think I'd actually be good enough to switch those cards?" (with kind of a sarcasm to my voice, implying that I wasn't...) to which he replied, "No, I don't think so, not at all."  And I said, "Go ahead and turn your hand over..."  He just flipped out.  Started laughing histerically, and said, "I woulda just lost a hundred bucks!  I woulda bet a hundred bucks those damn cards weren't switched!  How'd you do that?  I was watching you the whole time!"  It was awesome.  I love it so much...just another example of how powerful magic can be.  You all have the power to affect someone's emotions in a phenomenal way.  Use it.

Well, I haven't posted in a while, so I figured today would be a great day to do so...

Today was amazing...it was a "free-day" during classes today, and all the students were allowed to roam around and do whatever we wanted.  Different rooms sponsored different activities...one had coffee and donuts, one had music, one had gaming, etc;  However, I chose to spend the majority of my free day in the upper-lobby of the commons, doing magic for random people.  It just so happened that there was a ping-pong tournament going on at the same time.  Well, I was standing around, talking to someone, when all of the sudden, I head "You're the guy who does magic tricks!  SHOW ME THE TRICK WITH THE ARM THINGY!!!!!"  I turned around, to see someone I've never met in my life shouting at me to show him magic tricks.  Directly behind him, I see a friend of mine, who apparently told him about stigmata.  So, I proceeded to show him several different tricks.  I started off with two card monte, which he went nuts over.  At this point there were about 5 or 10 people around me.  After this, I showed him a few ambitious card tricks, and the crowd slowly began to grow, to about 15 people...then I moved on to Stigmata.  The guy went absolutely NUTS.  He ran around, screaming, jumping up and down saying, "OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD!!!"  It was GREAT.  The absolute best reaction I've ever had to a trick, ever.  After that, there was a full circle of people around me, for about another 20 minutes...Probably 30 people, watching me do magic, when they could be doing anything else.  I kept hearing mutters like, "This guy is a freak!"  or  "He's amazing..."  or, my least favorite..."I think Jesus has come back!"  To which, I frowned and told him that I was most certainly NOT jesus, and that I only worked to glorify christ, not to pretend to be him.  However, this isn't even the best part of the day.  The best part came in my mistake.

I know that sounds weird, right?  Why would I be excited about screwing up?  Well, it just so happens that our hyper-active kid, is a magician...His name is Scottie, and he was turned on to Ellusionst about 3 months ago by a friend who showed him a cool magic trick.  He's been doing some basic tricks ever since.  But that's not even the cool part.  I was showing everyone some mentalism stuff, mostly card readings and things like that.  I did one to Scottie, and this was the first one.  I told him to touch the back of the card, and by a sleight, I controlled this card to whatever I wanted it to be.  So I carried on with the trick, thinking I was doing great.  I realized that my sleight was a little sloppy, but no one seemed to be paying attention at that point.  I had them all captivated.  I slowly unveiled the name of his card...first, I told him it was a black card...then, that it was a club.   And finally, the grand finale....the Nine of Clubs.  Everyone went nuts.  Except Scottie...when everyone was jumping around, not paying attention, Scottie leaned in close to me, and whispered very low, "I saw what you did, but it was cool man....keep on going."  It was the coolest freaking thing I've ever had happen to me.  Rather than screaming, "YOU PULLED A CARD OFF THE BOTTOM!  YOU CHANGED MY CARD!!!" like any other human being would have done in a plot to ruin my reputation and embarrass me, Scottie just played it cool, and did some acting.  It goes further.  The kid next to him ACTUALLY ASKED:  "Scottie, did you see how he did it or something?"  To which Scottie replied, "No man, I have no idea how he does that...he's freaking awesome."  Scottie is probably the coolest kid in the whole school, at least to me right now.  I've added him to my MSN Messenger, and I am going to be inviting him to join 21Ace tonight, so hopefully we'll have a new addition to the crew.

