Our flight to Reno left at 6am. We had to be up at 4am so we could get ready and to the airport in time for the flight. As it would happen, my cell phone started ringing at 3am – a full hour before we really had to be up. So, it was a short night.
There’s no easy way to fly anywhere from Lynchburg. We left our airport at 6am for Charlotte, NC – connected there to Phoenix, AZ – and made our last connection to Reno. We arrived at 12noon Reno time (3pm our time). It had already been a long day and it was just getting started.
I went to pick up the rental car only to be told, “We’re out of cars.â€Â How can you be out of cars? BUT they did have a very nice mini-van and that was just fine for us.
Once checked into the hotel, we rushed to get ready for our first appointment of the day. We met Robbie and Phil Wilmarth (President elect of the International Brotherhood of Magicians) and Fred and Manya Casto (current President of the I.B.M.) for lunch. It was an excellent way to start off the convention – great company and conversation.
After lunch, Cindy and I went back to our room to try and get a little bit of rest. There is no high speed internet connection in the room (?) so I have to go to the lobby to pick up and send email. AND my cell phone is stuck in “lock†mode so there’s no way to access the menu. I can make and receive calls, but that’s about it.
We met up with Mark and Jinger Kalin (and their beautiful daughter Parker) for dinner at Pinocchio’s. The food was really good and we enjoyed spending some time with these guys, getting to know them better. They do an incredible illusion show here in Reno at their own theatre, MagicUnderground.
We ended the evening by going back over to their house and finishing off dessert – bread pudding and a HUGE piece of chocolate cake. Cindy and I rarely have the chance to just sit, relax and talk with peers. Mark and Jinger are two very warm, personable and caring people – and that comes through the very first time you meet them. They’ve made major accomplishments in the art of magic and enjoy a certain level of “celebrity†within the magic community but they are just good, down-to-earth people who work hard for all the right reasons.
Once back to the hotel, Cindy went to the room and I made the first trip through the Dealer’s Room of the convention to say hello to some friends and check out the new stuff.
Tomorrow I present a lecture here on the Healing of Magic at 1pm, address the Board of Directors at 4pm, dinner with David Sandy around 5:30pm, first shows of the convention at 8pm and then Mark and Jinger’s show at 11pm. It’s going to be a long day. I’ve got to get a shower!!