Sailor Maurice

We last mentioned the Hardy family in the first of many promised installments of the Hardy Chronicles. The story, for those of you new to Inside Magic or to the fun of reading, ended with my Grandma, Thoma Hardy outliving a sailor boy she met at the funeral of my grandpa, Thomas Hardy V.

Grandma and Sailor Maurice lived a pleasant life for the 18 months he was alive. By all accounts, the marriage was on the rocks anyway. (“On the Rocks” is a very clever turn of a phrase by me to apply to a sailor worst nightmare, the method of pouring an alcoholic drink and where most of the cars ended up after my grandma’s accident. I am so witty and clever that most magician-writers are jealous of me).

Silk Blow

One of the many things we love about Trixie Bond is her infectious love and enjoyment for magic. Whether performing as the premier children’s entertainer or delivering her outstanding lecture to magicians seeking success in the kid show market, Ms. Bond brings a wonderful sense of excitement to her presentations.

Ms. Bond knows magic and its history. She is a regular attendee and performer at the FFFF Conference (earning her a PhD at the most recent conclave), and Member with a Silver Star of the prestigious Inner Circle of the UK Magic Circle.

Brave Little Claudine: Will Lance Be Her Magic Man?

As much as we would hope to stop or at least slow time, we are constantly reminded our hope is in vain. Time will not slow for any of us. We shuffle on this mortal coil for just a very brief interval and when we leave, we hope to leave something more meaningful than the carbon from whence we were built up.

With this inadequate analogy in mind, we recall with fondness the life and love of Claudine O’Toole. Claudine left us last night for a better place and she will be sorely missed. She moved to Las Vegas, Nevada.

There are so many heroes with clay feet in the world today. We have athletic champions who are later revealed to be cheats; scions of business with a "get rich quick" mentality; and others we idolize only to be disappointed.

Part of the problem — maybe the entirety of the problem — is our willingness to suspend belief and accept the wild claims these heroes make. One would think magicians would be hesitant to suspend their belief.

But, actually, we think magicians are the most vulnerable to the very distraction we hope to invoke in our performances. We want to believe and to be fooled. We want to be mystified and through our observation of the mystery, to be entertained.

Anita Bryant correctly stated "A day without orange juice is like a day without sunshine."

She also originally sang Paper Roses (1960); a song wonderfully re-done by our crush Marie Osmond in 1973.

But this story isn’t about Mrs. Bryant or Ms. Osmond.

Nay. It is all about two mysterious magicians performing in an upcoming a "secret exclusive show."

So what’s with the Anita Bryant and Marie Osmond reference, bunt-for-brains?

A day without a careful read of London’s The Sun tabloid is like can leave you unenlightened and not-juiced.