Tag: comedy

Off To Visit the Baby, Madrid 2025 Day #9. “Culture Shock and Lots of Fun”

by reissmd, posted in Madrid

We got an early start today (leaving the hotel at about 11:30) to get something to eat.  Breakfast looked much better than it tasted here are two photos for Claudette’s enjoyment. 

Patrice had the omelette.
Jamón, tomato, and toast for me.

Following lunch, (oops I meant breakfast.  I got confused because we ate at noon, the traditional breakfast time for Spaniards) and headed to look at an apartment with Erica.  I was very uncomfortable because some of the jamón from breakfast was stuck between my teeth.  We didn’t have time to go back to the hotel so I made a quick stop at a pharmacy to get some floss.  When I saw they wanted 8 € for a small container of floss my tooth discomfort was almost completely relieved.  We later found some floss at a supermercado (supermarket) for about 2 € and my faith in the Spanish system was renewed.

Erica seemed to like the apartment we saw today so we visited a bank to see if she could get a hipoteca (mortgage).  At the bank we learned she could get a mortgage at a 2.5% annual rate.  I then interrupted the conversation and said “Forget about Erica, can you help ME refinance  my house?”  The banker gave me a rather curious look.  I supposed it was because they don’t do mortgages for properties in the USA.  I asked Erica and she said that was not the case, it was because my Spanish is not very good.  Apparently, instead of asking about a mortgage I asked if the fishing is good in Madrid swimming pools. 

This afternoon we were the honored guests at the Irish Embassy Christmas party.  Actually, we were invited to attend after they finished eating.  Apparently Erica told them if I was invited for the meal they would have to increase the party budget. It was great meeting her coworkers because they all seem to love Erica. I never tire of hearing how wonderful my children are.  I also met some of Erica’s colleagues who were very interested in my blog and promised to become followers.  They seemed like two wonderful people with whom I’m very pleased to share our travels and I say welcome to Patrick and Tamzin.  They each agreed to get 1,000 of their closest friends to sign on as followers so I can make this a second career. 

Next we headed to one of my favorite places to eat in Madrid, El Brillante (Plaza del Emperador Carlos V, 8, Centro, 28012 Madrid).  This place is famous for their calamari sandwiches and the waiters who yell at each other. 

The waiter spotted us as Americans and handed us the menu with pictures. Look at all the yummy choices we had. See below.

This is why you come to Spain, you just can’t get a great fried pig ear in L.A.
Lamb intestines are also a tough item to find.

I also had a choice of pig stomach but even those the above items were temping but I opted for the bocadillo (sandwich) they call, “El Brillante”, the same name as the restaurant. It is fried calamari and absolutely delicious.

After eating we went to the Madrid Comedy Lab for a comedy show.  I hope you are impressed that my Spanish is good enough to enjoy a comedy show in Madrid.  Unfortunately I need to confess that it was all in English.

Tomorrow is our last full day in Madrid.  If you don’t think it will be tough for me since we will soon be leaving our dear baby, then you don’t know me. 

Adios y hasta mañana. 

Magic in Vegas Day#4 “No, No, Please Say It Isn’t Over”

by reissmd, posted in Las Vegas

I won’t bore you with stories about breakfast except to say we went to Blueberry Hill again.   It was great again. How this place gets a 3.9 rating on Yelp is beyond me.

The morning session was at times a bit mind boggling,  mind blowing, and mind numbing.  We heard an interview with Penn and Teller and also a lecture about under appreciated Black magicians which were very interesting.  There was a very impressive mentalism performance by an act named Mind 2 Mind. I don’t think many of the men in the audience concentrated on the act after the female part of the duo walked through the audience. (see below) 

The female part of the Mind 2 Mind twosome. This was the reason many of the men didn’t pay attention to the tricks and just stared at her. I of course was focused on the magic.

Patrice here. Do you believe that nonsense he just said? Ask him to name one of their tricks and see if he can name any.

Lastly and most sobering was a talk about an attempt to end piracy of magic books and tricks.  Apparently the pirates not only have stolen money but have also threatened the investigator with extortion and threats of physical harm. Yikes!

