fVaCentine’s Day is on tfie way.
(hfere comes Vafentine’s (Day, anticipated by coupfes and dreaded by many more. Wfietfier you’re cefebrating Cupid’s “Day with your extra-speciaC other haCj,
with friends, or by your sweet seif, the (Beacon is presenting some great ways to make Cov- uh, we mean, make party - for Tebruary 14■
by RebeccaWeindotf
| romance editor-in-chief
| Think Ualentine’s Day is just
I a Hallmark holiday? Dot exactly. Although
I Hallmark does have a hand In promoting
I February 14 through heart-drenched, red-
I colored, sweet-talking advertising, it is still
| a celebration of St. Ualentine and - uihat
| else? - love. If you’ve got a lover to share it
I with, then check out possibilities for you and
■ your partner to share on February 14 - and
■ perhaps through the rest of the Ualentine
■ weekend.
! This is the chance to, well, just to show
J how much you tove your partner, and
\ hopefully make it a habit for the rest of the
■ year, too. Depending on how much (or how
% VftWe\yeu\unrtUo cddKdt,ttint ace plenty
I of suggestions to make U-Day memorable for
I both of you.
I
| *Just get the flowers. Whatever he or
| she wants (guys like flowers, too - I
■ promise). If she wants daisies or
■ chrysanthemums or even lilies, then go look
! for them. If he wants different blooms, then
j start hunting. They don’t always have to be
J red roses (and plus, you’ll save on cash if you
2 avoid the traditional long-stemmed blooms).
’lnvest in some Godiva chocolate,
whether It’s In boxed or frozen form. Godiva
sells some killer chocolate-raspberry truffle
ice cream, along with other yummy flavors.
And if you’ll be eating the frozen goods on a
chilly night, make sure to wrap up in a sweet
red fleece blanket with your honey.
♦Stay In and enjoy uihat life has to
offer Inside four private walls. Remember
your favorite CDs, some edible body paint, a
little bubble bath, a bottle of bubbly, and two
champagne glasses. Only have Styrofoam
cups? Then use ‘em. no use in investing
hard-earned cash for champagne flutes for
one night. Oh, and remember to purchase
any products necessary in order to prevent
lrprlses at the
j. need a spot
ash? if you’re
iking at rooms,
Iter reserve
jow - they’re
filling up
quickly.
have a great time, make your dinner ■
reservations, like, now. most places In Erie will j
take reservations, but the Olive Garden does not. J
Start calling around to ensure that your romantic |
tete-a-tete will be less stressful - and hopefully j
end that way, too. j
♦Got a honey out of town? Start making up I
that romantic care package for your out-of-town I
partner if he or she can’t make it home for the |
holiday. Include your normal sweets and love j
note, but also send some framed photos ofj
yourself and maybe a thoughtful gift of a favorite |
CD or preferred cologne. ■
♦lf you miss the days of writing love {
notes to each other, invest in a quality Barnes J
and Dobte heart-laden Journal and start writing ■
to each other. Who Knows? M you really httft*
off, both of you will look back at the thing and ■
laugh at your puppy love. If It doesn’t work out, I
you can burn the whole thing and not worry I
about little sheets of paper with your lusty |
intentions floating around campus. |
♦lf you’re single, but you’ve been eyeing |
someone for the past few months, just ask him |
or her to go out. Even if it’s a friendly event, at ■
least you’ll have a new friend, or a new!
companion, to discuss how depressed you used!
to be on Ualentine’s Day - or how your new J
companion puts a little sparkle in your eye. J
♦Pop the question. Any question. A few I
suggestions: “Ulant to go out this weekend?” I
“manna get drunk tonight and forget about I
love?” “Will you marry me?" Okay, the last one |
is completely, fully cliche, but If you need a damn |
good reason to do It (and your significant other j
is getting pretty impatient waiting), this is the j
best one I can think of. ■
♦lf you want a cheap way to celebrate -
with all your buddies, host a party with your ■
significant other and invite couples and singles j
alike to hook up, snack on conversation hearts {
and play a few rounds of Twister. To keep I
everyone’s budget In check, ask your guests to I
bring an appetizer along, whether it be In solid I
or liquid form - and keep within the boundaries |
of Pennsylvania law when serving them. |
♦not traditional when it comes t0...we11, |
anything? Save U-day for the weekend and ■
go on a day-long road trip...or with overnight ■
accommodations at a swank and trendy hotel.!
