Welcome back to another edition of Monday Mail Call, where I share the latest magical treasures that have made their way into my possession over the past week. Today, I'm excited to share with you three magic magazines, one short booklet, and a brand new deck of playing cards. Join me as I dive into each so we can discover together what kind of magic these things have in store for us!

Magazine #1: The Hermit, Vol. 2, No. 6

Halfway through the year, that means we're halfway through Volume 2 of The Hermit! I'm not going to lie but, I'm a bit behind on my reading with this one. I haven't read any of them this year. It's partly because it's all digital -- I'm not a huge fan of reading magazines or books "on a screen" -- but also because I just haven't had the time.

All of that aside, I have been reading the email introductions and summaries of each issue, and this month's looks really great.

It looks like we're getting eight different tricks and controls in this issue:

• RNG (Card at Any Sum) by Ryan Schlutz
• Making Difference by Bill Citino
• A Nightmare in Red and Blue by Scott Baird
• Flash Ribbon by Scott Baird
• Strange Concordance 23332 by Tomas Giammarco
• Lucky Coin and Purse by Brandon Sheffield
• Card Stab Routine by Dan Waterman
• Sleight Corner (Cascade Control) by Biz

In addition to those, we also get essays from Jay Sankey and James Mollenkamp!

I'll be expediting my reading-catch-up over the next month, so hopefully by the time the next issue lands in my inbox I'll be about ready for it.

Magazine #2: Genii, June 2023

While the digital version of Genii's June issue popped into my email inbox on May 20th, the physical copy wasn't in my actual mailbox until early last week.

On the cover of this month's issue is Bernard Bilis. I've never heard of him, so it'll be neat to discover someone new! I did a quick skim of my library and don't see him referenced anywhere, so I'm curious as to what kind of magic he's into, if there are any publications by him, etc. I'll hold off on Googling him though so I go into this one "fresh".

Unfortunately, even with Genii I'm behind on my reading. I'm currently in the middle of the March issue, but these don't take me too long to flip through so I'll catch up soon.

Magazine #3: Love Letters #12

Whoa, it's hard to imagine that I've received a full year of Love Letters newsletters! For this publication, I flip back and forth between "magazine" and "newsletter" because it's a decent length and could be presented like a short magazine, but it's formatted more like a newsletter. That, and the opening letter in it is formatted like how a kid in middle school who really hates writing writes extra large and makes the margins an inch bigger on all sides =P

Formatting aside, the content in each issue has been decent. Some months aren't necessarily "my thing", but the opinion and different perspective provided has been really beneficial to consider because it helps me see other ways of approaching a concept. Honestly, that's a huge reason why I like The Jerx -- it's a more realistic, down-to-earth look at magic that's not all perfectly-angled and film-edited trailer presentations.

Similar to the other two magazines I mentioned above, I'm a bit behind on my reading of Love Letters too. I think that the last issue I actually read was from December 😱. It has nothing to do with the quality or content of the publication, it's purely timing on my side. Nobody told me that puppies were so much work!

In this month's issue, there are a handful of notes from Andy -- which makes it feel similar to the recently released Letters from Juan, so maybe he's got a fun hook there! These notes are on miscellaneous topics, albeit all magic or magic community related. Then there are some in-depth product reviews. One review, of a re-released trick by John Bannon (which I almost bought when it was announced, but decided to wait), a review of a 3-coin (or... button, coin, and poker chip) routine, and a routine with gum. Oh, and another review of a trick where cards sealed together with a brass clip magically pull apart and even another trick with a rubber band! So much in this month's issue =]

Skimming through this issue reminds me why I really only stick to card magic. These other tricks, how do they make sense in the real world? In what situation would I be in where I bring out three very unrelated, very uncommon coin-shaped things from my pocket? Or, a brass safety pin thing that I poke through two cards? Or best yet, packs of gum that nobody in the world has ever seen before that can lead into a math trick trick?

Actually, that latter one reminds me of when I was up in New York City visiting Magick Balay at his magic shop Don't Blink Magic. He was showing me a book, it wasn't for sale but it's in his Every Day Carry (EDC). It wasn't a novel or anything, it was more like a flip book with 50 pages, a little wider than a cellphone. On each page there were a few cartoon pictures like a car, ball, airplane, etc. Also, a word or two printed at the top and numbers at the bottom. I may be mis-remembering something, but that's what I remember from it. Anyways, as the trick goes, the spectator can pick any page in the book and with very, very minimal fishing, you know what they picked!

