Could you please start using more than one sentence per post? Shorter sentences, terminating punctuation and capitals make things easier to read and easier to follow.
Also, it's "perform" not "preform".
AMEN!
I have been fortunate to have some wonderful mentors over the years; not just magicians but genuine show people from various aspects of the industry ALL of whom encouraged me to learn how to pronounce and use words properly in that a showman relies on their vocabulary and command of language whether they are presenting a grand effect or simply telling a tale.
Amongst these wonderful folk that guided me in long gone times were Copy Writers . . . I refer to persons that write presentations, scripts, advertising, etc. and like those old salts of the stage they too encouraged me to learn how to write in a more positive and direct manner . . . believe it or not, they even helped me learn how to convey a greater sense of information while writing less when it came to word count. The irony of these latter lessons being that the average executive to whom a presentation is given can only digest and comprehend details at an 8th grade reading level . . . that was in the early 80s, now day's the statistics are even more disgusting; the typical business executive with a college business degree having a 6th grade comprehension level. Researchers blame it on video games and a failing public education system as well as parents who simply are too tired and busy to be effective parents a.k.a. examples.
Within the next decade, given the trends of the past 25 years and the addition to Text Messaging (the primary culprit) it is believed by many experts that the adult reading & comprehension levels of college grads (2 year programs) will have dropped to as much as a 4th grade equivalence.
I point these things out for a handful of reasons, the biggest being to help you ask yourself, "
Do I Really Want to Come Across as Ignorant to My Audience & Clients?"
We have too many tools available to us now days to by so lethargic. I know that my spell & grammar check highlight my type-o's when I'm making a post, and I do my best to follow their notice.
As To the Original Story . . .
Logic would say that you kept your props (cards) in a location that wasn't well thought out . . . we all do it. The thing is, you need to look at how and where you store you equipment and make certain it's in a dry and protected space. I've found that having a container in which to keep such things, helps. Silks, feather flowers, etc. aren't just in baggies but kept in a plastic container (as should be all "paper" items, sponge, etc.)
If you are like the majority of young people I encounter, you probably carry your stuff in a back pack, so make certain it's water resistant and again, put the cards or whatever is water sensitive, in its own plastic bag that is air-tight.
When it comes to your "damaged" card collection my suggestion would be to keep them. If they've dried out, give them a good soaking, spread them out on a flat surface and place a flat, heavy "plate" on top of them for a day or two, until they dry out. Be careful about using steel (such as old styled cookie sheets) in that you may get rust spots on the cards.
Once they are dry check their condition; if they look "usable", even if it's for practice, use some clear/neutral shoe polish (the past type) and lightly wax them. That means that you put on a thin coat of the wax, let it dry for about 10 minutes, then using a soft cotton cloth, buff them until they get a slight shine to them on both sides. This will allow you to have back-up cards; duplicates for routines in which you destroy a card from your working deck or, in this particular instance, you switch the real card for one of these "ruined" cards and destroy it instead. . . card guys have done this for generations.
Similarly, should you decide to do some dabbling into Bizarre Magick, these messed-up cards (especially the one's in really bad condition) can be used as a way to add to a storyline. You wouldn't believe the things we go through when it comes to antiquing cards and other such items. . . that includes soaking cards in pots of coffee or really strong tea, placing them in a moist area to get mildew and "fungus" on them that stains the cards and creates a shredded & tattered texture and more.
