Not Just Another Magic Monday

The weekend before last was a very magical weekend for me.  The local magic ring in my new home, Ring #199, had a weekend of 2 lectures, a magic show and a master class. All of which I had the pleasure of attending. The first lecture was an awesome lecture from Dan Harlan that was more about presentation than it was on any tricks. His background in drama came through clear and at times he had me in stitches. The second lecture followed a show by none other than Jeff McBride, my favorite magician. His show was more amazing in person than any recording I had seen, even if it was in a more intimate setting than a Masters of Illusion taping. In fact, the intimate setting and the fact that I'd seen some of these before made the show better. I had the chance to see, well...nothing. The routines and effects which I was unaware of how he accomplished them left me still unaware - though very entertained. Much of the audience were magicians and I can say that we were all entertained. He actually did sorcerer's apprentice on stage with a teenage magician and it came out quite funny without deviating much from any time I've seen it performed on video. [ad#Ellusionist] As if that show and the following lecture weren't enough I was lucky enough to be part of a 4 hour ( turned into 4.5 hour ) master class taught by Jeff Mcbride the following Sunday. In this class I was able to get a little taste of what it must be like at Mcbride's Magic and Mystery School out in Vegas. I learned a lot from this master class and I feel very lucky that I was able to attend.

However, this post is not about me gloating that I got to see my magical hero in person and learn from him. Instead I want to teach a lesson I learned from the weekend. If you want to learn to be a master you need to seek masters to learn from. For some that means making it out to Vegas to attend a Master Class at the Magic and Mystery School. For others it means heading to South America to learn from Juan Tamariz ( mentioned several times by Jeff ).

It may not be ( or at least it may not seem ) possible for you to do any of this right now. However, thanks to the power of the internet, the Magic and Mystery school can come to you. Now there is a Virtual Magic and Mystery school available for you to learn from the masters. I'm not sure how long they'll be doing this but you can sign up for a free trial and get a free lesson in magic from Jeff to see how the system works.

[flv:http://virtual.magicalwisdom.com/video/vms_promo.flv 480 360] [ad#Google Adsense]

Liu Qian - Just Another Magic Monday

Magic is international. In some of my previous JAMM posts I have shown some stage performances from magicians of different locales. Stage performances, especially card manipulation performances, don't usually require a lot of words.  More intimate performances, especially table performances, require quite a bit more banter to connect with the audience. However, the following video proves ( if you don't speak chinese at least ) that magic, and the language of "holy crap that's insanely awesome", doesn't require much more than body language to convey its message. Watch and be amazed...watch more and be amazed more..keep watching its worth seeing all of it :) [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwVy_2eOfsE&w=500&h=300] [ad#Ellusionist]

The Humor of Male Inequality

For my first post back from break, I thought I would start with a little humor. The humor I chose isn't any humor, but it is humor related to the more serious topics written about in this blog - the men's movement. Watching this clip was almost surreal for me because there was a part of me that thought I should be offended but I wasn't and Samantha Bee if hilarious. So watch this fake news piece on the men's movement and enjoy.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Male Inequality
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Crisis

You may have noticed I kept this post very short. This is on purpose. The other post this week is my Wednesday Warrior post and this clip will be a great source for a topic. [ad#Google Adsense] If you liked this post please subscribe to my RSS Feed and/or follow me on Twitter. If you only want to read my Sunday Funnies posts subscribe to the Sunday Funnies feed. Until next time, thanks for reading and Happy Valentine's day.

A respite from blog posts

Recently, I got offered a position at Merscom Games to be a flash developer for social media games. Everything is happening quite quickly and it made me realize a couple things.

1. I have a lot to get done to move to another city so I'm going to have to take a break from blogging.
2. I have been blogging too frequently to put the quality in I would like.

So, for the next couple weeks I'm going to take a break from my scheduled blogging times. When I come back I'm reducing the amount of scheduled posts to 2 a week. I will do this by staggering the posts. So one week I will do a Just Another Magic Monday post along with a Flash Friday post. The following week will consist of a Sunday Funnies post and a Wednesday Warrior post.

Hopefully this change will allow for me to put more time into my blog posts. At the same time, it should help me to continue to post even when certain major events occur.

So, until I am settled - adieu.

Grandfather Sky: The Grandfatherly Heart - awakening my sacred masculine

Finally, we have reached the 10th metaphor in Matthew Fox's book The Hidden Spiruality of Men - Ten Metaphors to Awaken the Sacred Masculine. As a man who is a father but not a grandfather I wondered what I would be able to get out of this metaphor. As I am writing these blog posts with the hopes that I can help others, what can someone who is neither a grandfather or even a father get from this metaphor. For my second reading of this metaphor though, I did get something out of for myself and hopefully for others. We have already had a few father metaphors, what is Grandfather Sky and how is it different?

