I dislike valentine's day. You'd think with as much as I love romantic movies and books that the holiday would be right up my alley but it's not and only in one somewhat fond memory of my childhood has it ever really stood out. And actualy I've disliked the holiday all the way back to grade school when we had to give valentine's. And back then we didn't have to manditorily give valentine's to everyone in the class, we'd make these little shoe boxes and then the teacher would give us each five minutes to deliver the valentine's that we wanted to give to whomever we wanted. If this were a perfect logical story, I'd say I was the person who didn't get any valentines and it would be perfectly wrapped up however I did get valentines and those heart lollypops.

What I think I dislike the most about the holiday is that it lacks some sort of spontaneity. Even when I was dating, if I can recall that far back, it just seemed so NOT worth it. I'd rather have an ordinary moment of something special than an offical holiday or a halmark greeting card. Of course I say that, and still kind of hope for some sort of romantic gesture to come from a stranger who's just dying to get to know me better. (there is an inner harloquin romance waiting to be written.)

The one fond memory I have is when I was probably in second grade. Every evening I'd pack my dad's lunch. Two sandwiches - usually one with some sort of meat and one with butter and strawberry marmalade (or jello as he liked to call it.) A couple of cookies, a bag of chips and a drawing and note from me. In exchange dad would leave me two quarters sitting on the shelf in the fridge where I had placed his lunch. Well that year it was valentine's morning and I had taken special pains to fix his lunch the night before. And he didn't leave quarters. We had "assigned" chairs in the kitchen table (it's funny when we go home we still sit in those same assigned spots.) By my chair he had placed his own little note and this little ziggy heart paper weight that said "LOVE". (dad's nickname is ziggy)