It's a question that Max and I have asked ourselves over and over again. Why would anyone want to read about our life? Are blogs so 2010? Working in the entertainment industry and being entrepreneurs we understand all too well that people like to feel connected and that sharing your life experiences can be inspiring to others. We all like the idea of living through someone else! (ok, not always).
So here we are starting a blog. And in classic Christine/Max style we begin another project without knowing where it's going to lead. So much of our lives has involved jumping into unknown waters without a clue of where it's going to go. The difference when you have two people that are married and operate by that principle is a couple that is always holding hands and jumping into crazy waters together. Well let's be honest, it's hardly ever that romantic. It's probably more like one of us is completely resistant and scared, while the other one is ready to jump into the land of the unknown so there is a lot of pushing the other one kicking and screaming.
Want to start a show Off Broadway? Sure no problem Max came home one day to tell me that he had secured a theater to perform his magic show. My first question to him was, "do you have a budget?" His response, "No baby, but don't worry it will be fine." And unknown to me at the time that was the exact moment I become a producer.
Oh and the time that the world shut down with a global pandemic and I threw out a crazy idea that Max should teach virtual magic lessons for those who were all stuck at home. He was game but told me that he'd be surprised if we booked any lessons, maybe we'd pay for some groceries. We booked 80 lessons that first week, in the first year he had lead over 1,100 virtual experiences. That was the birth of "Virtual Magic Academy" and so much more that we'll share about.
It makes sense taking leaps of faith in regards to work, entrepreneurs love taking risks! However we all need to balance that with some stability and for a long time that was living in NYC. We loved everything about our city life. NYC is a character not just in movies, but in the lives of anyone who lives there. We found our small apartment to be cozy and loved our South Harlem neighborhood. What they don't tell you is that NYC has dirty little secrets, for example the gas and electric company (ConEd) can decide that there is an issue with the gas in your building and shut it all down without warning. So in Feb of 2020 that happened in our building and that meant no heat and hot water. We also learned that this can go on for months and in most cases years! When I called the management office they told me, "You need to learn how to tough it out". Um, no not having heat and hot water is totally illegal. Legally they could get around things by giving you portable electric heaters, installing an electric water heater that sometimes works, and giving you hot plates since we also didn't have a working stove/oven. We spent the first 5 months of a Covid lockdown freezing! On the positive side I did become a very skilled cook with a hot plate and crock pot. So leaving NYC in August of 2020 was an easier choice. We put most of our furniture on the street for trash pick-up and left with whatever we could fit into two minivans (this was mass exodus time so there were no moving trucks available) and drove to Maryland to store those things into my sister's basement. So much has happened since then!
This feels like a good place to wrap up this first blog. The plan is that Max and I will take turns writing. Of course not knowing where this might lead. Until then....
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