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12.31.2004 And Time Goes on ...
Oops .. I can't believe I haven't written in a few weeks ... but it's been a rough month. Things are getting a little better each day. My Mother is at home getting around a little easier ... she still has a bit to go. One of my good friends told me ... "A mother can take care of ten kids .. but ten kids can't take care of one mother." Lot's of crazy things are happening around the world .. I can't even believe all the people lost on the other side of the globe. Never in my lifetime have I seen such a tragedy. Yet we are helpless ... there really wasn't anything that could have prevented this natural disaster. I'm still stunned .. maybe we should pull the troupes out of Iraq and send them to India to help .. call me crazy?? Something to think about ... I know I should be talkin' magic stuff here ... but there are more things to life. Actually I did have some fun performing with one of the former Chezababes on Christmas Eve. Lenny .. as we call her ... was at my side, doing her old poses and everything. It was alot of fun .. maybe the reunion tour will be in the works .. ya never know? I hope you had some special memories from the holidays ... and may God bless you and your family in the coming year ... Steve
12.15.2004 Mayor to the Rescue ... Thanks to everyone's calls, prayers and e-mails .. my Mom is feeling much better. It was real scary last week .. I can't even tell you how messed up that was. I wasn't sure if I was ever going to talk to her again .. a very unsettling feeling. I have a close circle of friends that I've been sending updates .. and our prayers were heard. When Mother was still on the machine .. she also spelled out M A Y O R .. one letter at a time .. just like before. She wanted the Mayor of Naperville to know she was in the hospital. A few days later I relayed the message to Mayor Pradel. Sure enough he was there the next day to visit with my Mother. Her face lit up like when a child see's Santa for the first time .. really. He held her hand and stayed for a good long time. It really lifted her spirits .. and mine too. He told me he was proud of me .. taking care of my Mother .. that made me feel good. Sure it doesn't hurt that I went to school with his son Gary .. but he really came through in a time of need. I'm proud to have a Mayor that really cares about the people in his town .. it really makes a difference. Your a good man Mr. Pradel .. I'll always remember your kindness ... Steve 12.10.2004 Unspoken Words ... Sorry for the delay here ... but my Mother has been in the hospital and everything else is on hold right now. She has pneumonia and is on respirator .. and to tell you the truth ... it's really scary. She is sedated and can't even talk right now. she know's I'm there and can nod"yes" and "no" ... she's been trying to tell us something and I finally figured it out today. I went through the alphabet ... and stopped on "J" ... for Joe ... that's my Dad. Then she was tapping my hand with one finger ... her ring finger. She wanted her wedding ring ... that's all she wants. I feel a little better tonight and maybe I'll get some sleep ... She is in God's hands right now ... so if you can put in a good word for me ... and say a prayer for my Mom ... I would be forever grateful. Sure I don't go to church every Sunday ... but maybe God will overlook that for now ... and help my her out. All I want this Christmas this year is to have her healthy again ... Steve
11.22.2004 Steve's Movie Review ... this could be a fun new feature on the site .. but I don't get to see too many movies anymore. I've got tons of DVD's .. but they are all still wrapped .. until I sit and watch something. Think is I don't sit still too often .. but I do enjoy movies .. really. Ok .. back to the Incredible's .. wow it was fun. The story was great .. the graphics .. amazing and it was a fun movie for the whole family. In fact .. I'd even see it again .. a very rare occurrence .. but I might have to take Mom to this one. If you haven't seen it yet .. it's really worth going. We had some shows on the weekend ... so Monday rolls around and I'm a bit tired .. and sore too. Lot's to catch up on this week .. and Thanksgiving will be here before you know it .. hope it's a good one for you and your family ... Steve
11.16.2004 Doing Dad's work .. So over the weekend I'm cleaning out the garage ... making room for my van. I figure I'll get some stuff in the shed. Well the shed is a mess .. Dad's got stuff all over the place. I took it upon myself to clean it out and organize it a bit. We had not one .. but two lawn mowers, a trampoline ... all kinds of junk. Almost like no one had been inside in years. The garbage comes on Monday .. so it was time to clear stuff out. Ok ... I know it's not a big deal .. but this is stuff my Dad should be taking care of ... the problem is ... he's not really here. Yesterday was eight years that I last said goodbye to him ... the time is flying by. Now, it's my job to take care of things around the house ... and take care of Mother ... which is not always easy .. trust me! I'm guessing Dad will help move things along with my "Sainthood" application. If anything .. he knows exactly what I'm talking about ... I'm sure he's looking down and laughing right now ...
