Howdy! I am excited to join the community. I have been lurking on here for months and I decided it is finally time to make a post.

I enjoyed magic a little bit as a kid. I was from a small rural town, so no magic shop nearby. Occasionally when we would travel to the city I might be able to convince my parents to take me to one of the magic shops where I'd usually buy a trick or two like the linking rings, ball in vase, etc. I amassed a small collection of gimmicks and would sometimes perform them for my parents and maybe a friend or two, but as I got older the interest faded and magic became something that I "used" to be interested in.

Fast forward to today and I am an adult with teenage kids of my own. Several months ago I clicked on a marketing email from Penguin Magic and ended up downloading Rick Lax's Secrets of Magic free video and that just sucked me completely back into the world of magic.

This is a hobby for me, but I am really immersing myself in all of it these last several months. I have started collecting magic books, card magic mostly at the moment. I have read Giobbi's Card College Light, Lighter, and Lightest, and I am currently almost done going through the Royal Road to Card Magic. I perform for my wife and sometimes my youngest son. My older sons are too critical, and will often screw up the trick, so I am much less likely to perform anything for them.

I love this resource and was so worried back when it went down a few months ago that it would never come back up. I couldn't believe what rotten timing it would have been to just start getting into magic and then lose this huge resource of thoughts, reviews, and discussions just months after I had first found it.

Anyways, looking forward to interacting a little more, though it will be mostly in the form of questions as I don't have much input to give anybody. Cheers!

Hello bangobango! I too was born & raised in Texas. Now live in Lubbock. I've been a magic enthusiast since the 1970's and a member of SAM for many years. I joined the Magic Café (after lurking) in 2007. Unfortunately, I stopped all magic for a while due to my career and when I got rolling again it seems the Magic Café log did not retain my previous post quota so I started over. I refer to the Magic Café often but very seldom logged in. Yeah, I know. Lazy. Anyway, welcome! I am surprised to see no replies to your initial post. Don't let that discourage you. There are plenty of good people on this venue with lots of knowledge and experience. Good luck! Leon

Welcome.

Tip o the ten gallon hat, Bangobango! Welcome to wildest place this side of the Pecos!