Bad things happen when I get bored. I don’t study, I don’t exercise or clean. I don’t really do anything productive or worthwhile. Instead, I break out the sparkle. Give me a shiny object to stare at, and I will be content for hours. You should see me gazing at the Christmas department in Target. I usually drool, and my mouth is always open.

Last night we stayed in and watched Rocky III (one of the local stations has been playing the Rocky movies in order every Friday night–I can’t wait for next week when Rocky finally get to kick some Soviet ass! Bring it, Dolph!) and I let my mind wander. I realized that I would be busy the next three weekends with Thanksgiving and finals, and before you could say “glitter,” I was rummaging through the Christmas boxes and untangling lights. I am the type that usually hates when people jump the gun on holidays. Thanksgiving deserves its rightful place in our hearts too. But this year, my sparkle-lust got the best of me.

I should also note that I am horribly embarrassed about our fake tree, but apartment regulations can only be skirted for so long. The last few years, we lived on the first floor of a pretty crappy building, so we would just sneak a tree in the window and throw caution to the wind. This year, however, with our swankier digs and a four floor climb to impede our sneakiness, a real Christmas tree is just an impossibility. Don’t fret though. I have my Air Wick plugged in and loaded with pine scented cartridges.

I also decided it was necessary to break out the camera and capture some of that sparkley goodness for all of posterity. As if I won’t be seeing enough of it in the next 6 weeks anyway. So, enjoy the sparkle while you can, and don’t be surprised if you bump into me at World Market, Pier 1, Target, or some other such glitter retailer, getting high on the festive sights and sounds of our lovely consumer culture.