Like Being Shot out of a Cannon

So there are a lot of things I COULD be doing right now.... work related, fun related, sleep related (hey, it's Friday afternoon, cold, and quiet... tell me you wouldn't be tempted), but I've got all this nervous energy. And it's not because I'M nervous, I'm just flitting around waiting for tonight's festivities.
Yes, all the good stuff is happening tonight. Tomorrow may be a little bit of a let-down, because we've kind of abandoned the annual Sego Halloween gathering in the past years, but Mom and I are still planning on logging time with Ashley and Robert. But TONIGHT is the big dance, and I'm pretty stoked to go. I don't think I've been to a good dance in a while (the last one was pathetic!), but the Halloween Singles' Dance is usually one of the best of the year. Plus also, I love seeing everyone in costume. I'm disappointed they've done away with the bad talent show, because I'd envisioned everyone from the Uni Branch dressing up as a different incarnation of Michael Jackson and doing a medley homage, starting with "ABC" and ending with "We are the World." Still, it'll be good to see what my friends come up with, costume-wise. The problem with Halloween is it only comes once a year, and narrowing down costume options is terrible! Oh, I'm pretty pleased to be going "Out of Africa" with my safari outfit, but I've always wanted to be Bob Wiley. And I have a great Vegas Showgirl head dress and boa that I hope someone will use sometime. And my friend Arlinda told me today that UNM's theatre department was selling off a bunch of their costumes and wigs and shoes, all at reasonable prices, but I just didn't have time to go up there. Probably a blessing in disguise-- can you imagine what kind of junk I might have ended up with? Sigh.
Anyway, I'm TOTALLY pumped for the dance, and also relieved that there will be very little social pressure this evening. Now that I'm saving myself for Eric, who cares that the dudes here are all a little lame? And speaking of Eric, I was thinking the other day that when he proposes (TAKE NOTE E.C.-- this would win you major points), he ought to put my ring in a nesting doll. That would be very Slavic-chic. Now, if I can only convince him to take the NM Bar, because the Land of Enchantment is so superior to Virginia...? Nope. I don't have a good reason. I just want out of the dating scene, and with the housing market in the toilet right now, it makes more sense for him to move out here. Hmm... gotta start doing those Carmen Electra "Fit to Strip" workouts with greater consistency. Please, Eric, take away my reproach! Our children will be so smart-- we'll probably have to get them into some kind of social therapy because everyone knows there's that threshold you pass-- too smart=socially maladjusted. But still, think of the good times we'll have, snuggling in front of the pellet stove, watching "Pee Wee's Big Adventure." Ahh. That's romance at its best.
And speaking of the pellet stove (I'm trying to figure out how many times I can use "and speaking of" in one blog entry), I've not used it yet. I'm too poor to use my heater (another reason Eric, my lawyer-future-husband will come in handy), and I've got all kinds of Halloween stuff around the stove, so it's a brisk 63 degrees in my house right now. It makes for an invigorating morning. Only two more days!
Another thing on my mind-- Christmas. Yes, friends, that's right. I guess thinking Halloween for the last three months has really filled my ghostly canteen. I was super-into it until Wednesday, when I happened into Cost Plus World Market (one of my all-time favorite stores) and saw all the Russian stuff. Yes, they are the oppressors of my people, but it's so gorgeous! And just like that, I've got a theme for Christmas this year. I have a real weakness for wrapping paper. Anyway, I'm hoping that tomorrow-- because it looks like I'm not going to get the painting done around the doors (boo! criminals!) I can get some Christmas shopping done. It may sound crazy, but the sooner I'm done with it, the better. Then I can focus on all the other things I need to take care of.
Finally, I've been thinking in terms of lists, as usual. I've got hundreds of things to do that I HAVE to do, but just for the fun of it, here are all the things I'd like to do in the next week or so (don't judge, it's a wish-list):
1) Go to the movies. A LOT. On my immediate list of "to-see"-- "Whip It," "Amelia," "Coco before Chanel," and of course, "This is It." Final movie is most important to me, but I need to get those behind me before "New Moon" comes out. And I haven't seen "Where the Wild Things Are," and I wouldn't mind doing so.
2) Hit some antique stores. No, this will not help me in my quest to finish the Christmas shopping (well, not much anyway), but I haven't been for a couple of months, and I feel like there are some treasures out there that need repurposing.
3) Go to Michael's and Hobby Lobby. This is always entertaining for the uninitiated to watch. I run through those places like I've just been shot out of a cannon. I'm not really at liberty to discuss the current art endeavor, but rest-assured, I'm stoked-- Like the fire I can't have at my house yet.
4) Have people over. I had to cancel on the First Lady of Los Lunas and her venerable husband because my house looks like a construction zone/disaster, but I'm feeling the need to entertain. At Wal-mart the other day, I found Halloween Oreos. If those aren't a reason to have people over, I'm not sure what is (I don't dare open them without enough people over to reasonably and not gluttonously eat the whole package, otherwise I will, and that is NOT conducive to having the kind of hot bod I'll need for my marriage to E.C.).
5) Go do some theme-activities with friends. I know, I know. This sounds so BYU-freshman year, but there are so many great things out there right now. As a matter of fact, TWO of my favorite local bands are playing a show together tonight, and it's the only sad thing about going to the dance. I hate the thought of missing Le Chat Lunatique AND the Squash Blossom Boys. But there are other great things going down. Tomorrow, there's a show at the Launchpad that sounds promising (except I'll probably be passing out candy to the kids in the Garza's neighborhood), and I've been wanting to get a group together for Cafe Bingo. Oh, one of these days I'll have time for fun again. Maybe with the extra hour I'll get on Sunday...