Steve
11.08.2004 Magical Friends .. This weekend some good friends from across the country were in town for a seminar. The Lauflins were in from Montana and Barry Mitchell from Tennessee. They made time to get the tour at Chezaday Manor .. then we had some food and fun at the local Bakers Square. The magic world is small and it's always great to spend some time with good friends like them. Have a safe trip back home .. see you at Magi-Fest. So .. I wake up this morning and Bands Reunited is on VH1 .... and the wheels in my head start turning. With all the different line ups we've had over the years ... we are very much like a band. We've traveled across the country together in a beat up Chevy van. Stayed in cheesy hotels, spent countless hours together .. the fun ... the fights .. just like a band. I still keep in touch with just about everyone that has been with the show ... and we're like family. Even though they have moved on with their lives ... we still have a cosmic bond. If you ever run into one of them .. I'm sure they'll say the same. "Oh ... I use to work with Chezaday .... would you like fries with that?" I'm just kidding of course .. I'm the one that will be working at Mc Donald's soon. Anyway .. they all have a special place in my heart and I wouldn't doubt it ... if we got together for a special "Chezaday Reunion Show" ... ya never know ... stranger things have happened! Steve
11.03.2004 All American .. Freedom is what this country is all about .. and although sometimes it seems like we are choosing the lesser of two evils .. we still have the freedom of choice. I took the time to vote yesterday .. and it felt good. Sure I don't agree with the War in Iraq and all that .. but we do have to support our country and our troupes .. I'm sure I've written this before. Back to the crazy little world I call Chezaday ... first off .. I crashed my iMac ... so it's been a while since I've written. I've got it back and everything is up an running. We had a busy week last week .. lots of shows .. and it was great to see all the kids dressed up for Halloween. In between shows I stopped by a friends for a bit of Halloween fun. I was already in spandex earlier in the day .. so I opted for something different. I grabbed a red tail coat and a microphone ... and went as .. Steve Perry. You say .. Steve Perry?? Ya I know .. that's what everyone else said too. He was the lead singer in an 80's band called Journey. They are still one of my all time favorites ... if you haven't heard of them .. ask your parents .. Ya I'm gettin' old!! Steve
10.20.2004 Magic Steve .... Let's see .... I just got back from a road trip in Ohio .. went to Kevin's wedding with Greg and Quissy. We had a fun time .. Greg was dancing the night away on the dance floor .. anything Michael Jackson .. gets him going. I also got to visit some friends out there ... Tom Rozoff, the Sheppards and Owen Redwine and his family. He's has two little boys ... and Conner is one of my biggest fans. When I arrived at his house it was pretty dark outside .. but as soon as little Connor say me ... he yelled "Magic Steve!" and jumped into my arms. It was really cute. The rest of the night he was showing me all his toys and videos .. Owen had to wait his turn ... to show me all his toys. Owen sparked up the grill and we had a little dinner before I had to head back home. It was a busy, but fun weekend. I'm pretty lucky to have friends all across the country ... they make me feel at home ... when I'm miles away ... Steve
10.11.2004 Fallen Heroes ... Well .. lots of thoughts tonight .. another of my childhood heroes past away over the weekend .. Christopher Reeve. He played Superman in the movies .. some of my all time favorites. He had suffered many years .. now he is finally at rest. The war is hitting close to home these days ... I attended a wake for a fallen soldier here in Naperville, Sgt. Jack Hennessy. Sure .. I didn't know him or the family .. but he served our country and gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. It tears me up inside seeing someone so young ... gone. My thoughts go to his family and friends. That's not were the story ends though ... Ashley's family has been in the news today. The good news is ... she became an aunt to quintuplets .. the bad news is .. her brother, the father of the children, was badly injured while serving in Iraq. All this is happening at once .. but little Ashley is doing fine. The Horton family will need all the help they can get .. and donations can be made at any Chicago land Harris branch for the Horton Five. I haven't said too much on the war thing .. but something's not right here. Sooner or later it's going to hit closer to home for all of us .. and I don't see an end in sight. Sure the election is coming up .. but I don't think it's going to change things one way or another. If anything .. get out there and vote ... if you're old enough. It's all about freedom ... that's what we're fighting for .. Steve P. S. One last thought .. I'll be running for President in 2008 with my webmaster Greg as my running mate. We'll get things back to normal around here .. no really .. I mean it! I'll need a first lady though .. send your applications now or call the Chezaday Hotline ask for Steve!
