Lee Darrow's Blog

July 19, Soldier Field, Chicago - I'm Performing for Special Olympics 40th Anniversary!

2008-07-16T08:11:00.001-05:00

Yep! You read it right! I will be performing magic at Soldier Field on Chicago's Magnificent Lake Front from 12:30 to 3:30PM, this Saturday!

This event, honoring all of the Special Olympians of the last 40 years, is a great honor for me as I will be sharing the venue with some of the most talented performers in the world as well as these wonderfully skilled and talented athletes.

I've included their Press Release, below, for your reference.

About the 40th Anniversary
“Born in Chicago”
Special Olympics Chicago's 40th Anniversary Celebration Festival

This year, 2008, marks an amazing milestone — the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the first Special Olympics event. Chicago takes great pride in the history of this amazing global movement, having been the site of the first games at Soldier Field and the home to some of the early visionaries.

As an athlete, family member, official, volunteer, donor or other supporter of Special Olympics Chicago you know the power of our games, and what Special Olympics Chicago has meant to so many people. Just imagine how many lives Special Olympics Chicago has touched throughout 40 years, as the games have expanded from one day at Soldier Field in 1968 to thousands of competitions in 175 countries worldwide.

Special Children’s Charities/Special Olympics Chicago invite you to join us at the “Born in Chicago” 40th Anniversary Celebration Festival July 19 at Soldier Field! Come out to share your passion for Special Olympics Chicago with hundreds of other past and present athletes, families, volunteers, donors and other supporters.

The event will start with a traditional Olympic torch run, ending at Soldier Field and kicking off a day of live music, games for children, sporting activities, food and drink, jugglers, magicians, inflatable offerings and more! We will also be providing a family and athlete resource area with information from Special Olympics Chicago partners. In addition, we will be displaying photos from the past 40 years of inspiring Special Olympics games.

Festival admission and parking are free! No registration is necessary for the general public. If you are accompanying a Special Olympics athlete, please register the athlete, call Special Children’s Charities to request a physical registration form (312) 527-3743.

WHAT: Special Olympics Chicago 40th Anniversary Celebration Festival

WHEN: Saturday, July 19 – 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

WHERE: Soldier Field Chicago, South End
PARKING: Free! Waldron Garage, just south of Soldier Field

I'll see YOU there!

Lee Darrow, C.H.

I Won the 2007 Talk Like A Pirate Challenge!

2008-07-15T02:59:00.001-05:00

I just found out!

My thanks to the folks over there!

July & August - Picnic Time - Book Me NOW!

2008-06-30T11:49:00.000-05:00

July and August - picnic months. Companies often do their employee picnics during these months here in the Northern Hemisphere - mainly because doing them in January would lead to frozen cold cuts and frostbite instead of the traditional sunburn and mosquito bites!

But July and August are also months for PARTIES!

And parties mean entertainment - and what better entertainment can you have than having your guests become the Stars of the Show, themselves?

No, I am NOT talking about karaoke - which some people contend is Japanese for "tone deaf," but HYPNOSIS SHOWS!

When an party gets to experience the wonders of their own minds, especially in a way that is embarrassment-free like my shows are, when they get to enjoy the free-floating deep relaxation that hypnosis offers, when they get to SEE their friends and family members discover their unique creativity and the depth of their senses of humor - that leads to a party that NO ONE will forget - even the people on stage with ME!

Even before being appointed to the Safety Committee that is helping to set the standards and practices for the entire stage hypnosis industry, I have worked hard to make MY shows fun and free from the usual attitude of "let's make everyone look like a complete idiot" and do my utmost to make my shows something that EVERY person attending will wish that they had been a part of when the show is over!

Different?

You bet!

FUN?

No question about it!

Now all you need to do is call me for available dates and rates!

Lee Darrow, C.H.
www.leedarrow.com
www.stagehypnosissafetyclass.com

George Carlin, 71, Comedian, Free Speech Advocate, has passed away

2008-06-23T12:16:00.001-05:00

George Carlin, Comedian, Free Speech Advocate, has passed away
George Carlin, 71, has passed away.

To some younger readers, this may fall into the "who's he?" category.

Well study up, campers, because George Carlin was a Very Important Dude!

