Free Glide

If you are a newbie magician and you want to improve your magic tricks, follow these tips and you are guaranteed to perform magic tricks that will amaze your audience.

Be Natural

The secret in having a great sleight of hand is your naturalness. There should be no hand wagging, no hand waving, jerky or quick motions. You should work naturally, deliberately, and slowly. If you master this, balls, coins, rings, cards, and coins will begin reappearing and disappearing at the tips of your fingers. Watching your angles

You should be aware of your angles. Angles refer to the sleight lines between the item that you have just palmed off and the eye of your spectators. If you do not have the right angles, the audience could take a glimpse or see the object in your hand and your trick will be caught.

Practice your palming skills wherever you go The most necessary skill of a man with a great sleight of hand is the ability or skill of palming an object that goes undetected. You could perfect this after some time of practicing palming small objects like coins in your everyday normal routine. You could palm a small object or item in both of your hands or either while writing, eating, watching TV, walking around, or doing other activities. If you practice care about the angles, no one would notice what you are doing, and after some time, what you are now doing self-consciously would later become almost natural to you. >From then on, you could be able to palm objects or items more confidently, boldly, and successful each time.

Master your presentation

Practice your presentation. A small trick that is well presented could work wonders even without the most sophisticated of techniques since the audience would most likely relate to your trick or understand it.

What good is a magician if nobody understands or enjoys his or her tricks? The presentations therefore should be straightforward, simple, and understood easily so that your viewers or watchers could understand and enjoy the complete meaning of what you have been saying and doing.

Do not replicate a trick

Do not repeat the same trick for the same viewers or watchers. That is one of the basic rules in doing magic. When you repeat a trick, your audience would immediately know what you are going to do next. What may have been a miracle for you when you did your trick for the first time may not be quite satisfying or dazzling the next time around.

If there is a death of a spouse or breakup in a relationship or marriage its usually going to trigger a different response in every person however it’s usually not a good response. Each person will mourn a loss in different ways. There are five common stages of grieving that a person can go through when dealing with the loss of a relationship.

These stages don’t happen in any particular order and one stage may occur more than once, it just depends on your situation.

1. In Denial

During this stage you undergo the feeling of disbelief and denial. If a relationship has ended and are expecting things to go back to how they used to be, you may be in denial.

2. The feeling of Anger and Resentment

If you are considering ending a relationship it may be due to you no longer getting along or for whatever reason but if you become resentful or angry, it’s a normal reaction. You become angry because the situation may be causing you pain. You may also feel angry if your relationship has ended due to your partner wanting to end it and not yourself.

3. Bargaining

Bargaining is not healthy such as if you are having difficulties in your relationship and you try to persuade your partner to stay by telling them you’ll change, its not going to help.

4. Dealing with Depression

This is the stage where you realize the relationship is over, which can often times make one depressed. Its ok to be depressed for a certain period of time but if you feel as if you cant handle the situation you might want to consider asking for help.

5. Accepting the Situation

Once you have realized the relationship has ended and you are able to move on or forward in life, you have accepted the situation.

If you find yourself suddenly single, her are a few pointers to maintained a balanced life.

Find support for yourself and your children. You may be grieving or done grieving but don’t think that your kids aren’t. They are going to need your support and you are going to have to support them and yourself.

Continue rituals. Your children may feel a sense of abandonment and insecurity at first so make sure to continue normal activities such as celebrating holidays and birthdays. If you used to share holidays with your partners family members, go to your families instead or make it a comfortable setting in your own home. Do anything to keep things normal even if its simply continuing going to the movies or out to dinner on a Saturday night.

Take care of yourself, by nurturing yourself. Make sure you take time to relax, and regain your strength if you have been strongly affected by the loss of your partner. It’s important to maintain a sense of spirituality, emotional and physical well-being. While taking care of yourself be sure to take care of your children as well. Stay healthy by eating healthy, exercising regularly, and maintained a balanced lifestyle. Don’t be upset that you are grieving over the situation, its normal and it takes everyone a different amount of time to recover. For more information please visit http://www.singlemotherresources.com.