The afternoon sessions were great.  I learned some great tricks to do plus some others that although I can’t do were interesting to learn the secrets.  

Dinner was also a show.  Yes we went to Benihana.  We joined Bill and his son Bill and 4 other friends from back home, John, Connie (who told us about Magic Live) and their friends Gary and Cindy. It is always a lot of fun watching and listening to the Benihana chefs and tonight was no exception.

From left to right: Bill II, Bill (Bill II’s dad), John, Connie, Cindy, Gary. Row 2: Patrice, Yours truly, and Owen.

When I asked my magic buddy, Mike, if he wanted to attend Magic Live, he scoffed at the thought of staying at such a cheap hotel as the Orleans.  I have to admit that he was right in many respects.  Of interest there were a couple of things that made the hotel desirable. For example the hotel doesn’t have any pressure filters in the shower so you get a real blast which I really like.  Also the water temperature is extremely hot. I love a hot shower.  Newer hotels tend to limit the water pressure (money saver?) and temperature (possibly to avoid injuring guests and hearing from attorneys?) so the Orleans has my vote in regards to the shower.  Interestingly this morning Owen noticed that the cold water from the sink was hot.  I’ve been to numerous locations where hot water is a rarity (LAX for example) but I’ve never seen any location where the cold water is hot.  Well, not until today.  

The closing show was one more treat to top off a great 3 days of magic. It is late and I don’t want to bore you with details of the show. Actually I need my editor to proofread my posting and she is fading fast so we need to call it a night.

Tomorrow it’s back to home.  I am always happy to return home but I have to admit this trip was very special. I look forward to returning next year. Thanks go to our friends who made it a unique event. Treating us to dinners, driving us to locations, waiting in line to save us seats, gifts for our grandson, showing us the lay of the land for the convention, is too much to fathom. What a wonderful group of friends. I am really blessed.

Not a great photo but definitely a great bunch of people.

No trips planned for the near future but if we head out of town I promise you’ll be the first to know. 

Ciao 

Magic in Vegas Day #3 “Robert Becomes a Magical Star!”

by reissmd, posted in Las Vegas

Another great night’s sleep.  I think I need to leave my phone in the kitchen from now on. 

Last night we were treated to an amazing show which included a mentalist, a juggler (not strictly a magician but still very entertaining), a physical magician, and a guy who had a nonstop supply of cards emanating from his hands.  There was also an emcee who did the best trick of the night.  He took a ring from an audience member.  Another member of the audience helped him make it disappear and the same member of the audience helped him find it.  It was located on the emcee’s toe under his sock AND BOOT! I would tell you how it’s done but I can’t because I don’t want to break the magician’s code of ethics. Also, I have no idea how he did it.

This morning we decided not to risk being killed by a cab driver for hiring them for a one mile trip and ate at the Copper Whisk located in the hotel.  It was closer but clearly a step down from Blueberry Hill.  But what it lacked in quantity and quality they made up in service. For example look how they arranged our service settings.  See below. 

As I recall he dropped the utensils on the table and said, “Here”.

We then attended the general session which showed a mentalist (Brian Curry) who was funny and impressive and a hilarious magician named Piff the Magic Dragon.  His trick was funnier than it was impressive but it was definitely my favorite presentation of the session.  There was a father and son duo who discussed how storytelling and magic presentations are very similar.  They gave tips to performing magicians which were definitely lost on me.  There was also a costume designer explaining the importance of your costume for your presentation.  I think I will stick with a white coat for my performances. 

The afternoon was much more enjoyable.  First we saw another mentalist (Drew Backenstoss) who gave a great show and then told how everything was done.  I definitely plan to utilize some of his tips.  This show was especially enjoyable because I was able to be a volunteer participant.  I was a bit scared because he was trying to predict the PIN of my debit card.  Lucky for me he failed in that endeavor.  After that we saw a close up magician (Mike Pisciotta) who also did a show and proceded to teach us how everything was done.  I got a close up view because again I was picked as a volunteer.  This was spectacular because we got to see a great show and learn some great magic tips. See  below.

Mike Pisciotta explaining how to do his tricks.

We have one more show tonight and then it is off to dinner. This has truly been an incredible experience. 

Ciao