Today was an amazing experience, one that I'll never forget.  It's days like these that simply reassure me of my passion to go in to Entertainment on some level.  Whether it's singing, or magic...I know I want to be in entertainment.  Maybe one day I'll be a world-famous magician.  I suppose it's every card manipulators' dream though...So what are the odds?  Only as good as I make them...

Ladies and Gentlemen, I proudly present to you

The Journeymen

Hey guys, how's it going?  I just wanted to make a short update, and give you all a heads up on my newest video which should come out later today, The Journeymen.  As I am on my "Journey" to become a great card manipulator, I thought it best to show the "Journeyman" in action.  So, I have tried my hand at street magic.  Coming Soon...

Well, I feel as though it is time to try to show how I have improved over the last couple of months.  Here are a few of my pics from back when I first started, trying to do simple thumb fans:

^^ Notice how the cards are very scattered, the fan is not round or smooth, and the spread is not even.  Here is another example:

^^ This one is even worse, if that's even possible.  Haha...now, here is what my fans look like when I do them today:

*Click on "Ghostfan4.jpg" at bottom (See Attachments...)*

*Click on "Ghostfan5.jpg" at bottom (See Attachments...)*

^^This is probably my best fan that I've made.

*Click on "Ghostfan6.jpg" at bottom (See Attachments...)*

These are probably some of the best fans I've ever made.  Just goes to show what hours of practice can do.  I am getting to where I practice almost 7 to 8 hours a day, which includes in-school practice time.  Not to mention time that I actually perform for random people or family and friends.  This is what I do now, and I love it.  I'm really starting to consider a career in entertainment.  Maybe using my music somehow and incorporating magic into it.  I don't know.  But I wish I had started about 10 years ago.

Most recently, I have been working on two-handed cuts, like KFC, the Lopez cut, Kev Sybil 947, Ragnorak 1 and 2, et cetera.  I'm fixing to begin a new article for the Newsletter, and I'm not sure about what to put in it.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.  What do you guys wanna see?  Are there any flourishes or tricks that you are having problems with that you would want to see a tutorial of?  These are the kinds of things I need to keep this blog fueled up and going.  Otherwise, it's just a practice log, and a place for me to vent.  LoL.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by, and I hope to see you all on the forums!

An0n

[ more.. ]

Well, for those of you who haven't read my post in the forums, I have created another new trick, called The Journey Change.  The trick is very visual, and very fast.  Here's the effect:

A spectator chooses a card, and after showing the bottom card, the magician quickly makes the card change into the chosen card with a flick of the wrist. 

This is only one of many effects that you can do.  If you wish, you can simply continue changing the cards over and over again!  You don't have to worry about double lifts to hide the "vanished" card, like with the rub vanish.  Watch the video to see for yourself.  The change is very quick, with little cleanup at the end.  Think Axis change with no cleanup. 

I hope you all enjoy this new colour change, and I will see you in the forums!

Well, it's Good Friday (for my religious affiliations, at least) and I've started a fast.  I'm not sure how long I'll go, but my goal is to slowly get away from my desires, and be able, through control of my own will power, to let go of my wants for unnecessary things (i.e. junk food, et cetera).  I am a wholehearted believer that if you cannot control your own mind, you will have no ability to influence those around you.  How can I affect people with my magic if I cannot even gain control over my own emotions?  I plan on going no less than three days without food, drinking only water, and I'm not sure how long I might go after that.  I've gone for about 30 hours so far without food.  This is a religious, as well as a scientific fast, to test the whether or not one has the ability to overcome his or her own will power.  In concordance with the religious aspect of the fast, it will help me to center my thoughts and emotions, so that I may better focus my time.  I believe that as my savior suffered for me during these three days leading up for easter, I may too suffer, in honor of his sacrifice.  I just wanted to clear up my intentions for a fast for anyone who may have questioned my reasoning.  I'm not trying to be like Blaine or anything, trust me.  I'm not that much of an egoist.  LoL...With that in mind, I'll continue to today's post.

Today was cool.  For some reason, most classes were free days, so I spent most of my time compiling a list of all colour changes, flourishes, and card tricks that I know.  This way, I can start routine-building for my presentation.  But the coolest thing was going back and, to refresh my memory, re-learning and practicing all my older tricks, from when I first started.