George started out as a fairly mainstream comedian, doing routines like the The Hippy-Dippy Weather Man ("Que Pasa? Que what you call your pasa, man! Tonight's forecast: DARK! Continued dark until morning, when it will get progressively lighter. Tomorrow's low, 58. Tomorrow's high, whenever I get up!") and on into one of the most important comedy routines of the 20th century - The Seven Words You Can't Say On Television.

This routine actually led to a Supreme Court case that eventually affirmed the Federal Communication Commission's "right" to "protect the public from profanity on the public airwaves," which is why TV shows "bleep" certain words. Those words were the ones George Carlin called the FCC out on, loudly, humorously and often.

He stood for Free Speech - the right to speak your mind, to stand up to the government without repercussion BY speaking your piece and brooked fools not lightly.

In other words, he had zero tolerance for bullshit and politicians, but I repeat myself, as Mark Twain (and Carlin) said.

Free Speech lost one of its most outspoken, and funniest, advocates this weekend. We should observe it by shouting those Seven Words from the rooftops.

I am willing to bet that Mr. Carlin would appreciate the gesture and return it with one of his own - middle finger fully extended to those who would quash the civil rights of ANYBODY, ANYWHERE.

Robert Lynn Asprin - Friend, Mentor, "Brother" has Passed away

2008-05-23T02:04:00.002-05:00

What the hell do you say when you get a call from across the Atlantic, from an old friend, telling you that one of your best friends, someone that, although you'd had a falling out years ago, you still owed much of what's happened to you in your life, much of who you are today and much of what you've learned in life - died this morning?

How do you process that information that he was on his way to MarCon, decided to lie down to take a nap and will never get up again?

How do you handle the fact that you'll never get the change to try to make things right between you?

Bob was one of the most important people in my life from a lot of standpoints. He taught me to look at things in his oddly critical way, sort of. Taught me to question things, taught me to watch my OWN back more effectively, saving my life in the process, several times, and taught me the joys of filking, of the well-placed pun, the perfectly set-up practical joke and how to deflate a stuffed shirt when the situation called for it. And even though, compared to him, I am still very much a tyro at many of those things, I learned many a valuable lesson, sitting at his side, whether at science fiction conventions, surprising George "Mr. Sulu" Takei at StarCon 2 as his surprise Klingon Diplomatic Corps bodyguard, learning how to tell a good shaggy dog story, singing Irish drinking songs, exchanging bad puns or getting ready to step into the lists at a tournament in the Society for Creative Anachronism.

I learned to appreciate good Irish whiskey, a wide range of folk music, song parodies, women in a ways that had never been shown to me and an appreciation for the well-timed verbal riposte to an attempted jibe from some self-important jackanapes.

Yes, Bob was a flawed individual, but aren't we all - most certainly myself?

But Bob burned with a brightness that often outshone everyone else in the room. His wit, his joie de vivre, his insights and his sheer love of a good time could carry even the most depressed individual up out of the most suicidal thoughts and into the light. I've seen him do it on more than one occasion.

Yes, he had his demons - don't we all? And, like many who burn brightly, Bob's demons often were darker than those of those who could burn as brightly. But his brightness, overall, in my opinion and direct experience of him, FAR outshone his darkness.

Bob has left lasting legacies - his daughter Annette, his books, the ones he authored on his own and the ones he collaborated on with so many others and his legacy in the Dorsai Irregulars, a non-profit corporation dedicated to providing fan-based security and art show services to science fiction conventions which was originally licensed by fellow science fiction author Gordon R. Dickson, upon whose novels the group is based. This license continues through the Dickson Estate, proudly, by those of us who "wear the beanie," which is our term for the black berets that we wear and which we ceremonially bestow upon new members - members who included Gordy Dickson, himself, Robert Heinlein and his wife, Ginny, noted science fiction artist and winner of 12 Hugo Awards, Frank Kelly Freas (who designed the Dorsai Flag, seen on our berets) and many others.

Bob's impact on the world, especially the fantasy and science fiction world, will be felt for a very long time.

But his impact on the life of an unknown magician/hypnotist/mentalist from Chicago will last my lifetime - and throughout the lifetimes of many of my audiences - because Bob, along with my wife Nanci, later, was instrumental in teaching me how to ENTERTAIN. Bob by teaching me how to tell a story and to time certain kinds of jokes. By helping me select certain kinds of magic effects that I use in my act to this very day, because he KNEW that they would blow an audience out of its socks.