10.08.2004 Fall Colors .. It's kinda rainy out today .. the leaves are changing colors. I'm in town this week so I'm trying to catch up on stuff I started in the spring ... ya I know ... I'm a bit behind. Last weekend I cruised up to Crystal Lake to see some friends perform in a Magic show up there. I spent some time with the Brodien family ... and that's always a fun time. I saw a lot of magic in the past few weeks .. some good .. and some really bad. I do have an acquired taste for "bad magic" but that's just me. We recently paid $25.00 a ticket to see an amateur stumble through a performance. I only mention it .. because I felt ripped-off. I'm all for local theater and support other magicians .. but you've got to know what you're worth. For a little more I could have seen Copperfield ... really! This show was a joke .. but I really felt bad for the family of four who dropped $100.00 for an evening of entertainment, and went home disappointed. I could go on and on .. but I'll save it for another time. I don't want to put a fellow magician down ... but he's the kind of guy that gives magic a bad name .. bad jokes, insulting volunteers .. it was sad. Normally I would say ...you get what you pay for ... but I guess we got $25.00 worth of laughs! Steve 10.01.2004 Branson Magic ... I know ... it's like I dropped off the planet .. but I've always got things goin' on. I just got back from Branson, Missouri to work on a project with Brett Daniels. Brett's always a fun time .. and we saw his show the first night ... and it's the biggest magic show out there .. really. We also got a chance to see the Hamners show ... and it was excellent too. We've got some shows in the Chicago land area ... so check and see if we're near you. Lot's going on this month .. so hope to see ya soon ... Steve 09.17.2004 A Chill in the Air ... Man .. summer is over .. it's a bit chilly out tonight, but I do like sleepin' with the windows open .. a hint of smoke in the air. I did a lot the past few days .. including a road trip out to Abbott's Magic to pick up an illusion with my good friend, David Seebach. We had a fun time and even went to lunch with the owner, Greg Bordner. One of the topics that came up on our drive was the recent Seigfried and Roy interview. To tell you the truth .. this really makes me sad. Here are two of my magic heroes doing what they love and their dreams are shattered in a few moments. They made the dangerous look easy and that's why everyone was shocked. Working with exotic animals always has an element of danger. I love my animals, but sometimes accidents happen. It does make you realize how fragile life is. Roy Horn survived against all odds ... but he struggles in pain every day. He doesn't blame the tiger .. and I understand that. Sure ... I've got cuts, scrapes and scars from various animals .. but that's part of the deal .. an occupational hazard. I don't know ... it just kills me inside seeing them struggle, mentally and physically. They were larger that life and changed the art of magic forever ... Steve
09.06.2004 Funny thing happened .. So the other night I was meeting up with my good friend Franz Harary and his wife. He had some merchandise for me to take care of ... so he opens up the suitecase ... and it's not thiers! It was really funny to see the look on his face ... but the hotel had given the wrong one. It was already late .. so I said I would take care of it. They still had a few more hours of driving. Franz couldn't remember exactly where the hotel was ... no problem. He knew it was near O'Hare airport .. right? So I'm on my way there .. calling one of my friends in the area ... trying to figure it out. Well .. that didn't work. Then I call Greg out in Vegas ... he looks it up on the internet and gives me directions over the phone .. Greg saves my butt again! Out of no where ... the flashing lights are on me .. yikes! I pull over and the nice officer writes me a warning for not using my turn signal to switch lanes. No big deal .. glad I didn't get a ticket. Any way .. I finally get to the hotel ... switch bags and give Franz one last call that night .. mission accomplished! Steve
08.30.2004 On the Road ... Again .. Looks like I'll be hitting the road for the forth trip this month ... up to Madison, Wisconsin for the Houdini Convention. I'll be there with my good friend Erick Olson .. who is now living in Florida. We will no doubt .. bring chaos to the convention .. but that's how we have fun ... it will be kinda like when we were high School. Were always the "bad kids" sitting in the back of the class ... fun stuff. Back at home .. I'm slowly catching up to things around here. I can actually see the carpet in the "Magic" room .. but this is still much to do. I'm also studying for a state explosives test .. that is required for the pyrotechnics used in our larger shows. I haven't taken a test .. since college .. so it should be interesting. The sun is shining ... so I've got to make the most of the day .. .I think I'll go wash some cars .. stop on by ... Steve 08.27.2004 It's a Dry Heat ... ya .. like sticking your head in an oven. Actually Vegas wasn't too hot .. in the 90's. I haven't been home much this past month .. so I'm catching up on bills and things. Vegas was a fun time and spent most of it with Greg, Quissy and Morgan. We attended the MAGIC "Live" convention and it was cool. A few weeks before that I was at the Abbott's Get- Together and that was a blast too. My head is still spinning ... I have to hop in the shower soon .. got shows tonight .. more later .. Steve 08.02.2004 Movie Night ... We finally had a chance to relax and go to the movies .. we were celebrating Tony's birthday .. a couple of days late .. but it's the thought that counts. We had dinner at Bob Evan's .. then picked up Angel and went over to the AMC to see the Village. It was a bit difficult to agree on one movie ... and my brother bailed out ... he missed a fun time and a good creepy movie. It was a little like the Blair Witch .. with out the headache afterward. ... lots of fun twists too. Afterward the weather was great for a ride in the jeep with the top down ... a fun time for all .. Happy Birthday Tony!!
