Magic Unlimited

Have a great Christmas! See you after the break

Holidays

While Sue-Anne has been off in Turkey for the last two weeks, I thought I might get a little break. Relax. Catch a movie or two. Bust out the Wii. Learn to use my iPhone...

But things don't always go as planned:

• Our main website was hacked, but thankfully Brendan was able to get it back up and running.
• A few days later our server, BlueHost, killed the site and refused to host it because it considered the site not secure. (Same thing happened to our AIM site. Strangely enough, since we moved it to a new server it hasn't been hacked.) So our main Magic Unlimited site has now been down for two days and most likely won't be up again until Friday...
• With no website, I've had to hold off writing our monthly email newsletter.
• I've attended the funeral of a friend's mother and visited my newborn niece in hospital.
• I've spent several days catching up on accounting (finally got that done!)
• I've been chasing up a dozen overdue clients (finally got that done too!)
• I've been arranging the purchase and finance of a new van and the selling of our old one.
• I've been trying to organise our 2010 USA trip/lecture tour.
• I've been dubbing and editing our Magic Festival shows onto DVD.
• I've been searching for a new venue for the Catchpenny Club and working with Ben Whimpey to organise the budget and filming of the next 6 shows for a series on Channel 31 due to air in March next year.
• I've purchased a new illusion and had it shipped from Singapore.
• I've redesigned my new business cards because they came out too dark the first time they were printed.
• I've been chasing up potential grants for next year's Melbourne Magic Festival.
• I've had to deal with more "politics" from the local magic club President.
• I've sent over twenty emails to Skype trying to reset my password (in the end I had to set up a new account).
• I've been updating Sue-Anne's FISM Report blog (as well as our blog, FaceBook, and the AIM site).
• I've been working on the artwork for the 2010 Melbourne Magic Festival logo.
• I've finally completed the insurance claim for the burst pipe from a few months ago.
• I've had a meeting and redesigned an Illusion Show for a big gala event next month.
• And I've been dealing with the daily calls and emails we get from people booking magicians through us.

Come home soon Sue-Anne!!! I've had enough of this "holiday"!!!

Talia

Please take a moment to read my brother's blog about his new born baby Talia. She turned a week old yesterday, but she is facing tremendous obstacles.

Any parents will empathise with the difficult situation Jeremy and his wife Jan are in.

We ask that you keep them all in your prayers.

Not so cute anymore...

For the last few weeks we've heard odd scratching sounds eminating from Sparks & Bandit's favourite spots... under one of our lounge chairs.

Looking under the chair the other day I noticed a small pile of fluff.

I pulled the chair away from the wall today and discovered this.

 

This is what the carpet used to look like.

Sparks and Bandit seem very proud of their handiwork

 

They've managed to somehow dig through the carpet and the underlay all the way to the bare floorboards and create a lovely square hole that Bandit thinks is a really nice nest.

Sparks & Bandit

All I wanted for Christmas was a painting of our two Lorikeets. Sue-Anne granted me my Christmas wish.

 

The Amazing Nigel & Harry

We just received the sad news that, on Sunday, David Birchall passed away in Queensland.

David was a good friend of ours and an innovative comedy magician from my era who created the theatrical act 'The Amazing Nigel & Harry'.

His character Nigel was an 80 year old vaudeville magician who tried to perform magic, but his tricks rarely went right and always to hilarious effect. The 'Harry' of the act was his assistant, an even older gent confined to a wheelchair who would give the occassional drum-roll when he hadn't nodded off.

Who will ever forget Nigel apparently not noticing Harry accidentally rolling off the stage at the 1996 Australian Magic Convention?

David's act was a huge favourite with 'Hey Hey It's Saturday' where he appeared almost as often as Harry Houdidn't and The Amazing Jonathon.

Sadly, David was very ill for the last part of his life. He was given only a year or so to live about ten years ago.  Despite his illness he had a great faith in God and, though very sick, still kept in touch with his friends in magic. A few years ago he even played a major role in sending a paedophile out of the magic scene and into jail.

David brought a lot of laughter to a lot of people through his magic, and in many other ways he made the world a better place for the rest of us.

Thankyou!

God is amazing.

I've been feeling a little down over the last two days. Some people know there is a little group of people who's main aim in life seems to be to bring me down. They've been circulating rumours, gossip and making threats to my friends - and they've been working so hard at it that some people are even starting to think that maybe their lies are true.

I've got a very thick skin, and I've copped this sort of childishness for most of my performing career. It all began when I got on TV the first time (The Earlybird Show) and someone else thought it should have been them.

I think my Asperger's helps the insults run off me like water off a duck's back, but now they're starting to attack Sue-Anne as well, and even some of my other friends who are standing up against them and saying "No. You can't say things like that about Tim!"

Of course, that only infuriates them and makes them more aggressive.

So, I started feeling a little worthless, and then today, out of the blue, we got three lovely emails from magicians we've never met who just wanted to write to say how much they loved our work! Sam, Kelly and Nathan, thanks so much for writing. I just wanted to know that your timing was inspired and we both really appreciate the encouragement thats come just when we need it the most! What's even more amazing is that these three are (I think) Christians, so don't tell me it was just a coincidence! ;)

To top it all off we just did a show tonight at Rod Laver Arena where Russell Gilbert was compering. I hadn't seen Russell for years but it was just like "old homes week" and we chatted on for ages about "the old days" when Russell used to drop into my house in Clifton Hill whenever he was passing by and session. We swapped a few tricks, and he even did his cigarette manipulations after our show. He was very excited about The Melbourne Magic Festival and is aiming to catch a few shows next week.

So, my depression is over! I was getting sucked into the little fantasy world of lies and blackness but now I've been dragged back into reality! They can keep gossiping - I've got magic to do!

Congratulations Jade & April!

Special congratulations to Jade (our favourite AIM finger flinger) who married his fiancee April yesterday in the midst of Melbourne's winter. The ceremony took place in the beautiful Old Treasury building at the top of Collins Street and they're off to honeymoon in the sunny climes of New Zealand.

It was 10 years ago today!

Our Drinking Bird

(More cute lorikeet bathing pictures here)