But most of all because Bob believed in me.

And to a young college kid who had grown up in the shadow of his musical prodigy brother - that meant more than almost anything else.

I know that one of my regrets in this life will be that I never got the chance to try to reconcile with him.

I also hope that he understands.

Shai Dorsai, my friend, teacher, brother, mentor.

You will be missed.

Stage Hpnosis Safety Class - Chicago 6/24

2008-05-02T20:27:00.000-05:00

Yep.

I have knuckled under to the pressure and am going to teach the full four-hour course in Chicago on June 14th!

Because of some issues in the insurance field, and because of some other people who are trying to co-opt the entire safety initiative away from all of us for their own profits, I've decided to put the full course - the one I couldn't teach all of at the NGH 2006 convention because of schedule conflicts - on for any practicing stage hypnotists OR anyone who does lecture/demonstrations OF hypnosis.

Where: Crown Plaza Hotel - Rosemont, IL on River Road (near O'Hare Airport, with free shuttle service)

When: June 14th, 2008

Cost: $175

Early Bird Registrants get a $25 discount if they register by May 25th.

We accept PayPal, too!

Drop me an email for details.

The class will include a FREE copy of my book on stage Safety, Certificate of Completion, hands-on demonstrations, Q & A sessions on all portions of the course and much much more!

Register soon - seating is LIMITED!

Lee Darrow, C.H.

Author of the FIRST book on Stage Hypnosis Safety
Accept No Substitutes!

Vauseville Affair May 4, Portage Park Theater, Chicago

2008-04-29T15:36:00.000-05:00

"VAUDEVILLE AFFAIR! May 4th!! Portage Park Theater!!!" 4050 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago. Starting 6PM, I'll be doing strolling magic, mentalism and maybe even hypnotism!

At 7:30, Silent Theater will take the stage with their unique brand of theatrical production - including magic, performance art and all sorts of amazing things!

Tickets are $30 for adults, $15 for students

SPECIAL DISCOUNT FOR READERS OF MY BLOG! - Just say "Hypnotize Me" at the door for a special discount rate on your tickets - which could be up to ten dollars off the adult price!

Remember, you MUST say HYPNOTIZE ME to get this special discount rate!

For more information, contact Silent Theater, directly through their web page at:

www.silenttheatre.com/Vaudeville_Affair.html

I'm on Ghost Divas TONIGHT at 10PM central!

2008-04-09T10:54:00.000-05:00

They're calling it Mind Freaks Meets Phenomenon on their web page. Me, well, since I actually have college course hours in parapsychological research methodology from Northeastern Illinois University, am a certified hypnotherapist and professional magician and mentalist, I'll let you draw your OWN conclusions!

Tune in LIVE for this interactive call-in show!

That's right - you can actually talk TO me and the hostesses of this show that brings common sense BACK to ghost hunting!

10 PM Central Time www.para-X.com just click the Ghost Divas link!

I'm looking forward to talking to YOU!

Lee Darrow, C.H.

2008-03-24T10:47:00.001-05:00

Find more photos like this on HypnoThoughts.com

This is some of what I do for a living. I know - it's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it!

Enjoy the slide show!

Dungeons & Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax - R.I.P.

2008-03-04T16:37:00.000-06:00

Gary Gygax, age 69, it was announced today, has passed away. Arguably, GG along with his former business partner Dave Arneson, literally created the upsurge in fantasy interest among many of the collega-age crowd during my college years and even before that as it was in about 1970 or so that I remember purchasing the White Box set of D&D, not knowing that I needed a copy of the miniature rules titled "Chainmail" to PLAY the (*^#ed thing!

But it wasn't until about 1976, when I met Tom Smith (www.tomsmithonline.com) that I actually started playing RPG's. And working in the industry for a while - both on the retail side at Campus Bike & Toy in Ann Arbor and, later, as Manager of several of the Gamers Paradise stores in the Chicago area. And, indirectly, it was D&D that got Tom taken to his first science fiction convention by me... scary thought, to be honest... a game leads to a friendship, leads to a convention leads to Tom's career...

All because Gary Gygax wanted to put some rules to the child's game of "Let's Pretend."

