I just want to say that I'm grateful for this forum as it is the only one that I have been able to join. As an obsessed hobbiest, I really have no connections, professional or otherwise by which I can be validated or given passage. I have always lived in parts of the U.S., Mexico, or South America wherein I have never actually met another person with a passion for magic. And the closest magic shop to me is William's Magic, however, that is over an hour away. And, with everything that has been going on with them, our paths just rarely ever meet. I am, unfortunately, completely self-taught. This is the only way that I can be in contact with people who are passionate about this art.