07.30.2004 Mom's Car ... so I'm washing my mom's car ... like the good son that I am, actually there's a special place in heaven reserved for me .. but anyway ... so I'm on the edge of the door sill. I'm wiping the roof dry .. I loose my balance and fall backwards .. landing first on my ankle, I hear a snap .. not a good sign. I fall flat on my back .. I'm looking up at the sky .. thinking I broke it. I had the day off but, I had three shows the next day .. you see we don't get the day off if there's a show. Luckily I'm indestructible and I just kinda sprained it. I'm limping around like and old man .. well I'm almost there anyway. Today I'm fine ... trying to catch up on things as usual. It's 2 AM. and Rocky is laying near by .. snoring no less. Next week I'll be heading out to Colon Michigan for the Abbott's Get-Together!! This is one of my favorite times of year .. it's like going home again, kinda like a family reunion .. except its magicians from across the country. I can't wait to see my friends. I'll be staying in the "Chezaday Suite" at the Knight's Inn located in Sturgis. The funny thing is .. I really do have a suite there ... well .. at least its the same room I've had for the past five years .. Steve
07.21.2004 From Another Planet ... time to vent for a moment .. we're performing at the Du Page Fair this week ... been there on and off for about twenty years. I know the gig .. the set up ... all very routine by now. We work with other acts between our shows .. no problem, professional acts work together, that's just how it is .. no problems .. until today. So were setting up our show for 10 am .. ya I know that's a bit early for me too. Some lady runs up on the stage and tells me to "get my stuff off the stage ...NOW!" ... so .. I'm listening .. she tells me her band is playing and they will need the entire stage. I calmly told her to check the schedule .. because she was wrong. Then I told her we have to work together and I would move my equipment to the back corner as we have two more performances that same day. This wasn't good enough for her ... I went further to explain to her that there was no other space for my equipment and we had no time to pack the show in the van just to accommodate her. She .. then tells me ... " we won't be responsible if your things get damaged". I'm baffled .. was she threatening me?? Was she out of her mind ... yes!! I had to stick around between shows just to be sure this nut-job didn't mess with my equipment. This is how my day started ... some "lady" is yelling at me in the morning. This "lady" was rude, unprofessional and from another planet. I've got nothing against the Home School band ... the kids work hard and did a great job .. but who ever is running your group needs to get her head examined!! At this point in my life, the only person that's allowed to yell at me is my mother! I hope today goes a little bit better... Steve
07.18.2004 You Wanted the Best .. you got the best ... KISS!! That's how the concert starts ... and they really are the best .. no one can top them. Like I said before, if you haven't seen KISS live you just don't get it. I actually got to meet the band and get my photo taken with them. My brother and I had some special passes to go back stage ... just like in Wayne's World .. back stage!! The band was really cool .. my brother was ready to pass out. They walked in and are about seven feet tall ... I looked like a little kid .. and felt like one too. We got a couple of things signed and asked a few question ... then they had to hit the stage. We were in the second row .. covered in confetti by the end of the show. KISS has been a big part of my life since I was a kid ... so to finally meet them and get a pic was a dream come true ... I was lucky enough to meet my heroes ... not everyone gets to do that ...