I got a chance to sit next to a foreign exchange student in French class, so I seized the opportunity as one in which the particular student may not have ever seen magic before.  My intuition was right.  I performed some cuts, and a Russian Shuffle, and he was hooked in.  "That was very neat", said Vincent (He's from somewhere in China or something...he's really cool).  After a few flourishes and colour changes, I performed a very simple "Pick a Card" routine, which I ended with a Shapeshifter change from a random card to the card he choose.  He was floored.  I loved his reaction to the tricks that I did.  It made me feel awesome, as though I was really affecting him on a personal level.  It made me feel as though he opened up for an instant.  I really hope I brightened his day.

In addition for trying out older tricks on the foreign students, I practiced a few newer ones on some girls that were sitting at my lunch table.  I sat down in front of one, asked her if she would like to see a trick, and she said yes.  From there, I performed a trick in which I had her choose a card, return it to the pack, and then after spreading the pack, I had her hold on to my wrist, and I found her card.  She even said that she swore she felt the veins in my wrist twitch each time I passed her card, and she knew I would get it because of that.  I never made my wrist twitch, so I guess it was a coincidence.  But a useful one nevertheless.  After she told me this, I used the same effect on her, and when I made my wrist twitch, I asked her, "Did you feel that?"  And she said yes, at which point I flipped over her card.

Magic is so amazing...Whether it is Grandpa pulling a quarter from behind his grandchild's ear, or a man in a tuxedo pulling cards out of his mouth, magic truly caters to all interest groups and lifestyles.  Magic can open up anyone, and make them travel back in time to their childhood days to use their imagination once more.  No matter how their day has gone so far, after watching some magic tricks, all is forgotten, and a sense of wonder and amazement fills them, even if just for a split second.  I love it.

As you guys already know, I posted the Introduction to A Beginner's Journey this week.  The links are in the post below, if you'd like to see them.  Feel free to join my YouTube group by clicking the link:

 The Cardists

Anyway, after I posted my new videos, you all offered up some excellent advice.  Marpenothi gave one great piece of advice when he said, "As for advice to give you...just save up and buy the products, then dedicate yourself and practice. You have to be willing to invest the time and the money...if you do that, then you are on your way to the top."

Special thanks to Marp for being a great friend and mentor of mine.  Cheers Ryan.

Well, that's all I have for tonight.  I'll update you on my physical condition as my fast continues throughout the next week.  Until next time...

An0n

Well, if you guys haven't checked the "Card Tricks - Magic and Flourishes" forum lately, you will not have noticed that I have finished Part I and Part II of the first episode of A Beginner's Journey, and upon the completion of the movies, I uploaded them to Youtube.  You can view the videos by clicking the following links:

A Beginner's Journey: Part I

A Beginner's Journey: Part II

So, check out the new series, and tell me what you think.  I'm judging my upcoming training based on feedback and criticism, so beat me down!  In order to find the solution to the problem, we must first identify the problem.  So, watch the movies and take notes, over every little pause or hesitation.  I'll be updating again soon with new videos, including a D2F tutorial for you guys.

Thanks,

An0n

Ok, first and foremost, thank you so much to 21Ace!  Today I recieved a gift from Eric, the site owner, with thanks for keeping up with my weblog.  Ironically enough, it's been almost another two weeks since my last post.  I just got my internet back last night, after the tornadoes knocked out WKY Rural Telephone/Electric.  I was incredibly thrilled to recieve something from 21Ace, and am so appreciative of the gesture.  Thanks again Eric and 21Ace, for supporting this weblog and this project of mine, and for helping me to make me a better card manipulator.  In the short few months that I have been working with you guys, I have found a group of gentlemen that has an intense passion for the artform that they love.  On top of it all, I discovered that magic was just that - an art.  In my research, I have learned so much about the history of this absolutely infinite lifestyle - that of the magician.  And I have discovered more:  that I, too, want to indulge in that very lifestyle.  Without you guys here at 21Ace, I would be sitting on my couch, sad and lonely, and wondering how David Blaine bit that quarter in half.  But instead, I get to sit in my computer chair at my desk - proud, excited, and enthralled by the breathtaking performances of young men that share common interests with me.  So again, thank you for bringing to life in me the same passion that I see you all so brilliantly shining to the world in all that you say and do.  You make this project, this hobby, and this art come to life. 

