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Lets face it...blogspot.com really isn't all that. We have discovered medium.com! For our latest videos, photos, and blog entries please visit https://medium.com/@magical_thinkng

The Flip Off Guy! The Flip Off Guy!

Finally got that sucker on film!

Emma Dog Gets Tagged

After the big scare of losing their dogs, Danny and Allison decide to take extra precautionary measures and get Emma dog some tags.

Bad Breath Abe Dog!

Allison gets fed up with Abe Dogs stink breath and decides to brush his teeth.

Via Bree

The couple take advice from a friend and celebrate the fact that Allison hasn't been smoking.

Lost & Found

Danny and Allison lose their dogs, but luckily find them the next day. Allison updates everyone on her smoking. Then the couple give thanks to their community and friends.

Aloe Smoothie!

Day 6 of quitting smoking. Viewer, Jak Dark, suggests an Aloe Vera smoothie to wash away the chemicals of the cigarettes. What are your tips on quitting smoking?

Busking Photography

Candy Daze

One Day At A Time

Day one again!!! Help!!! I need some good ideas on how to officially kick this bad habit to the curb!!!



Allison gets a message from a friend of Danny's about her cigarette smoking. She decides to take it as a challenge and quit. Day one of quitting leads her on an emotional roller coaster and a trip to get frozen yogurt. Put in your feedback and give her tips on how to quit.

Music by Meredith Monk

Videography by Danny Caudle

Film Editing By Allison Shockley

Follow them:

allisonshockley.blogspot.com

dannycaudle.com

@decaudle

@AL_is_sin

facebook.com/dannycaudlemusic

facebook.com/allisonshockley

Michael Jordan, Magical Thinker

Friendly Strangers

Danny and Allison sum up week 14 of planning their american tour. They show off all the encounters they have with friendly strangers while busking, Allison interviews an Irene's cafe employee, and they encourage more interactions. Soundtrack by Danny Caudle. Videography by Allison Shockley

Follow their Project:

allisonshockley.blogspot.com

dannycaudle.com

@decaudle 

@AL_is_sin

facebook.com/dannycaudlemusic

facebook.com/allisonshockley

Ruth E RenkleRuth E Renkle, Magical Thinker

My New Voice

Check out my new voice!

In the last few months I have really buckled down. I quit drinking, I quit all poisonous relationships, and I started following my dreams. Not only that...I've figured out how to turn my hurt into a purpose. Helping others. I wouldn't have done any of this without my Danny Caudle. I am the luckiest woman alive and I can't wait for the future.

My Penny Board

Allison gets a Penny Board as a new mode of transportation and takes a good spill.

I won't give up! Im getting back on the board until I can ride it to the store and back like a natural. I encourage others to get out and try new things!

Simon Sinek Quote

Danny quotes Magical Thinker Simon Sinek.

Windy Trip

Danny and Allison take a trip to Death Valley CA to practice their travel survival skills. However, they come back with more then that. A new purpose and a great idea called "The Giving. Tree".

Danny's Story:
Allison and I took a trip to Death Valley.  We prepared for a couple nights camping and imagined we were on the road for our American Tour that we have been preparing for.

We initially lost internet connection deep in the Mojave Desert. Our maps app stopped working.  We backtracked till we got our internet connection back and realized we didn't have a place to camp and couldn't find a camp ground.

8 hours after we departed from Fresno we found a dusty vacant road off the freeway in the middle of California.
We get out of our car and it was windy.
Too windy.
Allison and I set up our tent in 10 minutes in the dead of night with our flashlights and cooperation.
We are starting to realize teamwork is one of the keys we are going to need to have success on our American Tour.
We load the sleeping bags, blankets and dogs into the tent and call it a night at 3:30am.

At 6:30am the wind is blowing the tent so hard it's impossible to sleep.
It doesn't look like the $30 tent can cut it.
We take down and pack up our tent and hit the road before 7am and head to Death Valley.
We realized when we were driving the same roads we were lost on a couple hours earlier and we were driving by campgrounds.  A lot of campgrounds at that.
We stopped to check em out and see if they would do for our campsite for our trip.
It was just too damn windy.  We wouldn't be able to make a fire, sit and talk, anything really.  We were in the middle of a wind storm.

We get back on track and found a town with internet and plugged back into our maps app.  One road would lead us into Death Valley from the town we were at.
We were about 100 miles from our destination.

As we drove into Death Valley we hit a Road Closed sign.
We got out of the car to take a break and stretch our legs.  I mean, it's not like anyone is going to be bothered we stopped at a dead end in the middle of the desert.
Yeah.. Then a guy drove out of the "Closed Road" in a white van and said "I wouldn't go that way if I were you".  Creepy, right!?  Yeah we thought so too.