Say what you want about him, but Gary Gygax was actually a major social influence in the latter part of the 20th century. He made role-playing games and, from them came a spreading interest in fantasy and science fiction and that led to a whole lot of other things... including a number of artist friends of mine making a living doing fantasy figures and artwork for novels that wouldn't even have existed if not for D&D and Gary and Dave.

Not to mention a certain GenCon show that Nanci and I did a few years ago... even though Gary had long since left the company and GenCon...

Last Night's Show - FUN!!!

2008-03-02T17:34:00.001-06:00

Last night, March 1, I performed for a family's celebration of their patriarch's 80th birthday.

When I was initially contacted, it was to do either my hypnosis show or, possibly, my close-up show on a "formal" basis, where the guests would sit around a central table and I would perform, using a couple of people from the group to interact with.

Well, the next day, I got a call from the very nice lady who was organizing the event saying that my program "just wasn't quite what she wanted" for her Dad. "He's been an observer all of his life - an avid reader on a wide variety of topics and really not a participant, even though he gets a kick out of watching everyone else participate in literally everything!"

Well, I actually have a program for something like that! I do a lecture/demonstration on Perception, Memory and Persuasion that uses magic to illustrate how everyone perceives things differently using everything from a routine where I cut to the Aces using only one hand, illustrating how someone can overcome the limitation of the lack of sight, or the loss OF a hand by compensating by an increased sense of touch and dexterity to someone not being able to see something obvious (a card stuck in my eyeglasses) due to their being "too close" to the situation!

Well, this was EXACTLY what she was looking for and, when I got there, the reception that I got was nothing short of amazing!

In one segment, I do a demonstration of reading someones "tells," the subtle body language cues that we all give away, to reveal a chosen playing card. In fact, they had me repeat this demonstration not once, not twice, but THREE times, each time, under more difficult circumstances until I did it with what amounted to a card that the volunteer simply thought of as she looked at the deck!

When I told her that I actually persuaded her to select that card, she didn't believe me, until I had her take out my Palm Pilot and turn it on. There, staring at her from the screen, was the name of the card she thought she had merely THOUGHT of! Hidden persuasion at its best, it would seem!

When this was followed by the revelation of a freely-chosen word from a novel, using muscle-reading (the tension and relaxation of the muscles of the body), they were stunned.

It was a night to remember and even the man celebrating his 80th birthday made it a point to seek me out after the demonstration and say, "That was one of the most remarkable things I've seen in all my years. You really made this a wonderful night."

Sometimes, things just go perfectly. This was one of those times.

Weekend of Horrors - Meetings and fun

2008-02-27T13:07:00.002-06:00

On my right is Monet, the daughter of the lovely lady on my left, Monique Dupree, the First Black Scream Queen (tm) just after my meeting with some of the production crew at Troma Films (the folks who brought us such classics as "Surf Nazis Must Die" and the whole "Toxic Avenger" series). these two were so dazzline that I had to wear shades! She, her husband, new son and daughter were ALL there and a classier, nicer family one could not hope to meet. Monique and I met on MySpace and, then, for the first time face-to-face at last year's event. The photo above is courtesy of her.

I also had a great meeeting with AutumnNight Films from Green Bay, WI. Noelle and Matt and the crew were there and I'm looking forward to working with them on a couple of upcoming projects as either a consultant or on-camera talent or both. Only time will tell.

Over all, it was a great weekend and I made some fantastic contacts.

Minas Tirith in Candy - and Poem

2008-01-11T15:37:00.000-06:00

Some folks have WAY too much time on their hands - these people did a recreation of the Battle of Minas Tirith from The Lord of the Rings in CANDY!

Their commentary on the page listed in the link is pretty good, too.

http://missedmanners.wordpress.com/2008/01/03/battle-of-pelennor-fields/

It also inspired me to a rare bit of poetry (if you can call it that!)

The Candied Battle
Lee Darrow
January 11, 2008

In Pelennor's fields
did marzipan men
fight with candy canes
toothpicks and whips.

Gummi-Bear orcs crossed
sweet-frosted tables
their bright candy-asses to kick!

The riders of Rohan,
on saccharyne steeds
did slaughter them
on that dark chocolate day

And old Minas Tirith
though sore plagued with rot
sank its remaining teeth
into their flanks.