Kelly Kennedy is the Communications Specialist for MindComet Corporation, a full service marketing agency for Fortune 500 companies and international conglomerates. Kelly specializes in public relations strategies focused on personal finance. Kelly has been author to hundreds of articles focusing on finance. She also acts as a contributing author for a wide variety of websites and newsletters. Kelly holds a Bachelors degree in Marketing from the University of Central Florida.

Think for a moment about all the people you know that Stand Out from their peers.

Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky and Tiger Woods may come to mind. Singers like Madonna, Paul McCartney, Pavarotti, Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald. Actors like Tom Cruise, Betty Davis, Merrill Streep: so many names – so many standouts.

The question then becomes, How is it or what is it about people like these, that make them stand out?

A simple answer might be, Jordan or Gretszky scored more points and personally won more games and awards than their teammates. Although that may be true, one might argue sports statistics are simply a byproduct or outcome from the practice of Standing Out. After all, actors and singers do not score points; nevertheless, they do win awards – when deemed Outstanding amongst their peers.

How about the people you actually know, that also standout? Who comes to mind? A former teacher, a coach, your parents, a scout leader or perhaps your favorite boss? The fact is, everyone can recall people they know [and do not know] who unquestionably Stand Out. Moreover, the important issue here is that one need not be famous or infamous to differentiate one’s self or Stand Out.

The trouble for many people is they misinterpret what they see in exceptional individuals. Simply put, standouts make it look easy. At times, effortless. In reality, however, few things in life are ever easy, least of all, effortless. Should we be surprised then, to expect failure from those with this unrealistic belief? No.

Granted, some of us are blessed with more natural talent than others and so for those fortunate, the road to ’standout status’ is far less difficult. The irony, though, is that, more often than not, the more talented individuals put more time, effort and dedication into their discipline compared to others. The Biography Channel confirms this with almost every episode. Therefore, perhaps we might begin here, to better understand, the fundamental ideology of the ‘Stand-Out’ Principle.

Stand-Out Principle #1: Goals

A motivational speech would not be a motivational speech, if it did not talk about the importance of Goals. There… I’ve said it! We’ve all heard it before. Many believe, ad nauseam. But regardless of how many times some may tire of hearing it, the importance of Goal-Setting, as it relates to Standing Out, can never be diminished.

Whether it’s a Stanley Cup, an Academy Award, a certain income or the next sale, standout individuals without exception – that bears repeating… WITHOUT EXCEPTION – have goals. They’re goals are Clear, Specific and Defined. Exhaustive studies done over the last couple of decades on the highest achieving, highest income-earning men and women from around the world bear this fact out.

On the flipside, those without goals exist in a vacuum in the pursuit of nothing. Their chance to Stand Out is often realized only in their lack of achievement.

Stand-Out Principle #2: Purpose, Passion & Dedication

A Goal can never be a Goal unless there is a purpose for it. So too, there has to be a reason. Simply put, it has to mean something for the individual or there can also be no passion.

Standouts are driven by Purpose. They understand that Passion walks in lockstep with Purpose. They believe that purpose, passion and dedication are intrinsic to each other. Each one fuels the next drawing strength that serves to keep the individual ever focused on: a) the goal, b) the reason for it, and c) the benefits from it. There is nothing mysterious about this process, but there is nothing easy about it either – unless and until one believes in it and makes it part of who they are.

Stand-Out Principle #3: Attitude & Behavior

Clearly, there is no difficulty in having a great attitude and good behavior when things are going well. Even the least accomplished among us find it easy to be more positive when they are in their comfort zone. That said, herein is yet another hallmark difference that separates the standouts from the rest.

Standouts are never surprised by negative events or situations that interfere with their goals. In fact, they expect them – and often have a plan to overcome them. It is all part of the ‘learned discipline’ or as alluded to earlier, the practice of Standing Out.

Individuals like these, maintain a Positive Attitude, which determines how they react to adversity and change. They behave in a winning way regardless of how adverse the challenge is. That’s not to say they can’t be disappointed or have feelings of emotional setback. They do. After all, they are human.