We backtracked a mile to a road we initially saw and went down it.  It was perfect.  Isolated. deserted.
The winds were behaving a bit different in the Valley and it was bearable to set up camp.
We strategically placed our tent and built our fireplace to block the wind.
Our trip had begun.
So did the wind storm.

We managed to do our thing in the Valley till 6pm.  We had to call it quits.  We were tired, dusty and found what we were looking for in the trip.

Steve Jobs Quote

Danny quotes Magical Thinker Steve Jobs. We encourage you to be a Magical Thinker too!

There's A Madness In Us All

Join The Current

Two local rappers stop and free style with Danny in front of Irene's Café.

Road Trip'n Dog VS Road Trip'n Baby

Road Trip'n Dog VS Road Trip'n Baby

In this episode Allison begs Danny for another dog.

Mark Castro's Campaign

Magical Thinker Danny Caudle plays a tune for Mark Castro and his campaign.

Arbor Faire Jam

Magical Thinker Danny Caudle volunteers his time at a senior community.

Don't be a free chicken!!

Magical Thinker Danny Caudle busts out his moves in the middle of Freebirds!!! Are you a free chicken or a free bird?! Now that's something to sing about!!!

How To Plan An American Tour
Week 12

Magical Thinker Danny Caudle explains why he is going on an American tour.

Vlog Makeover

How To Plan An American tour
Week 12
Vlog Makeover

Magical Thinker Allison Shockley researches how to improve her vlog in order to be a successful travel vlogger and make the 50 state tour happen.

Danny Loves Old Spice

Danny loves Old Spice

Support Magical Thinking

How To Plan An American Tour
Week 11

In this episode Danny gets back out at Irene's. This time realizing the power of relationships. Without the support of peers there would be no tour. Help support your local artists. Help support magical thinking!

Pizza Time!

Everyone has to take a pizza break. Even the infamous Danny Caudle. In this clip Danny chows down some Me N Eds giving the couple something to sing about (;

Behind The Scenes Of The KSEE 24 Feature

How To Plan An American Tour
Week 10

In this episode Danny gets featured by reporter Angela Greenwood on channel KSEE 24.

Price VS Value

How To Plan An American Tour
Week 8

In this episode Danny and Allison take a last minute, weekend trip to Morro bay. They put their abilities to make money while traveling to the test. Only to discover that they need to figure out other avenues of income.

Laundry Day

How To Plan An American Tour
Laundry Day

In this clip Allison gets attitude with the laundry mat owner because she wants to sit in the laundry cart. Some people never grow up.

End Of The Tower District Saga

How To Plan An American Tour
Week 7
End Of The Tower District Saga

In this episode Danny gets run out of tower by the cops. He decides to put an end to his performing in  front of Irene's cafe and move on to Clovis.

Fingernails & Spiritual Moments

Episode 3
Fingernails & Spiritual Moments

http://youtu.be/9IB4RXEJ-9I


Allison learns a valuable lesson about film editing. Danny has a spiritual moment while singing to an autistic child and receiving a large tip. Danny gets his "music tools" redone.
Stay tuned for the valentines day episode.

Twisted Panties & The Cop

How To Prepare For An American Tour: Episode One

Twisted Panties & The Cop

In our first episode I introduce myself and go over our three year game plan of how to go on the American Tour. We then go busking and have a run-in with an angry waitress and a cop. Then, to wrap up our day we buy a ukulele and add our weeks savings to the travel pot.
Stay tuned for episode two. We will be joining art hop and busking on Thursday 2/6/14. I'll be finding out how to enter my art into art hop, visiting a showing of disabled artists, and then Danny will be busking for the occasion.

Fasika (Fah-see-ka) Ethiopian Cuisine

Fasika (Fah-see-ka)

EthiopianCuisine 

    When entering the restaurant we were greeted by a globe of the world to the left side and Ethiopian decoration on the right. However, there wasnt a hostess or server to be found. It was a little awkward when we walked in the doors. Only because we weren't sure wether to seat ourselves or wait for someone to seat us. A woman sitting with her family noticed our confusion and said "seat yourselves". Nothing a sign couldn't resolve, but until then go ahead and seat yourself upon arrival.

Left to right: owner Mesfin, Myself

   The owner, Mesfin, is very nice and out going Ethopian man. He was the waiter, busser, and host in the restaurant, but didn't let that stop him from being kind enough to take a photo with me. He was more then willing to answer any questions we had. He smirked, from time to time, as if he enjoyed sharing his culture with us. Fasika is definitely not a food chain. It's a breath of fresh culture. 

   The presentation of the food was honorable. They brought the dish out to us on a large decorative plate. A basket cover sits on top until they place the plate in front of you. A layer of injera lines the plate and heping scoops of the dishes sit on top.

