Hello, everyone. This is my first post, and I'm kind of curious if anyone goes through what I'm going through.

I find that practicing somewhere other than my house is refreshing for my mind. In the warmer months it's easy to go somewhere outside and practice, but the colder weather coming in has me yearning to get out of the house with my cards in hand, but I'm coming up empty with ideas for places to go.

Is there anyone else out there that feels this way, and if so, do you have any ideas? I've thought about a public library, but I don't want to be a bother to anyone else. Occasionally I've went to a coffee shop here and there, but nothing seems to be as inspiring and secluded as where I go in the summer months.

Thanks in advance for your time

Perhaps it's time to begin practicing with a small live audience, in which case both the library and the coffee shops are ideal places to go. However, if you still need to be all alone when you practice, try a church hall during the week when it is not in use for anything else.

Thanks, Jim. That's a great idea! The ACR is the bug that bit me a couple years ago, and this year I finally felt consistent enough to perform my own little routine for some smaller crowds of tourists at the beach. Although I'm not 100% sure if the control is Vernon's or Nash's, but whichever four ace control Ricky Jay did in his 52 Assistant show also bit me. It's my favorite trick I know, and started a severe obsession with the faro (recently started a slight obsssion with learning the anti-faro lol).

I can't tell you how many questions I've had answered by reading the posts on this forum. Thanks for taking the time, Jim.

When I was a a teen, I practiced in the shower. (When you can backpalm a cake of soap in the shower, you are ready! (hee hee)

Mmmm. Cake. I love cake. But pecan pie has my heart.

True story: Thanksgiving table. Dessert has been served. Family is gathered, watching my card handling. I spin a card out via Cyclone...miss the catch...straight into the Pecan Pie. Go to get it out, drop two cards into the pumpkin pie.

My current favorite Bicycle deck (Coral Fashion deck) is now ruined. I have a brick more, but the true point of the story is don't drop the cards in the pie. Or don't drop the cake in the soap. Or the soap in the cake. Or the soap in the shower?

I also once back-palmed a baby hamster. That's another story for another day.



Well, I'm glad at least one member took my post serious. 😒

HELLO! Mr. S!

I'm glad that you weren't upset over my bad joke! --I just couldn't resist the temptation!

O

Hey, I generally commute by train everyday so I find that as good a place as any, if the carriage is empty I will practice new tricks(those bumps in the line are often useful for finding coins I'm not holding too well) , or if it's full I'll show some bored looking kid some tricks to keep them entertained, etc. Also heated in winter and air conditioned in summer.

Cheers, Winston.

Fast food restaurant would be a good option. Go in there and buy a cup of coffee, practice while you sip.

I'm feeling the same. .I was walking around the garden for 4-6 hours a day in the summer but now I'm stuck indoors due to rain and damp. I think I'll try the coffee places. .Coffee Republic, Costa, Starbucks.

I practice card moves sitting on my couch watching TV with my fiance.
I live in LA, so I spend a lot of time in traffic. I get quite a bit of double lift practice on that (Snap double made LEAPS AND BOUNDS in a week or two in the car).
Coin stuff I tend to practice a bit at work when I'm on hold on the phone or on conference calls.

Yep, jljones83 I find myself doing the same in my car or during telephone calls to (insert name here) customer service, where I am put on eternal hold.

When I am at home and don't have a volunteer to watch and critique, I turn the GoPro camera on and review myself. I find that is a great way to polish moves or eliminate angles.

My other hobby is racing slot cars. We have a huge slot car building that I hang out at and I practice all my tricks there. There are always people there so it is a good source for working things out and getting responses.

How to you meet other magicians in your area? I would enjoy practicing with other magicians in my area. The IBM Ring meetings are not an option for me (happen the same evenings as when my wife works so need to be at home with kids)

Performing at Open Mike Nights is kind of "practice in the trenches." That's also one way that stand-up comics test new material before adding new jokes/routines to their professional repertiore. Some comedy clubs reserve one night a week for an open mike night.

Another option is talent shows/contests. I entered a contest called "The Bong Show" (a take-off on "The Gong Show") and tied for first place with a high school singer who a few years later became a pop singer and Grammy Award winner--Juice Newton.

----- Sonny