And one of the Nine,
winged steed dead and lame,
bought the farm from
a marzipan maid.

Though victory is sweet
and the field cherry red
with the blood of the
Gummi-Bear foe,

If you ate the whole
candied battle and all
the cavities would go
right through to your toe!

Lee Darrow

Happy Holidays .. and The Bet, part Two

2007-12-22T04:14:00.000-06:00

First off:
Happy Holidays to ALL of my friends, colleagues, clients, family and readers!

Your support over the years has been, in good portion, what's kept me going, kept me inspired and kept me focused. I am humbled and honored to have you all in my life.

Now, on to the odd stuff... several years ago, a friend of mine made a bet with me - he bet me that I could not pass the Illinois life insurance agent's exam on the first try. Now, when you consider that the exam, at that time, consisted of about 300 questions and covered everything from matters of law to types of insurance to figuring coverage costs, it was a pretty daunting challenge.

When you add into the mix the fact that I suffer from called dyscalculia, which is a type of dyslexia that applies to numbers and mathematics in general and the challenge becomes even greater.

Well, with the help of my friend Wendi Freisen, a world famous hypnotherapist and her CD on memory improvement for students, I managed to pass the test... in 38 minutes... this was, according to the head of th testing center, "an unofficial Illinois record."

I was happy.

Well, yesterday, the 21st, I took my friend up on his follow-up challenge - to pass the Illinois State accident & health insurance agent's license exam on the first try. The exam is another monster - 65 questions about everything from health, accident, Medicare, Medicaid, disability, Workman's compensation and supplementary insurances plus another 50 questions or so about Illinois state-specific laws regarding all of the above!

There was more math than on the life insurance exam, too.

However, the really big problem with taking this exam was that I went in to it with a massive, comprehensive, skull-crushing migraine headache!

And it was a bad one. A sinus headache on top of a regular migraine, to boot. My regular medications didn't even dent it. Tylenol-3... the stuff with codeine in it ... didn't dent it... and it was running into the ranges where it was threatening consciousness (which has happened only once in my life, I hasten to add!)...

Fortunately, I managed to suffer through the exam until about half-way through the second part - the Illinois law portion, when, outside the testing center, a dozen kids started a drum line using those big plastic buckets for drums!

Even though we were on the 4th floor of the office building, it sounded like they were right outside the window!

I guess the center has had this happen before, though, because sitting right there on my desk, in a neat little sealed plastic package, was a pair of green foam rubber earplugs! But even with them in my aching ears, I could STILL hear these kids slamming away on their buckets, but not quite as loudly...

The exam was timed, of course. The time allotted was about 140 minutes. This time, I finished with only about 27 minutes remaining on the clock and staggered out to the proctor's desk for the bad news.... and saw that it was the same lady who had graded my first exam there, back when!

She clicked her mouse, and, as I was gathering my stuff out of the locker (they make you empty your pockets, leave your cell phone, pager, wristwatch, everything but one piece of photo ID), she said:

"Congratulations. You passed."

My head still hurt - this was not a stress migraine - but I have to admit that I was pretty happy about the results. Not to mention being more than a bit surprised.

And again, my friend lost his bet.

I really should have put some money on this bet, instead of it merely being a gentleman's wager...!

Happy Holidays everybody.

A THREE Show Day

2007-12-15T18:54:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was a busy day for me. THREE shows in less than 18 hours...

It started out with my leaving the house at about 8:30AM and driving 90 minutes to South Bend, Indiana to perform my Holiday Hypnosis Show for a real estate management and sales company for their holiday party. The drive was fine, the audience was wonderful, the venue was quite nice, but the sound system almost blew up!

All during the part where I hypnotize the volunteers, the sound system kept emitting these incredibly loud and random POPs and CRACKLEs and BANGs!, even after I had turned the microphone and my computer (where I keep the shows music) off!

Fortunately, I have a good speaking voice for large groups and the show went very well, although in a slightly different direction that I had originally planned.... the client, however, was absolutely delighted and that's what counts!

Then, it was off to the North Side of Chicago for another company party for two regional offices of AFLAC Insurance (yes, the duck advertisement people). Unlike the first show, this one was my Strolling Magic Program, working the crowd, doing coins, cards, rubber bands and my trademarked magical mania. These folks are a great group, too!