The important point not to be missed here is that in times of challenge, they are never alone unlike others without direction or goals. They have a direction. They have a purpose. That never changes, even in the face of adversity. They remain steadfastly dedicated to their mission albeit fueled at times by hope, but the net result is they draw upon the strengths they possess or in simpler terms, the Stuff of the Stand-Out Principle – Positive Attitude, Positive Behavior, Purpose, Passion, Dedication and Goals.

What does all that do for them? It makes them more successful … It makes them Stand Out!

About The Author

Paul Shearstone aka The ‘Pragmatic Persuasionist’ is one of North America’s foremost experts on Sales and Persuasion. He is also founder and President of The CFIDS Foundation of Cda Inc [A registered Charity]. As an International Keynote Speaker, Author, Writer, Motivation, Corporate Ethics, / Time & Stress Management, Recruiting Specialist, Paul enlightens and challenges audiences as he informs, motivates and entertains. To comment on this article or to book the Pragmatic Persuasionist for your next successful event we invite to contact Paul Shearstone directly @ 416-728-5556 or 1-866-855-4590 www.success150.com or paul@success150.com www.paulshearstone.ca.

paul@paulshearstone.ca

If you’re going through anticipatory grief you’ve probably heard of “grief work.” Health professionals may use the term without explaining it. Anticipatory grief is so draining and confusing you may not have a clear picture of your grief work. What is it? How can you accomplish it?

“Grief work includes the processes that a mourner needs to complete before resuming daily processes,” according to The National Cancer Institute. This grief work includes mentally separating from the person who has died, adjusting to a different life, and forming new relationships.

Those who are going though anticipatory grief have double work. While you’re grieving for your loved one you’re helping him or her with end of life tasks: completing forms, paying medical bills, checking legal documents, finding safe deposit box keys, distributing goods, and even home repairs. You may have to make decisions for a loved one who is no longer capable of making them.

Self-care should be on your work list, according to The Alzheimer’s Association. “Building in time for self-care is crucial,” according to the Association, and you need to recognize your physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. As you go about your anticipatory grief work remember to reward yourself. Take a day off. Have lunch with a friend. Buy the shirt that was on sale.

Family members can help you with your anticipatory grief work. Their involvement will not only lighten your load, it may prevent future discord. You’ll find a list of “Tasks of Anticipatory Grief for Families” on http://www.alzheimer-society.ca/grief2.htm.

Anticipatory grief work is tough stuff. Dividing this work into parts will make it easier: 1) Meeting your loved one’s needs and 2) Meeting your own needs. Just as a builder gathers materials for a construction project, you must gather materials for your anticipatory grief work. So roll up your sleeves and get going.

PREPARE YOURSELF MENTALLY. Decide how you’re going to act with your loved one. Mayo Clinic Chaplain Mary Johnson, in an article called “Interacting With a Terminally Ill Loved One,” thinks you should “let loved ones be loved ones.” Though you can’t be your loved one’s physician or counselor, you can be a good listener. Johnson says you can also “build on the strengths of the relationship that were in place before the health care crisis came about.”

LEARN ABOUT ANTICIPATORY GRIEF. Helen Fitzgerald, Training Director of the American Hospice Foundation, thinks it’s important to learn about grief “so you can identify what you are feeling and have some ideas on how to help yourself.” Hundreds of books have been written about grief, but few have been written about anticipatory grief. Check the Internet for anticipatory grief books and articles. Hospitals and hospices are also good sources of information.

FACE REALITY. Marin A. Humphrey, RN, MA, a psychiatric nurse and contributing author for “Loss & Anticipatory Grief,” by Therese Rando, PhD, says you need to face the reality of impending loss. Your reality may include saying goodbye to your loved one. “Goodbyes left unsaid, or not completed in a way that is satisfactory to the survivor, can be devastating to the grief experiences,” writes Humphrey.

BUILD A SUPPORT SYSTEM. This system may include health professionals, family members, friends in your religious community, and neighbors. Write their names, phone numbers, and email addresses in a small notebook and carry it with you. Put a list of these names and numbers next to the phone. Your local hospital may have bereavement support groups. Your religious community may have grief support groups as well.

