13th Anniversary Day

Some years, things don't work out as we hoped they would.

I don't think Valentines Day has ever been my favourite holiday, despite my having appreciated some of its trappings in past years. Rarely in the expected sense, though, because let's face it: Men in my life are almost as rare as candy is in Snape's life --- and, likewise, it's often by choice. I'm not one of those wuvvy-duvvy romantic people who falls in love just for the sake of falling in love; I'm as adverse to drama as some folks are drawn to it, and romantic partners I often find are more trouble than they're worth.

Thank goodness, then, that this day has other significance for me!

It starts with humor and self-love. So many people are just, well, ridiculous, including me. We cover up what are really very basic desires and motives with all this conplicated crap, to the point where life becomes a commentary in irony --- and thanks to our satiricists and cartoonists for capturing it so well, and to characters like Snape for elucidating the bullshit! If we can laugh at ourselves and life, and find ways to love the beauty and irony that does confront us, we're probably more likely to be happy, not to mention, stay sane.

And beauty there is  . . . plentifully so.

No, Valentines Day needn't be about smarmy gazes, pink anything, or even love for another person:

For me, this Valentines Day marks something else: The 13th anniversary of my moving to Portland. Did life go as I'd planned? Not exactly, but that's mostly because my life got a bit rerouted, the plan got blown out the window and lost, and I had to start somewhere. Then, survival usurped the rest. I still won't say I'm passionately in love with this city. Do I like it? Sure, and there are many worse places. Has it been, as they say, good for a fling? Yes, I admit, it has.

Where I go next remains to be seen!

As for human romance. . . .

We know where I stand on that right now. I'm open to whoever comes, provided he meets my qualifications. Until then? I'll just say, if you're a lover of Severus Snape, you needn't ever be truly alone, including on Valentines Day! Funny how, in a city of over 800,000, being autosexual still has so many perks.