The Grandfatherly Heart

Grandfather Sky, the grandfatherly heart, isn't that different in relationship to the father metaphors than the relationship between grandfathers and fathers ( and sons for that matter ). Grandfather Sky is the father metaphors at new stage of life. Where the father metaphors are still about providing for family and community through (great) work, Grandfather sky is about providing for family and community through wisdom.

Beyond just sharing its own wisdom, the Grandfatherly Heart is also about taking in the wisdom of youth - be that the sons or be that the fathers. The Grandfatherly Heart knows enough to know that there is much he doesn't know. Thus, Grandfather Sky, learns from youth as much as they teach the youth.

My Own Experiences

In reading this chapter again I remember a conversation I had with my step-father in law regarding his relationship with my sons. I couldn't ask for a better grandfather figure in my sons' lives than him and I was telling him how much I appreciate him. He D'Artagnan and Draegan so much time and I know when I come home I often don't have the focus or energy to give the same amount of myself to them as he does. He just smiled and told me it was the same for him with his kids. He reminded me, I have to drum up the energy every day and he only has to do it when we come to visit. His energy, his heart is not only a gift to my sons but it is a gift to me as well.

Then there are the projects. Both my step father in law and father in law spend time doing projects with my kids. Often woodworking projects, something they are both good at and I have no experience in. I so appreciate their passing down of wisdom to the boys. That is the Grandfatherly Heart giving freely, not so much wisdom, but love of a craft.

My Inner Grandfather

Rather than wait the many years until I, possibly, become a literal grandfather I decided to take a look at what this metaphor means for me right now. Often the modern versions of the father looks at their actual work as the way they define themselves. The grandfather, on the other hand, now looks at their family, their communities and their contributions as the way they define themselves. There is also the difference in relationship to death. The grandfatherly heart is much more aware of death, and accepting of it. It is, after all, a natural part of life and they know enough to see it for what it is. In this way Grandfather Sky is connected to the Hunter-Gatherer who just sees death as and extremely natural part of life. In a recent national geographic article on the Hazda, they have only begun to bury their dead in recent decades after pressure from governments. Instead they just let nature take its course. It takes a bit for my modern mind to even deal with that - even though it makes perfect sense. [ad#Google Adsense] If you liked this post please subscribe to myRSS Feed and/or follow me on Twitter. If you only want to read my Wednesday Warrior posts subscribe to the Wednesday Warrior feed. Until next time, thanks for reading.

Bill Malone and Sam the Bellhop

Before I got into magic there were a lot of magicians I had never heard of but should have. I still have many more to learn about. Of course, with magic there are so many types of magic that this fact is not that surprising. Many of my past Just Another Magic Monday posts have shown off card manipulators as I learned about some of them. However, recently I posted about Go Magic Go and the Royal Road to Card Magic. I did this because I've decided to make 2010 a magical year for me and those are the tools I am using myself to gain some magical confidence. The Royal Road to Card Magic isn't a book about card manipulation even if it does have some utility flourishes. Instead, it is a book about good old fashioned card magic.

For many people, card magic is the reason they think they don't like magic. Since card magic is so easy for people to get started at, many people learn the tricks but don't learn how to really perform them.  Without the performance a trick is just a trick and rarely, if ever, entertains. Thank goodness for my pro wrestling background, I already understand this fact.

Card magic can be extremely entertaining though. In the hands of the right performer, a simple deck of cards can be all someone needs to entertain any group of people. In the magical world many would say that Bill Malone is one of the best card magic entertainers there is. I only learned about him while talking with an old friend about my new journey into magic. In the following video Bill Malone does a lot of magic, but you may not even notice it because the routine is so entertaining.

Enjoy Bill Malone's - Sam the Bellhop

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GErpOl3KG_w&w=480&h=385] [ad#Ellusionist] If you liked this post please follow me on twitter and/or subscribe to my RSS feed. If you only want to see my JAMM posts you can subscribe to the Just Another Magic Monday Feed.

French + Flight of the Conchords = Sweet

I love flight of the conchords. I also love Scrubs. I am also a fan of comedy and the french language. These 4 things came together in the first season of Flight of the Conchords. Watching season 9 of Scrubs, where Eliza Coupe plays Dr. Denise Mahoney I am constantly thinking about "A Kiss Is Not A Contract."