SAFEGUARD DOCUMENTS. Anticipatory grief can be so stressful that you misplace things. Certainly,you don’t want to misplace medical documents, legal documents, or family papers. Keep these documents in a separate file drawer and copies of them in a safe deposit box. Your loved one may also give you written instructions for disbursing family possessions. You need to safeguard these documents as well.

MAKE ARRANGEMENTS. Your loved one may have special requests, such as which hymns to sing at the memorial service, special readings, and selected photos to display. Involve other family members in planning because they will probably have suggestions, too. Social Services may recommend prepaying funeral expenses. If you do this, file these receipts with the medical and legal documents.

THINK ABOUT A NEW LIFE. You never stop missing your loved one, according to The National Mental Health Association, but “the pain eases after a time and allows you to go on with your life.” Start to think about this life now. Donating to health organizations is one way to remember your loved one. You may purchase books about your loved one’s hobby for the public library. Some families have created patchwork quilts from their loved one’s garments.

Anticipatory grief work helps to prepare us for a new life. As Judith Viorst explains in “Necessary Losses,” loved ones who are gone still enrich our lives. Identifying with these loved ones helps us to see things more clearly. “By taking in the dead – by making them part of what we think, feel, love, want, do – we can both keep them with us and let them go.”

Copyright 2005 by Harriet Hodgson

http://www.harriethodgson.com

Harriet Hodgson has been a nonfiction writer for 27 years and is a member of the Association of Health Care Journalists. Her 24th book, “Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief,” written with Lois Krahn, MD, is available from http://www.amazon.com A five-star review of the book is also posted on Amazon.

Obviously the first thing you need to do is figure out what to paint on the wall. When I know what I want to paint, I typically follow that up by finding different representations, photos, drawings to use as a reference, or by going to a location to take some pictures that I can use as a model. For example, if I wanted to paint a seascape I might drive around the beach area where I look for objects or scenery I want to include in my painting. Most times I am piecing together a scene to create my mural.

Once you have what you need to put together your scene, painting the background first is essential. I start at the top and work my way down. So I lay down the sky first, then the horizon, where I may have mountains, trees, water or land. After I have my background in I will place my other objects, such as people, cars, roads or whatever the subject may be. Sometimes I hand paint in these objects and sometimes I may use a projector first to cast the image on the wall, trace it out and then hand paint it. A projector is very helpful to maintain the correct proportions and to help in placement of the object.

You may be wondering what medium to use on a wall. I use a mixture of acrylic paint that you can buy in any craft or art supply store and also latex paint that you would purchase by the gallon in a paint or hardware store. Both of these mediums dry quickly and clean up easily with water. Also, acrylic paint has no fumes so working with it will not bother you during the process. I typically purchase a gallon of extra bright white paint that I mix with the acrylic colors. This will stretch your dollar, because purchasing small tubes of acrylic paint alone can add up quickly especially if you are painting a large area.

Once you have finished your mural, I suggest painting a clear coat of polyeurothane over it to protect it. Look for a coating that will not yellow with age. The clear coating allows cleanup in case of dirt or fingerprints.

If you would like to see a variety of mural photos and mural ideas, please visit www.silverspoonmurals.com. Teresa Shoucair is a mural artist and faux painter living in South Florida in the Tampa Bay Area.

As an affiliate, it is risky to focus on promoting a single product. You need to promote multiple products or services and generate multiple streams of affiliate income instead. Here are a few ways on how you can do it:

1. Sell Offline Products
You don’t necessarily need to endorse the online products to people. There are products or services offline that can be really lucrative for your affiliate business. For example, the Sattelite TV subscription, promoting the membership to a certain fitness club and much more.

2. Sell Classified Ads
Have you ever read the classified ads on a newspaper? It’s almost the same but you get to sell them in your newsletter. Usually, classified ads are rather short, maybe 3-5 sentences of words and are promoted together with the other ads in the newsletter.

3. Sell Solo Ads
Another way to generate a profit from your newsletter is by selling solo ads. Solo ads in short, are much longer ads than classified ads and they are sent individually in an email. This way, the ad will get more attention from its readers and will be much more effective and responsive.

