The "Joys" of Halloween

I think every year I post about how much I dislike working on and around Halloween. Now, don't get me wrong, I love the holiday itself, I just don't like working on it.

You see, as a performer (or enviromental entertainer as my job description says), I have to stroll around doing magic in costume at the Venetian.  Now for 51 weeks out of the year, this is fun, and it is very obvious that I work there... but then there's that one week where everyone thinks that I'm dressed up a little too early for the Halloween festivities. People come up and ask me where they can get a costume like that, or when I need to move people out of the way of the stilt walker, they just look at me like I'm nuts, when all I'm trying to do is keep their children from being stepped on.

Now as a kid, I loved dressing up, going door to door and getting candy, and having my parents pretend that they didn't recognize me in costume.  And today, I still love giving out candy at the door (unfortunately my neighborhood doesn't have very many kids, but I keep the goodies stocked just in case). I don't dress up anymore, unless I'm going to a party. Dressing up every day kind of kills the thrill of the Halloween costume.

This year, I'm off on the actual day, but I do have to work the day before, which is slightly less bad, and soon I'll be back to working just another regular day. Hopefully more than 2 kids will come to my door this year... I give out huge handfuls of candy so I don't get stuck with so many sweets the next day.

3 Day Gig

The gang and I at the convention. I'm in red.

For the past three days, I did a gig at the convention center, performing magic for a trade show.  The show was all printers.  Printers that printed on paper, that printed on fabric, that printed on wood, or printed on anything your heart desired. Who knew there were so many printers out there.

The gig was lots of fun. I performed with a hula hoop girl, a pole dancer, a juggler, a stilt walker and two other magicians who have been friends with me for a long time.  It was so good to see them, and since there was a lot of down time during the gig, we had plenty of opportunity to catch up with everything the others were doing, and got to make some new friends in the process.

The convention center is so huge, that even though it was an easy gig, my legs were really tired by the end of it.

Now for a much needed break... no... wait a minute... I have to do six shows at the Venetian today.

Step Family

Amazing Johnathan and my friend Penny

Well, the step-family is in town for my step-sister's husband's 40th birthday.

Last night I got us tickets to see the Amazing Johnathan.  He just moved into a new theater at Bally's and I hadn't seen him there yet.  The show was great and he added a couple of new pieces and new jokes which made it really fun to see.

There was a lady in the front row with a service dog, and Johnathan kept picking on them, pretending to be angry that the dog didn't seem to be enjoying the show. Great off-the-cuff stuff.

I wanted to go out with everyone afterward, but I knew I had to work today, and needed to come home and sleep.

Getting ready for class

Today, I'm only performing for a half a day, then it's time to shop.

I'm not getting to get clothes or shoes, but magic supplies.  I'm going to be teaching a magic class at a circus camp tomorrow.  15 children will be learning a few magic tricks. The hardest part is the fact that their ages range from 5 to 12.  That is a huge range and a very different amount of skill sets.  Hopefully it won't be too easy for the older ones or too hard for the younger ones.  Also, hopefully, I have enough stuff to keep going for 2 hours. We'll see how it flies.

Boyfriend Teaches Make-Up Skills

Gigs have been really slow as of late, so when I got the chance to do magic at a Bat Mitzvah, I jumped at the chance.  The catch? I have to be a clown.

Boyfriend Balancing Plates

Now my boyfriend was a real clown on Ringling Brother's Circus, so of course I asked him for help.  Together we stood in front of the mirror as he gave me step by step instructions on how to do my make up.  It didn't come out too bad.  Unfortunately, I will have only 15 minutes to do it in as I finish performing at the Venetian at 6:45 and the gig starts at 7:30 in a different hotel.


I kind of feel like an imposturer doing this as I feel clowning is an amazing art. The boyfriend actually went to clown college and everything! But, I need the money... This gig is going to help pay for the work I miss when I'm on vacation with the boyfriend.

Crafting and Gigs

I did not get the new pictures done yesterday.  Now they probably won't get done until Thursday. 

I did get the buttons I won from a tophatter auction.  Now I can finish the coffee mug cozies that I started.  I have a couple for mother's day that I can't wait to list.  It's probably good that I didn't get the pictures done, as now I can do the dog sweater and the cozies all at once.


Today, none of that will be happening as I have 6 shows at the Venetian, and then I have a strolling magic and juggling gig till very late tonight.  Gigs have been really slow as of late, but I think they're going to start picking up finally.  Plus, one of the Venetian performers is going on vacation to Italy, so I will be performing on extra days there.

My American Flag headband will be going up tonight if anyone wants to try for it.  Click here!

Interview

Last night I was interviewed by a magician named Jeff McBride.  He does a weekly internet TV show, and I was the special guest.  


