I don’t believe in it. When you’re happily married, every day is Valentine’s Day.
But I did stoop to explaining where the heart is located in an arthropod, with diagrams, to my intro biology course, just in case they wanted to make a card for their favorite invertebrate. That’s my only concession to this manufactured event.
Also, the Morris Freethinkers are tabling at our student center today, celebrating a belated Darwin Day. Stop by and get your picture taken with Charles Darwin!
That would be helpful. I was Valentining my hamster with a few juicy mealworms yesterday, and I was also contemplating going to say hello to my favourite woolly bear in Toronto’s Tommy Thompson Park.
I’m going to celebrate it the way I always do: eating chocolate and reading the Wikipedia entry on the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.
The only reason I found out it was Valentine’s day today, was because of google.
But… my favorite invertebrate is the flamboyant cuttlefish, which is not an arthropod. (Actually, I like all cuttlefish.)
I always know when Valentine’s Day is, because it is my mother’s birthday, and two days after my birthday. (That’s right, I was born on Charles Darwin’s birthday.)
The only reason I know it’s Valentine’s Day is because you just reminded me. I know I saw the date earlier, and it didn’t even register.
And a happy VD to all.
That was a joke.
You may either laugh or clap.
The clap would be more appropriate.
I have always detested VD (the holiday, not the . . . well, I detest that too, mostly because it gives the immoral minority yet another club to use to try to beat the sex out of humanity). Before I met proto-Wife, my only valentines were from relatives (don’t bother reading the card, just shake it). After meeting proto-Wife, and since she became Wife, VD has been just another day. We joke about it a little, but our plans tonight (leftover roast beef, some peas sauted with bacon and onions, some Ben & Jerry’s, pick up Girl from work, and then to BED!) is no different than any other night. Other than flat out not even thinking about going out to dinner.
Of course it’s all commercial bullshit, but then so is every other holiday, and most of us don’t mind celebrating Christmas, New Year, and birthdays. I think Valentine’s Day just gets a bad rap because love rouses a lot of cynicism. Yes, if you’re in love, you don’t need a special day, but anyone in a serious long-term relationship will know that not EVERY second is filled with unadulterated passion, and Valentine’s Day is a good excuse to indulge in as much sickening, lovey-dovey, romantic grossness as you can manage!
And, just to remind y’all, January 26th was STD*.
* St. Timothy’s Day.
I didn’t think about it at all until I was handed a card this morning and realized I never thought to buy one.
Oh. I didn’t even realize. Just another day here.
Our STD wicker end table was the most resplendent yet. How I hated putting it up when STD was finally over.
Did you hang your neck-ties on the STD lattice? St. Tim did all of mine in a proper double windsor, that merry scamp!
I love St. Tim’s Day.
But fuck valentines day.
Obligatory Valentine video:
Sorry about the embed. Well, maybe not that sorry.
Not to mention all of the Saint Thomas’ days throughout the year. Lots of STDs.
Dinner and flowers. But the GF™ has been up to something: lots of sneaking between the house and the car and boxes concealed with jackets and Go into the other room for a minute!s, so I think she’s done something special, the sweet kid. I’m going to be embarrassed, I’m sure. But we’re using the opportunity to visit a Laos/Thai restaurant a friend has been raving about.
But I maintain that in the standard heteronormative tradition of Valentine’s Day (the same tradition that insists on big fancy blood diamonds upon engagement) there’s no winning—the best you can ever do is break even.
Lab results are now a requirement for The Queue.
And where are those diagrams, pray tell?
Oh, wait, please don’t. I just remembered that I am terrified of all arthropods, and that includes most images of said horrifying creatures.
Carry on.
When did the Ghey Sects with Brownian become formal: The Queue?
Valentine’s day is the excuse the wife and I have to pig out on chocolate.
Just because it’s an orgy doesn’t mean it has to be bedlam. The hand sanitiser I provide isn’t just for drinking, you know.
‘Tweren’t me. No way, no how.
Oh. Wait.
You mean the weird flavoured alcoholic Jell-o?
Damn.
Sorry.
Relax. I said “not just for drinking”.
(Here at the office, my favourite trick is to rub it all over my hands and then light them on fire for a neat effect, before retreating to my cubicle and letting those near the reception area deal with the lingering smell of smouldering body hair.)
It may be an artificial, manufactured holiday, but as my wife always says:
“I’ll take any excuse I can get for you to make me breakfast in bed.”
My worst Valentine’s Day was in the mid ’80s, when I and a few other Californians were installing flight simulators at Pensacola NAS. We’d worked from about 8 am to about 9 pm, had had a frustrating day, and all we could think about was getting a beer and something to eat. We picked the only restaurant we knew would be open that late, drove over to it… and the parking lot was packed. We all groaned, and finally someone said “It’s Valentine’s Day!” So we trooped in, were eventually seated, had a mediocre meal with utterly lousy service, and slunk back to our respective hotel rooms to call our spouses. We’d all completely forgotten about the holiday.
