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that elusive word "St. Valentine's Day is a festival of love that amalgamates the Pagan traditions of Rome and northern Europe. It is also dedicated to the Norse deity Vali, the archer god, son of Odin, and to Juno Februa, the goddess of love. The festival begins after sunset on 13 February. Girls should decorate their pillows with five bay leaves, to dream of their lover and husband-to-be. In England on this day an arch of brambles is carried to banish unwelcome spirits. In Scandinavia there is a tradition of running labyrinths on this day." - the pagan book of days - nigel pennick Another point of view is that today is a day set aside by the greeting card companies and the florists of America to spend just a little more money to show how much you care about the one that you love. Across the country expectations are being set and some of them won't be met. I am always amazed at the amount of emotional energy that goes into one day of the year. As for me today was just the start of my weekend and I went about my usual business. After writing two pages worth of dreck, I came to the conclusion that it is silly to try and write about love when I am not in love with anyone at the moment. Most of it wavered between being very cynical or slightly pathetic, so I didn't bother. Relaying stories of former girlfriends really doesn't count either. I will however mention that I did better with some of them than others on this day in the past. The scene: a local gas station in my neighborhood earlier tonight The players: a young blonde woman with a Cameron Diaz style haircut at the pump, a Dawson's Creek Katie Holmes type woman in the car and me at the next pump What is happening: the Diaz type is agitated and shouting at the Holmes type in the car Diaz: what the fuck were they thinking
After some more slightly nonsensical exchanges between them, I make eye contact with the Holmes woman give her a knowing nod and smile as if I had any clue what they were arguing about at the time. Holmes smiled back in our moment of mutual understanding that her friend was being more than a little dramatic. I wasn't trying to get involved, but I found it rather amusing to catch parts of this little incident. Besides it wasn't as though they were trying to keep a low profile either with me just a few feet away from them. Then as I go in to pay for the gas, Diaz follows me inside to pay for hers. Once outside she stylishly bottoms out her car as she tries to speed out of the lot. I thought for sure that her muffler was going to get left behind after that slick maneuver. Methinks that someone was having a bad Valentine's Day.
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