And with that, I'd like to make an update.

Ok...last week was amazing for my practice, because we were on spring break, and I went absolutely no where, except on Tuesday, when I was at Georgetown college for a choir performance.  Even then, I had two decks of cards with me, and got to practice for 4 hours on the way up, 4 hours on the way back down, and I got to play around a little while I was there.  Very productive week.  Since I got my Xtreme Beginnerz DVD, I've been learning a ton, and last week I got to put all that knowledge into play by practicing it so much.  My hotshot cut variation looks really cool (I use a charlier cut to load up the chosen card instead of using the actual hot-shot cut...I find it fast and simpler.  It's in my video.) and I've really improved my fans.  So here's my practice log for last week, and keep in mind that this isn't at all exaggerated, I had nothing to do all day, so what do you think I did in that situation?  I sat at my new card table, and practiced.

Practice Log

*Note: I keep a written journal of my practice time for each day at the end of the evenings.  I am not making these numbers up off the top of my head, for the purpose of my senior project, we're required to journal the amount of time spent "studying" for our presentations.  So luckily, I can put that information to use in this weblog.

• Monday - 6.5 hours
• Tuesday - 7 hours
• Wednesday - 9 hours
• Thursday - 8 hours
• Friday - 5.5 hours
• Saturday - 9 hours

Total amount of practice time for last week: a whopping 45 hours

yup, it's official.  I have ABSOLUTELY no life.  That's more than a full-time work week of practice.

I am really excited about my first video, which will makes its' debut sometime this week.  I'm just getting started on the editing, by which I mean adding credits to the end, opening titles, super-imposed stills and text, and scene transitions.  Also, I'd like a good choice of music.  Maybe Collide by Skillet.  I don't know yet.  But as soon as the video is toTally complete, you'll get access to it.  Don't worry!

It has been yet another full week of waiting, and I still have no David Blaine Split Spades deck.  I'm calling Ellusionist tonight to see what the deal is.  I really want them!  I'm not angry, I'm just anxious because I want to see what they look like, feel like, et cetera.  But that will call for an update in itself when the package is recieved.

In closing, I'd just like to say that this week, while on Spring Break, I spent my 500th dollar on Magic.  w00t!  Now I have no life, and no money too!  Haha.  Anyway, I bought 13 new decks of cards at Tower Records in Nashville over the weekend, which included three new decks of Tally-Ho Fan Backs, two new decks of Tally-Ho Circle Backs, two new Black Tiger decks, four new decks of Bikes (red and blue), a new deck of light-blue Bikes, and a Bees World Series of Poker deck.  I was very excited about getting them all!  I bought extras of each one because I wanted to be able to leave some un-opened for my collection.  I have acquired over 50 decks of cards in the little more than 4 months I have been practicing card magic.  Sweet huh?

Well, I will update very soon, no more than two or three days at the most, because I will be uploading my new video to the internet, which will kick off the ABJ video documentary.  If any of you are still interested in helping me with it, please be my guest, and send material for me to learn, or if you have pics you would like included, I'll be more than willing to find a place for them.  Anyone who helps out with the project will have their name on the videos, and if at all possible I'd like to get a little something special for those who make contributions.  Thanks again to 21Ace for helping to support my new project, and I'll update again soon!

-An0n

Well hey, not much going on back here at the castle, I'm just laying low until my stuff arrives.  I've been waiting two weeks for my David Blaine Split Spades deck from E, and about a week for my merchandise from MagicDepot.  Also, I've got a Hummer Card and  a Raven coming from Marpenothi, a member here at 21Ace.  You all know him.  He's a great guy.  Props to Marp, he's very reliable and great to work with!  Thanks Marp!

