ts culture
Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2010
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the clackamas print 5
Day: Cupid enters capitalism
Hillary Cole Clackamas Print
F John
Simmons
e Clackamas Print
htine’s Day is once again
L For the couples out there,
pay to remember the one
ie and express your affec-
rough deeds and gifts. It’s a
hake special, to set aside to
r the one you love and the
nip you have.
m those without a signifi-
kValentine’s Day is noth-
Ireminder that they don’t
Lone at the time, a Single
bareness Day, as it were,
berly Miller, who is sin-
pe moment, said, “I’m so
[•Day falls on a Sunday
L so I don’t have to see that
When you’re with some-
I nice but not when you’re
Couples seem to shove it
face. Quite frankly, it’s
Kd.”
I over commercialized,”
eegan Hunt, who is also
pt’s either a way to make
or make people feel bad
pave a significant other.”
Even those with a partner are
not very enthralled with the holi­
day, most either doing nothing
special or choosing to spend a
quiet night at home.
“I think it’s overrated,” said
Erin Stutz, who has been dating
her boyfriend for quite some time.
“I don’t understand why people
have to set aside one day a year
to be romantic. If you’re a true
romantic, you’d celebrate any day
that you want, not just a holiday.”
Out of the couples interviewed,
only one had any sort of solid
plan.
“We’re going to a concert and
of course dinner,” said Beth Gross,
who has been with her fiancé,
Tristan Harris, for over a year.
They do not like the holiday,
saying it’s an easy way to buy
love.
“It gives boyfriends an excuse
to be douches for the rest of the
year and only be nice one day,”
said Gross.
Harris added that it’s just a
commercial holiday designed to
sell products. “It’s ridiculous,” he
said. “It’s another way for the man
to make money. If I could, I’d
shoot a cherub.”
Despite the commercialism,
the idea behind Valentine’s Day is
that we should celebrate love and
those we love and let them know
it The day does not have to be
a negative day for anyone, espe­
cially for those who are single.
If you’re single, you can spend
the day with a friend or relative
you don’t get to see much and
reconnect with them, or throw a
party for you and your other single
friends to make the day a fun one.
For those seeking ways to
make Valentine’s "Day into some­
thing more than a commercial
holiday, Hunt suggested avoiding
the cliche gifts like flowers and
candies.
“Do something simple,” he
suggested. “Low-key things are
best.”
What you do doesn’t have to be
special or showy, but you should
try to make the day mean some­
thing to you and your partner. Do
something you’ve never done, do
something you love, just do it with
the person you care about.
10 creative date ideas
1. Go on a costumed date. Dress up as a classic couple,
such as Fred and Wilma or Ken and Barbie, and try to act
like them the whole time.
2. Stay home and build a fort using blankets and fur­
niture, just like you did as a kid. Reminisce on childhood
memories and make some new ones.
3. Write a romance novel together outside at a cafe, ask­
ing strangers for assistance when you get hit with writer’s
block.
4. Dress up as best you can and go to an auto dealership.
Pretend to be married and interested in buying a new car so
you can test drive the most expensive vehicles they have.
5. Do the lamest tourist thing in your area that you have
both secretly wanted to do forever.
6. Go out to dinner in a town you’ve never been to, using
fake identities.
7. Walk around the city with sidewalk chalk and draw
hearts on any surface that you can. Feel free to write your
initials inside or anything else you feel is appropriate.
8. If you’re a theatrical couple, walk around the city and
perform short silent plays in front of security cameras.
9. Go to the place that you first met and reminisce about
your relationship and how far you’ve come.
10. Rent a movie neither of you have seen before. Mute
it and improvise the dialogue, complete with different char­
acter voices.
Top 10 horrible Valentine’s ideas
By Annemarie Schulte
Arts & Culture Editor
W as one of the best values and best baccalaureate colleges in
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1. Inform your significant
other that you have an STD.
Nothing says I love you like
chlamydia!
2. Break up with your boy­
friend or girlfriend ... over a
text message. Or a phone call.
Or simply tell your friend to
go tell them. Just find the
skeeziest way possible to tell
your main squeeze to go kick
rocks.
3. Buy your boyfriend or
girlfriend flowers they are
allergic to. Again, nothing
says “will you be my valen­
tine?” like hives and uncon­
trollable sneezing.
4. Get caught cheating ....
with the best friend. If you’re
going to do it, do it right.
Friend, mom, dad ... what­
ever you’re into. There’s no
time like Valentine’s Day to
get caught being unfaithful.
5. Completely forget about
it. I agree, mandatory affec­
tion is not affection. But if
your significant other really
wants the flowers and choco­
late, and you fail to come
through, chances are you’ll
be in the doghouse* for at
least the rest of the week.
6. Call your boyfriend or
girlfriend the wrong name. I
can hear it now: “I love you,
Meliss - I mean Lindsey.”
Too late buddy; consider
yourself single.
7. Accidently mix up the
cards for all your different
love interests. If you give the
card to Brandon, which was
meant for John, it generally
will take away the thought­
fulness and meaning of the
whole card business in the
first place.
8. File for divorce. “Happy
Valentine’s Day, I want a
divorce!” Hey, it’s unique. I
doubt they make cards that
say this though, so you may
actually have to express it
verbally. Wait, that’s unheard
of on Valentine’s Day. Oh
well, just find a card and
then pencil it in.
9. Violate your restrain­
ing order. Purposely come
within 600 feet of your girl­
friend’s or boyfriend’s work­
place and spend the holiday
in the slammer (where you’re
sure to find another “sweet­
heart”).
10. Have a public break­
down at your workplace
because you’re single and
you hate Valentine’s Day.
I’m talking full on sobbing,
breaking things and letting
the whole place know the
flowers on your desk are
from yourself.