It was loads of fun.  I got interviewed which made me feel like a celebrity, and then I got to co-host the rest of the show.  There was also a chat room on there, where people could comment about things in real time. It made me kind of nervous at first, but all the things that were said were really positive.


Now I'm off to go about my non-celebrity life which includes some cleaning... how glamourous... 

Strange Gig... But Good

On Friday, I performed magic at a Curling Tournament, with special guests who were members of the US Olympic team!  Though I'd watched curling during the Olympics on TV, I'd never been to an actual tournament, nor had I performed at one.


During these tournaments, there is a bit of down time, and there's a bar that overlooks the ice rink for people to hang out in.  This is where I performed.


When I first walked in, I saw a bunch of people dressed up like cows, then there were pilgrims, rabbits and a bunch of other stuff.  I thought, "Wow, these curlers are sure strange!"...then it hit me that it was almost Halloween...duh!


Everyone was really nice and seemed to enjoy the magical break from the curling.  I got to perform for the Olympians as well, and they were really great, down to earth guys.  The guy that runs the tournament says that they'll hire me again next year if they have one... count me in!

The Things I get to Do

As a magician, most of the gigs I get are corporate affairs; usually for the top sellers, top buyers or employee appreciation.  Sometimes I get to work trade shows where I put on shows to gather a crowd in front of a booth.  


Every once in a while, I get something different. I just got a gig at the end of October performing at a curling tournament.  I even get to perform for the US Olympic Curling Team! How cool is that? 


Like most Americans, I don't actually follow curling year round, but come the Winter Games, I do tune in and have a great time watching these guys throw stones and sweep them across the ice.  I'm so excited, it's gonna be lots of fun!

Work Marathon

One of our performers at the Venetian is going to Singapore and so this week I have a work marathon.  Good for the bank account, but I know I'm gonna be exhausted by the end of it.  7 days straight of 6 shows a day, I'll probably be crawling home on the last day.


I'll be crawling to work today, that's for sure.  My body is still a little sore from jet skiing on Sunday.  Who knew how much work that would be?  There are muscles in pain right now that I didn't even realize that I used!  Well, it's good to know that a day of fun did something good for my body.... usually that's not the case.


In treasury news:


This week's They Blue Me Away treasury, so far, has 129 views, 30 comments, 64 clicks and 15 admirers.  If you haven't taken a look yet, please do.

Rain? But it's a Desert!

Last night I was performing magic at one of the new centers out in the northwest of town. It's an outdoor venue which I've been working at for the last couple of months. As they are new, they are providing free entertainment to encourage customers to come and see the new shops. These include caricature artists, balloon twisters, jugglers, magicians, face painters and even a different band every night.

Well, last night, the clouds opened and sheets of rain began to fall. There's not that much shelter in the place so everyone was huddled together, and I was doing my best to keep people entertained until it let up. First it poured for 5 minutes, then cleared, then another 10, then cleared and after the third time, they let us off work early as they figured it was impossible to perform.

The band had it the worst of all, since they had a lot of electrical equipment, and even though they had a tent over their heads, the wind was actually blowing the rain straight at them.

I love the rain, especially since we see so little of it here, and it was nice to leave work a little early.

In Treasury News

Yesterday's To B or Not To B treasury, so far has 88 views, 24 comments, 41 clicks and 3 favorites! If you haven't taken a look, please check it out.

Magic for Foster Kids

Last night, after performing at the Venetian, I did a charity event celebrating foster children's high school graduation. It was awesome, and I felt so touched seeing all of the accomplishments of these young people.

On the walls they had all sorts of stars with the names of famous people that were foster children, and I couldn't believe all of the famous names that they listed. Of course now at 8am, I can't come up with a single name (I'm only on my first cup of coffee), but it was all really impressive.

The kids and their families were great. They were all so polite and really enjoyed the magic. Though I mainly perform for adult corporate parties, I have performed for kids of all ages and all walks of life, and I must say that the foster children and the orphans that I have performed for in years past are so much nicer than the rich kids I've worked for. They don't feel like they need to put on airs, and feel free to simply enjoy the magic.

In treasury news:

This week's Take a Walk on the Wild Side Friday's Favorite treasury so far has 95 views, 21 comments, 14 clicks.....and one sale which has now been relisted! Congratulations HappyDogButtons!!!!

Money: Yay!...but I'm tired

With 3 inches away from finishing the sweater edging, I could do no more as I had to go and perform my magic at the Venetian, and then off to do the one woman show. Venetian went well, the show, not so much...

I understand wanting to cheer someone up by taking them to a comedy show, but maybe...just maybe...the day after someone's sister commits suicide, might just be a bit too soon. So half the audience came in depressed and stayed that way.... (I didn't know about the suicide part till after the show, but I did my best anyway).