Anyway, I might have some exciting news!  Upon my acceptance and scholarship into Georgetown Christian College in Lexington, (I got a little over $16,000 dollars for Vocal Music and Drama) my father has offered to buy me a new laptop.  In addition, I'm looking at new vehicles for the move up to Lexington, and I might be getting a nice digital camcorder, through his insurance firm.  He is the CEO of his corporation, and they are wanting to shoot a new management video for new and upcoming team members, sort of as an instructional DVD.  I recommended some really nice cameras, and he was very intrigued last night.  He told me that I would be free to use it any time if he bought it, so I'll be making some vids if so.  But until my new stuff comes in, I'm just practicing my rear end off and waiting.  Until then...

Well, it's 4:11 AM here, and I just finished watching Rounders for the very first time.  I have way too much adrenaline in my system to go to sleep (for now, anyways), and so I wanted to make a quick post, telling about Rounders.  Overall, great flick.  5/5, definitely one of the best movies I've seen.  Is there a Rounders 2?  If there isn't, there should be.  I'll Google it later.  Too lazy to bring up a new Internet Explorer page right now.  I am loving the ending of Rounders though.  Total cliffhanger for a sequel.  They did an awesome job with it, and if there is a "2", I want to know so I can go rent the thing.  Matt Damon just happens to be a bad ass, so I was toTally thrilled whenever I saw him come onto the scene.  But anyway, I'm going to give my woman a call, and maybe go to bed.  Later.

Hey all, it's been a while since my last post, almost two weeks in fact.  I'm sorry to keep you guys waiting, (as if you were sitting on the edge of your seats waiting for an update, lol! J/K) but last week was incredibly harsh for me in school.  If you'll remember, I started practicing Card Manipulation for a Senior English project.  Well, part of that project consists of writing a 2000-4000 word research term paper, which is due in a few weeks.  What we start off doing is researching sources to use in our papers.  We had to create 25 [3 x 5] "Bib" cards (Bibliography - to cite the sources), and after we had 25 or more sources, we had to review each source, highlight key points, and then make at least 75 [4 x 6] Notecards which are just notes over each source.  Typically, each source has a few notecards over it.  So far, I have completed about 50 Notecards, and I have almost 40 Bib cards, which is 15 more than the minimum.  I've been working my ass off to make sure I get a decent grade on this paper.  But it's all cool, since I absolutely LOVE my topic.  If I picked a sh!tty topic I hated, I'd be screwed right now.  But, on to business.

Practice Log

• Monday - 5 hours
• Tuesday - 3 hours
• Wednesday - 3.5 hours
• Thursday - 4.5 hours
• Friday - 5 hours
• Saturday -  4 hours

Total for the week: 25 hours

---

So far for this week:

• Monday - 4 hours
• Tuesday - 3 hours
• Wednesday - 3 hours
• Thursday - 5 hours

(I'll complete this week on Saturday.)

Like I said, my in-school practice time has been cut dramatically because of this damned research paper.  But it'll all pick back up.  The paper won't last forever.  Thank God.  Anyway...

I ordered a few new items since my last update.  So far, I picked up a new David Blaine: Split Spades Deck from Ellusionist, the Xtreme Beginnerz DVD from MagicDepot, as well as some invisible thread and some Bicycle League Backs from MagicDepot.  I cannot WAIT until it all arrives.  In further news, I'm learning a few new tricks!  Namely, "Mambo #5" from Penguin, as well as the Exodus Display, a false cut from De'vo, and the Cobra cut (simple version).  I'm still practicing my pressure fans, spread fans, and thumb fans, as well as my Ragnorak 1 and a few other flourishes.  I've been working on D2F, my own original cut that I created, so that I could have it perfect and smooth for my upcoming video whenever I gain access to a camera.  I'm making a tutorial vid for you guys so you can all learn it, and show me how you can kick my ass on it.  Hehe.

Well, that's about all I've got for now, mates (cheers fatty)!  I'll update in a day or so!  Peace!

