Wednesday, February 18, 2009

My Bloody Valentine

Valentines day!

What a ridiculous holiday, an absolute complete waste of money and time, a consumer's holiday, a candy company's joy, an unnecessary trap set for the single folks the world over, pointing a rude finger of disappointment in their direction, reminding them that they are as alone as ever, and that their lives have absolutely no meaning but to find someone who might share Valentines Day with their pathetic likes next year. That's not to mention the couples on Valentines Day, suddenly finding it essential to treat each other with the same love and respect that they ought every other day of the year, shrouded with disappointment because their significant other did not do it quite the way they were hoping, did not get them quite the sort of chocolates they were expecting, and in some cases, did not care enough to remember. A disgusting February event.

But oh how I do love it.
I look forward to it all through January.
A magical day of absolute romantic exaggeration.
The world needs more of that.

My day began with a delicious home cooked surprise Valentines breakfast from the man, seated neatly at the dining room table, an array of breakfast delights in front of him, presents strewn carefully across the centre of the table. O sweet romantic boy.

He got me a book I've been wanting for a long time from Chapters, and a beautiful, delicate pink rose, just into the stage when a flower begins falling asleep, its petals lightly dusted with the gold of old age, its head beginning to turn toward it's mother earth, its leafy arms no longer outstretched begging for love, but resting, waiting for it. He knows me far too well, what a beautiful flower.


We decided that each and every day was Valentines for us, and that we were so fortunate and so blessed to have one another in our lives, that we wanted to reach out to those who may be having a less than merry time on this Valentines Day. We decided that we didn't need an entire day to ourselves, and that we would give our evening to a greater cause. So we called up a couple of his single friends and had them over for a little Valentines party of our own, because the day is about love, and not just romantic love. It's about love for our families, our children, our friends and neighbours, our teachers, our coworkers, the clerk who asks us if we found everything we were looking for today. And it's the perfect day to remember to show love to those around us in everything we do. So that's what we did.

When they came, I discovered that they had decided exactly the theme of our little party, and that it was to be the opposite of Valentines. Now, when you think what that may be, what's the first thing that comes to mind? Love/Hate. Red/Black. Romance/Ecnamor. Whatever the case may be, I doubt you thought of this one:

Zombies.

Naturally, that's what a couple of single guys think of when they think "the opposite of Valentines." So that's what we did. We played a board game called "Last Night on Earth" where the premise is to kill as many zombies as you can before the sun comes up and the virus spreads to the world. You get to be a character, adorned with particular weapons and abilities, all the while keeping watch on the chart mapping each hour until the sun rises. It actually turned out to be a lot of fun, the game even came with its own soundtrack, adding to the suspense and mood of it all.


We flipped through the pages of "The Zombie Survival Guide" and watched "Shaun of the Dead" and "Quarantine." We also spent some time playing "Dead Rising" on one of the guys' XBOXes. It really turned out to be a lot of fun, and by the end of the evening we were all so zombie'd out that we didn't even get a moment to consider that it was Valentines Day, we were having too much fun in bizarre, incredible fellowship together.

What better way to celebrate a day of love?
Though, I wonder now, if I will forever associate Valentines Day with the flesh eating undead.
Heck, don't we all.

2 comments:

Cheryl Penner said...

Very original. I like that.

I'm quite certain that Rob and I have had more of a vampire themed Valentine's Day at some point in time. A little "Lost Boys", a few red and black candles flickering around us, I donned the fabulous garlic necklace Rob gave to me...ahhh. Memories.

Lori said...

So, you spent Valentine's Day celebrating zombies. That's really appropriate. Zombies will always hold your hand, taste your lips, and steal your heart. (ha ha ha)
I spent it with four actual zombies. We ate chocolate. Lots and lots of chocolate. No. I don't mean a little chocolate. I'm talking full blown diabetes here.
And me and the zombies are invading your apartment this Saturday!!! I am so scared of driving there, you can't even imagine. Yikes I'm terrified. I'd honestly rather see a zombie than drive there. Am currently looking for any excuse to avoid it. I'm not kidding.
BTW...HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
How does it feel to be a non-teenager?
I can't wait to hear the details about your birthday bash...on second thought, maybe I'll just remain blissfully ignorant. Love you lots.