Whew. It's been a busy couple of weeks.
Ottawa was fun... thanks to John Pert for having me at the club, and thanks to Doug Rafters for supplying the room. Special thanks to Eric Leclerc for bringing out some of the younger guys, and for showing me a great time while in the city. Montreal was equally a blast! It was my second time in the city (and first really, because the last time I was there I was 12 and with my school teachers) and I enjoyed every minute of it. Thanks to Grant McSorley and Derrick Chung for putting it all together, and thanks to everyone that came out for the lecture and especially to those who stayed to hang out afterward.
Now, this was my first time lecturing in the US, and who shows up to my New York Lecture? Ricky Smith, Josh Jay, Tony Chang, Dan White, Doug Edwards, and the man himself, Harry Lorayne! Then there were other unbelievable guys like Alex Pandrea, Kevin Reyleck, Emron Riaz, and Spencer Peterson (I feel like I'm leaving some people out, my apologies to those I'm forgetting). It was unbelievable to have so many names and such talent coming to see me. I think everyone enjoyed themselves (no one asked for a refund, so that's a good thing) and Harry Lorayne told me he enjoyed the lecture very much (sorry, I gotta brag a little). The jamming afterward was fantastic! Tony Chang took us to the Ace Hotel, and we talked magic for quite a while, and when the night was winding down, a few of us went to Josh Jay's place and jammed some more! I also had the pleasure of meeting Doug McKenzie, who works closely with David Blaine and is an avid memdeck user. Thanks for the jams Doug, I can't wait til' next time I'm in town! Special thanks goes to Tony Chang for letting Ben and I stay with him while visiting the big apple... such an awesome, friendly, wicked-at-magic guy.
Baltimore... what can I say? Denny and Lee's is such a superb shop. It's my second favourite magic shop in the world (after, of course, the Browser's Den). Denny truly loves magic, and wants nothing more than to see it grow and prosper. We need more Denny Haney's in magic. The group in Baltimore was also a lot of fun, and I'm glad to report that I had one of the New York Carg Legends, Mr. Howie Schwarzman himself, front row! Howie thanked me after the lecture and told me he also enjoyed himself. THe group took Ben Train and I out for a bite to eat afterward, and we jammed magic over the meal. Thanks to Mike (and his lovely girlfriend Veronica), Ed, Noah, Don, Joe, and anyone else who came out with us (I think I named everyone).
Finally, a special thanks to two people. First, Lee Asher for helping me with some of the logistics and for advice in general on how to have a successful tour. Second, to Ben Train, for not only setting up the tour and making all of this possible, but also for coming on the road with me and helping make everything work out. Without either of these two guys, this tour wouldn't have worked.
Now that I'm back in town and things have started to normalize again, be on the look-out for another blog post by the weeks end.
