Be Not Afraid

[cincygreg]

For 'tis fine to be single on the day of hearts.
Yes, I herebye declare that all who are single on valentines day should rejoice and not be depressed. There is no reason to feel sorry for yourself or to feel left out. You are what you are. Go out, have some fun. Do whatever you want. Dont feel bad about watching a movie at home or something that night, but dont relegate yourself to that just because you dont have a date. I see women out every valentines day as a "girls night out" kind of thing. They are unified in their being single and are taking each other out, all done up for some fun. No point in wallowing in self pity. Chances are you will run into others who are out an about and may just be looking for someone to chat with or something. heck, you may even get a little more than you were looking for [img]wink.gif[/img] . Sure, there's no flowers or candy. But you can get yourself a little something sweet somewhere anywho. Being single does not make you an outcast, in fact it offers more freedom than a relationship does. You can go anywhere you want that night. No need to worry about what your date likes, because you dont have one. Sure, there are plenty of plusses to having someone special on V.D., but there is nothing wrong with taking yourself out if you are currently your own someone special either.
Be strong, be proud, be single.
And if someone looks down at you for doing so, just say something like this
Well,. it could be worse, I could be with a jerk like you [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img] [img]wink.gif[/img]

[cincygreg]

An for those of you that do have a "special someone" remember these few things.

1) Valentines day is on a tuesday, so you actually have Friday through tuesday to celebrate. Dont feel like you have to do that dinner or whatever on tuesday night. (schedule it around your schedule)

2) Dont break your bank. Do what you can, what you can afford to do. Often times simple and sweet goes a lot further than lavish and pricey.

3) Ice cream is as effective as chocolate.After a nice dinner and a movie or whatever a little sweet treat is nice finish.

4) Bottle it up. Always nice to have the bottle of wine or champagne waiting at home for the end of the evening. Take it easy while you're out and have that "after dinner drink" at home [img]wink.gif[/img]

5) Bubbles and stuff. Every girl likes to get stuff like that. (well almost every girl since I know someone will read this and say they dont LOL!)

6) Wine and cheese combined make for bad breath (mints and or gum) but I reccomend wine and dessert instead. (chocolate and merlot [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img] ) or coffee drinks

7) The single well placed or timed rose can be as effective as the whole bunch

8) This day is cheesy because you are kind of being told you have to be romantic or something on it. Go a little smaller and save a little bit for a surprise down the road a bit.

9) Eat smart. Avoid things that make you musical [img]eek.gif[/img]

10) Have fun, do something fun. Dont think a stuffy and prim and proper. Have a good time. Do something different. Give your valentiune something to talk about other than just what he/she ate for dinner.

Hope that helps.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ February 08, 2006 11:34 AM: Message edited by: cincygreg ]</font>

[cincygreg]

Oh, yeah. One more little thang.
Apparently, someone else agrees with me on this one [img]wink.gif[/img]

Seduce Your Sweetie With Chocolate -- And Beer

Lisa Morrison, Staff Writer
UPDATED: 12:27 pm EST February 9, 2006
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Valentine's Day certainly arrives at the right time of the year: When better but the dark nights of February to seduce your sweetie with a sumptuous symphony of the senses? And what better way to woo the object of your affections than with the delectable duo of chocolate -- and beer?
That's right. Chocolate. And beer. This is the Valentine's Day to get racy. Be daring! Toss aside those erstwhile notions of red wine or champagne and truffles and tempt your honey's taste buds with a combination that is sure to create fireworks.
"Simply stated, wine generally gets overwhelmed by chocolate -- you can't taste the wine due to the richness of the chocolate," said Ray Daniels, Director of Craft Beer Marketing for the Brewers Association. "Beer has the chops to stand up to the rich flavors involved. It is also about complementary flavors: earthy, roasted, even chocolaty and bitter flavors in beer that are echoed in the chocolate."
Separately, both beer and chocolate have their fans. But, in Daniels' books, together, the two can create a stunning synergy found only in the most compelling of culinary combinations.

