Valentine's Day

I have mixed feelings about Valentine's day.

When I was at school and the teachers made us all hand out valentine cards to each other, it was a sure thing that someone* would scratch out the word "love" and write in the word "hate" on my card instead. (* and by someone, I mean you, Jason Schiller. <_<)

On the other hand, Valentine's day was full of bright and shiny things in the greyest part of Winter. Lots of foil and embossing. There was chocolate, and if I played my cards right, I might be able to extract some Hello Kitty or other Sanrio-type items from relatives who caved in to social pressure once or twice a year and bought gifts. (Hey. in America, this day means you are supposed to show some type of...what's it called? "Affection?" or, if you can't express affection, you can at least give the appearance of it through consumerism. :D) So despite the hate cards, I felt it was pretty much a win. Yes, I was a girl, in the most vapid sense of the word.

As I grew up, though, I began to slowly discover I was going to be one of those people who never had a date on February 14th. Even if I had a boyfriend, he (and by "he" I mean "all of them") had an alarming tendency to break up with me on the 13th. Even if he called back on the 15th, it still meant I had spent all of Valentine's day weeping piteously, with no candy to show for it.

The only way around this was to swear off any hope of romantic entanglements in the winter months and prepare to spend V-day alone with a bag of chocolate covered pretzels, railing at the the jewelry commercials on television. "I'm alone, alone, FOREVER ALONE!!!!" Then I would go off to the stationery store and buy all the shiny foil stickers I wanted, because I was an adult and no one could stop me. This was far more satisfying than the other way.

These days, now that I have someone to share Valentine's day with, I kind of miss the self-pitying chocolate-infused wallow that was February 14th. I mean, the weather is perfect for it. I can't remember a Valentine's day that wasn't gloomy, grey and frigid since like, 1982 or so. Instead, I have to (gasp!) share the chocolates and pretend I'm not depressed and freezing when we take a romantic walk or something. Ah well.

I suppose I'll live. :p