My question to Magick was, "that's neat and all, but isn't this book really out of the ordinary? When would you bring out such a silly prop, and how would anyone ever take it seriously?" His response was very similar to how Smart Gum -- the "gum" trick from above -- is presented. There's a scientific study that you are (or were) involved in and it was to test memory, recall, ability to do math, etc. I'm not kidding at all, but the way he broke it down and how he would normally get into the routine, I was sold. The review of Smart Gum gives me that same vibe, so much so that I'm considering giving it a go... albeit, I'm not actually a "gum person" so that might put a kink in the plan =P

Also, one thing that wasn't mentioned in the email or newsletter itself, I think that because this is issue #12, that's the end of the run of Love Letters? I'm not sure. I thought it was a one year production that started last June, but I could be mistaken. We'll find out next month!

Letters from Juan, Vol. 3

That's right folks, the third volume of Letters from Juan - Vol. 3! I forgot to post an update when I received Volume 2, but I have that one too =P.

I never even saw an announcement posted anywhere for the 3rd, but I happened to be on Vanishing Inc.'s website and was looking for information on Volume 1 and this one popped up. Whelp, you can connect the dots for what happened next!

I haven't flipped through this one yet; in fact, and I'm a little ashamed to type this (not too ashamed, just a little), but I didn't even read the product description. It was a legitimate "oh, Volume 3's out, nice. [buy]" type of thing. I plan to buy all 6 individually -- my guess is that after all 6 volumes are released, they'll likely either produce a combined book or some collectors box that has all of them. I'm cool with the individual ones though.

I'm not going to read this one right away because I actually haven't read Volume 2 yet. I'm pretty confident that these are not books that need to be read in order, like a story, but I'm going to stick to the order anyways. Keep an eye on on my YouTube channel though because I'll be posting my book review for Volume 1 really soon (and 2 and 3 will follow sometime after).

Olive and Sinclair Playing Cards

The Olive and Sinclair Playing Cards is a brand-spanking new deck of cards from Vanishing Inc.. This deck is themed as a vintage, chocolate inspired deck of cards, the back design of each appearing like a bar of chocolate.

I first learned about the deck, well, last week! Vanishing's marketing emails are pretty on-point... that, or I'm just a sucker for buying new decks of cards. Both could be true =P. But seriously though, marketing aside, there weren't -- and still aren't -- a ton of pictures of the deck on Vanishing's site. The ones that are there though, they looked pretty nice. A snap of the back, one or two faces, and the tuck. My only issue with the pictures themselves is it looks like there's a brown (chocolate-vibe) filter used on it so I was concerned that I wasn't seeing the actual colors of the deck itself.

Well have no fear, I have it in hand and boy is it a nice one!

Also offered was a "special edition" of the deck. Rather, it was the same deck, but it comes in a limited edition box and with a chocolate bar. Unfortunately, the price jumped from $12 to $30 and I'm not about to spend that much extra on a bar of chocolate... even if it did include a (very) limited chance to win another free deck of cards.

As I wrap up this edition of Monday Mail Call, my anticipation and enthusiasm for diving into all of this new reading material has reached new heights, and I know just the deck to have in-hand while doing it too! The Hermit, Love Letters, and Genii will undoubtedly offer a kaleidoscope of inspiration, knowledge, and joy to both myself and all fellow magicians and magic enthusiasts -- if you're not already a subscriber to either of them, I recommend checking them out.

Keep an eye out as I share my thoughts and journey as I dive into Letters from Juan - Vol. 3 to see what kind of secrets it holds, and for more shots with this new deck too.

Stay tuned for the next iteration of Monday Mail Call, there's a lot more to come!

p.s., if you'd like to offer suggestions for books, tricks, decks or if you have questions about magic (performing, routines, sleights, etc.), please reach out here.

Penn & Teller: Fool Us is a TV talent show that is filmed in front of a live audience (or, virtual audience during the pandemic). Oh, and we can't forget to mention that Penn and Teller are there too -- they're the judges!

During each episode, four magicians perform a magic act for Penn & Teller which, at the end of each act the magician-comedian duo try to deduce how the trick was done. In very articulate speech, Penn -- as Teller remains characteristically silent -- commends the magician on a job well done. If the magic act fooled Penn & Teller, they win a sweet Fool Us trophy and a trip to Vegas to be the opening act for Penn & Teller's show!

