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There are several things that remind me of this time of year. Some personal, others just memories. And for the 3 or 4 people who actually read this blog, I think it's OK for me to spill my guts a little (a little Halloween lingo, there).
First, this is probably the first time I have dressed up for Halloween in years. 20 years ago, while married to my first wife, I dressed up as Batman. I was excited to rent the new expensive costume, taken from the new-at-the-time first Batman movie released earlier that year. I had always wanted to be Batman since I was a kid. Unfortunately, I didn't have the body to fit in that large rubber suit. I looked silly.
15 years before that, I remember being disappointed in the Batman costume my mother made me. I wanted it to be just like the Adam West uniform. The plastic half-faced costumes from the drug store just wouldn't cut it. So my mother, bless her heart, attempted to make a Batman mask out of a hoodie-type hat. Again, I was disappointed.
It showed my perfection from what I saw on the big screen was always going to be there.
But this date has other meanings. It was Halloween 4 years ago that I returned to Utah after living in Virginia for a couple of years. It was a difficult time. For those who never knew, I was married a second time for a few short months. I won't go into the details, many of which I have since forgotten.
It was a very short happy time that ended very abruptly. I was married for 16 years, thinking it was eternal. But it ended so sudden, and I was in a place I have never been before. Single and divorced. So when it came to dating, I did everything wrong.
While still living in Virginia, and licking my wounds from the breakup, I jumped into dating and met a woman from Dallas. We had much in common and found being around her fairly exciting. I enjoyed the attention that I wasn't getting 16 years earlier. I ran off and married her without telling anyone. Then I pulled up my roots in Virginia and moved to Dallas, a place where I had only visited a few times, with no family of my own, no friends, and no job. I relied heavily on her.
But without going into details, it ended very quickly. Not knowing anyone in the area, I spent a lot of time at a nearby park where I conversed for hours over the phone with family, friends, her. Wondering what the hell I had just done. I was very lonely and knew I had to do something. I packed my things, with my tail between my legs, I drove onto the freeway on my way back to Virginia. Not more then 60 seconds on the freeway, I get a call to interview for a full-time job producing videos for a blender company back in Utah.
A full-time video producer job? That was an answer to prayer.
It was October 31st, 2005 that I drove up to Utah, with nothing but a car, my computer, my clothes, and a hope that this company will hire me. Needless to say, I got the job, got an apartment and started life over. The months that followed were tough.
It was also October 31st 2006 that we released our first Will it Blend on YouTube, and start what would be known by the Wall Street Journal as "the most successful ad campaign in the history of the internet", changing my life forever, along side the wonderful woman that I am married to today.
It was also this time of year, 2007, that I went back to visit the ghosts of that weird, forgotten time, and drive across the country, picking up the remainder of my goods I left in a storage unit in Dallas. Again, I spent time in that park that brought me company while I cried two years earlier, wondering how to get back with that woman I fell in love with. This time a little more happier, and more aware of my direction in life. She is happier and I am happier. And even though there are things I could argue about, I have learned it is not worth it. What is most important is the happiness we both seek. I wish her well...
It is now October 31st, 2009. I have made a new film, back to being the same nut-job I was born to be. And for the first time in probably 20 years, thanks to the energy brought my my lovely wife, Stephanie, I dressed up for Halloween. I gave up on being Batman and decided to play his nemesis (After all, I got the hair for it).
