Countdown to V-Day

The pressure's on. Last year on Valentine's Day I was speeding through the snow-dusted landscape of Croatia with Michelle and Marissa, on our way to Ljubljana [see right]. The year before I was in London, hosting a wonderful Valentine's Day party with my American flatmates for our British friends. Prior to that I was still in college, enjoying hot chocolate with my roommates while waiting for our boyfriends to come shower us with flowers and chocolate.

This year, nothing. Nothing but an entire city crazed by finding a valentine. My European networking group is hosting a "cupids & cocktails" night this Thursday, and I've already been invited to not one, but two Valentine's/lonely hearts parties the weekend prior to The Big Day. Monday the 13th I'm going to a "Mix'n'Match" party at the W Hotel, compliments of the radio dating show I participated in a month ago. Then it's upstairs for chocolate truffles and martinis with friends. As both events are free and involve food and drink, I'm looking forward to attending. Yet running around trying to find a match before the 14th? Yeah, not so keen on that.

Last night my friend's boyfriend suggested we get a group to go out to dinner on Valentine's Day. At first, I jumped at the idea. What better way to spend the night than with friends, instead of at home eating a tube of raw cookie dough in front of a movie? (Mmmm...salmonella.) Immediately, though, I reconsidered: do I really want to be at a restaraunt filled with lovey-dovey couples feeding one another bites of food? Disgusting at the best of times; absolutely revolting on Valentine's Day. I'm slightly heterophobic most of the time anyway--do I want to put myself in a situation where I'm forced to watch people holding hands through dinner? With my luck, we'll get a proposal halfway through dinner, and then where would I be? (Okay, yeah--I know the answer, too: perpetually single just like always. Thanks for reminding me.)

That's it. I'm going to have to round up my 1 or 2 single girlfriends [edit for Rory: or guy friends] here in the city and have a movie/martini/manicure night. Raw cookie dough is on me!