I want my opinions below to reflect those of a spectator who just saw a performance live. To achieve this, I've only watched this episode once. In real time - no pausing. No slow motion. Once through, with commercials and with my kids enjoying it with me too. Did I remember everything I saw? Did I see everything that happened? Do I remember the exact words that were said? Maybe, but likely not -- which means if I over-portray an effect below then it was just that great of a trick. If I under-portray it, well, yeah. So let's see what this episode's got in store for us!

Episode Recap

This episode was full of magic! Well, obviously =P. But there was card magic, coin magic, even a touch of spiritualism and mentalism thrown in! No two tricks were alike, but that's what keeps us coming back am I right?

The fooler of the night's episode was Jandro. His high-octane energy was potentially what caused him to fool the magical duo, or he's just that good! I'd like to think that it's a bit of both. Following Jandro's act we got to see a robotic-themed futuristic card trick by Ben Kraatz which was pretty neat. After the futuristic routine, we were taken to the distant past in a spiritualism-based mentalism act from Judge Gary Brown... and yes, he really is a judge! Ending the set of magicians trying to fool Penn & Teller was Puck who brought a card trick routine he dedicated to his fathers. It was a nice way to end the different magic sets and really nice magic overall.

Want to know more? Keep reading below!

Jandro

Jandro's been on Fool Us 4 times already, and fooled the comedy duo all 4 times! This episode is his 5th appearance and he came out with full energy and ready to go!

He stood behind a stand that had two little chests on it. Little meaning they could fit on one hand!

He started off by saying he would show the end of the trick first, you know, just in case Penn and Teller died halfway through the act. A funny premise, at least, during the performance of course. Jandro made Alyson take one of the chests, step away from the table and turn around with her eyes closed.

Penn then took the other chest and opened it after Jandro gave him the key. Inside, which we didn't get to see until the end, were a bunch of coins of different shapes and sizes. Penn had a free choice of any coin and he chose one and put it in his hand. Jandro had both him and Teller hold their hands on the table and open them, and then he started celebrating (remember, it's the "end of the trick").

He pulled out a large confetti cannon and blasted confetti everywhere. But wait, there's more! Then he pulled out another confetti cannon and blasted even more confetti everywhere!

The trick was over, but we hadn't seen anything yet. He told Alyson to open her chest and pick a coin, then to put that coin in Teller's hand without showing it to anyone. When Penn and Teller then opened their hands, they were holding the exact same coin! 

Penn started his speech very confidently. Heck, even I was convinced that he knew. He repeated over and over how he saw Jandro do a sneaky move and use the confetti cannons as misdirection. Truth be told, I thought that -- at first -- he did something with them too, but then I thought that it would've been too obvious and really not enough time (once I saw how many coins there were).

And then, when Penn asked if Jandro had any more confetti cannons he said he didn't and happily turned his stand around showing it to be empty, all except a little sign that said "nothing here."

Penn ended his speech with a comment saying that he wished Jandro had another confetti cannon to blast off because he fooled them for the 5th time!

The trick was fast, it was full of energy, and it was a stunner! Well done Jandro, well done!

Ben Kraatz

Ben is, by his own words, a social media magician. I'd like to consider myself one of those too, though on a personal note I'd also like to do more in person and less online... but enough about me =P

At the end of his set (which I'll get to in a second), he mentioned that he started magic in 2017 because of this show! How awesome is that??

When his act started, we were taken "to the future" with a retro scene of the Space Invaders video game. Standing at a table in a robot outfit was Ben and an audio track was playing. The vibe we were supposed to have was that he was a robot being controlled by another person (or system).

On the table in front of him were a bunch of cards in a line. Some were face up, some were face down.

One-by-one, he took cards and made them do things like disappear. Rather, they all actually disappeared but he did each in a different way. Overall, it was a nice performance and he very smoothly created a scene to fit the way he wanted to perform. Bravo Ben!

Penn and Teller weren't fooled by this one, and neither was I. The method behind it is something I've been playing around with for a while now, nothing I've performed on camera or in person with but something that I'm quite familiar with. I'm not actually sure whether all of his vanishes were done in that specific way though -- I'm not sure whether, in cases like this, Penn and Teller have to know how each vanish is done, or just the majority...

