A Grand Idea on a Friday

It was a grand idea on a Friday.

“Hey, let’s all wear our costumes to class on Monday!”

Halloween was on a Sunday, and a group of about eight of us DePaul kids had just got finished talking about our stellar costumes we’ve got planned. We were in a film study class, we’ve been watching characters perform all quarter long, so we thought we’d have a little fun. It was a day late, but who cares. We were loose friends. It’s college.

I was all for dressing up on Monday, November 1^st for class. Totally. I’d been working for four months on my get-up. I wanted to stretch out it’s greatness as long as I could. I had a weekend up in Milwaukee planned, where I’d join a couple buddies at Marquette who would complete the ensemble.

Otto, Happy, and Donald. It’s ok if you never knew their names. I watch Happy Gilmore a lot.

I loved Halloween. Still do. It wasn’t really the candy or the scary things that I liked. The spooky and the sweet didn’t interest me. You know what my favorite part was?

It’s the one night(s) a year you can dress up as practically anything you want.

I started young. In 2^nd grade, I was the only kid on the block dressed up as Drew Carey.

Cleveland Rocks

Then some formative years. A makeshift Banjo-Kazooie made from an old bear costume and a garden flamingo in the 4^th grade. Still wish I had that bear costume.

Facial hair changed the game when I got to college. It opened so many doors. Some people take it for granted, others went to Catholic School.

So of course my first go-to was Joe Dirt.

Gotta give props to the Chick Magnet kid. That’s solid.

The next year, well… I’m not sure a photograph exists, because it was 2009 and most of us were still on Razrs, but there’s a fella named Big Billy Sturm out there who will tell you just what a fantastic Billy Mays I was at the University of Dayton that year. Ran into four other Billy Mays’ that night. Challenged each one to an infomercial-off. Four. And. O.

But, I digress.

I was so excited to show off in class on Monday. It’s one of my best costumes ever. I remember thinking I was going to be a hoot on campus. We all were. We talked for twenty minutes about how hilarious it was going to be.

The weird thing is, I can’t even tell you what anyone else’s costume idea was.

Probably because I never got to see them.

I was early for class on Monday, November 1st 2010. My foot was cold.

Campus was draped in a beautiful fall potpourri. Leaves rustling, overcast skies, a gentle yet chilly breeze. Everyone was bundled up in a Northface jacket or hoodies, with hats and scarves. I didn’t see another soul that looked out of the ordinary. No one was in costume.

Fine. Not worried. This was just my class’s crazy idea. Not everyone’s dressing up. That’s our plan. We made a Saved by the Bell-type pact. We’re the cool kids.

But when I walked into the building, and up the stairs to the hallway where my class was waiting outside while another class finished up, my heart sank. Nobody was in costume. No one.

I see a kid from class, he comes up to me and says, “Hey man… whoah, is this your costume? Nice dude!”

“Yeah, it is pretty damn nice. Where’s yours, you wuss?” I thought to myself.

“Yeah, I was going to do it, but like, I just forgot last second and didn’t feel like it. You’re is great though.”

Thanks man. Really, thanks.

One by one, I saw my temporary friends who were gung ho on Friday, go no costume on Monday.

I looked like a hobo. A filthy shirt, unkempt beard and wild hair. I had a golf bag with the dirty sock over one of clubs. I was only wearing one shoe.

I sat in class uncomfortably as everyone class was either laughing hysterically on the inside or staring uncontrollably and wondering what had happened to me over the weekend where I’d show up to class looking like this.

We were all supposed to wear costumes. Not just me. I’m the only chump who followed through. You didn’t mean it to be, but great prank guys.

When we had a five minute break in the middle of class, I left and didn’t go back. Embarrassed, yeah, but mostly I wanted to get out of those stinky clothes. Especially if they weren’t going to pay off for me.

I’m surprised I didn’t get stopped by Campus PD and picked up for vagrancy on my defeated shuffle down the street to my car.

But that just goes to show, a grand idea on Friday can lose a lot of steam by Monday.