Top ten not so obvious things I am thankful for

Here are the top ten not so obvious things I am truly thankful for:

1) How our brains work. Whether it is a normal, average or slightly off kilter. The brain makes us who we are and it is just as amazing as we are and for that I am thankful.

2) The ability to make our dreams come true.

3) Passion, my passion for life, love and magic are all a gift I am thankful for.

4) The magic in my life, the real magic in my life.

5) I am thankful for the wonderful ability that plants have to take carbon monoxide and turn it in to oxygen. An amazing feat of nature, and plants look beautiful doing it.

6) I am thankful for my resilience. No matter what adversity I face I know I will bounce back. I always do.

7) I am thankful for patience. All be it strained, frayed and stretched to its breaking point.

8) I am so very thankful for genetics and feel extremely blessed with the genes I have been given.

9) The ability to read. Books have the power to take me to wonderful new mysterious places other books have taught me so much, all because I can read.

10) My home, and all the things it contains from my travels to just the things I love and bring me comfort. My house to truly my home.

What are you thankful for?

What you can't un-see.

I was talking to my friend Kristen the other day about the fact that you can't un-see some things in life. Once you see it with your own eyes you never forget. As a kid I never understood what people who were really sick meant when they would say I don't want to be remembered this way. Now that I am older I truly understand. But it's not just that... It's porn pop-up that use to come up on computers. Whether you wanted to see it or not it is now embedded in your brain. That auto accident you passed with the covered body. The ASPCA extended commercial with the abused animals. These images that we can no longer un-see generally became the first image we think of when we remember that person, place, or thing.

For me these images have a very strong emotional attachment which is part of the reason they are images I will never un-see. I was passing an accident several years ago on my way home. I saw a car on the wrong side of the road with a motorcycle stuck in the front end there was a body that was on the roadside and police everywhere. That image is stuck in my mind forever because the guy on the motorcycle happened to be a friend of mine. Whenever people mention him the first thought is of that accident then it is followed by happier memories. But the first memory is now an image that I can never un-see.

With technology we can take photos or videos and immediately upload the images to the world wide web where everyone can see them. Because of this, I select what I want to see and what I don't ever want to see. For example the video of the Rodney King beating is all over the Internet. The little bit I saw on the news was more than enough to become forever embedded in my brain, I don't need to see anymore of that man or any person being beaten. Then there are TV show like Animal Cops, Kardashians, Animal Hoarders, plus crime drama re-enactments, that I just don't want to see. I'm not saying I want to ignore it, I just don't want to see it. So when people send me links to videos I don't watch all of them because I don't want to see something I might never be able to un-see. Remember that the next time a person sends you a video of something bad happening to a friend. Do you really want to watch a video of something you will never be able to un-see? I don't.

Top ten things my dog and cat say.

Ten things my dog says without using words:
1) Look at my happy dog cookie dance.
2) I love you
3) Ride in the car, ride in the CAR....
4) Bad touch (said to cat & vet)
5) Grandma has better yummys.
6) Walk? Walk, walk, walk.
7) No brush, no brushing?
8) Oh Yes! Scratchies right there.
9) Potty, I have to go potty, potty, potty.
10) It was the cat.


Ten things my cat says without using words:
1) Mine! It's all mine.
2) Give me tuna
3) Look at meeeeee.
4) Pet me, pet me NOW!
5) Stop touching me.
6) Pick me up, now put me down
7) I'm cute, I'll do what I want!
8) Wake up I want to sleep where you are.
9) I will make you suffer.
10) It was the dog.

What makes your house a home?

It doesn't matter where I am in the world I like to make the place I am living feel like a home. I am a home body and enjoy my home. There is something to be said for a long day of meetings or shows, to finally come home and are hit with that feeling of sheer happiness at being home. My home is not perfect, nor it it decorated like my version of a dream home, but it's mine and I love it. I have a collection of tea pots from around the world with a couple that are very old. I like looking at them and using them occasionally. I love my bedroom, I have two paintings on the wall that bring me so much joy to look at. My house is definitely not cold but one that is well lived in. I don't have a family of my own, but I look at my show as a family and the office reflects the love I have for magic and the people in my show. There is a special memory that goes with each poster, award, and photo on the office walls. I wrap myself in these things like a security blanket that keeps me safe and warm. My friends also help to make my house a home. I am not good about having people over to my house, and I apologize to everyone in advance for that personality trait. But the few friends who do make it past the garage or front door are truly welcomed into my home.

The biggest thing that makes my home so special are the two furry faces who manage to tell me over and over again just how much they love me. The dog has issues from years of abuse before he was adopted, but he is so loving and affectionate towards me. He makes me smile when he does the "I'm so happy you are home dance." there is nothing quite like a dog as big as a person doing his happy spinning, bouncing dance with the occasional pause to see if I am watching. And there is the cat... According to him I make his house comfy and homey just for him. He loves snuggling up to me on the couch where he throws his furriness against me and demands attention. I am lucky as they fill my life with love. And for me where there is this kind of love there is a home.

What makes your house a home?

Ten things I have learned watching television:

Ten things I have learned watching television:

1) There is always someone who will defend the underdog.

2) The family that laughs together stays together.

3) Everybody lies at some point, (watch any reality show.) and detectives will find the truth.

4) Real friends will always be there for you because if you are stranded on an island you want the Professor and Mary-Ann to be there with you. (there is a great story about how the actor who played Gilligan on Gilligan's island stood up for the professor and Mary-Ann's names to be added to the theme song.)