Today it's 6 shows at the Venetian and then the one woman show at night...the longest work day of my week. I usually tell people that my 5 day work week is smashed into 3 days, but since so many performers are sick, insured or on maternity leave, I've been averaging about 4 or 5 days a week... New computer, here I come!

...oh wait... taxes here I come...

Flamingo Magic ... and a scuba dive

Last night I got to perform magic by the pool at the Flamingo Hilton. Though I'd been to the hotel many times, I'd never been out to the pool. There were four magicians performing for the managers of Anna's Linens, and I was in charge (sounds exciting, but all it meant was I had to call the booking agent afterward and tell him how it went.)

The people there were great, and they made performing enjoyable. I actually shop at the store myself, and met the manager of the branch by my house. It's really a mom and pop store that has gone national. The owner was really nice, and you could tell that the workers really respected him and weren't just being nice because he was the owner.

Salvage Mission:

Today after the boyfriend finishes work, we're going on a salvage mission. He's breaking out his scuba gear and going under the boat to collect all the tools that he's dropped (...and a couple of blackberry's). He has an underwater camera that's connected to the TV, so I'll be monitoring his progress. I'm not going under myself, as the water is too cold for a girl like me from Hawaii, but if he loses anything in the summertime, I'll be right there with him.

A Multilingual Evening

Today I was able to take the day off from the Venetian, since I have a gig in the early evening that would conflict. I was so excited since that's the only day the boyfriend has off...but...he works every third Saturday, and as my luck would have it, that would be today. I still haven't had a day off with him since Thanksgiving.

Tonight I'm first going to the theater and getting it set up for the one woman show, then driving down the street to do my Japanese magic show, for a group. Then turning around and going back to the theater to get into costume and to do the show.

I haven't done my act in Japanese since I was there this summer. If I don't use it a lot, some of the words escape me...or sometimes they come out in a different language than I intended...lets hope this isn't the case.

Submissions in Blue

Every Friday, I put together an etsy mini of some of my favorite items made by other sellers, then I post it here and call it my Friday Favorites. This week I'm looking for BLUE. If you have something blue in your shop, post the link here and check back for the Friday's Favorites.




My blue is this Light Blue Headband Earwarmer! It keeps the hair out of your face, and keeps your ears warm all at the same time.









In other news:

I have a magic gig tonight at a golf course. It's an interesting gig since all the entertainment will be female magicians... there aren't a lot of us, so we're pretty tight knit. The two others performing are good friends of mine and it'll be great to see them and catch up.

Remember.... Show me your blue!

Magic for the VIP's

Yesterday, I had a magic gig performing for a VIP children's party in one of the high roller suites at the Bellagio. The room was gorgeous! It had it's own swimming pool, jacuzzi, steam room, gym, salon, massage room as well as the normal room ammenities.

The people were all from Singapore and very nice. I did some strolling magic for the kids, played some wii with them (yes there was a wii in the room and yes, they asked me to play...what a gig!). Then I went and set up for the show.

It's always difficult to perform in these situations, because in a place like that, there are so many distractions, but the kids were suprisingly focused and sat and clapped for the magic along with their parents.

I don't usually do kids parties. It's not that I don't like to do them (they're actually more fun than the adult parties that I usually do), I just don't get to do too many of them.

Now, today I have the money to do some grocery shopping (and last minute Christmas Shopping for the boyfriend)...well, after I finish some new headbands that I designed.

Sunday Funday Video -- Aww Kitty

Yes! The Sunday Funday video of the week is back, and what could be funnier than when the most graceful animal (a cat) has a clumsy moment.



In Other News

I had a gig last night, but beforehand, I accidentally slammed my finger in a door. I'm kind of afraid to take off my nail polish right now as perhaps my fingernail is turning colors. Ironically it hurts more to do everyday tasks than it did to perform magic... I was worried how it was going to go, but I realized that even though I'm right handed, I do much of my magic with the left one.

Audition Tape

I spent most of last evening putting together an audition tape for a movie where the lead character is a magician... How perfect is that!

Unfortunately, I don't think I come accross very well on film. Stage is so much easier for me, when I look back on the tape, I judge every little blink and quirk that I have. My boyfriend says it looks good, and since I'm no good at critiquing myself I'll have to go with him... He, by the way, is not one to say I look good if he doesn't think so... If I look bad, he'll just laugh at me.

Now I need to download the movie to my computer and email it out... fingers crossed!

In other news

More items have been put back in the shop! Come check it out!

Leaving for Japan

I'll be leaving to do my magic show in Japan on Thursday, and I'll be gone for 3 months. The boyfriend and the ferocious chihuahua will be watching the house.

If there is anything you have wanted to buy from AllThingsTangled, you have until Wednesday to do it. After that, my shop will be on vacation until August. I'll still be knitting in my spare time over there to help stock the store a little more for when I get back.

I'll try to blog occasionally to let everyone know how it is going in the land of the rising sun.