valentine's day...

or should i say, "meh..."

i've never really been one to favor this day since my early elementary school days. back then it was really fun. every one passed out really cool valentines and candy. in fact, it was about as fun as easter in terms of candy factor. i also enjoyed creating hand-made valentines in class for friends and family. however, all that stopped after the second grade. the next school i went to, didn't do that sort of thing, neither did the school after that, which was also boy's only. i was in yet another school during grades 7-8, but by that point you didn't have valentines, you had dances and most everyone sat in opposite corners or in small groups until at least the first hour of the dance had crawled by. ah yes, teens and their hormones. i didn't see girls again until my last two years of high school, and by that point it certainly wouldn't have been cool to do valentines then, if you dig my lingo. not only that but socialization with the opposite sex was a real issue for a lot of kids, including yours truly.

ever since my late teens/early twenties when i finally got into relationships i've seem to have nothing but bad luck around valentine's day, usually taking the form of girls girls dumping/breaking up with me. i've also found myself alone while other family members have had plans or other spontaneous activities. then there's also finding out the hard way that an ex of mine was married whom i had pledged my love two shortly before valentine's day. frankly i'm tired of the day.

one should express their love all year long and not just one day of the year. to focus such strong feelings of togetherness on one day of the year is very harsh for those who are alone. even worse if you actually feel alone; loneliness can be a real killer-even worse if someone suffers from depression. there are already other holidays that focus on togetherness without having to drag love into the whole thing. when i am alone such holidays are cruddy. when i am with someone, its fine, but i still feel empathy for those who aren't.

the commercialization of the holiday is a real kicker, too. restaurants tend to be booked solid and they are too noisy. sometimes their planned valentine meals are price higher than normal. it's exploitation at its finest. it makes me tired...