Roberto Giobbi is an extremely talented magician from Muttenz, Switzerland. I hold him in the highest regard as a sleight of hand expert, and have learned a great deal about card magic through his book series, Card College. It’s a testament to his ability as both a teacher and a writer that even professional magicians refer to his books to acquire nuances and touches on material that they’ve used for years.

Another book that Giobbi released recently – not in the Card College series – is titled Secret Agenda. It’s an unusual book because it contains 365 pages, one for each day of the year. The reader is encouraged to read one page daily, and not skip ahead. Giobbi wants the student to reflect on the daily lesson, to savor it, and not burden himself with information overload. Some days he introduces a clever card magic sleight, on other days a poem.

The December 29th entry was meaningful to me, and I wanted to record the action steps that I’ve taken as a result of reading this book.

Giobbi encourages magicians to prepare a Utility Bag that is brought to every show. He writes:

“This bag is a lifesaver for any performer traveling to a booking. Mine is 9″ x 5″ x 3 1/2″, small enough to fit in any piece of luggage. … You’ll want to create your own bag, dictated by your needs. As a rule, I suggest: Each time you are on an engagement and you find you need something, add it to your utility bag for the next time.”

Seeing that he has not steered me wrong over many years of studying his other books, I decided to compose my own utility bag – an Emergency Magic Kit – that contains the following:

My emergency kit, zipped shut

Mini flashlight, pocket mirror, matches, glue sticks, Swiss Army knife, eyeglass screwdriver, collar stays, nail clippers, multi-tool, sewing kit

Ricola throat lozenges, toothpaste, Throat Coat teabag, Band-Aids, Pepto Bismol tablets, Advil, comb, microfiber eyeglass cloth, rubberbands held together on carabiner

Schrade Tough Tool 21 Function Multi-Tool

Large Mag-lite flashlight, Sharpie pens, ballpoint pens, paper towels, toothbrush, facial tissue package

Cellophane tape, double-stick tape, electrician’s tape, paper clips, Exacto knife, scissors

When everything is put away in its proper pouch or compartment, the kit looks like this:

Note that I also have included two sealed decks of cards (red- and blue-backed) which can certainly save the day if necessary.

The Emergency Magic Kit has already been extremely helpful when I gave a recent performance in Moscow, Russia. The airline (Lufthansa) lost my luggage, and I had this kit with me in my carry-on luggage. Thank you Roberto!

I haven’t been involved with the Boy Scouts since high school, but I did earn my Eagle Scout badge when I was 17 years old. The Boy Scout motto certainly applies throughout a boy’s life, even when he grows up:

[Cohen and Giobbi photo credit: Barbara Giobbi-Ebnöther, Waldorf Astoria, NYC]