Finally, it was off to the United Center for a 90 minute set doing Magic and Mind-reading for the crowds for the Chicago Bulls vs the Knicks game. This is my fourteenth year of working for the Bulls organization, through their event planning contractors and I am deeply appreciative and honored to be a part of these shows.

So, if you ever attend a Bulls game and see me performing in the halls as part of the paid entertainment, please stop by and introduce yourself and mention that you saw this page!

Yesterday was a busy day for me. THREE shows in less than 18 hours... and I loved every minute of it!

Happy Holidays!

A Different Christmas Poem

2007-12-09T02:30:00.000-06:00

Regardless of what anyone may feel about the war and the politicians who have sent out troops into harm's waym I DO support our troops 100% and have, over the years even gone, uninvited and unpaid in to USO centers at places like O'Hare Airport on Christmas Eve and even Christmas Day to perform magic for the troops who are traveling through there.

I recently received the following from an email list that I belong to and felt that it was a fitting and powerful tribute to the men and women who have voluntarily put themselves between us and "the war's devastation," as the song goes. I offer it as I received it, unedited, except that I have placed it in italics, fo you know that it is a quotation....

Please remember those who serve, both here and overseas during this holiday season - and always!

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.
The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.
The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know, Then the
sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.
A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.
"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,
"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"
For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts..
To the window that danced with a warm fire's light
Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."
"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.
No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at ' Pearl on a day in December,"
Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ' Nam ',
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.
I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue... an American flag.
I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.
I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."
"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."
"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."
Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

PLEASE, would you do me the kind favor of sending this to as many people
as you can? Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our
U.S. service men and women for our being able to celebrate these
festivities. Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we
owe. Make people stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who
sacrificed themselves for us.

LCDR Jeff Giles, SC, USN
30th Naval Construction Regiment
OIC, Logistics Cell One
Al Taqqadum , Iraq .

Bless them all.

Lee Darrow, C.H.
Proud son of one of America's first Airborne Rangers, Bruce Darrow, late of the 517th ABN/RCT, 1941-1945 served.

See me at Vida Lounge Aug 29th in Chicago!

2007-08-20T15:11:00.000-05:00

Place: Vida Lounge, located at 1248 W. George St. in Chicago, Illinois. (That's just north of Diversey on Lincoln for those of you not familiar with the area)

Date: August 29th, 2007

Time: 8PM to 11PM

What: A talent showcase for event planners, club owners, hotel programming managers, talent agents and anyone else interested in using great talent for their upcoming events!

I (Lee Darrow), will be performing both standup material (possibly some short parts of my stage hypnosis act) AND strolling magic as well as doing some sit-down magic and mentalism during the evening along with about 20 other artists, musicians, poets and performance artists.

Price: $10 (we have to pay for the space after all)

The bar will be there serving drinks and I understand that there may even be some food as well...!

So contact me directly for tickets because you will not get in without one!

Come see why magic is on the upswing in Chicago and just how hypnotic your evening can be!

Another Scare

2007-08-02T14:54:00.000-05:00

First, to address those effected by the collapse of the bridge in the Minneapolis area, please know that my prayers are with you all and will be in the months and years to come.

Speaking of which, I went to the doctor yesterday.

You see, I found a lump about 2 weeks ago. With my history and my family's history, this was a scary thing, in and of itself.

What made it really scary for me was that the lump is sitting on my right hand. In the middle. On the back. On a tendon.

Well, you can imagine what went through my mind... being a cancer survivor, that's always the first thing to run through the little gray cells... the Big 'C' sitting on your means to a living... or could it be the start of some lumpy form of arthritis? The crippling kind? Or maybe a calcium deposit?

Well, the doc took one look at it, poked and prodded it, had me flex my hand a few times and made his pronouncement - it's a ganglion cyst.

Sounds scary, doesn't it?

Well, it's not. It's really nothing more than a hernia of the sheathe of the tendon - and, if there is no pain happening, it's essentially a "nothing to do" issue. No loss of mobility, sensation, flexibility or future ability. Just a little lump that looks like I have an alien critter or implant in my hand...

Hmmmm.... I wonder if I can come up with some sort of magic effect that actually USES the silly thing...?