Steve
07.05.2004 Like a Bad Movie ... yesterday was a strange one ... the day started out normal .. we did our shows at Santa's Village, everything was fine there. Then it was off to the fireworks in Lisle. I was meeting up with friends out there ... still everything was fine. So we're hanging out on the hill watching the Big Voodoo Daddy's .. or something like that ... then the fireworks .. still a fun time. Then in the distance we could see some lightning ... oops. We watched the fireworks ... cool ... then the rain .. no big deal. Well, we still had to wait for a bus to take us back to the lot my Jeep was in. Of course the top was down ... so that's all wet .. no big deal. For some reason we had to wait for almost an hour in the rain ... nice. Finally the bus arrives and we pile in the Jeep ... four adults and two kids .. not an ideal family vehicle .. but that's what I've got for cruising around. It was a bit nutty .. but still a fun time .. oh yeah .. almost ran out of gas too ... like a bad movie .. ouch! Steve
06.25.2004 Rainy Days..it never fails, as soon as I wash my van .. it rains. That's all I have to do ... so if your area is in need of rain, just have me come by and wash my van .. it's just that simple. Today was a five ... if that. We were scheduled to perform at Santa's Village and due to the rain the park closed early. It's a bummer when your ready to go .. but that's how it goes. We made the most of it and I had lunch at Wendy's with Angel and Ashley. We'll be at the park later today .. in fact I should be getting to bed soon .. I'm beat. Steve
06.17.2004 T.C.B That's short for takin' care of business ... you know ..the Elvis thing. I'm just sitting at my desk ... don't like to do that much .. but I had to do calls, book shows .. pay bills ..that kind of thing. I see on my ca lender that it's my good friend Terry Evanswood's birthday today!! He's actually my brothers age .. but I can't say cause Terry will get mad. He's a few years younger than me ... so that will do for now. Terry was always my local com petition... we both have an illusion show so there's only so much work in an area ... that's why he move to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee ... really .. he's performing down there now. People would even get us confused .. it was funny .. even his dad. Happy Birthday Terry!!! We've also been doing shows .. our newest Chezababe Ashley has joined the crew. We performed outside this weekend and the wind made it a bit challenging for her first show .. but she held in there and did a fine job. We'll be at Santa's Village next week .. you can see her there ... Steve
06.08.2004 Frazzled .... I'm working on a million things at once ... but that's not new. We're gearing up for our summer tour ... and we've got two new Chezababes joining the crew. We had a fun party last Friday .. a long list of friends came over ... in fact .. if you're in the Chicagoland area .. and wanted a magician ... they were all at my house. We all did a bit of magic .. which was kinda different.. we usually don't break out the cards at my house. We feasted on a spread of food from Portillio's ... a Chicago favorite. Everyone had a fun time ... no injuries .. no fights .. that's a good thing. We'll be at Santa's Village on Saturday for three shows and we recently booked nine shows at the Du Page Fair in July ... I'll have the dates in the show section. Before I forget... my Uncle Anthony is in town .. so I got to visit with him and the family on Sunday. We had a big Italian dinner at Barone's in Lisle and then had some Coldstone ice cream .. we ate well that day. Steve 05.31.2004 Dreamage ... I've been having some strange dreams lately .. I actually do write some of them down ... but it will take an expert to decipher them. My dreams are pretty whacked .. really ... I can look back over some of my notes and I hope one day they will make sense. Some of them involve my past and some could be things to come ... who knows?? In other news ... Flounder got married yesterday .. he was part of the show in the early 90's ... good luck Craig!! Steve
05.26.2004 Summertime?? Ya .. we're still waiting for summer here in the mid-west. We've had plenty of rain.. but everyone complains if we have too much or too little .. so you can't win. Our summer shows are coming up and I've got a few new Chezababes to get ready .. I'll keep you posted on their progress. I've got a few minutes before I have to run out the door .. so I thought I would catch up on things. Tonight the family is going out to celebrate my brother and my birthday ... we're going to one of my favorite restaurants .. the Mongolian something or another. You get to pick out your food and they cook it on some kind of thing. It's fun and we eat way too much ... I think its healthy at least ... better than the Culver's I had last night .. I couldn't help that though. I watched an episode of the Soprano's last night before falling asleep .. I'm on season three now.. I know .. I'm a bit behind.. maybe one day I'll catch up to the times ... maybe ... Steve 05.23.2004 Another birthday ... today was a picture perfect day ... I took Rocky for his walk and the sky was beautiful. I had a show earlier in the day then went to a surprise party for Robin Balster. It was a special birthday for her... I'm not going to mention any numbers...but I've got a few more years till I catch up with her. They even had a cake for me too .. complete with a lightning bolt design. So even though I worked ... magic is what I love to do .. then I got to spend the rest of the day with friends ... what more can I ask for ... Steve