   Given the name of the place, Fasika meaning Easter in ethopian, they serve large protions. They do this to represent their easter feast. Definitely a feast indeed. We ordered the most marketed dish. The fasika plate which entailed a chicken dish, a side of collard greens, green beans, lintels, cabbage, and a salad with a side of Ethiopian bread called injera. This bread is the eating utensil. Since there are no forks things get a bit tricky. Break off a piece of Injera and dig in. We couldnt get enough of this food. Its unique and satisfying.

  There are a ton of spices in each vegetable dish. There's a bitterness to the greens, a sourness to the bread, a djon mustard in the salad, spiciness in the chicken. There are up to 30 different spices in this cuisine including Garlic, cumin, and tumeric.

    The ambience is very nice. Light music in the background, dim lighting, and culture appropriate decorations. Even the lights over head had an interesting cover on them. A picture of an ethiopian women with the word Faskia written out in their language. 

   It's is an Ethiopian tradition to drink coffee after every meal. They serve espresso from fresh beans. They offer this service there. We got to watch a group of people sit around a traditional coffee roast. Where the coffee is being roasted in a pan and ground on the spot. 

 

  We enjoyed that Mesfin took his time with us and didn't rush us out, however we couldn't wait to get our bill because we ate so much food needed to break wind. Outside..! Woooooooow

  Everything had an ethiopian touch right down to the check. It was brought out to us in a little book that had a funny contraption with in it. "Its magic!" Mesfin joked as he watched us play with the reciept book. Quite fun to play with.

We encourage everybody to eat here!! You won't be disappointed!!

Sin's Salsa Burrito

What you need:

Wheat tortillas

Hummus

Bean sprouts

Fresh Spinach

1 Tomato

1 purple Onion

2 large Jalapeños 

Cheyenne hot sauce

Ninja/blender

Recipe:

Cut up tomato, jalapeños, and a half cup of onion. Blend together and set the mixture aside. On the tortilla spread a heaping spoon full of hummus and a spoon full of the salsa. Add 1 cup sprouts and 1 cup spinach. Dress with Cheyenne hot sauce as desired. Roll up the fixings in the tortilla and enjoy.

Delicious, light, and healthy. Warning: keep almond milk on hand! This vegetarian burrito has a kick to it!

My Rag Doll

   What is the appropriate relationship between a model and a photographer? I recently got into a quarrel with one of my models. She felt that I needed to let the model choose her clothes and pick the photos. She felt I should bond with them before hand. I, on the other hand, think that models should look at themselves as actors and actresses. Simply play the part the photographer hands them. She did not like my response and felt I dismissed her feedback. which i did,because i didn't find it of any use. however, I walked away feeling disappointed. I couldn't help but ask myself "Am I being a Gollum?" I started to doubt my work. I looked at all of her photos a hundred times wondering where I went wrong, because none of them were really any good. I blamed myself. 

   A week later I did what I always do. I picked myself up and tried again. I used someone who had never modeled before. At first she was very awkward, but then I realized she was mold able like like. The photos came out great and I was astonished. I learned a valuable lesson. If you want a certain result from a photo you have to have a model who listens. A model that wants to accomplish your goal without hidden agendas. 

  Special thanks to Melissa Casillas for being such a great listener and helping me make some beautiful art. I'm putting your black and whites on pieces of wood and putting them up for sale! 

   

Coffee Break "Black And White Series"

   Night shots have always been my biggest down fall. I can't quiet figure out the settings unless its for light painting or if I use a tri-pod. I recently did a Photo shoot at Mia cafe during night fall. I walked away disappointed thinking I didn't get a single shot. At one point I even busted out a compact mirror and attempted to bounce the flash in order to soften it. I went home, tossed the photos aside, and thought nothing of them for a week. The model then begun to start to hassle me about the photos. So, I thought I would just slap some effects over them and see what I could produce. I am a "raw photo" die hard fan. Anyone can take a photo with their phone, throw some effects over the top of them, and call it art. However, maybe I am in the wrong. Maybe not every photo should be in its raw form. Raw photos don't sell clothes. Raw photos don't always tell the story you want them to. I put the shots in photoshop and I'm thankful I did. What do you think of the story I told with this shoot? I call it "Coffee Break".

Special thanks to model Amber Hall-Holmes and Mia Cafe in Tower District. 

Sin's Green Smoothie Recipe

Wash away your sin's with my favorite breakfast:

What you need:

Blender/Ninja

Frozen banana

Greek Yogurt

Almond milk

Mint leafs

Spinach

  In your blender Arrange the banana, two giant handfuls of spinach, a few mint leafs, and two heaping spoonfuls of Greek yogurt. Fill the blender a quarter of the way up with almond milk. Blend and serve right away. Delicious and nutritious (:

  A little bird told me that banana is good for hangovers. Wash away your sins my friends. Stay tuned for more recipes along my journey.

