In Defense of Saint Valentine

I was going to wait until tomorrow to write about Valentine's Day, but decided to it today instead because: a) Most of y'all probably won't read this until tomorrow anyway b) I have plans and might not get a chance to blog tomorrow and c) I couldn't think of anything else to write about tonight. So here we go.

Valentine's Day seems to be getting a bad rap. I've heard things like "Valentine's Day is a made-up holiday, designed to sell jewelry, flowers, chocolate, and greeting cards." This is absolutely true. It is nothing if not capitalist invention. But who cares? There's lots of stuff that was invented just to sell more stuff, that doesn't make it a bad thing. I've also heard that "Valentine's Day just sets guys up for failure." I disagree with this one. If you want, you can pretty much sleepwalk through this holiday and still be a good boyfriend/husband. Flowers, dinner, card, done. How hard was that? I think it can be a litmus test, too. If you go the traditional route and your significant other doesn't think that's good enough, I think that's a good thing to know. I personally recommend being a little more creative, but if you want to go the safe route, you can't go wrong with that.

I'm not really sure why I like Valentine's Day. It could have something to do with my last name. If you know me, then you know what I'm talking about. If you don't know me, then that line was probably lost on you. Per Kate's request, my last name has been removed from YIFY. I think it had something to do with watching too many Dateline or 20/20 shows about cyber-stalking. 

 So yeah, because of my last name there's a bit of pressure on members of my family on this holiday. My parents actually tried to order a pizza on V-day one year and the pizza place thought it was a prank call and hung up on them.

Valentine's Day is going to be a little different this year. Since Kate is still wintering in Indiana, I'll be dateless. Instead, I'll be hanging out with my parents and then going to a dinner party at my friend Kath's house. Good to have plans, but bummed that Kate won't be around. At least going to a party means that I have a good enough reason to buy valentines tonight at the grocery store. That's always fun.

Editor's note: I'm trying to think of a situation where I could look like more of a perv than I did tonight. So I go to the grocery store to buy some stuff and valentines. I'm in my typical work from home attire (hoodie, workout pants, unshaven - I think this look is referred to as Homeless Chic). And I'm checking out on a Friday night with my applesauce, Diet Mountain Dew, and a pack of Hannah Montana valentines. I've tried to think of a scenario where I could look like a bigger dirtball, but I can't think of one. 

Editor's note #2: If you're wondering why I chose the Hannah Montana valentines, I can't give you a really good reason. Seemed like a better option than Hello Kitty or High School Musical 3.

So my Valentine's Day gift will be delivered to Kate via email this year. You might think that this is a fairly impersonal delivery method, but I think the gift will make up for it. And delivering it via email fits with my job. I'd tell you what I got her, but there's a chance that Kate will read this tonight and that would ruin the surprise. Kate hates waiting for gifts, so I'm going to stretch this out as long as I can. Happy Valentine's Day everyone, and if you get anything really good (or bad), post them as comments.