Читать книгу Halloween - Dick Durland - Страница 6

Preface

OCD. My wife says I suffer from it. Knowing that if you leave me alone at my work desk long enough the items that appear there will eventually, mysteriously form right angles with each other is proof enough for me, but I believe “suffer” is not the proper term as I hardly ever realize I am doing “it.” Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Sounds like a deficiency, but I can’t say that I fully agree because when properly channeled, this same “disorder” can be of great value. Because of it, whenever I apply myself to any given task and before my name officially goes on it, somewhat lofty expectations must be met. All right, obsessive compulsive…THAT much I agree with.

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One day, my wife suggests we attempt throwing a Halloween party. I’m all in…perhaps to a fault. And that’s the point. She knows once I’ve accepted a challenge, it’s like leaving me alone with an untidy desktop. I may not consciously be aware of it, but I immediately go about the business of obsessing until I’m either satisfied enough for my stamp of approval to officially go on it, or I run out of time. As it turns out (at least where our Halloween party is concerned), I run out of time…every year. But by starting over again right where I left off year after year, I’ve continued to channel my “disorder” into creating the consummate Halloween event, making it ever more deserving of “my name.”

And so it goes. I admit that it’s overkill, still two things remain true. We show our invited guests the best possible time we can, and along the way, I’ve discovered a lot about the inner workings of throwing as authentic a Halloween party as you’re ever going to come across. On top of identifying the major components such as backdrop, props, sound effects, games, music, etc. through trial and error, I’ve developed the detail, special effects, illusions, and assorted minutia (some store bought, some homemade) that best compliment a living, breathing, state-of-the-art Halloween costume party.

For your amusement, contained in the following pages is the culmination of all my time-tested ideas, discoveries, and creations toward perfecting the ultimate Halloween bash. Collectively, they comprise…the life of the party!