05.18.2004 Watermelon ... that's what popped into my mind ... nice color. Let's see ... we had a fun magic gathering last Friday.. it was a fun time ... the list of names was a who's who in magic. Some of the high lights included Ken Mate playing songs for us ... I grabbed a guitar and set up an amp ... and he was all set. Ken and Marshall Brodien showed up in red satin costumes complete with capes... funny stuff. I gave some of the new visitors the "tour" of the Chezaday Estate ... then I led them to the gift shop. Later we grabbed some pizza and watched some "bad" magic videos... a fun hobby of mine. Greg, Quissy and Angel were also there... paging through the wedding album. Rocky was on patrol and greeted everyone at the door. Everyone had a fun time ... I'm lucky to have such good friends... Steve
05.06.2004 My rooms a mess... so I bought a new fax machine ... I know .. it's about time .. anyway I had to dig up the phone line and stuff .. so my rooms a disaster area. I figured I should straighten things a bit while I had my desk apart. Instead of completing one project I start more and everything is up in the air. One day I might just catch up. So ... I was going to wash some cars today.. but it looks like rain. I guess I'll give Rocky a bath instead ... that's chore itself ... he's 104 pounds of German Shepherd .. and he doesn't like it! Tomorrow is my little brother Jeff's birthday ... he'll be 34 .. ouch. He'll be leaving on a cruise to some far off land on Saturday .. so once again I'll be heading to the airport ... I might as well get a Town Car and a little hat and become a limo driver! Happy Birthday ... Nerd! I figured I'd would right something today as the weekend is fast approaching ... I might not have time to sit and write. Saturday Mother comes back from Florida ... and it also would have been my Dad's 63rd birthday. I still think of him everyday that goes by ... he taught me so many things that I realize as I grow older. I can still see his eye's and his smile ... we had so many fun times together with the family and at work. Many say I'm just like him in so many ways ... the apple doesn't fall far from the tree .... Happy Birthday Dad .. I still miss ya lots ... Steve
05.04.2004 One Long Day... so today today starts off with phone call at 7:00am .. it's my brother at the airport. Apparently a cab would cost a small fortune .. so I get my butt out of bed to spend the next two hours in traffic. I'm not much for getting up early .. I'm on a different schedule. I had to get up early any way.. I had to get to the bank to close an account.. ya.. I fell for an internet scam .. and gave up some info. to some crooks. If I could find them ... I would take justice into my own hands ... an eye for an eye ... I think that's what it says in the Bible ... well ... at least that's what Dad use to say. I don't remember much of the weekend ... I did spend some time with a good friend, Dan Sperry .. we hung out at the mall and it was fun to see all the girls check him out ... or get freaked out with his "look" ... he's got his own site.. dansperry.com. Sure he's a little freaky... but some think the same of me ... you can't always judge a book by it's cover ... right! Steve
04.28.2004 In Just One Week ... my head is spinning ... I worked a show Saturday, at the Arcada theater with my good friends, the Holsteins and Marshall Brodien. We all had fun and I picked up Mom for the evening show ... I like to get her out of the house when I can. Later we had a little party at the Holsteins and everyone had a good time. I was joking with Marshall's wife, Mary, about being a "Chezababe" ... and she starts dancing around ... she's a lot of fun. Sunday I was off to Milwaukee for the annual Magic Auction .... it was basically a bunch of junk.. and I got ripped off ... again. I bid on a set of Abbott's Hippity Hop Rabbits, won them for $25.00 ... not a bad deal ... we'll until I saw them up close. Sure enough they were just a copy out of cheap plywood. I'm such a sucker! Later that night I went to visit with David Seebach, just outside of Milwaukee. We had some dinner .. well, stolen chicken ... but that's another story. Then on Monday, I made the trek to Magic Inc. in Chicago to visit with Jay Marshal and David ... again. We had a fun lunch ... then it was a race against the clock to avoid the traffic ... but got stuck in it anyway ... I hate traffic!