4. Sell Ad-Spaces On Website
If you have a website which pulls in decent number of visitors, you can start selling ad-spaces on your website. People do this by either putting the advertiser’s banner, ad or any other visible graphics and texts somewhere on the website to promote what the advertiser wants.

5. JV Brokering
This includes joint venturing with another list owner on selling an affiliate program with 2-tier commissions. You request the list owners to sign up under you as a 2nd tier affiliate and give them a good offer why they should sell the affiliated product.

Usually, you will need to prepare the tools, offer a bonus product to the joint ventured list owner so they can promote the affiliated with the bonus to their subscribers.

6. Create Multiple Websites
If you’re focusing on selling online, jump on another product after you have successfully endorsed the previous one. Don’t get stuck in only one product as it can lose its popularity or favor. Keep moving on and on, replicate the process of endorsing a product and make sure they are all personally tested, useful and good products.

7. Pay-Per-Lead
You can earn a commission by directing your subscribers to a website which pays you for it. This can be a survey held by big companies like Coca-Cola, PEPSI and so on. This is a really great way of earning commissions as directing a lead to a website is very easy.

8. Pay-Per-Click
Have you heard about Google Adsense, Chitika or Yahoo Publishers Network? When you sign up for these services and put a script on your website, there will be ads shown on it. You will earn a small commission every time a visitor clicks on it, a fairly lucrative way of earning affiliate commissions.

By creating more occasions to earn money, you can make sure that your income will continue to develop daily instead of having a fall. The rest, take action today.

Seth Chong is the owner of IMViral, one of the largest, greatest viral Internet Marketing Newsletter which is being spread around the world, you can sign up for the Newsletter(worths $197) for Free at www.IMViral.com

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is becoming more and more common. The most common cause of this cancer is exposure to asbestos. When constantly exposed with insufficient protection, asbestos dust and fibres affect the mesothelial cells which make up the mesothelium. The mesothelium is the outer lining that protects some of the body’s most vital organs such as the heart and lungs. The mesothelial cells become abnormal after lengthy periods of constant exposure to asbestos causing an array of problems.

Due to the latency period and symptoms of this cancer, mesothelioma is very difficult to diagnose. Mesothelioma takes decades to mature and develop fully and this is why many elderly men who were exposed to asbestos thirty years before are just discovering they have the cancer. A lot of these men are currently lodging multi-million dollar lawsuits against the companies that exposed them to the dangers of asbestos without sufficient protection.

The organs that are affected most by mesothelioma are the lungs. The most common type of mesothelioma which is called pleural mesothelioma affects the lining of the lungs and can cause symptoms such as coughing, breathing and swallowing difficulties, shortness of breath and fever. Another area that can be affected by mesothelioma is the abdomen. This is less common and this is known as peritoneal mesothelioma. Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include nausea and vomiting, weight loss, fever, bowel obstruction, loss of appetite and general pain in the stomach area. The last and least common type of mesothelioma is known as pericardial mesothelioma and it affects the heart and the tissue surrounding it. Symptoms of this form of the cancer include palpitations, breathing difficulties and persistent coughing. Generally, the symptoms of mesothelioma are typical of many other diseases and this makes it very difficult to diagnose.

There are treatments for mesothelioma although these are usually unsuccessful. If the cancer is treated aggressively in its early stages then there is a good chance of a patient surviving. However, due to the difficulty to diagnose mesothelioma, the cancer is not normally found until it is too late. Treatments that are used for mesothelioma include surgery, radiation therapy, palliative therapy and chemotherapy. Research for additional treatment of mesothelioma is being done at various cancer centers all over the United States as well as by pharmaceutical companies. For more information on the treatment of mesothelioma go to http://www.1-mesothelioma.co.uk/treatment.html

William Johnston

All the detailed information you need on the symptoms, treatment, risks, science and more about mesothelioma can be found at:

www.1-mesothelioma.co.uk

Be sure to visit to learn more about this deadly cancer and how you can prevent it.

