And the Animals Came

"Cali"

As many of you may recall several months ago, I told you about a cockatoo circus that I purchased for my son, Max. He's been actively searching for a cockatoo ever since. Last weekend, there was a bird show held here at the fairgrounds, and Max wanted to add some more finches and button quail to his outdoor aviary. So off we went to check out the bird exhibit. Now, let me tell you: every kind of bird imaginable was there. It was amazing. Max quickly found his white finches and button quail. As we continued to walk the aisles, we came upon a woman selling cockatoos! She must have had at least a couple dozen, and Max went wild with excitement. The cool part was that most of them were not even caged; they were walking around freely. We walked up to her booth and one instantly came up to us as if to say, "Take me home." After a long conversation with the breeder, we hesitantly walked away and continued to look at some of the other birds in the show. Betty looked at both of us and said, "Why don't you two just go back and get the bird?" It didn't take much prodding, and I don't know who was more excited -- Max or me. So, we adopted "Cali," a white female goffin cockatoo.

I'm extremely impressed with how smart these birds are; in just the few days we've had her, we've already trained her to come when we call her name, climb up and down a ladder, and pick up and bring us a ball. All this accomplished by just spending a few hours an evening with her. It's been a great project for both Max and myself, and we can't wait to see what new trick we can train her to do. I'll keep you posted as the weeks progress as far as any new trick Max and I have taught Cali. If you are an experienced bird owner and have hints and tips insofar as cockatoo training goes, feel free to leave your comments for Max and me here on the blog.



A couple of weeks ago, while at the Magic Castle, I had the pleasure to witness David Regal perform his close-up act. One of the effects he performed that evening was his coin effect, "Trans-Locations." After the show, I discussed with him the possibility of Hocus Pocus carrying this item, and I'm happy to say that David has given us the exclusive on this awesome close-up effect. Check out the product details as well as the online video of it HERE!



Speaking of exclusives, check out Brian Geer's Knife Through Coat. Not only is this an exceptional routine, the price is way to nice to pass up! Brian was nice enough to grant Hocus Pocus the exclusive on this item and you can also check out the product details and the online video HERE!


Happy Holidays?

Can you believe it? In less than 2 weeks, it will be Thanksgiving! How can that be? This year has gone by faster than any other year I can remember, and it's not just me; the staff agree as well. 2007 has really flown by in the blink of an eye. And, no sooner will Thanksgiving be here and in a few more weeks, the big day will arrive. WOW! Speaking of which, have you started your holiday shopping yet?



Mike has just put the finishing touches on the 5th installment of Trick Talk MagiCast, which you can download from iTunes or by directing your web browser HERE! This has proven to be a very positive and popular feature of the site, and it's apparent by the number of downloads it has gotten. Both Mike and I are dumbstruck by the number of downloads each installment gets. Just last night, after the fifth episode went up at around 4:00 PM, it received 105 downloads by 11:00 PM. We really appreciate your support and interest in this project, and we invite you to submit your comments and suggestions on the web site or by emailing Mike at tricktalk@hocus-pocus.com

This weekend, Mike has both music and magic shows, and it's apparent by his schedule that this year is going to be a doozie! Who knows, with the cockatoo trained, maybe Max, Mike, and I can all go on the road together with magic and music and the cockatoo circus! Oh, wait -- I have to run Hocus Pocus. Scratch that idea for now... Maybe someday. No matter what you are planning to do this weekend, I hope it's a good one!

Until next time,

Paul