[Man]

Al's Other Interests

My Geek Code

GCS/MU/O d(++) H s+: g-(+++) p1(2) au-- !a w++ !v(-) C+(++++) US P- 3 E-- N+ K--- W(++) M- V+ -po+ Y+ t+(++) 5-(--) R-(+) G' tv+ b-(++) D+ B- e-- u+(++) h+ f++ r+ n---(++) y+

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Leading a Ragtime Life

I am a refugee member of the Maple Leaf Club in Los Angeles, CA. I like early jazz/blues music, especially ragtime. I play the piano and was thinking about making a living as a musician in a former life. I play mostly ragtime now because it's fun to listen to and fun to play. Most of the rags I play are by Scott Joplin or Joseph Lamb. Strangely enough I do not play any rags by James Scott. Perhaps later I will list my repertoire. Ragtime has universal appeal and it is one of the few forms of music that is truly American.

I also like music by Fats Waller, Jelly Roll Morton and especially George Gershwin. I have Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue in sheet music and have been trying to learn it. Have you seen it? The score runs to 29 pages!

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The Art of Magic

I usually don't advertise this but have been encouraged by my peers to mention my interest in magic. One hobby of mine is performing close-up magic. I am a longtime member of The Magic Castle in Hollywood, CA and the Society of American Magicians (SAM).

I mention The Castle and the SAM here to publicize and help advance the art of magic. I have received much joy and pleasure from both of these organizations and I am proud to be involved with them.

Just got back from the SAM 1996 convention in Las Vegas, NV (LV). It was lots of fun and I've had some incredible experiences while there. The convention started just after the July 4th weekend. The magic shows of the convention were held in the afternoon at 1:30pm so they would not conflict with the regular LV shows at night. All of the convention shows were good. I haunted the dealer's room and saw a few new effects. Have you seen the black box with a bolt through it? Very ingenious.

I only have three complaints about the convention:

  1. There were only 2 lectures per day. There are usually 4 lectures per day. I have gotten explanations from "the SAM is short on cash" to "people wanted more time to gamble." I would like to see more lectures.

  2. There was not one dealer show! This makes it more difficult to ascertain what are the new magical effects. I also noticed there were not that many dealers in this convention. Around 50 I'd estimate. There were more than 100 in Boston (1995) and Chicago (1994).

  3. The stage crew for the afternoon shows were awful and obviously imported. The number of music and lighting cues missed were inexcusable. I compare them to previous SAM conventions held in LV.
I even caught some LV shows outside of the convention. I saw Jubilee, EFX and Nick Lewin's Magic Show. I liked Jubilee, a classic Las Vegas production. It was a two hour show and well worth it. I didn't care for EFX though. I somehow expected more from it and the tickets were on the pricey side.

Of course, I gambled too. And yes, I came out ahead after expenses even though I stayed in LV for about a week!

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Skiing Down the Bunny Slopes

I also like downhill skiing although it will be a long time before I can call myself an advanced skier. I have my own boots and poles and my skill level can be described as advanced beginner. Although I don't go skiing as much as I would like to, I can ski about 70% of Mammoth Mountain (Mammoth Lakes, CA) which I think is pretty good. Still having problems with those moguls.

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Tennis Anyone?

Another passion of mine is tennis although it is now restricted to the summer time. But it seems fewer public courts are well maintained. Ah yes, our municipal tax dollars at work. Also I still play with my wooden racket. I still say wood gives you more control over the ball! By the way, my backhand is actually better than my forehand. Now that the summer is almost upon us, I'll need a few weeks to get in practice. Then watch out! I'm ruthless on the courts.

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Wanderlust In My Heart

Traveling is one of my missions in life. I love going to strange, new places and seeing what there is to see. I find the ways of how other people live fascinating. Traveling truly broadens one's mind. I've been to Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Beijing, Guilin, Bangkok, Phuket, Manila, Cebu, Cancun and Caracas.

I mentioned above I went to Boston on July 4th in 1995. In 1994 I've been to Philadelphia, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Chicago, Denver, Long Island and Washington DC! That year was unusual though. I've never been to Europe or Australia yet and desperately want to go! I also went to Hong Kong in 1996 and had a great time!

I just came back from a trip to China! In fact, I kept a daily journal about this trip for future reference!

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Last updated : April 29, 2001
Copyright 1995-2001 Al Wong, Los Angeles, California, USA