Ye Olde Magick Blogge is one of my favorites. B. D. Erland, the proprietor, did, however, refer to me as a curmudgeon. In fairness, he has a point:

Main Entry: cur·mud·geon
Pronunciation: (“)k&r-‘m&-j&n
Function: noun
Etymology: origin unknown
1 archaic : MISER
2 : a crusty, ill-tempered, and usually old man
– cur·mud·geon·li·ness /-lE-n&s/ noun
– cur·mud·geon·ly /-lE/ adjective 

 I am compelled to recite Jon Winokur’s eloquent defence:

A curmudgeon’s reputation for malevolence is undeserved. They’re neither warped nor evil at heart. They don’t hate mankind, just mankind’s absurdities. They’re just as sensitive and soft-hearted as the next guy, but they hide their vulnerability beneath a crust of misanthropy. They ease the pain by turning hurt into humor.  . . . . .  

They attack maudlinism because it devalues genuine sentiment.   . . . . .  

Nature, having failed to equip them with a servicable denial mechanism, has endowed them with astute perception and sly wit.

Curmudgeons are mockers and debunkers whose bitterness is a symptom rather than a disease. They can’t compromise their standards and can’t manage the suspension of disbelief necessary for feigned cheerfulness. Their awareness is a curse.

Perhaps curmudgeons have gotten a bad rap in the same way that the messenger is blamed for the message: They have the temerity to comment on the human condition without apology. They not only refuse to applaud mediocrity, they howl it down with morose glee. Their versions of the truth unsettle us, and we hold it against them, even though they soften it with humor.

There! I feel better!

Take care………

Those of us that have been around a while and have been following the Richard James / Linked saga have seen it all before. Non-delivery followed by a string of excuses and stories that never seem to fit together. We’ll be charitable and say the perpetrators are generally less than forthright. It’s so easy to tell the truth and take your medicine. I’ll just never understand the inability to do so.

Anyway, there are always some doo rag carrying the forgive and forget banner – only human – life happens – etc. etc. in defence of the wrongdoer. Please understand, I’m all for forgiveness, but I’m also of the school that says there should be a price to pay for our decisions.

Here’s a quote from a recent Cafe post:

…..you already apologized,that is kool; just deliver and eveybody we’ll be happy and probably forget what is happening as I write this post.

I hope he’s wrong. Dead wrong.

Take care………

Learn to live a life that expects more from the world than crap. – Jamy Ian Swiss

There’s a difference in being a professional and a Dick.

Some people need to learn that.

Take care……… 
 

Pamela Anderson racks up third marriage in Vegas.

Take care….

The change to WordPress has gone well. There’s a lot to learn, though.

We’re committed to making this blog the most technically advanced one in magic. That we can control and will accomplish. You, on the other hand, will have to determine whether it is a place you want to visit frequently – hopefully daily.

We’re adding features like the ability to subscribe by email, email posts to a friend and easily print well formatted output.

Additionally content is coming.

Some things we’ve tried have already been pulled.

If you see a feature you like – or don’t like – let us know. We can only succeed if you like what we do.

Take care……… 
 

There’s some pretty good stuff going on in blogland these days. For any of us writing blogs, it’s an ego thing. Whether we’re trying to be entertaining, controversial, instructive or just screwing around, we’re making the large assumption that we have something worth reading – at least by some people.

Writing a blog takes time and thought. If you’re reading one regularly and like what you see – leave a comment. I can assure you that it is appreciated. If the blog sucks, then move on. It will wither and die if enough people feel that way.

Anyway, here’s a brief look at some of the blogs I read and what’s going on:

Unexpected Wonders – Jim Coles writes the most thoughtful posts about magic of anyone currently available. As I write this, he’s complaining about being 44. Hell! I’ve got socks older than that!

Reverie – Tom Frank’s very personal magic blog. I could never be comfortable exposing myself the way Tom does, but he’s been a regular poster for a long time and those of us that follow his blog really feel like we know him.

An interesting man. His description is very telling – Just celebrated the 21st anniversary of my 21st birthday. Crazy about a girl named Polly. Love to Swing Dance. Trick Deck Pitchman. I have 4 kids who won’t speak to me. See what I mean.

Be sure to catch some of his videos he makes available. The one on the linking rings is superb.

The Wizard’s Ball – Mike only posts sporadically. I wish we saw more of him. His recent post is about the disappearing Cafe topics which we continue to endure. He comes to a conclusion that I disagree with strongly:

Instead of crapping themselves every time a naysayer comes along perhaps the Cafe could learn something and perchance improve by allowing a bit of healthy debate.

Go on Steve you know you want to.

The last thing that group wants is open discussion.

The Phantom Notebooks – He’s just begun a review of the Rob Stiff / MagicMakers production of Wesley James 7 DVD set The Man Who Knows Erdnase. Actually it’s more like a public execution. e.g. his conclusion on DVD #1: A completely pointless and useless DVD…. and yet still the best of this 7 disc set. I’m not a good one to comment here’ as I’m no fan of Wesley James either. Don’t miss the series if you are into cards, at all.

Magicforge Blog Tracker – Although the MagicForge blog has been dormant since February, the blog tracker continues to perform a valuable service. Do yourself a favor and subscribe to the RSS feed. It makes it very easy to keep up with the status and postings of all the major magic blogs.

Take care………

A person who trusts no one can’t be trusted.