Hours Away Now...

"It''s not going to be...how do you say it?" Ranier Mees, half of the ParaLab partnership looks to Christophe Ambre (who some may know better as " Parmenion" -- the scourge of newcomers asking newbie questions on a website called The Magic Cafe). Christophe acts as the official translator for concepts-I-only-know-how-to-say-in-German. Ranier says a really long German word. Christophe thinks about it for a minute and then shrugs and says "commericial."

"Exactly!" says Ranier. "It's not going to be...umm...'dealer show' at MiindVention. It's going to be a real lecture.."

Ranier bristles with enthusiasm as he sips alternately between glasses of orange juice and white wine. His gestures are sharp and his eyes are always roving the room. He's an affably intense guy, which makes me smile because he explains his concepts in minute detail and his enthusiasm for mentalism is like  a small tornado.

He's a sharp contrast to the other half of ParaLabs -- Thomas Heine. Thomas has a genial warmth about him. He is precise in his choice of words and he smiles as he watches Ranier enthuse about their latest creations.For every fifty words Ranier says, Thomas speaks five. But these are people who are passionate about mentalism.  It's a good partnership, I think. I really like these guys.

Anyway -- Ranier is talking about the first of two lectures he and Thomas will be doing as MindVention gets started today.

Last night a number of people went out to see Gerry McCambridge's show "The Mentalist." (Gerry was offering free tickets to MV attendees.) Another group went to see David Coppefield...and still others went out exploring the Strip.

I spent a chunk of last  night far more constructively.. I was in the pub reacquainting myself with "I'm no longer jet lagged" Jan Forster and the always interesting Paul Carnazzo.

The convention kicks off today at noon when the registration table opens, although I'm betting that there will be activity there by about 11:00 or so. The day starts with the attendee show at 1:00 and the first of two lectures from the ParaLab guys. At 4:30, there's a panel discussion on mixing magic and mentalism...at 7:00, Michael Weber steps in for Bruce Bernstien (who was unable to attend this year)...and the day concludes with Thomas and Ranier lecturing on Theory and Presentation.

Okay. That's not true. The day will actually conclude with a prolonged visit to Jack's Pub, where Bob Cassidy will be holding court.

I'm looking forward to this whole day. I'll keep you posted.