Love, sweet love

2/14/2008 - It’s Valentine’s Day! Cheers to all you lovebirds out there. Well, this is a much better Valentine’s Day for me than last year, when I accidentally scratched my eyeball while taking my contacts out, had to go to the Emergency Room, spent the rest of the day on my couch wearing an eye patch and wasn’t able to wear my contacts again until St. Patrick’s Day. If you’re having a rotten Valentine’s Day, just remember, at least you’re not spending it wearing an eye patch; and if you are, I feel your pain.

Even though I have someone special to spend it with this year, I don’t really care all that much about it. Valentine’s Day has the tremendous ability to make you feel like a loser, whether you’re in a relationship or flying solo. If you don’t plan ahead, you may end up stopping at Rite Aid today to buy a heart-shaped box of chocolates and a stuffed bear holding a heart for your sweetheart, and then waiting at a restaurant for hours because you forgot to make reservations. What about those relationships where you’re only sort-of a couple? Giving a gift could make you seem clingy, but blowing it off might end things completely.

The greeting card industry lays the biggest guilt trip, of course, on singles. If you’re single today, it’s easy to get caught up in the idea that “If you don’t have a ‘valentine,’ you’re a loser,” and you’ll end up sulking around like Charlie Brown wondering why yet another holiday exists only to emphasize the fact that nobody likes you. I just read that after the Peanuts special “Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown” aired in 1975, kids all over America sent valentines to Charlie out of sympathy. So just remember: you’ll never be a bigger loser than Charlie Brown. That is the moral of this story.



VALENTINE’S DAY FESTIVITIES

n Tonight at Scharmann Theatre in Jamestown, the performance piece “Presentation of Love Letters,” sounds so sweet I just had to mention it. Starring Robert Schlick and Michelle Buhite, the pair read letters exchanged over a lifetime between the two people who grew up together and went their separate ways. The performance starts at 8 p.m. and tickets are $7, general admisson; $6 for seniors and area students; and $5 for JCC FSA members. For more information, call 338-1187.

n If you think Valentine’s Day sucks, celebrate it. The fifth annual “Kiss My A— Bash,” the anti-Valentine’s Day party, will be held at a new venue this year, the Clarion Hotel. The party is from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. for everyone 21 and up (singles and couples, too) and the $7 cover charge includes food, giveaways, drink specials, music by DJ Stray Kat and fun, of course. There’s a special room rate, $59.99 (plus tax), and you’ll get some complimentary champagne as well. Call 366-8350 to make a reservation.



WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS WEEKEND

A better question: what wasn’t scheduled for this weekend? You may find yourself double- and triple-booked — kind of like they always do on TV with dates, where they have two dates scheduled for the same night, at the same time, in the same restaurant.

n There are so many things happening in Mayville. The annual Mayville I.C.E. Festival is this weekend, held Saturday and Sunday at Lakeside Park (Route 394), with every kind of winter fun imaginable. Fireworks are at 8 p.m. on Saturday. See www.mayville-chautauquachamber.org for the complete schedule of events, or call 753-3113 for more info. Will there be an ice castle this year? It’s certainly been cold enough lately, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see…

Also in Mayville, all on Saturday: the “Icing on the Cake and Reuben Fest” is at Celebration Hall in the old Mayville School from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The “Snow Ball” will be held at Chautauqua Suites from 9 p.m. to midnight. The Lakeview Hotel will have some New Orleans jazz with music by Larry Dixon from 8 p.m. to midnight. The hotel will also have a beer tasting from noon to 8 p.m. Saturday.

n Evangola State Park’s Winter Fest is Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the park, with hayrides, contests and snowmobile rides. Food by Desperados Barbecue and Catering Company will be served in the Warm Up Room from 1 to 5 p.m. each day. For more info on the festival, visit www.evangolastatepark.com or call 549-1802.

n The Taste of Arts Weekend will be at the Clarion Marina and Conference Center in Dunkirk on Saturday and Sunday, with workshops by the county’s best artists and crafters, and a wine and beer tasting by Merritt Estate Winery and Ellicottville Brewing Company. If you’re interested in the workshops, register by calling 366-8350, stop by in person, or fax 366-8899. Find registration forms at www.clariondunkirk.com.

n The St. Elizabeth Ann Seton annual Ethnic Foods Festival is from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday at the parish hall (corner of Fourth and Washington in Dunkirk). Sample Polish, German, Italian, Spanish and American dishes. Admission is $7.50 for adults and $5 for children.

n The 1891 Fredonia Opera House will be showing the Oscar-nominated movie “Atonement” at 8 p.m. on Saturday as part of their Cinema Series. If you’re already overbooked this weekend, it will be shown again Tuesday, Feb. 19, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at the door for $7 (adults), $6.50 (seniors & Opera House members) and $5 (students & children) the night of each showing.


WHAT REALLY GRINDS MY GEARS

It seems like everyone around me is sick, and while I feel glad that I’m the only one who’s still well, it is inevitable that I too will fall victim to the cold that’s going around. As I listen to everyone sniffle and look generally miserable, it got me thinking about the three worst things about having a cold:

It seems to go on forever. I’ve had colds that have left me feeling miserable for nearly a month.

The inability to breathe out my nose makes it impossible for me to sleep, which in turn makes it extremely difficult to get well again. Thank goodness for Zicam, but you can only use it twice a day.

The common cold doesn’t have any street cred. Some underestimate a cold’s ability to completely rob you of your will to exist. I just think that the cold should get credit where credit is due. Sure, it’s not exactly typhoid fever or the plague, but it can leave you feeling almost as awful.



LOVE, SWEET LOVE

In honor of Valentine’s Day — five of the most romantic movies of all time, according to me:

“Gone With the Wind” — It doesn’t get anymore romantic than Rhett and Scarlett. Southern belles and gentlemen know romance better than anyone else.

“Casablanca” — Here’s looking at you, kid. Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman make one heck of a pair of star-crossed lovers.

“The Princess Bride” — A fairy-tale romance and comedy that definitely stands the test of time.

“When Harry Met Sally” — If you can get past the bad hair and the fact that Meg Ryan was way too good-looking for Billy Crystal.

“Titanic” — Everyone cried during this movie at least once in 1997. Love on a giant, sinking ship is the most tragic kind.