Have I mentioned I am a fan of David Regal? Maybe not. I’m a fan of David Regal. Or, more specifically, his way of thinking. My library at Casa Escamoteurettes includes his books “Star Quality” and “Close-Up and Personal” as well as his two sets of DVDs put out by Louis Falanga and L&L Publishing, […]

From Wired early this morning: Psychologists and salesmen call it the “chameleon effect”: People are perceived as more honest and likeable if they subtly mimic the body language of the person they’re speaking with. NLP practitioners know that as mirroring. I know I’ve found the technique useful in and out of mystery entertainment, and I […]

Seneca stated: “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” Thomas Jefferson observed: “I’m a great believer in luck and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.” And from Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect.” Got a moment? Read this and […]

“We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. … Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverent visitors and fond mourners. Let no neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.” — […]

I have many loves in my life. At the top of the earthly list, there are the three females with whom I live. There’s getting up at 3:15 each morning — when anything and anyone with any kind of sensibilities at all is still snoozing — and having my first cup of coffee waiting on […]

I’ll admit to being a bit looser these days about what I’ll post to Escamoteurettes, though I probably have more unfinished drafts that may never see the light of day than posts you’ve actually seen here. In the beginning, I made a conscious decision to stay away from much of the current events type stuff. […]

First, a couple of quotes: “People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get ahead in this world are the people who look for the circumstances they want. If they can’t find them … they make them.” – George Bernard Shaw That is pretty apparent, […]

I find ironic the fact that I’m writing a post on Escamoteurettes to answer some of the remarks you made in a post on Magic Rants today dealing with whether or not to host/field comments on blogs. Normally, in the blogosphere, these comments would be entered and hosted with the article on which I’m commenting. […]

I read two things last night worth mentioning: The first is a blog post on how to blog. Not often, but every once in a while someone emails me and asks how to get started blogging. The simple way is to go to Blogger, follow the instructions, and start typing. Beyond that, I’m really not […]

Todd Karr posted a note to the Genii Forum last night noting Teller passed along word from Sandy Marshall that The Dean of Magic, the great Jay Marshall, has passed away. Anyone who has experienced the loss of a close family member will tell you that, even knowing the end is near, when it happens, […]