Steve
04.22.2004 Bargains Galore ... The other night was the annual Magic Flea Market held in Elmhurst, IL. I had a table there along with some of my friends .. it's quite a site. All kinds of gadgets, collectibles and just plain magic junk. Some of the same items keep coming around ... it's funny. Angel stopped by to help me out, sorry no photo ... ouch! We saw lots of old friends and met some new ones. The magic community is pretty small .. so every one knows everyone ... pretty much. It was a guys night though ... you could count the number of females on one hand ... no joke. I'd like to see that change of course ... but girls usually stay away from magic ... well unless or coarse you are female and you're reading this ... uh... magic is really cool! Maybe I should have picked up a guitar when I was little ... and started a band ... Steve
04.19.2004 Road Trip .... I just got back from a trip out to Ohio ... my first stop was in Indiana to visit Al Purintun and his wife ... down on the farm. He bought a farm ... really. Al and I came up with a lot of crazy illusions over the years and he would build part of the prop and I would finish it off. We came up with some really cool stuff, including the Vertical Sawing and Walking through a Mirror. Now he's a farmer with a good chunk of land. The next stop was near Dayton, Ohio to visit and work with master builder Walter Sheppard. I actually go there to learn more on my craft and Walter has shared his magic with me. Then it was off to Cincinnati to visit with my long time friend Tom Rozoff. I've known Tom since I was just getting started in magic. We had some Skyline Chili... then watched Stephen Kings "IT" ... which was long and stupid ... but it was still a fun time with Tom and the kids. Now I'm back and I've got some catching up to do .... Steve 04.12.2004 Part of the Family... This past Easter we were asked to perform at the Sabre Room in Hickory Hills. It's a banquet hall that's kinda stuck in the 60's but I'm all for time travel. We haven't been there in a while, but all the same characters were still there. Angel came with for the adventure... no you won't see a picture of her just yet... as she still complains that her picture isn't on the site. Anyway... it was a fun time... the show is slapped together... but Rudy "from the Saber Room" makes it all flow like we've done it a hundred times. We also ran into my good friend Bobby "Circus Boy" and got to spend some quality time with him. He's always selling his stuff ... so before I forget ... here's his site ... he's a nut. All in all it was nice to see everyone again and travel back to the days of Frank Sinatra and Elvis! Steve 04.06.2004 Now this is a nice shade of purple... it's finally April and Easter is coming up.. it's a nice time of year. Summer is fast approaching and we'll be hitting the road soon. I'll actually be traveling to Ohio next week to work with Master carpenter, Walter Sheppard ... it's actually part of my apprenticeship. He's one of the best magic builders out there... and has taught me his secrets ... yet there is still more to learn. He has done so much for me and has changed the way I think and work ... I'm under his spell .. I be hypnotized! Steve
03.27.2004 Today was a good day... I got a lot of things done... and I completed a classic side show illusion known as the "Blade Box" for Marshall Brodien. He was like a kid with a new toy... really. I had to finish the project in a rush...but that's a whole other story. I got to relax a bit with my pets ... I gave Jenna and Samantha a bath today... Jenna is my parrot and Samantha one of my pythons .... totally normal... well around here at least. Then I ran over to the Leather Smiths and picked up a cool new vest with flames on it, all in leather. After that,,,I dropped off the illusion at Marshall's and played with that. If that's not enough... then, I picked up Mom and Nerd (that's my brother) and did the Spaghetti Warehouse and Walmart thing... it keeps Ma happy. Now I'm going to veg and play on the internet ... watch some TV and listen to my dog Rocky snore at the foot of my bed. That was my day.... Good night all... have a great weekend... Steve
03.23.2004 It's spring time in Chicago.. today it's finally nice out. I've been a bit busy and the program on here was messed up... but as you can see we've added pictures and more will be added... I can actually figure it out now. So on the front page you can see Franz and I ... he's been a good friend of mine since the 80's and I'm still stuck there. Franz designs and performs his illusions around the world... I here he's huge in Malaysia... no really. He and his wife Akiko stopped over on Friday and we had Connie's Pizza ... for a nice quiet night. They both had a nice time and loved the house. I'm lucky to have such good friends... oh... Happy Anniversary to them too.. I hope you didn't forget Franz!
