Valentine's Day is next week. If you're single, you can blow it off, you can complain about it (although consider the Oatmeal's point before you do so), or you can go out and enjoy yourself. But if you do go out and enjoy yourself, there are three things you need to trust in order to enjoy yourself.
#1) Your Gut
If a guy seem sleazy, or if something seems off about it, he probably is sleazy or there is something off about him. This isn't to say that on February 14th, the bars will fill with jerks: there are plenty of single guys who will go out on Valentine's Day because, hey, who knows, right? Back in the day, I was one of them; I didn't listen to my gut, I went home with a girl I shouldn't have, and I woke up to screaming, since she'd broken up with her boyfriend but hadn't bothered to actually inform him of this fact.
So, really, it's like any other Friday or Saturday night: there are the guys who are worth taking home, and there are the guys who aren't. Trust yourself to know which is which. But failing that...
#2) Your Friends
It goes without saying that if you're going to go out, you're bringing some friends, mostly to have somebody to talk to, right? Right.
So listen to them. Yeah, getting blocked can be annoying, but it's your job, as a friend, to keep your other friends from making bad decisions. Your friends are in your corner, so make use of them.
#3) Your Bartender
National "holiday" or not (and shouldn't we have this off if it's a weekday?), February 15th is a workday, and we all have to go to our jobs. So, if the bartender politely suggests you leave the rum out of the rum and Coke, listen to him.
This is personal experience talking here: you really don't want to be the one with the hangover in the office the next day. Everybody will assume you're groggy because you got lucky, and they will joke about it until you either vomit or deck them. I went with the "both" option.
How about you, readers? Any tips for a single Valentine's?
If you didn't listen to the bartender, don't send drunken text messages or voice mails to your ex... It will be embarrassing to realize what you said to him in the morning... whoopsy.
right. don't drink and dial. i think on valentines day any single gal that goes out and gets drunkity drunk should be using a taxicab, and handing over the cell phone to her bestie for a 24 hour lockdown.
I've always wondered why 'Vday' was so important to some people. Having lived abroad for a few years in a country where Feb 14th is the same as the 13th or 15th I forgot how publicized this "holiday" is!
Single or not, what's so special!? Wouldn't you rather be treated specially all days of the year rather than just on Vday since it's socially demanded!?
Personally, I avoid all hallmark holidays: Vday, mother's/father's day... etc... I'd rather do something special for someone when I want to (which could be more than once a year) over doing something special ON Vday (or other) when everything is completely overpriced anyway.
orrrr.....stay IN and enjoy yourself. if you've ever spent valentines day with the WRONG person, you can definitely appreciate the value that comes with not being with someone on valentine's day. just think what you are missing out on, all the fights for forgetting "the day" or the complaints for eating chocolate when that's not aligned with your resolutions, or the hurt and disappointment that will wreak havoc all over the world next week when high expectations are not met for those in "happy" relationships. yes, i might be a little cynical, but am i wrong? the three things i trust when i am alone on this day are, 1.) my king size bed that i can sleep in diagonally, 2.) my box of chocolate covered cherries i will happily spend too much money on, because i'm worth it, and 3.) my "single and fabulous" Tshirt. no heartache, no disappointment, and the only complaints i am getting over the fact that i am eating chocolate in bed will be from the kitten who doesn't know how to call me fat, and even then he will only be bitching because i won't share. i'll be the one the gf's will be calling all the next day to complain about what HE didn't do. it's all in the perspective you choose. if you think valentines day is going to suck, well then...it probably will, and, since you are single, who's to blame there? spoil yourself, because you are worth it.
The Oatmeal reference FTW. That comic sums up my feelings perfectly
In my country on 14th February we celebrate st.Triphun, drinking holiday everybody get together and drinks no matter single or coupled