Shot through the heart, and you're to blame.

So I’m not really a fan of Valentines Day. I’m not the anti-cupid Goth about it, who dresses in all black trying to bring others down, but I do recognize it as a Hallmark holiday.

Not that there is anything wrong with that, I mean with our failing economy we need all the help we can get. No, my philosophy towards V-Day is that people shouldn’t use one day out of 365 as the reason (or excuse) to treat their significant other special.

Think about it, after the initial dating, romance dies in most couples. That’s why V-Day and anniversaries end up having such high expectations. No, you should treat the person you love like your valentine all the time. I mean going out on a date even monthly is so much more important than just complying with the rules for one day of the year. It’s about the compulsion and spontaneity to be romantic, not the obedience.

That said, I worked the day after and that morning I was treated to great story.

A man came in disheveled. He told me had slept in his car. When I asked why, he told me his wife had kicked him out. I told him that was rough, especially on V-Day. He told me that was the reason why. When I asked cheekily if he had forgotten to get her flowers he told me he had forgotten to take the note off them that was supposed to go to the secretary he was sleeping with.

Stupidity only breeds stupidity I guess.

He proceeded to explain how Valentines Day is a cheaters nightmare. You know what? He’s right. I mean when you think about it, whichever girl(s) you are with expects you to deliver on a day designed to emphasize that it is all about the woman. Only now, you have womans (like that?). That’s the most slippery slope I never want to be on. Plus if you are extremely unfortunate, Valentines Day falls on a Saturday and traditional affair lies/excuses no longer can stick. You aren’t staying late at work, you have no sudden business conference and there is no guy’s night at the bar.

You are screwed for screwing.

Apparently, the guy was ok with it. Maybe his marriage was dysfunctional, maybe he just needed the push. Either way, Valentines Day brings out the best… and the worst in all of us.

On a completely random end note, I suppose I should mention that I killed my dog, Dylan. Although more popularly known as DDD (Damn Dog Dylan) he was dying of multiple cancers and fighting old age, so it was his time to go. I didn’t physically kill him, that’s what you pay doctors to do. I was disappointed that I couldn’t even muster up the courage to be with him in his final moments. Thinking about it now still makes me uncomfortable. Yet, even when you embrace the reality and the gravity of the situation, it doesn’t make it any easier.

Go figure.

Just My Luck

Today is a good day. Or I guess I should say January 30th, when I first wrote this blog. (It took me a while to post it.)

I can only start this blog with a smile on my face. A rare thing from someone who is often labeled as dementedly cynical.

My day started with my new ritual of hitting the gym at a god-forsaken hour. I torment myself in this way because I have a rather heavy bet with a friend over losing weight. I’ve always been healthy, with maybe a smidge more body fat than I need, but now I’m going into overdrive. Every morning, hell even as I type this, I can feel my body undergoing change. The best part is the way I’m approaching this challenge. I’m not focusing on the day-to-day rewards, but rather just keep focused on the end game.

On a lighter note, it was like Christmas in my mailbox today. No, there was no snow there, but instead tons of presents. I got a few new shirts from shirt.woot.com (one of my favorite websites), some great new Japanese fighting movies (I’m a sucker for some kung fu), and last but not least, an advanced reading copy of Eric S. Nylund’s Mortal Coils.

Out on Tuesday, this book is the first in a series that is like no other under taking Nylund has attempted for in the past. Writing almost colloquially, it’s a fresh breath of creativity from Nylund’s time spent in the New York Times bestselling Halo novels. I’ve only read the first few chapter (I’ve had the book for three hours come on), but from what I’ve read so far, I see no desire to put it down.

Last, but not least, I realized that with this post, it’s not only my ninth post of the month/year, but that I’ve already tied my entire post count for 2008. Like I mentioned before, it’s a year of change my friends.

With the way my luck is running, I might just go buy a lotto ticket.