Definitely No Sugar

Of course, the number one song and video for me from the series is Foux De Fa Fa. If you ever took French in high school and have forgotten everything since this should be pretty funny for you. If you are a francophile with a sense of humor( like myself ), enjoy. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZG2Cb1I7oo&w=480&h=385] [ad#Google Adsense] If you liked this post please subscribe to my RSS Feed and/or follow me on Twitter. If you only want to read my Sunday Funnies posts subscribe to the Sunday Funnies feed. Until next time, thanks for reading.

Transitions and the Transition Manager

With Flash CS4 ( and CS3 for that matter ) comes a great utility for simple visual effects, the Transition Manager and accompanying transitions. With this tool you can use some common transitions without much complex coding on your side. The following is a list of the available transitions.

• Blinds
• Fade
• Fly
• Iris
• Photo
• PixelDissolve
• Rotate
• Squeeze
• Wipe
• Zoom

Transitions can be used by themselves or mixed together for an even more professional look. And all this is very easy because of the power and simplicity of the Transition Manager class. Using the class is very simple. The following code performs a simple fade in on an imaginary MovieClip instance named myClip.

import fl.transitions.*;
var transitionMgr:TransitionManager = new TransitionManager( myClip );
var params:Object = new Object();
params.type = Fade;
params.direction = Transition.IN;
var transition:Transition = transitionMgr.startTransition( params );

The above code could also be done with the static start() method, like so:

import fl.transitions.*;
var params:Object = new Object();
params.type = Fade;
params.direction = Transition.IN;
var transition:Transition = TransitionManager.start( myClip, params );

Using the static start() method is a bit cleaner. However, if you need to do multiple transitions to the same movieclip the first method is best.

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Using Parameters

The two transition methods both take a parameters object, but you might be wondering what goes in the object. That depends on a few things and here are some options.

1. The type is required - enter one of the 10 above.
2. Other common properties for all transitions include
   1. direction - choices are Transition.IN and Transition.OUT ( default is Transition.IN )
   2. duration - this is measured in seconds
   3. easing - This is a function. I believe the default is None.none;
3. You can add parameters specific to the fade type you are using( i.e. numStrips for a Blinds transition )

When does it end?

When looking at the documentation for the Transition and Transition Manager classes, there appears to be a problem. If you want to do something when the transition(s) are done there doesn't appear to be any events that tell you when this occurs. The truth is there are events that get fired, the documentation is just lacking. The events that get fired are of type flash.event.Event and there are no constants to give you any auto completion help.

For the transitions the following events may be fired:

• "transitionInDone"
• "transitionOutDone"
• "transitionProgress"

The TransitionManager fires the following 2 events

• "allTransitionsInDone"
• "allTransitionsOutDone"

Example

With all the above in mind I thought I would show each of the different transitions and the events that fire. Each transition uses all of its defaults, but you do get to choose the direction so you can see the different complete events :)

One Last Thing

The Transition classes unfortunately are only coded to work with MovieClip instances. For many people who don't code in MovieClips you may have to find a different solution but for most users of Flash CS4+ this shouldn't be a problem. [ad#Adobe Banner] If you liked this post please subscribe to my RSS feed and/or follow me on Twitter. If you only want to see my Flash Friday posts you can follow the subscribe to the Flash Friday feed. How's that for alliteration :) Until next time keep on coding.

Earth Father - awakening my sacred masculine

The 9th metaphor in the book The Hidden Spiruality of Men - Ten Metaphors to Awaken the Sacred Masculine is titled earth father. For me my journey into men's studies and down the spiritual path of the sacred masculine comes from asking questions about being a father. In my first post on numinous masculine sexuality I discussed how sexuality and questioning how to raise 2 boys to not be ashamed of sex like I was (and still am somewhat) was a major catalyst for this exploration. Between my first steps, in the book Fire in The Belly and currently these Wednesday Warrior posts I focused on much more of what it means to be masculine and that has guided me quite well on my fatherhood journey.

