Valentine's Day

I couldn't let it slide by without commenting. My ultimate belief is that the holiday is definitely contrite, cliche and obnoxious; but on the terms that it shouldn't be forced upon men (or women) to put together some obvious display of affection. What about the other 364 days of the year? Do you just disregard your significant other on those days and save it all up for this one 24-hour period? I mean, really, if you think about it, this day can certainly make or break a relationship if you put too much emphasis on it. Typically, the poor guy is the one to make all the plans and figure out just what his beloved girlfriend or wife wants in a 'perfect' Valentine's Day. Not fair. I worked as a server in restaurants for almost 10 years and saw more V-Days gone wrong with the couple bickering over the wine, the food, the late reservation, the flowers, the outfit, you name it than sweet ones. It is true, I am single on this Valentine's Day '09, but, although I'm a 25-year old woman who would typically be thought of as bitter and remorseful, I'm enjoying the fact that I'm single by choice. I don't have to meet a societal standard by being with someone just so I don't have to be alone. I refuse to be upset by the high-pressure. Don't get me wrong, I like flowers and a nice dinner with a great bottle of wine just as much as the next girl, but if the guy is only doing it because it's expected, doesn't that at least take a portion of the fun out of it?? I am a hopeless romantic, who believes that expressions of admiration should be done for love's sake, not because the card companies, restaurant industry, and countless other monetary reasons come into play. Truth be told, if I were in a relationship that warranted spending this "holiday" with someone I cared about, I'd being doing a very similar thing with him as what I'm currently doing (minus the blogging, I hope): spending a nice evening in, with rented movies, a couple great bottles of wine, and making my own meal. I do want a relationship with someone who means something to me, but not just so I could be showered with gifts on a pre-ordained day. It's the little things that matter as sometimes the grand gestures fall short of most women's movie-generated fantasies.

A beginning

"Why Colorado?" I'm constantly asked. "Why not?" is my simple response. I live in the middle of the Midwest, and all that entails. I feel that there is such a lack of open-mindedness, curiousity, and zest here that I'm beginning to sense an essence of suffocation and stagnation. I've lived in this general vicinity (changing only for school, a guy and a job; and unfortunately, in that order) my whole life, but never felt that I've 'fit' here. I'm liberal - a major strike, adventurous - seemingly a rarity here, and, at 25, remain unmarried with no children - almost a death sentence. As my friends pair off and procreate, I wonder that I'll be the old maid English teacher forever. Not that I don't love my job. I find joy on a daily basis from what I do: interacting with the future, while showing them the boundless possibilities in literature (which they seldom recognize at this point in their lives) is, in and of itself, a rewarding experience. But I'm plagued by this itch that I've got to get out to find my 'purpose'. So, I'm (hopefully) striking out to graduate school to pursue two Master's degrees at a major university in Colorado. As I anticipate and eventually undergo this move, I hope to chronicle the events here to possibly sort out the ultimate explanation for why I've made this decision. At this point, the definition remains to be that I love the aspect of Colorado in general; the people, the scenery, the mentality of the 'green' lifestyle, the accessibility to the outdoors; and also that I can't wait to be a student again to devote time to research, reading, and furthering those academic pursuits. I've always been a person unafraid of change. The ability to throw caution the wind and embrace change has always been an unusual quirk of mine. So, on this, an uneventful and unaccompanied Valentine's Day of 2009, I begin my quest for a new search. Also, still waiting on a response as to whether or not I actually got accepted into said grad school, so we'll see about that won't we?