Valentine’s Day

It’s Tuesday night and I’ve just been for a walk down the street to the supermarket. I bought some tomatoes, some cucumbers, some bananas, some apples, some nectarines, some canned tuna, and some soda water.. total $12.85… oh and a bottle of wine.

It probably says a lot about me that an episode of “The Simpsons” comes instantly to mind. Am I a real life Comic Book man, someone bordering on being a Star Trek or Monty Python-style nerd who can relate many of life’s incidents back to a television series? Yeh, I know, get over it, just tell the story. It’s the episode where After a disastrous party at the Princes’, Edna Krabappel and Seymour Skinner find true love at last: with each other. But when Bart finds out, he becomes embroiled in their attempts to keep their clandestine affair secret. In reflecting upon her life, Edna observes “I don’t entertain much. Usually it’s just soup for one, salad for one, wine for three.” Time for a glass of wine…

Actually, until I went to the supermarket, I’d forgotten it was Valentine’s Day. Gosh it’s busy for a Tuesday night, I thought, and all the restaurants seem booked out. And with all those red balloons, there must be a birthday party at Yai. And there’s a group of young people looking for somewhere for dinner in an already crowded Crown Street… “What’s that place there…? The Post Office? Yeh, it’s a Post Office.” And then of course it dawned on me, it’s Valentine’s Day.

And here was I heading off to buy some groceries.

Still it’s not been a Valentine’s Day without incident: my niece sent me a text message tonight. I also had a couple of phone calls at work where colleagues wished me a Happy Valentine’s Day.

And I had that terrific text message exchange with a friend earlier today…

FRIEND: Happy valentines, you big skank!
JAMES: You’re the big skank!
FRIEND: You have a point there.
Followed by “Can you Google the address of gay bars in Cairns for me?”.

So upon reflection, yes, it has been been a Valentine’s Day without incident.

CUE: Music
“My Funny Valentine”
Writer(s): Rodgers/Hart
My funny Valentine
Sweet comic Valentine
You make me smile with my heart
Your looks are laughable
Unphotographable
Yet you’re my favourite work of art
Is your figure less than Greek
Is your mouth a little weak
When you open it to speak
Are you smart?
But don’t change a hair for me
Not if you care for me
Stay little Valentine stay
Each day is Valentine’s day
Is your figure less than Greek
Is your mouth a little weak
When you open it to speak
Are you smart?
But don’t you change one hair for me
Not if you care for me
Stay little Valentine stay
Each day is Valentine’s day