May all of your scares be as lacking in real substance!

Harry Potter Prediction - no I haven't read it yet!

2007-07-20T17:22:00.000-05:00

Harry Potter actually is Godric Griffindor.

Harry pulled Godric's sword out of the Quizzing Hat in book 1 - "only a TRUE Griffindor could have pulled THAT out of the hat!"

Harry is a member of the Order of the Phoenix - a phoenix dies and rises, reborn from its own ashes, like Harry did, from the ashes of his "parent's" house.

JK's been hinting at this throughout the books - all of the long life spells and methods of extending life, building a new body and so on. THIS is the way that Griffindor is able to take on the heir of Slytherin (who becomes possessed of the spirit OF Slytherin, himself!), throughout the centuries!

It's a neat plot twist and one that JK would not get lynched for by her fans nearly as badly as actually killing Harry for, but which would still end the series just as definitely.

Lee Darrow, July 20, 4:21PM CDT

Janet Macy, R.I.P.

2007-06-19T22:01:00.000-05:00

Janet Macy has been a friend and hypnotherapy colleague of mine for a long time now. We first met on line, through one of the old hypnosis chat rooms over on AOL, years ago. We shared a number of mutual interests - the paranormal, hypnosis of course, comedy (she had a wonderfully eclectic sense of humor) and communication of all kinds.

Janet was, above all else, a healer. She focused herself on helping people to grow into who and what they could be and what they wanted to become, sometimes even helping them realize that there was something even better than what had originally been imagined that they could achieve.

As a hypnotist, her technique was superb. She was one of the people that I would call on for advice or even for the occasional adjustment inside my own skull during some of the tough times after my very unpleasant divorce or "just because we can." She was one of the best. Period.

We finally met at the National Guild of Hypnotist's Convention 2000, in New Hampshire, where I was performing. She did me the singular honor of volunteering to be in the show and, later, at an informal "hypno-jam" with some of the other conventioneers, showed her stuff as an expert at rapid and instantaneous inductions as well. Again, her mastery of these difficult techniques was truly a delight to behold and, to be honest, experience.

Janet introduced me to Reiki as well, she was a rated Master, in 2004 at the NGH convention after I had been inadvertently injured while a volunteer, myself, in someone else's stage hypnosis show. She made a believer out of me in a matter of seconds, working on my throbbing knee and proving that there IS a connection that will cause the maxilla to drop when the patella is suddenly rendered pain-free without being touched!

We last saw each other in 2006, at the NGH convention, outside Boston. We were unfortunately unable to have much time to chat as we both would have liked - she was on a very busy schedule, as was I.

Sadly, I learned from her later that year that her cancer, which had been in remission, had reasserted itself in a very aggressive form.

We last talked about three weeks ago. She was tired, but still upbeat, looking forward to this and that, but the call ended on an uncharacteristically awkward note. I think she knew her time was short, but, true to herself, didn't want to burden me, or anyone else, with that idea.

My well wishes go out to her family, especially her husband, children and her grandchildren, of whom she was so very fond and proud. They can all take great pride that this special woman was a part of their lives.

I will miss her, as will all of those who loved her as friend, colleague, client, mother, grandmother, wife or even employer.

In deepest sympathy,

Lee Darrow, C.H.

Post Proms, long drives and why they are worth it!

2007-04-29T17:10:00.000-05:00

I just got back from doing a 3AM post prom in the wilds of Iowa.

If you don't know what a post prom is - check my blogs on this either here or ovr my my myspace page (www.myspace.leedarrow and follow the link to my blogs - it's there, trust me!).

This one was in a mall, which is a pretty unusual location for an event of this kind as many merchants get a little paranoid about damage happening to their shops while the mall is closed and things like that. Well, I can say that this event, complete with bungee runs, a blow-up crawl-through maze, karaoke, turkey bowling (using a frozen turkey as the ball!), a Guitar Hero (tm) playoff against a regional champion and the usual poker blackjack, food and music, was one of the most well-run events of its kind I have been to in a long time!

And, with almost 500 kids in attendance, we had a great hypnosis show as well and I even got to do some close-up magic for some of the students and faculty as well before the hypnosis program got underway!