Judge Gary Brown

Judge, as everyone kept calling him, is an actual judge! A cool fact about this is that he said he has performed magic during some of his actual day-job, like when doing an immigration swear-in, he'll produce an American flag out of a tiny box. That's probably pretty neat to see in that situation.

I was a little surprised to see a man who's job it is to try to get people to tell the truth, first, being a magician and second, performing a spiritualism routine -- the former being art that's built on deceit, the latter known to just be morally deceiving. But there he was with a spirit cone (a metal cone) that he would be using to talk to the dead!

During his performance, even at the beginning, I had the feeling that he was presenting it all in jest. Not trying to appear like he's really a medium -- but he never came out and said that it was a sham or anything like that, he "kept up the act" so to speak.

The performance itself had him summon a spiritualist, named Eusapia Palladino. She has been dead for over 100 years, but Judge would be bringing her spirit back to try to read a word that Alyson randomly selected from a book. To channel her voice, he used a spirit trumpet, a device that Palladino was known to have used in her work as well.

He brought Alyson over and let her select a page in a book, then a word from that page. Sure enough, the voice of Palladino... though in English rather than the Italian she should have spoken (which turned out to be a bit of comedy) came through the spirit trumpet and eventually correctly "read" the word that Alyson selected!

The trick didn't fool Penn & Teller and although I have a pretty clear idea as to how it was done, I didn't pick up on any specifics from Penn's hints -- which is probably a good thing. 

Puck

Puck's background in magic is split, he was into it when he was a kid and then didn't get back into it for over 20 years. Jeez, tonight's episode mesh's with my background so much...

Before he began performing, he shared a story with us about his upbringing and his two fathers (foster, and biological). The performance was a dedication to them both.

His act was several card tricks back-to-back. He was able to make aces disappear from one hand and appear under another. Then, from several piles of cards he could make an ace disappear and wind up under another pile over and over until all 4 aces were together! Finally, he took the deck of cards and made them all turn blank immediately before using it to print the words "Dads, I made it!". Topping that, he turned over each of those cards and it had a picture of his fathers.

I was able to follow everything from start-to-finish, primarily because I read a lot of magic books. I've practiced one of the routines quite a bit as well -- the other, I've tried a variation that doesn't require special cards.

Penn and Teller weren't fooled by the act, and quite frankly I thought Penn's "clues" were a bit too on the nose. I was trying to think of a better way to code messages, but I wasn't able to really come up with much better.

Penn & Teller

Penn & Teller ended the show with a giant human version of "The Penetration Frame", delivered with a performance that I didn't quite follow all the way.

Apparently, or so the story went, it was an impromptu shoving-of-a-teenager through a window routine? Not really sure what they were going for... but, in any case, it was an interesting performance. Rather, it was a really nice trick adaptation -- something that they're really great at doing. And, the guest teenager was Moxie Jillette, Penn's daughter!

As a magician, I really like seeing a trick that I'm familiar with adapted in such a different and unique way. It always reminds me to take a step back and try to think of other tricks in different ways as well.

Takeaways

This episode flew by for me, which is a great thing in my opinion. Sometimes when the magic isn't quite up-to-par, at least to my standards, the episodes feel like they drag a bit. Tonight's, even though I'm pretty sure I know how all of the performances (except Jandro's) were done, was a really good show. Though, I'm still left with the "why isn't there ever more than one fooler in the episode?!" feeling... maybe next time!

Either way, I'm excited for the next round of magic!

Have you ever had a spectator select a card, lose it in the deck, and realize that you lost it too? There are outs available for that situation, but they only work if you know about them... and, what if they don't work? Yeah, this was one of those situations.

The Trick

The intended effect of this trick was that the spectator and I both took half of the deck and shuffled our respective halves. Then, we swapped halves and shuffled our new ones. After shuffling, the spectator removed a single card from their half and put the remainder of cards onto my half. Then, I dribbled the entire deck from hand to hand and while the cards were dropping, the spectator shoved their card into the mess. All cards were squared up and handed back to the spectator for another shuffle. Even under these conditions, I was able to locate their selection!

