Valentine - Be Mine

Songs that run the gamut of feelings for this most unholy of seasons called Valentine's Day.


Sweet...
Peter Gabriel - "In Your Eyes" (This song ends worlds for me. It deserves to be listened to with the volume at max capacity.)


Gary Lightbody & Lisa Hannigan - "Some Surprise"


John Lennon - "Real Love (Acoustic)"


Michael W. Smith - "Give It Away" (My phone's killer ringtone. Love it.)


Fruit Bats - "When U Love Somebody"


Greg Brown - "Hey Baby Hey"



Longing...
Josh Ritter - "Wait For Love"


Queen - "Somebody To Love"



Sour...
Paul Simon - "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover"


Travis - "Some Sad Song"


Al Greene - "Tired of Being Alone"




Random Goodness...
Huey Lewis & The News - "The Power of Love"

Singleville - Population: 1

When single, it seems like couples and their nauseating presence are magnified by 100 and shoved right up in your face to make sure you're aware that they're in a relationship and your pathetic ass isn't. I truly believe that women are the main culprits in making sure all of this "awareness" is carried out. (and it's just another reason of many of why I despise the female species. Stories for another time...).
It's the squeals, shrieks, and ring flashing of the just-engaged woman that from then on demands all of the attention and all of the bright lights be thrown on her until we slam that limo door shut and off into her future of nagging and general bitchiness she and her hubby go.
Another irritation is in church where the woman sidles up to the man and either does that trying-so-hard-to-be-cute sigh while putting her head on his shoulder or she will rub his shoulders and back for what seems like a hellacious eternity. Fun story: My friend actually got so fed up with it one Sunday that she tapped the girl's shoulder and asked that they stop because it was very distracting. Yeah, that friend was my hero. Sad Story: She's currently married and is now guilty of the rubbing. No longer a hero.
My favorite has to be the glares that will sometimes be thrown my way or at other single girls for what I assume is meant to keep us from going after "their man". As if we would want their tired, trampled-down, doormat men in the first place. No thanks, I prefer a man with a pair, plus I just really don't feel like cleaning up the wreckage they caused.

It probably sounds like I'm bitter and I'll admit that I fall into that mood occasionally. But I think it's for good reason as singles are a vastly underappreciated and overlooked group of people in terms of how couples perceive us. Like an adult who will forget how it is to be a kid or teen, I think it's very similar to a single person going to couple status. From my own experience, it seems like all the parties and events I attend that are hosted by a couple are saturated with 95% more couples than singles and the only single guys there are either that 35 year old who pathetically and uncomfortably flirts with the 20 year old girl or the 13 year old brother of the host who quickly vanishes to his room to play his Wii (I so very much want that system, by the way). I get that couples are more likely to be friends with other couples but all I ask is that the ratio of singles to couples invited is semi-even.

Don't get me wrong, I do love being single, with the reasons being freedom, freedom, and... oh yeah, freedom. But once in awhile the low times will creep in where I have my own Bridget Jones moment. Instead of singing "All By Myself", I choose Phil Collin's "In The Air Tonight" and/or "We Fly So Close" (They're both so good in the melodramatically sad department how could I pick just one?). Thankfully, those moments pass quickly.

I think my main point, other than to vent, is this - be kind to singles, those of you in relationships. The mocking and jokes will correlate according to your actions towards us. Just a fair warning.

Ray LaMontagne - "One Lonesome Saddle"

Just A Love Machine

My parents are currently on Operation: Get-Andrea-A-Nice-Romanian-Boy and the train has just started rolling from the station. A few weeks ago I made an innocent comment to my dad on how he is so negative about guys I like and I asked him where are all the men that he has in mind for me that he would be so disapproving of my own choices. Bad, bad move. My parents have now whole-heartedly embraced this unintended challenge and apparently have been plotting ways to get me a love connection with a Romanian. Today I discovered their first planned assault, where they've organized a little shindig for this coming Sunday. At first, I wasn't certain what to make of the whole party so I tested the waters by throwing out that I had already made plans on Sunday and that I couldn't make it. The panicked look on my mom's face and her asking if I could postpone my plans until later set off all the alarms. After some intense staring on my part (Larry David would be very proud) and saying, "Mom", she broke down and admitted that she and my dad had invited 4 families over to our house as a diversion to the real point of my interacting with this one specific guy. The worst part of it all is that I know him. I spent a lot of my childhood as a tomboy following my brothers and this guy and his brother around. What I learned from the years spent with them is that I had a huge forehead that needed frequent waxing to maintain it's large shine, I was annoying as hell and they made sure to tell me that with every chance they got, and that it was just good clean fun to knock over the toys and stuffed animals in my room all the while filming the scene and my reaction. I know, all of that was a long time ago and he's most likely matured and could be a stud now, maybe even the greatest thing since Michael W. Smith. Maybe. Stay tuned... (Wow, did I just slightly acquiesce to the possibility that this guy might have a fighting chance? Man, I am such a waffling wimp.)

Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - Love Machine