"It's not just one plus one equals two," said "Cocoa Pete" Slosberg at a beer and chocolate dinner last year. "It's one plus one equals three."
Craft beer fans might recognize Slosberg as the man who created Pete's Wicked Ale 20 years ago. As he traveled the world promoting his beer, Slosberg became sweet on European chocolate. After he sold his brewery, Slosberg began creating his own specialty chocolates, and became a champion for pairing his two passions.
But the concept isn't a new one. Portland, Ore.-based beer expert Fred Eckhardt has been conducting beer and chocolate tastings around Valentine's Day for nearly two decades.
"In 1988, people were talking about a great new idea: wine and chocolate," Eckhardt says. "Experience told me that it was a waste of time. But what about beer and chocolate? It would be fun to play with chocolate and craft beer combinations, write about it -- and be able to take some chocolate expenses off my taxes."
The results surprised even Eckhardt, and despite its less-than-romantic beginning, Eckhardt's sold-out presentations have become a great "date" event in Portland, with couples headily huddling over their chocolate and beer pairings.
Unfortunately, Eckhardt, 79 and still going strong, can't travel everywhere to spread his gastronomical gospel. Besides, you and your sweetie might not want him joining your little t?te-?-t?te -- even if he does look a little like Cupid.
Fortunately, Daniels has created some pairing pointers. He identifies three general categories of beers that usually play well with a range of chocolates.
The first group includes dark beers, such as porters and stouts. These beers are made from malted barley that has been roasted to a dark, deep color. Just like dark-roasted beans enhance certain flavors in coffee, the darkened barley boosts the roast-y, toasty -- and even coffee -- flavors that go well with nearly any chocolate. In fact, many beer fans will enjoy a dark, rich stout or porter instead of coffee for dessert.
Weizens (German-style wheat beer) and strong Belgian-style ales often offer fruity and spicy flavors -- banana and clove notes from the weizens and apple, apricot and peach punctuated with cinnamon or nutmeg in the Belgian-style ales. How can you go wrong with those classic dessert flavors accentuating your chocolate?
Another group of beers to try with chocolate includes malty golden beers such as K?lsch, helles and golden ales, American wheat ales or a pale bock beer. These sweeter, lighter colored beers tend to go well with dishes such as chocolate-chip cookies where the chocolate is not so highly concentrated, Daniels said.
I also would add sparkly fruit lambics, from Belgium, on my list of divine interventions with chocolate. The tart-sweet combination in a framboise (raspberry) or kriek (cherry) lambic can be a perfect foil for a rich, dark, silky slip of chocolate. Plus they are so pretty served in Champagne flutes.
But if it all gets a tad too confusing, try Eckhardt's expert advice for a foolproof beer-and-chocolate sensation:
"M&M's go with any beer."
Lisa Morrison's Liquid Solutions column was one of the original recipients of the Beer Journalism Awards.

[Anton von Stockhoff]

I wrote off Valentine's Day long ago and have no intention ever again of having any part of it. Last time I gave a girl a "Valentine" was 14 yrs ago. I guess it's fine for some people but to me it's an over-rated waste of time.

[cincygreg]

A little history lesson (sort of)



Celebrate! Holidays In The U.S.A.

St. Valentine's Day
(February 14)
St. Valentine's Day has roots in several different legends that have found their way to us through the ages. One of the earliest popular symbols of the day is Cupid, the Roman god of love, who is represented by the image of a young boy with bow and arrow.

Three hundred years after the death of Jesus Christ, the Roman emperors still demanded that everyone believe in the Roman gods. Valentine, a Christian priest, had been thrown in prison for his teachings. On February 14, Valentine was beheaded, not only because he was a Christian, but also because he had performed a miracle. He supposedly cured the jailer's daughter of her blindness. The night before he was executed, he wrote the jailer's daughter a farewell letter, signing it "From Your Valentine." Another legend tells us that this same Valentine, well-loved by all, received notes to his jail cell from children and friends who missed him.

Another Valentine was an Italian bishop who lived at about the same time, AD 200. He was imprisoned because he secretly married couples, contrary to the laws of the Roman emperor. Some legends say he was burned at the stake.

February 14 was also a Roman holiday, held in honor of a goddess. Young men randomly chose the name of a young girl to escort to the festivities. The custom of choosing a sweetheart on this date spread through Europe in the Middle Ages, and then to the early American colonies. Throughout the ages, people also believed that birds picked their mates on February 14!

In AD 496 Sain Pope Gelasius I named February 14 as "Valentine's Day". Although it's not an official holiday, most Americans observe this day.

Whatever the odd mixture of origins, St. Valentine's Day is now a day for sweethearts. It is the day that you show your friend or loved one that you care. You can send candy to someone you think is special. Or you can send roses, the flower of love. Most people send "valentines," a greeting card named after the notes that St. Valentine received in jail. Valentines can be sentimental, romantic and heartfelt. They can be funny and friendly. If the sender is shy, valentines can be anonymous.

Americans of all ages love to send and receive valentines. Handmade valentines created by cutting hearts out of colored paper, show that a lot of thought was put into making them personal. Valentines can be heart-shaped, or have hearts, the symbol of love, on them. In elementary schools children make valentines for their classmates and put them in a large decorated box, similar to a mailbox. On February 14, the teacher opens the box and distributes the valentines to each student. After the students read their valentines they have a small party with refreshments.

For teenagers and adults, major newspapers throughout the country have a Valentine's Day offer. Anyone can send in a message, for a small fee of course, destined for a would-be sweetheart, a good friend, an acquaintance or even a spouse of fifty years. The message is printed in a special section of the newspaper on February 14.


Me? I'm taking me out to dinner. I told myself this morning. It was really tough for me not to tell me since I'm with me all of the time [img]graemlins/hmmm.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/sure.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/wonder.gif[/img]
Luckily, somehow I managed to keep the secret from myself long enough to make it a suprise [img]graemlins/whatever.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/thinking.gif[/img]