Posted by Jessica Boucher at 2/14/2001 5:04 PM EST
Student on team #237, Sie-H2O-Bots, from Watertown High School and Eastern Awning Systems & The Siemon Company.
In Reply to: Re: Valentine’s Day is Today
Posted by EddieMcD on 2/14/2001 4:52 PM EST:
I’m posting this because, every year, no matter how I’m feeling on V-Day, and no matter what attached situation I’m in, without fail, this speech cheers me up and makes perfect sense. Have a good one.
-Jessica B, #237
Valentine’s Day: An Inspirational Speech
By: Lynn Harris (www.BreakupGirl.com)
I’ll keep this brief, because to spend a lot of time on this topic would just be doing what They want us to do. Breakup Girl’s investigations, you see, have revealed Valentine’s Day to be a conspiracy larger than ever imagined, involving the likes of Microsoft, Viacom, and the New Haven cabal of Skull and Bones, not to mention that wily chamomile mastermind, Jewel. (You thought it was Hallmark? Hah. That’s what they WANT you to think.)
Anyway, You-know-what’s day is fast approaching Christmas in terms of hype, commercialism, and metric tons of red felt items exchanged on the open market. This crass consumerism comes with a backlash: We yearn for “the true meaning of Christmas” in days long gone. You know, back when a child’s face lit up at the sight of a single bright orange in his stocking; when love made George Bailey the richest man in town.
Likewise, who among us does not wax nostalgic for Valentine’s Day the way it used to be? You know, back when the saints-to-be were beheaded for performing marriages, and when - as part of V-Day’s precursor, the fertility festival of Lupercalia - Romans sacrificed goats and dogs and ran through the streets whipping women with their skins. Oh, also: love and kindness and honor and sweetness. Without Mylar.
That said, if you think about it that way, shouldn’t EVERY day be Valentine’s Day? Shouldn’t you always follow the maxim “Everyone in the class should get one”? Don’t you have enough stress about the other 364 days without worrying about this one? Try, try, try not to get the doilies get you down; instead, try to figure out what biliously cute and thoughtful tid-bits you can dole out to folks today, tomorrow, and all year 'round.
In that spirit, here’s a shout-out to actual couples: For all the singletons’ self-pitying ranting at this time of year, please know you are loved and welcomed today and any day, no matter how cute you are. Everyone should remember that you guys are under just as much stress as the rest of us, just in a different - perhaps more complex - flavor. Singles worry: “Will I die alone?” period, while partners worry, “Will I die penniless given the sky-rocketing cost of doing ‘enough’ for someone on Valentine’s Day?” or “Will I die alone and penniless because of something I somehow ‘messed up’ on Valentine’s Day but will never understand why?” And remember, of course, its all what They want you to think.
pics of my other cute dog will be available soon… and about the orange sweater, dont worry i hid that one away, we are making Sonny a red and white one soon to match his red collar