Happy Valentine's Day.

Valentine's Brownies!

Well, I'm a day early. That's alright though, because tomorrow I'll be so busy grading papers that I won't have time to write anything.

I kind of have an interesting perception of Valentine's Day. I realize that it's popular to hate the holiday, the artifice, the superficiality, the rampant consumerism, blah blah. I should be calling it "Single's Awareness Day" and throwing Anti-Valentine's parties wherein I smash heart shaped piñatas with spikey baseball bats. What are they called? Oh yeah, maces.

But you know what?

I'm not.

Because you know what else?

I like Valentine's Day.

If it really comes down to it, it's not about giving or receiving cards, or flowers, or chocolate or whatever. It's not about feeling pressured to show someone you care. It's not even about taking some ancient martyr's memory and twisting it into a day that doesn't really have much to do with the guy who got killed in the first place. I like Valentine's day because it's just about appreciating someone else, and having the excuse to show them that. I can tell people I love them all day long, but usually they look at me like I'm weird and keep walking. But if I do it on Valentine's Day! Well.. they'll probably look at me like I'm weird and keep walking. Unless they're people that I know. Then the chances of them loving me back are significantly higher. Unless they're my arch nemeses. My arch nemeses might love me back anyway, though, because I'm a pretty good rival... I'm getting off the point, though.

When it all comes down to it, the Beatles were right. All you need is love.


And brownies.