AndyO Blog

I've really been neglecting this blog for a while. Here's my best shot at catching up:

• My youngest son Drew just had a birthday a week or so ago. He had his best friend and his family over, and he was in heaven. They also had a birthday for him at school. This is my favorite picture.

• Rush has a new album coming out -- "Snakes & Arrows." I just heard the first single "Far Cry" the other day, and I was blown away.
• My car has had major problems in the past month, costing $1000 or more dollars to fix. I can't complain... it has over 100K miles on it. Whenever my car goes in the shop, I end up taking the bus to work; funny how I arrive at work so relaxed.
• The Police are touring this year (one of those things I never thought would happen). This is one of my favorite bands -- and Stewart Copeland is one of my favorite drummers. I bought tickets for the Seattle show -- and when they added a second show, I bought tickets for that, too. It's going to be a busy summer with The Police and Rush touring around the U.S.
• Cameron and I saw David Copperfield in January, and I've got to say I wasn't as impressed as I thought I'd be. I now realize why after watching the film "The Prestige." In this movie, Michael Caine's character explains how stage illusions have three parts: The Pledge, The Turn, and The Prestige. In a simple illusion, the Pledge is when the magician shows us the bird, puts it in a cage, and covers it; The Turn is when the magician smashes the cage; The Prestige is when the magician brings back the bird.

Well, not to spoil anything here, but there's an illusion that Copperfield does when he doesn't bring back the bird. And then he says, "Goodnight!" You're waiting in the theater, even though the house lights come up. And then when you give up and walk into the lobby, you think The Prestige is waiting for you there... but no. The Prestige never happens. I guess for Copperfield, the biggest entertainer of our time (he told us this several times through video clips in the show) he's probably sick of always having to do The Prestige. But it sure makes for an unfulfilling illusion -- especially as the last one of the night.