The Reality

Spoiler alert: the trick makes use of the one-way back principle. Except, with the deck's faces. Did you know that with a standard deck of cards (USPCC, EPCC, LPCC, etc.), roughly half of the deck can be used with the one-way concept? For example, the Ace of Spades has a definitive "top" and "bottom". The Three of Clubs, two of the middle pips are oriented one direction and the other middle pip is the opposite. Etc. These can be used together to utilize the one-way principle, but with the faces. The "trick" is to have all of them oriented the same way and when the spectator is returning their card, make sure they are inserting it in the opposite way. Then, when you scan through the faces you just find the one that's facing the wrong way =]

Two friends were hanging out at my house and we were in-between games of pool when they saw a deck of cards and asked to see a trick. "Awesome!" is what I thought.

The problem is, when I performed this trick -- maybe my fifth time ever performing it -- the card was inserted the wrong way. Rather, it was inserted in the original direction... the same direction as all of the other cards. And I didn't notice. In fact, I thought everything was moving forward right-as-rain.

When I went to do the reveal, I scanned through the cards quickly and didn't see any reversed card. So I feigned difficulty, assuming I just went to fast and missed the card but wanted to try to make it look a little more mysterious and hard. The second time through though, nothing. Crap... the card is legitimately lost in the deck.

The Out

I didn't have a planned out for this routine because I didn't think I'd need one, it's fairly straightforward. However, I needed one =P

On my toes, I extended the "I'm having trouble finding your card" idea and figured I would just cull, palm, and produce from a pocket. I asked my friend what his card was.

He refused to tell me. Straight up said "no." Really?!

I laughed and said "Ah, you forgot the card! It's all good, it happens to the best of us. Mind if we try a different trick then?" and almost before I even finished speaking he jumped in to say "Oh I didn't forget it, but you're the magician. You should be able to find it no matter what!"

Ugh. He's the one that asked me to show him a trick and then turned all heckler on me. I ended it with "Sorry, part of the act was asking you for your card to help build up suspense" -- all the while I top-palmed a card and 'pulled' it from my back pocket, never revealing the face, and inserted it into the middle of the deck -- "it kind of loses the big element of surprise when you don't participate too" and put the deck back in the case and we continued on with the next game of pool.

In Hindsight

In hindsight, I should have had better control over the card and not have lost it. That's a no-brainer. However, the fact is that I did. So, what about the out?

I still think that I had a good idea for the out, and though unfortunate I think I ended things smoothly overall. Ideally, I would have really produced his card but I think I still left a little bit of mystery by "pulling a card out of my pocket" -- was it really his card? He'll never know!

I've been racking my brain over alternative outs, or ways I could've fished for his card, but it was likely a lost cause in this specific case.

What would you have done?

Do you have any fun, scary, or just plain sad experiences with tricks going sideways? How did you get out of it? Or, how did you end it abruptly?

I'd love to know, and hey, maybe I can help share it here too! Let me know <3

What exactly is Decked Out June? It's a list of playing card post prompts for the community to use, but nobody asked for!

Back in 2019, a friend on Instagram kicked off a several-month long "decked out" event. It started as one month, then the next, then it transformed into a "Decked Out 365". Post prompts for every day! Unfortunately, it didn't actually survive the full year, but it was pretty great while it lasted. Ever since then, I've been resurrecting it from time to time and it's been a really fun participation event for the community.

The concept is straightforward. I have provided a playing card theme for every day of the month. If you're stuck trying to think of something to post, or you just want to mix things up a bit, you now have a list you can reference to help get those creative juices flowing.

It's not a "challenge" and there are no prizes at the end of the journey. However, you do meet a decent number of new folks in the process so I guess you can call "building your community" as a prize =]

How to Participate

1. Instagram
   This event is on Instagram, so make sure you post your content there.
   
   
2. Follow the Theme of the Day
   Your post should be either a photo or a video matching the theme for the day. For example, if the theme is "Aces" you could post a photo that's showing off a really nice Ace of Spades, or all four Aces, or Aces from a deck series, etc. Or, maybe you'd prefer to make a video with an Ace Production, or Ace color changes. The sky's the limit!
   
   
3. Use the tag #DeckedOutJune
   If you're participating in the event, don't forget the tag! This let's others easily find your content by searching for the tag, and if they're like me they're likely following it too.
   
   
4. Tag me, @gbabbits
   This is totally optional, but if you tag me then I'll reshare your post to my story to help get extra eyes on it.

That's pretty much it! If you really want, follow the #DeckedOutJune tag on Instagram too so you can keep up with the content.