An0n

Well, another day come and gone. Today I carried a deck of cards around with me at the mall and practiced my one-hand cuts as I walked around. I am getting to where I can do small flourishes and one-handed cuts while I do other things, like read or talk to people. I am trying to build up my finger dexterity.

I will not be buying a camera right now. I'm going to be using my girlfriend's camera, hopefully. I can't afford a new one, and I know I won't get enough use out of it if I bought my own. I have an older one, but I can't get a hook-up to my computer. It really blows.

But anyway, I hope you guys all had a great St. Patrick's Day! It was my 18th Birthday, so I'm legal now. As soon as I get my camera, I'll get several vids posted up. Since I don't have anything new for you guys, I'll see you later!

An0n

Wow. Not much has happened since yesterday. I worked on my thumb fan some more, and still did revolution. I had some guys that I had never met before approach me and ask me if I was Josh, and asked if I was the one who knew all the card tricks. I showed them several, including mindbender. It was sweet. They said that someone told them I was really good with cards, and they had to see me bend a card to believe it. They believed it before they left. Revolution went over really well again. I'm finally starting to get over my fear of exposure. I'm getting to the point where I'll show anyone, even the lunch ladies a trick or two. I love it. I know, however, that I need to practice more, so that I can be completely secure and confident in my ability to perform different tricks. It just takes time...

This is sort of a 13th/14th post....since I started when it was about 11:50 and I still haven't finished and it's 12:35. Anyway, not much happened today. I DID get to put the Revolution vanish into play today, and got some amazing reactions. One guy followed me all the way to my next class begging me to tell him how to do the damn trick. Haha! Love this one, definitely a suggested purchased (Ellusionst).

For those of you who didn't see my post in the forums, my new cut is now called D2F, which stands for "Deck 2 Flower". A big thanks to Fattyonadiet for helping me find the name! I will have the tutorial video within a couple of weeks, but for now I will work on posting a step-by-step series for you guys to try and learn from. It's simple and fun, and it stretches your fingers out. Plus, you get to make a plant. What's more fun than that? WHAT I ASK YOU??!?! Possibly peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches. But only slightly. Only slightly...

Yeah. Well, it's late, I'm getting a bit sleep-happy, and I will update again soon with pics and info!

Go away,

[just kidding.]

An0n.

Hey all, just wanted to let you guys know what I've been up to today.  I've had a very exciting day!  I have learned that my new cut is original, I made some more progress on my fans, and I also learned a new trick:  Revolution Coin Vanish from Ellusionist.  Today was great!  I'm working on perfecting my showmanship on Rev, and that's pretty much it for now.  Here are some pics I took today of progress I've made on my fans since yesterday:

That last one has to be my favorite.  Here is my new cut, the flower cut (for lack of a better name):

So today went really well!  For any of you that have seen the previews for Revolution on E, I highly suggest buying this trick.  I learned the entire thing in less than 10 minutes (less than a minute if you don't count taking the time to watch the movie), and went straight to the mirror to practice.  I nailed it every time, it's so easy!  Revolution is definitely an amazing street magic trick that anyone can do, and it sets the mood up for the rest of your routine so well!  I can't wait to test it out and see what kind of reactions I get!  I will post up tomorrow and let you know how field testing for Revolution went.  Thanks!

An0n

Well, it's been a fun week.  I have practiced a TON in the past 6 days.  My practice week usually includes Monday thru Saturday, since I'm very busy on Sundays with Church and my girlfriend.  Anyway, here is my practice log for this past week.  Tuesday was my best day.  I worked on knuckle rolls for 4 of those hours.  I'm not even kidding.  I improved a lot in that one day, as well.  I also worked very hard on my butterfly that day, like I did on Monday, and I work forever on my pressure fans Friday.

