Valentine's Day or VD?

Mood: Happy
Song: Random music playing in my office
Units of Caffeine: 4
Days Until Vacation: 75 days

So… February 14th is upon us. It’s a day of passion, love, pressure, depression and a day where Hallmark and Hershey’s must make the bulk of their annual revenue. For years and years I remember wishing that the day be removed from the calendar. I was either feeling extremely depressed for not having a date or under great deal of pressure to make the day feel special to my significant other. Thankfully, I don’t feel the pangs of either emotion this year. In fact, I have just become so disgusted with the whole V-Day ritual of “the special night out” that I have decided not to do it this year. (Understand that this doesn’t mean that I’m going to completely ignore the day – I think I would be in the proverbial dog house if I did); but I’m bringing it back home to it’s roots.

I think one of my most memorable Valentine’s Days was during the first year I was dating K. We were both in college and both broke. (Actually – I wasn’t even in college as I was recently disqualified, which, as you can imagine, made that particular winter a lot less joyous.) But, I digress. The main point is that we were pretty damn poor. So, I drove up to the campus; went to the local Blockbuster and ordered a pizza from our local pizzeria. And there we were: With each other, sitting on the carpet, watching movies and eating really good pizza. I know it probably sounds ghetto, but it was really quite romantic.

Over the past few years, we’ve done the stereotypical date out thing and, with only one exception, they all pretty much sucked. One year, several years ago, we went to a supper club with a live jazz combo and vocalist – It wasn’t crowded at all; the food was great; and the atmosphere was really cool. We even got up on the non-crowded dance floor and had a few slow dances. It was a great evening! And it has been a downhill ride ever since. One year, K was in rehearsals for a show. I got dinner together; cleaned our apartment and lit candles. But, for some reason, the director chose that particular night to keep rehearsal going until an abnormally late time. Another year, we went to one of our favorite Italian places. We quickly found out that ANY time of the year OTHER than Valentines Day, the place is quiet, intimate and great! On Valentine’s Day, however, the place is loud, overcrowded, and the waiters are rushing around so much that we couldn’t relax. It was during this dinner that a cart of dirty dishes kept being places right next to our table; the appetizers were served cold, (to which the waiter responded: “You want me to nuke it for ya’?); the entrees were wrong; and, the grand finale, the table next to our collapsed, spilling food and breaking dishes. It was at this time that I just asked for the check and we went home. Last year’s dinner out wasn’t as bad, but still had some flaws of the place not feeling relaxed and having to deal with other people’s stupidity.

So, K and I have decided to just bring the whole day back home… literally. We’re collaborating in the kitchen, and the both of us will be creating a wonderful seafood dinner, including stuffed lobster and shrimp scampi and, of course, a chocolaty dessert of some sort. It will be casual; relaxed; we’ll be together; we won’t have to deal with anyone (save for two cats); and the food will be fabulous. I think this is what Valentine’s Day is supposed to be like.