I downloaded the new mission for oblivion tonight and beat it in about 30 minutes. I think the experience was good but, not worth 200 points to purchase. Bethesda should have given this download away for free in my opinion. The adventure starts out with a letter you have received form the caretaker of the Orrery in the imperial city. Some bandits have stolen the parts to make the Orrery work. Who do they call to fix that problem? You guessed it.

You start out to the north of Kvatch. The first camp,” Camp Ales” you square off against a Bandit carrier and a Bandit Hedge Wizard. They were pretty easy to beat. Just block and counter and the fight will be over quickly. My character is level 12 and the bandit carrier seemed to dispense all the good stuff. She drops a Mace of Dissolution and that about it. There are four more of these camps, Camp Varus, Camp Bodean, Camp Dagay, and Camp Brotch. All of these are about the same, kill the bandits and get the stolen part from the bandit carrier. On the way to Camp Dagay I notice a small lake with a skeleton and a chest, no real treasure just thought it was kind neat, also pick a nirnroot at that lake. One other note, careful when kill the bandits in the grass some items tend to disappear in the tall grass.

Once you have completed that part of the quest, return the parts to the imperial city. Once the Orrery is active (which is the coolest part of the whole side adventure), you will be reward with the Masser’s Grace Spell (Fortify Agility 20 pts for 60 secs, Drain Endurance 20 pts for 60 secs, cast once a day. Thanks for reading.

Ian Austin,an avid gamer for over twenty years. I run a gaming web site http://www.biogamergear.com Check out my Blog ==>http://Biogamergear/Blogspot.com.

Meditation is a form of relaxing and a method to spiritual enlightenment that has been around for centuries. Yet with all the different types of meditation as well as the varied methods, how do you know you are truly meditating? Which one is right for you?

We are often told that to meditate is to think of nothing and clear your mind, which to me is impossible. Our minds do not stop even when we are asleep, so how do we consciously clear them when awake? The fact is that our minds are equipped with a goal serving mechanism, which means that the mind does not hear differences but only understands actions. It does not understand “do” and “do not”, “will” or “will not.” So by saying to your mind, “do not think of anything whilst meditating,” the mind did not hear the “do not” and consequently you instructed your mind to do the exact opposite of what you wanted. It will now think of everything.

So, if thinking of nothing is impossible, then logically, to focus on one thing is possible, and to me that is meditating. Ironically, meditating can be done at any time of the day and on the contrary does not necessarily require being in a quiet, dark room. To meditate is to be one with that which I am doing, and that means to be focusing on that one thing I am doing.

For example, if I am cooking, then to “become” the knife that cuts the tomatoes is to me being focused and being at one with that which I am doing. To be the knife means that my only focus is to be cutting through the fibers of the tomato. I am not focusing on my to do list, nor on the errands I need to run. My mind is clear of all other thoughts.

This way I am always meditating and reaching a higher level, and I am also going about my daily life. I am focused on that which I am doing. Therefore, meditation is not clearing your mind but focusing on one thought, one activity and being fully present and one with that activity.

This method allows me to meditate daily and be completely in the moment during all my actions.

Start with a simple exercise as indicated below. As you become more masterful in the art of meditating you will then be able to apply this method to more challenging tasks in your life.

How To Meditate

1. Pick a daily activity to focus on
2. Become one with the activity. If you are vacuuming be the vacuum
3. The key is to feel
4. The only purpose of the vacuum is to pick up dirt
5. Imagine you are the vacuum, and feel it as though you are

Enjoy this process. you most certainly can achieve enlightenment without skipping a beat!

Muneeza Khimji is a Coach and a Psychotherapist. She lives in Toronto, and currently has a practice that serves both clients interested in coaching and therapy. She works with emotional issues and traumas as well as coaches around career transitions, workplace issues, team coaching and life coaching to name a few areas.