Practice Log

• Monday - 5 hours
• Tuesday - 8 hours
• Wednesday - 5 hours
• Thursday - 4 hours
• Friday - 5 hours
• Saturday - 4 hours

Total Practice time for 3/6 - 3/11:  31 hours

So, I've been very busy with practice this past week.  I am including all practice for those times, not just times when I am sitting at my card table working on tricks.  These times include school hours and down time.  For example, I got probably 4 hours of practice on Tuesday at school.  I worked very hard to get my knuckle roll down.  I timed myself countless times to see how many I could do per minute, and right now I am up to 23 complete rolls a minute.  I average about 20.  However, two weeks ago, I could not do 10 a minute.  So I have improved exponentially in as little as 14 days.  That just goes to show what practice can do for you.  My pressure fans are really coming along as well.  You wouldn't believe some of the fans I made yesterday.  I just watched "Bones Pressure Fan Vid" before I went to bed Thursday night, and it's like it just clicked for me on Friday.  Here are some pressure fan pics I took:

Pressure Fans

Keep in mind that I have only been doing pressure fans for a day.  I hadn't attempted one before that.

So, I've had a very rewarding week!  Week two has come and gone...For week three, I am going to try to start a daily journal, instead of just updating as I go.  That way, if I slack off for a day, or if something really cool happens one day, then you will know then.  I am also working very hard to attain a video camera.  Hopefully by the end of march I will have been able to buy one, what with my birthday coming up and all.  My girlfriend's brother works at the local Best Buy, and I expect that he can get me one hell of a deal on a really nice video camera.  If any of you have a suggestion as to a certain brand or model camera that I should buy please PM me or post in my comment page on the forums.  For instance, if you use a certain camera, and have made several nice card vids, please enlighten me as to what camera you use!  Also, I'm going to be needing a good video editing program.  I have Windows Movie Maker, but I don't have any good effects with it.  If there is a package I can download for extra video effect, I will, but if not then I want a better program.  Thanks for stopping by!

An0n

Hey guys, I promised the butterfly pics, and here they are.  Right hand only, for now.  But hopefully I'll have either a video clip or pics of my dual hand or both.  I don't know, I'm trying to get a video camera to use.  I have no access to one.  But anyway, here you are.  Enjoy!

Butterfly

That's it!  That's the butterfly.  If anyone would like a list of steps in text, please add a request in the forums for them, and I'll be more than happy to add them up here.  Hope it helps!

Hey guys, I just thought I would update you all on my progress.  I have spent the last 3 hours at my card desk with poker chips practicing my dual hand butterfly.  I can do the entire thing fairly smoothly with both hands, although I sometimes run into problems getting my pinky to grab the chip it is supposed to hold.  I'll post some pics up in a minute. 

For now, here are some step-by-steps of my scissor cut (three-finger variation), my faro shuffle, and my card flip:

Scissor Cut

Ok, that's it for the scissor cut.  I will post up my 2-finger variations later.  (I can do it horizonTally or vertically).  Here is my faro shuffle:

Faro Shuffle

From this point, you can do one of a few things.  Either:

• turn over your hand and finish off with a one-hand waterfall shuffle by letting the weave fall into itself.
• simply push the weave together and square off the cards.
• allow your pinky to fall, and gently squeeze the two packets together with your ring-finger and thumb.  As you do this, bring your free hand up under the shuffled cards, and allow the cards to glide down into the free hand, falling together into one packet as they fall.

Finally, here is my card flip:

Card Flip

So there you are...there is my scissor cut, faro shuffle, and card flip.  I would like you guys to tell me how you all think I'm doing!  Constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated!  If I can't have someone to be honest with me about my shortcomings, I'll never find my mistakes, and therefore I'll never learn from them.  You can leave a comment by clicking here, or you can go to the 21ace forums, and click "Gambling Stories and Funny Tales".  My blog comment post is the first on the list!  Check it out, tell me what you think.  I'll post up pics of the Butterfly tomorrow if all goes according to plan.

An0n

Just a quick update...

Hey guys, I just needed to ask a quick question.  I have discovered that I can do a cut that is very similar to the Charlier cut, but it is not the Charlier.  I do not know what the name of it is, and I don't think it's original.  The step-by-step images below show how the cut is done...basically, you begin like you are going to do a Charlier, and drop about 1/3 of the cards down, then slide them up to the front of the deck.  Then, you drop another 1/3 down, and slide the first 1/3 into the middle of the two remaining packets.  Anyone know what it's called?  I'd like to know, and if there is an easy way of getting the second packet to drop, I haven't found it yet.  Here you go:

1.)