I also suggest that you re-share some of your favorites as they come out. The community will love you for it <3

Post Prompts

Here are the daily post prompts for June, 2023:

1. Dinosaur Deck
   Did you know that June 1st, 2023 is "International Dinosaur Day"?! Yeah, me neither! How about we show off our dinosaur themed decks, or a deck that is (or looks) really old -- get it, it's a dinosaur =P
   
   
2. FFF
   Nothing like a good #FanningFamFriday to set the mood! Or, if fans aren't your thing, make it a #FlourishFriday instead!
   
   
3. Bicycle Deck
   Bicycle decks were a lot of people's first decks... or, at least mine! I'll always have a soft spot for them, so let's show the world how great they can be.
   
   
4. Food Themed
   I don't know about you, but I have an abundance of food themed decks. No idea why... I plan to show mine off today, but you could also just post a pic of any deck next to a sandwich or delicious ice cream!
   
   
5. EDC
   Let's see those "Every Day Carry" decks. This, for some of us, might overlap with the Bicycle Deck from June 3rd, or maybe it won't. If you're a magician, it might include other items too!
   
   
6. Account Shout-out
   I like to set aside a day each month, at least one, where we give a shout-out to someone else. It can be a single account, 2 accounts, 3, 10, you name it. Personally, for these days, I've always shared a single account (since I'm giving shout-outs daily during the whole month) -- but it's 100% up to you.
   
   
7. Yellow
   I was just looking out my window and noticed that I have only a single flower growing in my garden, and it's yellow. Looking at my decks, I don't have too many yellow colored ones... I'd like to see the community come together and shine some of that golden light across the screen and share those yellow decks!
   
   
8. Animal Themed
   Do you have any decks that have an animal theme? If so, let's see them! If not, do you have a pet that would like to be a star on your grid? Have it pick a card and let's do this!
   
   
9. FFF
   Nothing like a good #FanningFamFriday to set the mood! Or, if fans aren't your thing, make it a #FlourishFriday instead!
   
   
10. Deck Series / Family
    I've always liked seeing decks that are from the same series (v1, v2, ...), or from the same "family" (deck creator / company, like NOCs or OPC or FFP or Theory11). The less well-known, the better! Let's share some of those goodies with the community =]
    
    
11. Awesome Tuck
    Do you have a deck that has just an awesome design to it? Maybe it's not fancy, but it sure isn't plain! Share it and let's take a look!
    
    
12. Monday Mail Call
    If you're like me, you accidentally let boxes pile up for a month or two before opening them -- so many that you've forgotten what's inside! Let's use this day to open some of them up for all to see!
    
    
13. Outside
    The weather's pretty nice out, let's see those decks in nature! And if you don't want to risk the sunburn, how about a nature themed deck instead?
    
    
14. Green
    Oh boy, we're getting closer and closer to summer! Let's see those green decks and make @gavinwongmagic drool =P
    
    
15. Cardistry Deck
    I haven't ordered any new cardistry-specific decks in a while... show me some so I can see what I've been missing!
    
    
16. FFF
    Nothing like a good #FanningFamFriday to set the mood! Or, if fans aren't your thing, make it a #FlourishFriday instead!
    
    
17. Most Used Deck
    Do you have a deck that you refuse to get rid of no matter how beat up it gets? I have thousands of decks and yet still can't seem to put down the same one I've been using for 2 months now...
    
    
18. Father's Day
    This one's up to the eye of the poster. Perhaps a dedication to your father, or your kids, or a deck that gives off dad-vibes. I'm currently stuck on the idea myself, but I'm sure I'll come up with something by then =]
    
    
19. Gilded / Foiled
    Ooooh, shiny! If you have a gilded deck, a deck with metallic ink, a foiled tuck, anything -- let the sun shine through!
    
    
20. Drink Related
    I don't know about you, but I have an abundance of drink themed decks. No idea why... I plan to show mine off today, but you could also just post a pic of any deck next to a cup of coffee, soda, or whatever's on tap!
    
    
21. First Day of Summer
    There are so many good summer-vibe decks out there, let's see them! Whether they're directly themed to something summer related, a color that reminds you of summer, or you setup the photo or video to scream "beach season" in everyone's face, let's break out the sunscreen!
    
    
22. Aces
    Let's see some nice looking aces! Perhaps just the Ace of Spades, or maybe all 4. Maybe an Ace Production, or a sweet photo. Your choice!
    