But the real issue here is not this great party for these kids, but whether the effort is worth it - for the parent's group that had thrown it, for the mall, who has to pull in extra security and cleanup crew or for me because the drive, one way, was in excess of six hours, partly because of the construction on the Dan Ryan and the Bishop Ford highways here.

In a word, the answer is a resounding YES!

Here's why: prior to the start of the post prom lock ins, this particular town had suffered a rash of teen deaths due to drunk driving. In a period of less than three years ovr 10 kids had died in alcohol and drug-related traccif accidents and about a dozen more had been seriously injured.

Since the beginning of the post proms - NOT ONE KID HAS DIED or been seriously injured in alcohol or drug related traffic incidents on prom night! NOT ONE!

That makes it worth it.

And for me, it makes it more than worth it because on my graduation night (another night that many schools do these "lock-ins") a friend of mine was killed in just such an "accident" - by his own hand - in a single car incident.

So, you see, for me, it's personal. And rewarding. And, to be honest, a whole lot of fun, too!

If your school doesn't do a post prom or grad night lock in, contact either Mothers Against Drunk Driving or Students Against Drunk Driving for information on how to get the ball rolling in your community.

The life you save may be your own kid's.

And that's not anything but fact.

Spread the word. I am.

Lee

March Madness in My Life

2007-03-11T14:07:00.000-05:00

March seems to be a month of changes for me. I don't quite understand why.

Last year, it was my appendix (see my April 3, 2006 blog for details) with the carcenoid growth on it - making March the month of "holy crud, I could DIE - like SOON!" Back in 1996, it was when my divorce was finalized and when I was accosted in the parking lot at Medieval Times, forcing me to get a court order to protect myself, leading to several years of litigation (which I WON, I hasten to add!).

It was the month when I got the German Measles (two weeks before my 13th birthday), the mumps (just before my 11th birthday) and broke my arm in 6th grade. It's also the month that I managed to finish some dispute issues with the IRS this year, to my satisfaction.

So March has always been a month of change, upheaval and, very often, medical problems.

This year, it's a celebration of being one year cancer free.

Unfortunately, a couple of my friends aren't so lucky. And to them, I raise my glass and say, "MAY YOU BEAT THE BASTARD!"

I was lucky. May that luck also come to you.

Lee Darrow, C.H.

Moving later this morning!

2007-01-07T02:00:00.000-06:00

Well, Sunday morning (later this morning, technically), we will be moving both our home AND both of our offices into our new home on the other side of Chicago.

Unfortunately, this means that I'll be offline - or online very sporadically, until about Tuesday morning or early afternoon.

if you need to book me for YOUR next event, please CALL or EMAIL me from the link on my regular web page at http://www.leedarrow.com (the phone number is there, too, but may be changing soon as well - AT&T/SBC (they're merging here, you may have heard) is being a royal PAIN about porting the line to the new location for some reason!

But PLEASE KEEP TRYING, I WILL do my very BEST to return calls in a timely manner!

Lee Darrow, C.H.
http://www.leedarrow.com
The contact phone number still works!

New Year's Eve Opening & announcements

2006-12-26T18:24:00.001-06:00

New Year's Eve Open for bookings! Because of a last minute cancellation by a corporate client (they got bought out and the new owners have cancelled everything,) I am now OPEN FOR BOOKINGS ON NEW YEAR'S EVE!

Call me on the number on my web page at http://www.leedarrow.com to take advantage of this last minute opportunity!

Also, tomorrow night, 12/27, I will be appearing at the United Center, in Chicago, as part of the pre-game program for the Chicago BULLS! The doors open at 6PM and I will be there doing my special style of in-your-hands, in-your-face close up magic and mindreading!

See you there!

New Year's Eve Opening & announcements

2006-12-26T18:24:00.000-06:00

New Year's Eve Open for bookings! because of a last minute cancellation by a corporate client (they got bought out and the new owners have cancelled everything,) I am now OPEN FOR BOOKINGS ON NEW YEAR'S EVE!

Call me on the number on my web page at http://www.leedarrow.com to take advantage of this last minute opportunity!

Also, tomorrow night, 12/27, I will be appearing at the United Center, in Chicago, as part of the pre-game program for the Chicago BULLS! The doors open at 6PM and I will be there doing my special style of in-your-hands, in-your-face close up magic and mindreading!

See you there!