5) Not to worry if I miss an episode it will be repeated, just like history.

6) The news is full of death and I would rather read about it than watch it.

7) The portrayal of women is rarely realistic. We are not all size 2, most of us love our curves. There are millions of women between the age of 35-55 that seldom exist on tv. And most women are not the train wrecks that live in "reality" television.

8) The difference between tv cooks and my cooking is more than just the fancy stove.

9) A good writer can make me cry for a :30 second commercial.

10) Love can conquer anything with a happily ever after, except maybe a reality dating show.

How do you measure success?

How do you measure your success?

I think everyone measures it very differently. For me success is extremely fleeting and is always just out of reach. Which doesn't stop me from trying, it actually makes me work harder at fulfilling those ambitions. There are some performers who dream of working in a Las Vegas show and I was one of those people. I made that dream a reality when I appeared as the magician in the successful show SPLASH at the Riviera casino. At the time it was a dream come true. When the contract ended a year later I had discovered an even bigger dream. I realized I wanted so much more from my life as a performer. When I look back on that show today I have very fond memories of the cast and crew. Some of the best magicians in the world performed in that show and I have the privilege of being one of those magicians. At the time I felt so successful, but I ended up wanting more. I have appeared on television shows all over the world, yet I want to do more of them, a lot more of them. I have had my photo in magazines as a professional model, not enough. I have had my own shows in Las Vegas, but they were never enough. I have worked on ships, casinos, and a variety of other theaters, yet still find myself searching to quench this never ending thirst for some semblance of what I would deem success.

I know there are many people who look at those accomplishments and wish they had just one or two to add to their list of credits, but would it be enough for them? Or would they suddenly find that hunger as they too searched for the elusive feeling of success. And what is that feeling? I don't even know. Which leads to the question; would I know it when I finally reach it? And if I keep achieving my goals only to find success fleeting then will I always be chasing my dreams? I like making my dreams reality, there is something extremely satisfying when I set goals for myself and reach them. Some of my goals are easy and some are really big that take years to achieve. I use the smaller goals as stepping stones to my ultimate goals. When those ultimate goals are met, I find that they were only another step to an even bigger goal. Which begs the question, when does it end? When is enough, really enough? I currently have the opportunity to achieve one of my bigger goals, but I find myself wondering will I be satisfied or will I be left wanting? The truth for me is I find success to be intoxicating and like an addict I want more.

We all dream of having some type of success in our lives, some type of lofty goal that somehow has the word success attached to it. All I can say to you is I hope you all achieve your idea of success and are truly satisfied with it.

My friend Cherie Sanders.

I am not an overly talkative out going person, I had a friend for that....Cherie Sanders.

My friend Mari and I were at a magic convention and Mari said, "I have this friend you should meet her I think you would really get along." so I met this person named Cherie. She had tons of people around her all chatting, Cherie chatting the most. So I bolted and spent the rest of the convention avoiding both Mari and Cherie lest I be forced to spend time with someone who talked way to much. Well over time I got to know Cherie as a person and realized that she was a wonderfully delightful person who just happened to know EVERYONE and always had something to say. At magic conventions Cherie would be the center of any group she happened to be standing with. She had an amazing talent for getting everyone together and moving us all to wherever she wanted us to be. She also had an amazing talent for talking. I don't talk very much. Generally I don't have much to say and if I do have something to say I am either to shy to say it or I blurt it out causing people to look at me oddly. With Cherie around I never had to say very much, it was perfect.

When Cherie would come to Vegas for magic conventions, she would come a couple days early or leave a couple days late and those extra days we would hang out together. She came in one time and Johnny Thompson was shooting some footage at Lance's house so we both went. There was a cute guy hitting on me and she encouraged me to go out with him. Well that relationship was a disaster. But she listened to me whine about it on the phone for weeks, on the other hand I heard about her breakups too. Cherie always called me when she was driving to or from a gig. (I personally think she would get bored driving and called everyone, whoever answered was the one she would talk to during the drive.) She won lunch at the Eiffel tower restaurant one time and they sat us in the best seats looking out over the Vegas strip. I had seen her loose a lot in the casino and then turn around to win huge amounts. One time in Vegas I dragged her over to the Tompson's house to shot photos for Johnny's book which is coming out next year. We always did something fun, weird, or stupid, but it was never boring with Cherie.

The weirdest thing Cherie ever did with me was up in Tahoe. I had gone up to Tahoe for a couple days to visit Bruce who was working in a show. We decided to drive the loop and stopped at the waterfall. Bruce and I were out taking photos when I decided to shoot some from the other side. Bruce followed me over but did not come down. I got my shots looked around and noticed a redhead with a very distinct laugh. I thought to myself, no this is Tahoe, Cherie is in Texas. Then she turned around saw me and screamed Ariann. She was up there with her guy for a concert at a Harrah's hotel and had decided to drive the loop that day too. We hung out that night, went to Bruce's show and had something to eat. It was a fun unexpected bonus to both our trips.

I checked my mailbox the day before they found Cherie and rushed her to the hospital. There was a card from her being supportive of my show. I had put her down on my todo list to call her the next morning, but instead I got a call from Lanny who was at the hospital. I never got to thank her personally, but then I think all her friends had something we wanted to thank her for. She was the Will Rodgers of magic, as she never met a person she didn't like. So many people knew Cherie and you couldn't help but love her. I also realize that my voice at magic conventions is forever silenced and I will have to go back to actually talking. Lookout people you don't know what she was saving you from.

Thank-you Cherie!