Day 199 - Project365

My mother always encouraged me to use my imagination. She always supported each and every creative endeavor throughout my child hood. No matter what the outcome, I knew she always thought of me as her "special boy". My creative outlets may have changed through out the years but never my enthusiasm.

I once again shaved my entire face to bring you yet another character. Chester, an above average underachiever. He loves programming games on his Texas Instruments Calculator. He plays Dungeons and dragons against himself and has almost won a few times. He wears suspenders so that his pant legs don't cover up his fashionable long white socks.

He says, "Fight floods with floods!" You can't get your pant legs wet in high water if your pant legs are above the water! He once asked his mom why she never bought him new pants. She says it was her way of saving a few dollars between winter and summer. "you'll eventually grow enough to where you pants turn into shorts" They never did! He'll beat you on any math test and even do it while laughing at his own genius. He's that guy you hate to love - He's Chester!

Ok, so Chester came about during Halloween last year. I had decided to dress up for the first time in over 15 years. I was planning on heading down to West Palm Beach for Moonfest, a giant 10 block long party which includes every club on Clematis Street. Its one big festival of weird and slutty. I'm not one for "going out" but for some strange reason I had agreed. I had had an epiphany that day. To blend in on Halloween you must fit it and in that instant I was off to "fit in". I decided to take a trip to Good Will and see what I could find. I wasn't in to grabbing a pre made costume like so many other people had done before. I was going to be as authentic as possible. After many failed ideas and about 30 minutes later I came up with an idea brought forth from a distant memory of TGIF and the show Family Matters. Steve Urkle was my inspiration. From that moment I was on the hunt for the perfect outfit.

I had put the whole thing together for under 20.00 and I was now ready to embarrass Shawn and not only look the part, but act it as well. Downtown West Palm was packed and from the second I got out of the car I was in full dork mode. Through out the night I drank, got drunk and acted even more like a dork. However, I wasn't worried about looking stupid as the costume made it perfectly ok to act like a complete fool.

Who knew that a mere 3 months later I'd be engaged in a project that would afford me the opportunity to find even more characters within myself. Including Angry Drunk one Legged Veteran, Old Mike, Star Power Man, Super Day 182 Man, Melvin, Cleatus, and of course the newest of the bunch Chester!

Shortly after slapping him on a solid backdrop I realized it would make a great condom ad. It was perfect. I went with that theme and I now give you Day 198 - I sure do like those odds!