2.)

3.)

4.)

5.)

6.)

7.)

8.)

Those are the steps.  Anyone have any clue as to what this is called?  It is not difficult to do, just like a charlier cut with an extra packet to drop down.  I just use my index and little fingers to separate the second packet off and drop it down.  After that, finish up like a charlier but put the front packet into the middle of the other two.  Fairly simple.

Practice Log

• Sunday - 4 hours
• Monday - 5 hours
• Tuesday - 2 hours
• Wednesday - 6 hours
• Thursday - 3 hours
• Friday - 2.5 hours

This is my practice time log for week one.  I was restricted on Tuesday because I slipped a disk in my neck and was confined to the floor on my back all day with an ice pack under my neck.  Otherwise, I would have gotten my hours in.  But that's no excuse, haha!  I swear, though...even with a disk out of place in my neck, I laid on my back for two hours on Tuesday with a deck of cards held high in the air practicing my flourishes.  Now that's dedication.  Ha!

Obviously, it doesn't matter how many hours you practice if you aren't accomplishing anything in that time period.  If you are making no progress, but practicing three hours a day, you're wasting 21 hours a week that you could be using to do something else.  With that concept in mind, I always like to work on new material, whether it be flourishes, tricks, or illusions.  I like to keep my mind filled with fresh content.  I usually spend nearly an hour a day practicing fans and flourishes, about an hour on cuts (one handed and two handed), and maybe an hour on a new trick/sleight.  Most recently I have picked up King Rising Levitation, the Elmsley count, and the coin matrix.  I have already mastered the elmsley count and the coin matrix.  I have not attempted KR yet. 

Before I begin practicing, and often as soon as I wake up, I like to warm my hands up.  First by stretching my fingers out, Range Of Motion style: from front to back and side to side.  Then, I pick up a poker chip (standard size, 11g poker chip) and begin knuckle-rolls for a few minutes until I pick up a good solid speed and stay at a decent pace without dropping the coin or chip.  This helps me to get my hand-eye coordination in tune, and also helps my finger dexterity.  I highly suggest warming up your fingers/hands before practice, it has really helped me.  I find that if I warm up or get my hands ready in some way, I drop less cards, make less mistakes, and just handle better in general.  Now, to the fun stuff!

---

From the Arsenal....

Here are a few things I'm working on.  To start, I've posted pics of my charlier cut instructional images, scissor cut, faro shuffle, card flip, and card fan.  The pictures are laid out in a step-by-step manner, so please, if you spot something I'm doing wrong, notify me so that I may correct myself at once.  This is what this entire project is for.  To learn the proper method of the card flourishes, so that I may perform them well, instead of settling for mediocre.  So let's get to it:

Charlier Cut

I'm pretty sure my charlier is ok, and I can dual hand it very well.  Next up is my fan.

Fan

Step 1:  Ok guys, let me know what I'm doing wrong...I have a feeling this is why I can't make a good fan.  I begin by holding the deck like so (pictured) in my left hand.

Step 2:  I then take my pointer finger on my right hand, and use this as a guider finger for the actual fan. 

Step 3:  I then spread the cards quickly with my right hand, while simultaneously spreading my left hand down to the left. 

Step 4: hopefully, in the future they will look better, but for now, this is the final product.

---

So, what can I improve on?  Any tips for hand/finger placement for my cut or my fans?  I will post up my scissor cut and faro shuffle in the morning, as well as a card spread and flip.  Until then, just stop by the forums on 21ace.com, and let me know what you think!  You can comment on the materials on this page under "Funny Gambling Tales" at the bottom of the forum.  Please drop in, leave me a line, and give me any suggestions you have.

Until tomorrow....

This is the concept image for the ABJ Logo:

What do you guys think?  Any comments or suggestions?

Also, if you'd like to submit any images for the gallery or for the logo, please feel free to email me them!