<3 Allison Shockley

Join the current

   A smile is contagious. Energy is transferable. Good deeds can be paid forward. I've always had big dreams. I've always had great ideas. Yet I did nothing about them. These potential monuments were filed away in my mind for all of my life, until now. Why the sudden change? Inspirational people who valued and encouraged my ideas.

  Recently, I've surrounded myself with like minded people. Creative and motivated free spirits. I feed off of their contagious energy. Now I find myself in this current of productivity and don't see myself stopping anytime soon. It came so easy to me, once I was touched by the epiphany these souls brought on. Now it's my turn to pay it forward. I have opportunities to offer.

   Enjoy music? Come out to Irene's every Saturday and Sunday to sit in on a free, live, acoustic concert by the talented Mr. Danny Caudle. Sit all day if you'd like. Gregory, from oakhurst, sat all day watching Danny play. Glad to make your Saturday an eventful one , Mr Gregory.

From left to right: fan Gregory, Danny C.

   

     Want to do more then just sit and listen? Feel free to express yourself. Feel free to join. A couple men felt the need to jump in yesterday. One man playing his guitar right along Danny. Shortly after another jumped in to sing. The energy was high and beautiful. It was touching to watch those around me express themselves. I was more than thankful I got to catch this on camera. I'm curious to see who might jump in today and I'm more then ready to catch the act in the moment.

   Music not your thing? Maybe you're more into photography,modeling, management, or hair and makeup. I am scouting models, assistant photographers, model managers, and makeup artists. I currently opened up an etsy shop. I buy and resell clothes. I'm looking for women and men all shapes and sizes to model second hand clothing. Also, someone to help direct the models. Another set of eyes behind the camera would bring so much to the table. Someone to help me view the models in a different light would be ideal. Anyone who can fashion the models hair and makeup to match the clothing would be such a great help. Come join my team.

Model Tatiana Johnson 

   I have so much to learn and I have so much to offer. If you're ready to express yourself creatively and feel you have something to offer our team please contact me shockley.allison@yahoo.com. I would be more then willing to speak with you. I want to pass on this epiphany. Join the current.

Stay tuned for I have much to share.

<3 Allison Shockley

  

Light Painting Objects

   Light painting has become the new fad for many photographers. It has been around for quite sometime, however it seems to have just begun resonating as a possibility in amateur photographers minds. Being an amateur photographer myself, I decided to grasp this idea and make it my own. Why not take photos of objects that are already lit up and moving for me? For example, a Ferris wheel.

   I visited the Christmas tree lot on First and Nees, here in fresno, over the Christmas season. Not to buy a tree, but to take advantage of their free entry, mini fair. It had several rides for dirt cheap, but my eye was on their Farris wheel. Old faithful is what I believe the carnies called her. 

   As I stood at the very top of the tallest ride, Danny Caudle stood with the carny instructing the toothless wing nut to start the ride. In order to capture the lights just right I had to slow down my shutter speed to let in the most light and use a tri-pod to avoid any excess movement. The photo takes about a minute to capture. What  you are seeing in the photo below is the Ferris wheel circling around about twenty times creating a beautiful pattern. 

 

  Some light painters enjoy making orbes by spinning lights on long strings, but what's the fun in that? Old faithful as enlightened me. What other objects are already set up and out there waiting for me to capture in full motion? I'm sure I will come across many. So, stay tuned as I continue to discover these hidden treasures. 

<3 Allison Shockley

Busking in The Tower District

  There is something powerful about a man standing on a street corner singing his heart out. It encourages smiles. When hearing a familiar song temptation to chime in arises. However, the courage never seems to develop, the lyrics are usually only muttered, and then the reality of how gutsy one must be to busk sets in.

   Danny Caudle is a courages 30 year old man. Originally from Portland Oregon, he moved to fresno to work for his family's company in order to save up money. He wants to, one day, travel the world. Danny's motivation? His objective? His purpose? Music. He wants to learn every culture's music style in the process of his travels. Until then he plans to save every penny from his Monday through Friday office job and busking on the weekends. Who wants to work a nine to five forever?! This man has a lot to offer to your free spirited side.

Don't believe me? You can catch him this Saturday and Sunday at the corner of olive and linden. Enjoy your breakfast at Irene's with Danny's interpretation of the artists you love most. Or you can catch him on his Facebook page Danny Caudle Music.

"A passerby said she was harmonizing with me during my last song.  I asked her if sge wanted to sing a song with me.  Nothing more than a lot of fun today" Said Danny on a Facebook post.

http://youtu.be/fts85V0kS9Q

  He encourages his audience to engage in his performance. The true making for a fun atmosphere. Danny caulde's street performance will soon be the new "it" day time event.

Stay tuned for I have much to share!

<3 Allison Shockley