Tonight Husband and I will celebrate with leftover chicken, leftover coleslaw, sauteed mushrooms, and a goodnight hug as I collapse in bed at 10 pm (having been up since 5:30 with a sore foot) and he collapses in bed at midnight, since he won’t get home until about my bedtime. How romantic. But we manage, and we’ve been managing together for over 31 1/2 years. True love really is forever, doesn’t necessarily involve chocolates or roses, and is all about having adventures together and enjoying each other (even if the adventure is redecorating a room, and the enjoying involves appreciating each other’s painting/wallpapering skills before collapsing together on the sofa.)
The only Valentine’s Day I can remember offhand is the first one with my now long-time partner: we watched Plan 9 from Outer Space in a college dining hall. The film society’s copy was fragile enough that the movie was stopped half a dozen times to splice the film.
Oh, Brownian. I could never dare such a trick. If my hand were on fire I couldn’t resist the temptation to slap someone with it.
For the same reason, I don’t carry cardboard tubes*. No impulse control.
*Like the kind they use to roll up posters and wrapping paper.
Mrs KG gave me a shirt which is a fine riot of colour – I don’t like stripes or checks, but she’s found me several that are as far from that as imaginable, and a lovely card with a bird perched on a bird feeder, I gave her flowers, a card and a novel. Supper together, with son talking to friends over Skype in his room – he seems to be edging toward his first bf/gf relationship, with a girl he’s known for years, but if so is taking his time to get there, and keeping his counsel!
Happy Valentines to Magda Szubanski –
http://video.heraldsun.com.au/2196429962/Magda-comes-out
On Valentine’s Day? How awful.
Repainting and redecorating is how we spend our New Year’s Eves.
Hand sanitiser burns a hot blue. You’ve hardly the time to be indulging in temptations, and the slapstick comes naturally enough.
For a time I lived with my older sister and younger nephew. As my sister is in love with renovation,
shewe decided to replace the furnace and ducting one late summer.If you’ve never had the opportunity (and aren’t particularly conscious of the ease with which sheet metal can slice through the brachial arteries), I highly recommend donning leftover pieces of ducting and playing ‘Robot Wrestlemania’. The rules are simple: 1) place pieces of duct on arms and legs; 2) launch oneself at opponent; 3) enjoy ensuing hilarity.
As with any activity I ever mention, make sure you’re current with your tetanus inoculations and have someone handy to dial 911.
My boyfriend and I make tasty veggieburgers every year for Valentine’s day. A nice time together, but not buying anything besides groceries.
I got laid off from my first job on Valentine’s Day. Years later, I wrecked my first car in the wee hours of Valentine’s Day. So I’m just hoping nothing explodes today.
Oooooh.
I got pulled over and handed a $2500 fine for driving without insurance (technically true) on Valentine’s Day, but the night was saved with an excellent concert by a local African drum & bagpipe band.
(Later managed to get out of the ticket, thanks to my very understanding insurance company.)
I lived with my parents far too late in life and had to have a lot of car sex too.
But I hope nothing explodes for you either today, Rey.
“manufactured event”?
(Are there any such events that are not manufactured? :)
—
PS Hamlet, Act IV, Scene 5
Lucky you. I’m making food for a potluck-and-games singles event put on by the local geek group, and feeling really, really sick of people after learning that I’m pretty much the only person in the physics program at Sac State who does not overwhelmingly approve of the actions of the father who videotaped himself shooting his daughter’s laptop because she wrote a facebook comment that pissed him off.
I’m really, really sick of people right now but trying again anyways. I wonder what that says about me.
I have never cared about Valentine’s Day really. This evening, I just spent it with my two valentine’s this year, Ben and Jerry. :)
@Azkyroth
I don’t approve of his actions either. Don’t know if that helps, but just in case…
HA! I was on my way back from a Lebowskifest. Sex…what’s that?
Ahh, singles awareness day! I had actually completely forgotten, and today was a rather good day. It had new keys, and Dr. Bronner’s soap, and frozen yogurt, so it was good indeed.
Being reminded, all I can think of that’s relevant is “I hope my monstrous ex has learned her lesson and/or is still suffering her life falling apart around her.” The screeching harpy. Love makes fools of us all.
Please explain.
:-D :-D :-D :-D :-D
Thirded.
I heavily hinted my husband into getting me flowers delivered at work. He had bought shrimp scampi, but left it at his mum’s, so we had subs delivered and had chocolate-dipped strawberries and bacon for desert. The chocolate bacon was a first. The salty bacon kind of overpowered the chocolate. We’re doing the nice dinner out tonight, so we have a snowball’s chance of getting a table anywhere.
do arthropod erections involve pumping hemolymph around?
Well… when you’re married and poor, every payday is Valentine’s Day.