Valentine's Day
So, I know it's technically been over for three hours now, but this is the closest time I've checked LJ since it's been Wednesday. If anyone had forgotten somehow that today was Valentine's Day, they would've quickly been made aware of the fact when they opened up their web browser.
As far as things Valentine's go, I've always felt very indifferent. Valentine's day is a day just like any other. Even when I was single, I rarely noticed it's passing, except for my friends and I taking the little boxes of Sweetheart candies, etching off the front, and writing our own things on the front of the hearts with a fine-tipped red pen. What I've always been curious about is why everyone else is so into this holiday. To me, it seems, that Valentine's Day is exactly the same as the day before, and the day after, yet people only seem to react to their relationships (whether they're in one or not) on the one specific day. Shouldn't it be something you're thinking about year-round? If you are one of the people lucky enough to be in a relationship, why do you need the holiday as an excuse to do something nice? Couldn't you do something nice for your significant other on any other day, not just today?
To some extent, for myself, it's a day with a name and a label saying what society is currently saying one should be doing on that particular day. I know many people who do not fall into societies flows, some of them purposefully, and they still get in a funk when it comes to this day. If you are one of these people, my advice is to act with love. Take a nice long bath while reading a really engrossing book with the hot water just slightly running so as the water does that annoying thing where it gradually drains, the tub will keep getting filled up with warm water. Put on a warm (hooded, if you live in these parts) coat and go for a long walk, going to the places in your neighborhood or beyond that you know you love, but you just never make the time to go there. Eat a well-prepared, well-cooked meal, or eat some quick fast food that's really garbage, but to you for some reason today, it's like fucking ambrosia. If you have a doggie, pet it. Doggies love pettings. Same thing goes for most kitties. Focus on the things in your life that you currently have and that you love and try not to focus on the things that you think may be lacking at that particular time because I tell you, the things you lack aren't going to matter as much, for most people, the next day.
I, in the past, would just always use this day as an excuse for buying chocolate for myself to eat. I figure if there's one society trend I'm going to follow, it had better damned well be the practice of getting fat on chocolate. THAT is something I can live with.
As an aside, my Valentine's Day was spent in, I think, the best way imaginable: Playing video games all freakin' day. That's right. I said it. Video games. In our household, we recently got WoW:BC installed on machines that play the game very nicely, so Joe and I spent literally the ENTIRE day playing video games. He's been working a lot, trying to get his material for a book done, and I've been looking for a job and spending a lot of energy on that, so it was nice to take a break for both of us, I think. Fucking beautiful.
For all of you out there still following my journal after such a lapse in posting, there will be a general post to follow. I know that, every year, I get a wild hair up my ass in February to start journaling again, but I feel an actual "want" inclination this time instead of an "I really should..." inclination. More later.
~Lugus
As far as things Valentine's go, I've always felt very indifferent. Valentine's day is a day just like any other. Even when I was single, I rarely noticed it's passing, except for my friends and I taking the little boxes of Sweetheart candies, etching off the front, and writing our own things on the front of the hearts with a fine-tipped red pen. What I've always been curious about is why everyone else is so into this holiday. To me, it seems, that Valentine's Day is exactly the same as the day before, and the day after, yet people only seem to react to their relationships (whether they're in one or not) on the one specific day. Shouldn't it be something you're thinking about year-round? If you are one of the people lucky enough to be in a relationship, why do you need the holiday as an excuse to do something nice? Couldn't you do something nice for your significant other on any other day, not just today?
To some extent, for myself, it's a day with a name and a label saying what society is currently saying one should be doing on that particular day. I know many people who do not fall into societies flows, some of them purposefully, and they still get in a funk when it comes to this day. If you are one of these people, my advice is to act with love. Take a nice long bath while reading a really engrossing book with the hot water just slightly running so as the water does that annoying thing where it gradually drains, the tub will keep getting filled up with warm water. Put on a warm (hooded, if you live in these parts) coat and go for a long walk, going to the places in your neighborhood or beyond that you know you love, but you just never make the time to go there. Eat a well-prepared, well-cooked meal, or eat some quick fast food that's really garbage, but to you for some reason today, it's like fucking ambrosia. If you have a doggie, pet it. Doggies love pettings. Same thing goes for most kitties. Focus on the things in your life that you currently have and that you love and try not to focus on the things that you think may be lacking at that particular time because I tell you, the things you lack aren't going to matter as much, for most people, the next day.
I, in the past, would just always use this day as an excuse for buying chocolate for myself to eat. I figure if there's one society trend I'm going to follow, it had better damned well be the practice of getting fat on chocolate. THAT is something I can live with.
As an aside, my Valentine's Day was spent in, I think, the best way imaginable: Playing video games all freakin' day. That's right. I said it. Video games. In our household, we recently got WoW:BC installed on machines that play the game very nicely, so Joe and I spent literally the ENTIRE day playing video games. He's been working a lot, trying to get his material for a book done, and I've been looking for a job and spending a lot of energy on that, so it was nice to take a break for both of us, I think. Fucking beautiful.
For all of you out there still following my journal after such a lapse in posting, there will be a general post to follow. I know that, every year, I get a wild hair up my ass in February to start journaling again, but I feel an actual "want" inclination this time instead of an "I really should..." inclination. More later.
~Lugus