Try niagara Falls, a mere 1.5 hours away - room!
rates are usually reasonable and, aside from Its J
tourist trap features lining the roads, you can get j
to the Falls, Casino niagara, and numerous dance j
clubs by foot. |
maybe you
>t to stay
valentine’s
want to braue
ifflc in order to
- Seacxm Si
At left: Joel
Quiggle, a book
store employee,
painted this win
dow in front of the
Behrend Book
store in the Reed
Building, in honor
of Valentine’s
Day. Although
plenty of students
are not sure
they’re ready to
celebrate true
love, it’s an ex
cuse to bust out
the chocolates.
Super Bowl Sunday has passed. For the next
week or so, all you are going to hear about is this
day in which Cupid, the miniature angel wearing
nothing but a loincloth, pierced someone’s heart
with his arrow of love. Valentine’s Day makes its
way around every February 14, bringing along
with it hearts and flowers, candy and cards.
Everyone runs around proclaiming their love and
pledging their eternal allegiance to one another.
Well, almost everyone.
“It doesn’t really bother me being single on
Valentine’s Day,” said Allison O’Donnell, a
sophomore at University Park. “It’s so much
easier being single right now and not having to
worry about someone else that one day. The only
thing that does bother me is all the freaking pink
and red lovey dovey [stuff] everywhere you look.
It’s like Cupid threw up.”
Yes, Valentine’s Day is a day of love, romance
and passion, but that doesn’t mean that singles
can’t make the day memorable. You don’t need a
hot and heavy relationship to enjoy a great day; all
you need is the right attitude.
• Call up your other single friends and have a
blast together, go out for drinks or dinner. Who
ever said that you need a partner to have a good
• Throw a party and invite all your single
friends for a bash at your place. You always have
the potential to meet someone new.
• Veg out if you have had a rough day and just
feel like kicking back. Get your favorite foods
In fashion for 2002
New sayings this year:
vl^ivA
Su/iuiuiwf the Mo*UU Jlove
-Nicole Charsar
(LOOK
TCOOD
Top photo: Walking through the
Reed Union Building will give
you enough hearts and love to
make your heart swell - or burst.
Here, the RUB desk is decked out
for February 14 with red and
white decor and plenty of Valen
tine mylar balloons for sale.
Bottom photo: Displays like this
at the RUB desk advertise spe
cials on purchasing both latex and
mylar Valentine’s Day balloons
for that special someone.
and those movies you have been dying to
watch.
• Treat yourself with maybe a new outfit or
pair of shoes. Do something that will make
you feel good.
• Meet somebody new in the personals or
maybe someone who has already caught your
eye who you were too shy to talk to.
The holiday actually originated in fifth
century Rome as a tribute to St. Valentine, a
Catholic bishop. For 800 years prior to the
establishment of Valentine’s Day, the Romans
had practiced a pagan celebration in mid-
February commemorating young men’s rite of
passage to the god Lupercus. The celebration
featured a lottery in which young men would
draw the names of teenage girls from a box.
The girl assigned to each young man in that
manner would be his sexual companion
during the remaining year.
Justin Blair, a Behrend junior, comically
voiced his opinions on the holiday.
“Well, I think its a prefabricated holiday,”
he said. “But,” he added with a raised eye-
brow and a sly grin, “since the ladies like it, I
play along, for the, you know, physical
rewards. But seriously, you shouldn’t need a
certain day to show someone you care. Do
something nice every day.”
Most importantly, love yourself. If all else
fails and you see yourself falling into the
Valentine’s Day blues, it’s a great excuse to
eat all that luscious chocolate yourself.
■f-.■*-
impany, NECCO,
Valentine’s Day.
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