    
23. FFF
    Nothing like a good #FanningFamFriday to set the mood! Or, if fans aren't your thing, make it a #FlourishFriday instead!
    
    
24. Fancy Tuck
    When I say fancy, I mean I want to see fancy! Let's see those tucks where you know that the artist not only spent a good amount of time designing it, but it must've cost a pretty penny to produce too.
    
    
25. Beautiful Back Design
    There are some back designs, and then there are some back designs! Let's see the beautiful ones so we can take a minute to remember that sometimes, cards are meant to be admired.
    
    
26. Custom Pips
    A lot of work often goes into custom decks, but what sets some apart from others is when the artist pays attention to the pips on the normal spot cards. Let's give those decks a proper shout-out!
    
    
27. Custom Courts
    I want to see those Jacks, Queens, and Kings -- but with custom artwork! They can be fancy, they can be goofy, they can be abstract or just plain weird. As long as they're not standard.
    
    
28. Jokers
    I don't see enough emphasis on the custom jokers from decks when, most of the time, these are some of the neatest cards included. Let's show them off y'all!
    
    
29. Favorite Deck of June
    Holy smokes, June's just about over. What's been your favorite deck of the month?
    
    
30. FFF
    Nothing like a good #FanningFamFriday to set the mood! Or, if fans aren't your thing, make it a #FlourishFriday instead!

If you have any questions about what the prompts mean, and there's always at least a few questions, please reach out and I'll be happy to provide more info!

Happy June <3

This past week I went to New York City for work, visiting for a nice three days of non-stop meetings. I expected the meetings as that was what my trip was for, but I also expected to perform a trick or two for my coworkers.

Backing up a little, though I've said it plenty of times before I think it's worth reiterating that I work from home. I've been a remote worker since maybe 2016 -- back before it was "the norm." This has provided me with a lot of opportunities to practice sleights and routines during work -- heck, every single meeting I'm in, the camera is pointed just high enough to hide my hands that are constantly doing work with a deck.

My coworkers know, at least several of them do, that I'm playing with cards all the time. Some might think it's just a way of fidgeting, but those that have asked have learned that I'm a magician and I'm just practicing. Several of them have said that they'd love to see some tricks whenever I visit, and truth-be-told I always plan a set or two and a few impromptu things just in case an opportunity arises.

For this trip, I brought 7 decks of cards -- one to actually use for tricks, the others to get some photos and maybe videos of for social media. I also brought along a few tricks:

• Laced Up
• Nest of Wallets
• Permanent Record
• Ultra Lucky Coin

I was really excited to get to try out Laced Up too, I've never performed it. Technically, I haven't ever practiced it either (unless you count watching the tutorial a couple of times). I planned to "build" the gimmick my first night there, practice it a bit, and then jump into performance.

Unfortunately, I never had a chance to perform anything. Not a single card trick, not Laced Up or Ultra Lucky Coin (which is technically a card trick =P).

During work, let's say 9am to 5pm, it was back-to-back meetings. I didn't even have time for lunch on two of the days. I couldn't really fit a "hey, you wanna see something neat?" routine in while walking between conference rooms, so I was kind of bummed.

After work, all three days, I was really hoping someone would have approached me and brought it up -- but nobody did. "Out of sight, out of mind," is what I was attributing it to. I had Revolution with me, which lets me spin a deck of cards on my finger, but given that drinks were flowing and I'd never practiced after having a drink or two, I didn't want to risk looking like a fool -- at least, not this early into my employment there =P

Why mention spinning a deck on my finger? It plays into the idea of, rather than me going up to folks asking if they want to see a magic trick, they come to me and ask what I'm doing, which would lead into "I'm a magician" and, well, you can get the gist of it. I've heard folks say that they'll fidget with a deck by dribbling it or even springing it for the same purpose of getting folks to approach them instead.

Anyways, I didn't do that. I had my pockets loaded, I had the right headspace for it, but the opportunity just never came up. I feel bad about it too because I want to get better at performing magic, but I'm not performing. It's as if I failed at an important step of being a magician -- engaging with spectators.

Maybe being so focused on performing for my coworkers was the wrong way to go about it. Perhaps I should have aimed to "just perform" -- whether it was at our different venues for random people, coworkers, or anyone that was interested. I'm not sure. I'll just have to try again next time!