Happy Anniversary!

Hi, everyone. Mike Giusti here. I've hijacked the blog once more in order to help Paul with one of his New Year's resolutions: to take one Friday of every month off. And what better way to take the day off than to celebrate your wedding anniversary? I say there's no better reason; Paul and his lovely wife, Betty, have been married for 15 years and they are taking time to spend with each other today. Congratulations, Paul and Betty! Here's to at least 15 more!!!

Personally, I'm very excited. Extremely excited, in fact. Tomorrow, I am going to take a second look at a condominium I've had my eye on for a time, and I just may put in an offer on Saturday. As you all know, I sold my house back in August and am now in a transitional phase. The condo I've looked at has everything I could ever ask for and more! I'll keep you all up to date as to how it goes. It's a little more than I had expected, but that's the housing market around here in Fresno: everything has just exploded, and we're all struggling to catch up! Professionally, I'm excited as well. I've spoken with my agents and the shows are already coming in for 2006. More so than 2005!

Back when I was in high school, a friend of mine showed me a videotape of a gentleman performing some of the most incredible magic I had ever seen. In fact, some would argue that this gentleman was one of the most influential performers of the last century. I don't know where he obtained it, but the tape was of the incomparable Fred Kaps. It was the only video I had ever seen, and it was he that inspired me to be a magician. In fact, the reason I perform the Long Salt Pour is because of Fred Kaps!

A couple of years ago, I was able to get a copy of the first DVD released about Fred Kaps, entitled "Fred Kaps: Seeing is Believing!" and I was speechless. Finally, after all these years, there was a DVD of Fred performing all his routines as well as interviews with other magicians who knew him. However, it was only available through a single source. Until now. I'm very happy to announce that Hocus Pocus is carrying "Fred Kaps: Seeing is Believing!" Believe me when I tell you that there is always more to learn. And what better way to learn than by watching the most incredible performer of them all in my opinion. With a twinkle in his eye, Fred Kaps will captivate you from the very beginning. In fact, you'll want to watch this DVD over and over again. You can even see a video clip of Fred Kaps performing at the FISM World Championship in Liege in 1961. Check it out here!


The incomparable Fred Kaps!

Do yourself a favor and check out some of the latest items appearing daily on the Hocus Pocus website, including the Locking Spirit Slates by Alan Marchese, Ambelitious Card by Masuda, and the Tossed Out Deck by Cody Fisher, all of which I give my highest recommendation!

Until next time, have a terrific weekend!

Mike