Steve
02.27.2004 Before I get on with today's cute little story... I have to mention that it's Quissy's Birthday today!! Looking at my calendar she is still trailing behind me about 10 years... that would make her .... um in her early 20's... how's that Quissy. So... things weren't going so well for me today... but that's another story. I'm at the local Blockbuster, visiting Tony (see story below) and I see a familiar face... but I couldn't quite figure it out. She had a cute little smile but there was something about her eyes. I was too cur ious... I had to ask her if she was from this area ... and she said ... "No, I'm originally from Iowa" ... that was just the clue I needed. In an instant, I knew it was her.... I remembered her from over 15 years ago... when she was just a little girl. She danced with a magic troupe all the way in Colon, Michigan. She was with her family and participating in the jr. contest at the Abbott's Magic Get-Together. So ... I asked her if she use to work with a magician.... then she knew who I was too. Time seemed to melt away... even just for a moment. For some odd reason we ran into each other tonight... it was really weird .... it really felt like Magic!
Steve
02.24.2004 So I've been busy as usual... Mom comes back from a cruise tonight, Tony will help you find your favorite movies at Blockbuster and I'll soon have a basement you can actually walk in. This past weekend Tony and I tore up the basement and garage trying to make some order of the dis-order. We're almost there ... you can see the floor now. I also had some fun visits with friends on Sunday... first we stopped over at the Holstiens, I'm working on a project for them. Then on to the Ken Mate family...... I learned a little about selling stuff on ebay. Finally we stopped at Paul Lee's to pick up the Blade Box to work on for Marshall .... it's a long confusing story. I'll be teaching Magic class at Beebe on Wednesday.... so I still have to figure that stuff out... there's not enough time in a day.....
02.12.2004 Slacker... I know.. it's been almost a month since the last entry... I won't do that to ya again. Anyway ... lot's going on ... just got back from a crazy tour with Terry Evanswood... at one point we were up 24 hours straight... it was insane. I'm not a youngster anymore... everytime I'm with the Evanswood crew... I never get any rest. Well we survived and had a fun time in Ohio. I also got to visit some of my close friends out there ... Walter and Helen Sheppard, who are featured this month on the front of the "Linking Ring" magazine. We also spent time with Tom Rozoff. We saw his Fire Safety show and had some Skyline Chili. Almost forgot .. but we had a quick tour of the Cabbage Case Factory in Columbus... and I did some tricks for them... it was totally cool.......thanks again Mike for being such a friend!!!
Steve
01.19.2004 The weekend flew by fast.. I kept busy thought... went to IKEA on Saturday.. its a cool home improvement place. Sunday took Mother and the Aunts out shopping ... helped them pick out a TV that was too big for the car... that's another story. I know there is a special place in heaven set aside for me. Later Greg and Quissy stopped over... we ate at El Centro in Naperville... good stuff. We watched some fun magic videos... then Quissy kept busy playing PS2 Simpson's Hit and Run while Greg and I looked at stuff on the computer. Now I'm heading out the door to take Rocky for his vet appointment.. that's always fun time... Steve 01.14.2004 So last night .. I did the "take mom out to eat and shopping thing." Tony came with because he's currently unemployed and he was hungry. We worked in the shop later that night... on a smoking guitar for the KISS tribute band "Kings of the Nighttime World." The next thing... it's after mid night and I'm hungry again.. so I check the fridge ...and there are some innocent looking Eggo's. I pop them in the toaster for a quick snack.... the results were strange. Tony couldn't keep from laughing at my attempt at breakfast. They were hard as a rock... we ate them any way.... Steve
01.12.2004 Tony needs a job... that's today's news. He was previously employed at the Fanny May Candy factory... he was the guy that makes the little swirls on top of the candy. Fanny May is closing it's doors ...so Tony needs work. If you might have a job for him... he's honest, hard working and likes candy.... you can e-mail me @ chezaday@aol.com. Not much else going one... let's see ... Paul Lee and Cherie got married in Vegas this weekend...Congrads to them. Andrew still hasn't updated his web site... yet.... or Erick's site.... ouch! Steve
01.08.2004 First ... Happy New Years to everyone ... I guess it's been a week or two since I've written ... did you miss me? It's 1:00 a.m. I'm watching a repeat of Howard Stern ... I might watch a movie tonight ... who knows. I went shopping today ... picked up the new Aliens box set and some bananas for my parrot Jenna ... really. It's been pretty cold up here ... it was like -3 degrees the other night and we've got some snow ... it's all frozen right now. That reminds me ... I broke a shovel the other day .... got to put that on the list. Magic news .... let's see ... well the summer is looking good .... really. I've already got plenty booked .... so I guess I'll starve until then .... unless some birthday shows come along Help!!
Steve |
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