Earth Father - sacred masculine central

Fatherhood is central to the sacred masculine. From this book alone you can see how it is linked to each of the other 9 metaphors:

• Father Sky - Also a father metaphor, father sky is more distant than the Earth Father. One must not forget the importance of solitude and space in masculinity/fatherhood which Father Sky provides.
• The Green Man - This one is linked as another earth metaphor. Earth Father is grounded, much like the Green Man. Being a good steward of our planet is a great way to provide for our children and our children's children.
• Icarus and Daedalus - Another father metaphor, or a rather a parable to learn from. Fathers must not only be willing to teach their children, but learn from them as well.
• Hunter-Gatherers - In modern society this is hard to see. Where are the rites of passage from boyhood to manhood ? How can we as men create the important psychological and spiritual aspects of these for our children?
• Spiritual Warriors - As a father, what do we fight for? What do we value? We reap what we sow in regards to the Spiritual Warrior's connection to the Earth Father. We must lead by example.
• Masculine Sexuality, Numinous Sexuality - I do not want my sons to learn that sex = shame. I want them to be powerful individuals in all aspects of their lives.
• Our Cosmic and Animal Bodies - As fathers how do we take care of our bodies? Our children's? Once again, leading by example has us teach our children respect for themselves.
• The Blue Man - In all the trials and tribulations of fathering, there must be compassion, there must be a loving heart.
• Grandfather Sky:The Grandfatherly Heart - The father begets the grandfather, 'nuff said :)

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Earth Father - not just for fathers

While the earth father and fathering are central to the sacred masculine they do not refer only to literal fatherhood. Literal fatherhood is just the most obvious place to access it. In a post ( or two ) on my old blog I discussed Mr. Miyagi from the Karate Kid. No one would say that there is not an earth father being portrayed in those films and yet he is not a literal father. A powerful force, the mentor. The mentor spreads earth father energy out into the community. Perhaps you have a memory of a teacher that became your mentor at one point. They are out there and you can be one too. It doesn't take much but time and caring, but mostly caring.

Paternal energy doesn't stop with men either. The earth father's paternal energy can be tapped into by women ( and is ) in the same way that men can tap into the earth mother's maternal energy. A literal father and literal mother both tap into paternal and maternal energies, it takes both to raise a child.

Being a stand for the community

The Earth Father takes a look at the world he is leaving for his children, and his children's children, and strives to make it the best he can make it for them. To do this he must stand for his community and in his community. Helping others and helping the environment are the keys. For a while I've been wondering if I could find a mens group in my area. Recently I've actually thought about the possibility of actually being the one to create a mens group in my area for this very reason. By being a stand for those around us to be great, we get to live in greatness.

These are of course my take on earth father energies. I'd love to hear others. Perhaps you aren't a literal father and have a take on it. Maybe you are a grandfather who has reach the next level of fatherhood. Maybe you are a woman reading this and care to share with us your perspective. Whatever your view I'd love to hear it in the comments. Of course, keep in mind that I barely touch the topic and this is a great book to read yourself as you will most likely get something else out of it than I.

[ad#Google Adsense] If you liked this post please subscribe to myRSS Feed and/or follow me on Twitter. If you only want to read my Wednesday Warrior posts subscribe to the Wednesday Warrior feed. Until next time, thanks for reading.

Go Magic Go down the Royal Road

As a magician, I can't in good conscious tip any methods on my blog because there is no way to tell if my reader is a magician or not. However, I am still a novice myself and I know how hard it is to find good methods to learn magic. So, I will gladly share some of the better ways I find to learn some magic if you too are wanting to learn the arcane arts ;) My JAMM posts are the perfect place to do this on occasion. Today's JAMM post, as you have probably already figured out, is me recommending the book The Royal Road to Card Magic. But that is not all. I didn't start making my way through this book until I came across an podcast series called Go Magic Go. Unfortunately, this podcast isn't still being created so you have to do a little, technical, leg work in order to find it. I've done the work for you so just point your RSS reader to http://thetrapdoor.libsyn.com/rss.

If you don't know what an RSS reader is, a great online tool is Google Reader. Just click the "Add A Subscription" button and add the URL above. While your at it, do the same with http://ducharme.cc to follow the blog you are currently reading.

Back to the topic at hand. The Royal Road To Card Magic is the book they work through in a special series of podcasts  Go Magic Go did for beginners. Even though the book is written well and you can get a lot out of it on your own, what you get from the beginner series podcasts is almost like a virtual magic mentor. You get tips for practicing, things to watch out for and other information that you would only get from making mistakes yourself.  I still haven't gotten through the book because I'm going quite slow ( as recommended by the Go Magic Go podcast ) and still was learning some very powerful techniques and tricks almost immediately.

Here is the first lesson to get you started:

For less than $10, this book is a gold mine of magical technique. It goes well with the fact that card magic is a nice inexpensive way to start learning magic theory. The Go Magic Go podcasts are free and come with a wealth of information for anyone serious about magic. So I highly recommend listening to more than just the Beginner Series podcasts. [ad#Ellusionist] If you liked this post please follow me on twitter and/or subscribe to my RSS feed. If you only want to see my JAMM posts you can subscribe to the Just Another Magic Monday Feed.