Hijacked Again!

Mike Giusti here again this week. I'm hijacking the blog again due to some pretty weird cold bugs flying around and infecting California. I think everyone here has had at least one form of the common cold already this year, and this week it has taken hold of Paul. Since he rarely takes time off, it's odd to come into the shop and not see him at his desk, wheeling and dealing on the phone. Let's hope he does what he needs to do, and that's rest up and take care of himself.

The shop itself is buzzing with excitement. I would have thought that after the holidays, the action would have leveled out somewhat, but no way -- the phones are ringing off the hook, and the products are coming in faster than ever. I'll be the first to admit that I'm pretty fast and self-sufficient with product placement and web graphics, but some days can get pretty hectic, even for me... But that means that anytime you hear about a brand new magic effect hitting the market, there's almost a 100% chance it's already here at Hocus Pocus!



One of the products I'm personally excited about is the new Cesaral Melting Point, which can be found here! Take a look at the product and then view the video demonstration. Cool, isn't it? Both Melting Point and Ghost Coin remind me of similar effects performed by Cyril Takayama, one of Japan's up-and-coming premier magicians. If you haven't had the chance to see Cyril perform on the television series T.H.E.M. last year, do a Google search with his name and check out some of the incredible effects he's performing for Japanese TV!

Can you believe it's almost February? I never understood my grandmother when she said that the older you get, the faster the days go by. Man, she wasn't kidding in the least! February is going to be an exciting and busy month for me; I've purchased a condominium, and I couldn't be more excited! There's nothing worse than owning a home and then renting (even for a short amount of time). But now I'm on day 5 of escrow, and I should be moving into my new home around Valentine's Day. This place is perfect for me. As a single man, it's got everything I need; it's not too big and it's not too small. It's been beautifully upgraded and painted, and it feels especially warm during the winter months. Here are some pics for your perusal:


Living room


Another view of the living room


Dining Area/Kitchen


Master bedroom


Hallway from the kitchen to the front.


Guest bedroom


Ahhhh. A gas stove! I love it!

In other news, we had a very nice surprise earlier in the week when my friend Robert Baxt showed up with a friend of his to visit Hocus Pocus -- Daisuke Seo of Japan! What a nice fellow Daisuke is. His father is the largest maker of mouth coils in Japan, and naturally, Daisuke is also a magician. He had a field day when he saw Hocus Pocus and went nuts looking through the vast inventory and even picked out some things for himself!


Daisuke Seo and Robert Baxt

Well, that just about does it from the ol' compound. More than likely, Paul will be back next week for the next installment of "From the Desk of Paul Gross" blog. Until then, think of me packing my stuff up while you enjoy the rest of your January!

Until next time,

Mike