For more information on Muneeza please visit http://www.muneeza.com or send her an e-mail on coach@muneeza.com

Orchestra Hall, a monument to Beaux Arts architecture located just a little south on Chicago’s “Miracle Mile”, was designed before the days of equality for the masses. It was, up to that point, a place to enjoy opera and symphony and such. In order to get to the cheap seats you hiked up 7 (or was it 10?) stories through a winding, narrow, windowless corridor that only accommodated one way, single file traffic. This set up allowed adoring, but economically challenged, fans to get to seats in the roost without disturbing the “real” customers. The seats ran to the top of the Hall and the incline was as close to 45 degrees as engineering could safely construct. This may not sound like a recipe for having a good time but the Hall lived up to its conceit in some ways. The acoustics, for example, were celebrated and legendary. Also, in the 50’s, a “jazz concert” as opposed to a “jazz set”, particularly in such rarefied air, was a different kind of party and a bow to Jazz’ growing recognition as a “legitimate art” form.

The night of the event was cold and punctuated by some sort of weather disturbance that I, and my crew, (obviously) thought unremarkable for a Chicago winter. We were there to see the Dave Brubeck (featuring Paul Desmond) and Gerry Mulligan Quartets. And if we had to sit on top of the building we would have. We were young enough to make the ascent to the top with minimal damage or complaint and the prospects were way too delicious to be dampened by weather and steps. As long as our noses didn’t bleed from the altitude we were happy.

The Dave Brubeck Quartet was scheduled to go first. After some announcements that I don’t remember, the crowd quieted and exhibited the decorum to which the high-toned venue was accustomed. The curtain parted and there THEY were at a casual ready. There was Ron Crotty on the bass, Lloyd Davis on the drums, Paul Desmond on the alto sax and Brubeck, with huge glasses rimmed to match his shiny black grand piano, on the keys. The set immediately and unceremoniously opened with one of the soon-to-be-jazz classics which are now recognizable by the first bar – and proceeded from there. Can’t remember the exact offerings but I can remember how it felt.

Subsequent liner notes have said it all in better words that I can command. Genius; Controlled soaring; Astonishing…respectful… challenging interplay. Innovative timing. Surprising improvisation. In addition, there was just enough of an interjection of a classically trained mind to let you know how Bach devotees, back in the day, felt upon first hearing his music. The absolute artistry of everyone involved ate away at the reserve the Hall usually inspired. The atmosphere became infused with the hums, wry smiles and spontaneous claps and responses of a real JAZZ audience, which, we would soon learn, was the same no matter the venue.

At the break it was announced that Gerry Mulligan’s flight had been delayed as a result of the weather. Small decorous groan. Brubeck and company resumed but in the middle of an offering, a harried and bedraggled looking Gerry Mulligan lurched on to the stage (half carrying/ half propelled by his ridiculously large horn) with his group straggling behind. Any Orchestra Hall-tied decorum that had been left at that point in time was immediately lost.

After some adjustments Mulligan took the floor and proceeded to exorcize the frustrations that accompany delayed travel, nasty weather and other assorted challenges to his usual cool. The group- usually sartorially perfect in (very) narrow suits and ties but now mismatched and rumpled- pushed, drove, strode, charged and jammed for another hour. The audience went into tent revival mode.

But there was more…

Just about the time that we were sure we were going to be thrown out, Brubeck and Desmond returned – just ambled back out from the wings. All hell broke loose.

With a minimal amount of chit chat – or that’s the way I remember it – everybody involved launched into the first piece of another full set. Desmond and Mulligan romanced, challenged and dueled. Brubeck, hunched over the shiny black grand, flashed his devious cleverness and exhibited a little less cool and a lot more intensity. It was at least 1 am and nobody was moving an inch.

About an hour later, we found ourselves on a crisp, deserted Michigan Avenue. I don’t even remember the descent from our perch high above the stage. The audience was still in the unity of the experience and had not yet disintegrated into individuals. They still carried the awe and were congratulating each other on being in the right place at the right time. And then the famous Chicago “hawk” reminded us of where we were. We moved deeper into our coats and hurried to our cars but we were warm all the way home.

Sunni Knight is a DC metro based writer and soldier in the fight against family violence. This article was originally published in http://www.natcreole.com/, an online global urban culture magazine. Visit the site weekly for updated news, reviews, profiles, playlists, essays, travel journals, and upcoming events.