Revenant's Hauntcast September "Theater of the Mind" Segment

O Great Pumpkin,
Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot complete,
The focus to complete the things I can,
And the craftiness to camouflage the bare spots so nobody will know the difference.

So back in September, I downloaded the latest episode of the Hauntcast Post Mortem podcast, ready to dive in and digest all of the amazing/hilarious/informative segments in the roll up to Halloween night. Except that I didn't...

I never found the appropriate time in my busy schedule to sit down and press play. My time was already more than accounted for with other, more pressing Halloween tasks and projects. My intent was always to find the time, but like a few other Halloween projects this year, it just fell through the cracks.

Fast forward to Thanksgiving morning. I'm setting out for an early morning solo drive down to my mother-in-law's house to celebrate the holiday with family. I realized that the two-hour drive would be a perfect time to finally get to that latest episode. I put the car in drive and finally, finally press play.

One of the segments that I always look forward to is Revenant's "Theater of the Mind." Always something that really resonates with me. And this segment REALLY stood out.

As I was driving, I started paying more attention to each word. It was like I had written the segment myself and that he was narrating an essay that had come directly from my hand. I couldn't believe it! As the segment continued, the smile on my face grew larger and the other drivers around me must have thought me insane as I let out laughs and bursts of "Exactly!" or "Yep!" to an empty car.

It's wonderful to know that others have the same highs and lows throughout the Halloween season and that they also "get" the true absurdity of the whole thing. Yet, like me, they also understand the true reasons of why we do what we do each October, and why it is so vital in continuing to do so.

As the segment came to an end, I was giddy with energy. It was everything that Halloween meant to me, perfectly packaged in a tidy 11 minute segment. I actually stopped the podcast to listen to the segment again. That little, unexpected jolt brought back all of the energy and excitement from Halloween night. It was perfect.

Do yourself a favor and go download the latest episode of Hauntcast here (if you haven't already). I've only gotten through the first half of the whopping 4 hour episode, and so far, all of the segments have been really good (and I have yet to get to the interview with Allen Hopps, which couldn't possibly be anything but amazing).

And if you'd like to get a snapshot into the small world of Highbury Cemetery, fast forward to Revenant's "Theater of the Mind" segment at 26:27. It's a wonderful jolt of Halloween fun and energy. Something that we all could use, now that the big night has passed for another year.

Thanks, Hauntcast.

Revenant's Hauntcast October "Theater of the Mind" Segment

So I'm sitting here, watching the remnants of Hurricane Whoever drop a steady downpour of rain across Northeast Ohio. Only this time, I'm actually quite thankful. I know that had this been 3 days later, Halloween would have been shot. Also, because I only set up my yard haunt display on Halloween night, all of my lovingly hand-made props are still safe, warm and dry in the garage, attic and/or basement.

I seem to be in a completely different mindset this year in regard to Halloween. No real stress to get all those last minute props completed for the big night, because I only had one prop project this year. Everything is slowly being gathered in the garage and will be put out in a methodical yet relaxed order this Saturday. There's almost a sense of calm. It's quite strange, yet strangely enjoyable...

Back at the start of September, I had a freak mountain bike crash that left me with a broken finger. Long story short, I eventually had to go in and get three pins put into it to hold it together for the next 8 weeks. I was devastated. My Halloween to-do list went right out the window. 

But as the days went on, I slowly came to terms with what happened and started rewriting my new to-do list. A very short and manageable list. I was forced to take a step back and re-evaluate Halloween. I could either poo-poo the whole thing, or be content with the little I could do for this year. And then, I strangely became okay with it. In taking that brief time out, I had a chance to refocus on what it was that made Halloween so great. The fun of putting everything up and putting on the best show that we could for the neighborhood kids and their parents.

And as I set out to work on my stress-free list, I happened to download the Hauntcast podcast for October. I paid special attention to Revenant's Theater of the Mind segment, "The ABC's of Haunt Planning." As I listened, it was like a mallet over the head. He was talking about everything I was going through! Be happy with what you can get done and not stress about the things you can't. Nobody else will know. Perfect! It was a pleasant boost of reinforcement that Halloween, 2015 is still going to kick ass at Highbury Cemetery.

I have gone back and listened to that segment two more times. If you're getting bogged down in that pre-Halloween freak out, why not take a second, catch your breath, and take a listen...

DOWNLOAD THE OCTOBER HAUNTCAST PODCAST HERE.


Halloween Weather Forecast Update:

It's going to be close. We might get a light shower during trick-or-treat, but I'm going to keep the fingers crossed, hoping that it holds off until everything is put away for the night. Please, please, please...