Magic Show

It all started with this e-mail from our Grandson Jim - a professional “Magician” in Chicago:

Hey Grandpa,

I enjoy reading your blog about some of your adventures and activities at Grand Court. I was wondering if you guys would be interested in me performing.

Have you ever had a magician there? I wouldn’t charge anything (except maybe a meal).

I can come on a Sunday or Monday or Tuesday. It would be a lot of fun.

How many people are hard of hearing? Do they have a Microphone?

What do you think?

I can make it like a visit as well. My show lasts almost an hour.

Love Jim


My following e-mail to Timi, our Activities Director:

Timi,

My grandson, Jim Jr. lives in Chicago and is a professional magician.

He does table by table magic and offered to come for a visit, and while here do a free show for Grand Court. I'll buy his meal.

He says his show lasts nearly an hour.

Catch him at http://magitainment.com/

Let me know what you think.

Mike

Timi back:

Wow! How cool that would be. Let me know when he is available.

Then, I told Jim that Timi had accepted his invitation:

His response:

That’s great. How about November 8th or 9th.

Just to clarify this would be my stand up show that I do for special events or birthdays. I wouldn’t be doing table magic. Unless of course that’s what is preferred.

I look forward to our visit.

Jim

Here’s a shot of the flyer that was posted around the Grand Court, announcing his appearance.



To use an old Mechanicsburg phrase: The upshot of this was, that on Monday, Jim arrived, and before maybe 30 residents and staff, he gave us about an hour of prestidigitation.

Since I try to be honest and open on this blog, I have to say that I was more than a little nervous that, instead of driving down on Sunday as I would have, he waited until Monday morning to drive 300 miles, and get here before the 2:30 PM “show” time.

He arrived at 2 PM (after calling me an hour earlier to tell me he had just crossed into Ohio), and proceeded to dress in his “magic costume”, gather his “effects” together, and start the show.

Timi introduced him, and I then stood up beside him (he’s 7 or 8 inches taller than I), and re-introduced him as my twin brother.



He started out with a “silent” routine, involving a couple of “first rowers”, that most had trouble following, and then continued with some striking “illusions”, that “flabbergasted” us - saying, “How did he DO that?”

Heere's me, trying to get the "ringss" together. He could, but I couldn't.




He used several audience members as “props”, and performed several “tricky” tricks - more than one involving revealing cards silently picked out, and one time, turning a twenty dollar bill into a “folded-up” insert in an unopened (until later) kiwi fruit, with the donor’s initials still written on it.



“How did he DO that?”

Here's Timi, mouth agape while watching "her card" slowly rise out of the deck.



The audience was enthralled, as was I. Someone said later, “I’ll bet you taught him everything he knows.”

WRONG!

I knew nothing of what he did, though I had seen him do some card tricks several years ago.

He used to be rather shy - but far from that now. He carried himself well - as do other magician friends of his that I’ve seen.

One of the elderly (aren’t we all?) ladies in the second row, who participated in one of the card tricks, said to me the next morning at breakfast,

“I’ve never seen a magician as good as he is!”

He was good - and it was a joy to watch him work.

Afterward, knowing how he likes to eat, I said to him,

“How about dinner? Got a favorite place?”

I knew better than to ask that, because I KNEW - from past experiences with him here.

“How about ‘Golden Corral’?”

Right! The buffet place.

After eating (wonder of wonders, he ate a couple full plates more than I did), I asked him what he’d like to do.

So, knowing he likes movies, I suggested we might find one he’d like.

We went to the Chakeres Theatre on East Main Street, and saw the animated version of “Dickens Christmas Carol”. I had not seen such realistic animation before, and I was astonished at the realism of some of the scenes.

Enjoyable.

He hadn’t seen Jodi for several years (his cousin), so he asked about her. She had told me she wanted to be at his magic show, but she had to work.

I “texted” her, then called her, but no answer.

I knew she went to her dad’s sometimes, and, forgetting about Monday Night Football (THEY are die hard Steelers fans), I saw Jodi’s car there, and knocked on his door. He lives upstairs, so he didn’t hear my knock. She told me next day that they were watching the Steelers. Too enthralled to even hear her phone. I DO know she keeps it in her handbag, because I’ve seen her miss some calls in the car with me.

So, we headed for my apartment, and on the way, stopped at Speedway to fill up Jim’s car. Least I could do for his coming all the way down here for the show. I tried to give him some money, but he said he was going to work for his dad in electrical work the next day, and would be paid that night.

He fiiled up, and we went to my back parking lot.

When I was just ready to get out of the car, I looked at his gas gauge, and it registered half-full. I said,

“Hey! You didn’t fill up!”

“Yes I did”, he said.

While we watched, his gas gauge gradually dropped down to Empty.

What’s going on?

He started the car again, and the gas gauge went only half way up.

Turned it off, then looked under the car for spillage that he hadn’t noticed, since he did have that problem one time when the hose from the filling tube to the tank came off.

No gasoline on the ground.

What to do?

He decided he’d go ahead and drive to his dad’s, and see what happened.

He later called and said the gauge was working properly, and that he expects the tank full to take him home.

The next day, he worked for his dad, then headed for home. I talked to him in mid-afternoon, and he said it looks like he’d be able to get home.

He sent me a text at near midnight, saying, “Got home safely!”

Whew!

What a “two day” experience!