How deep is your love?

Another year has passed and I see myself in a familiar position, staring at a blank canvas with the same thought in my head as years have gone by, "What a load of old shit!"

I, of course refer to arguably the worst day of the year to many a man of this self-described beautiful and sacred planet. Why is that we commit this one day to sharing our love, and asking ourselves, "Do I love my other half?". February 14th is, as many know, Valentines Day, and is quite frankly one of the worst days on my personal calendar. Isn't it ironic (thank you Finn) that the next most significant day on the calendar day is pancake day, a day in which I seem to eagerly anticipate more than the most over-rated day in history. The irony here is that I actually despise pancakes, and to an extent the word pancake. Why you ask? Well my answer is simple, to suggest the 'glorified' food based on its preparation is puzzling. Yes you do have a pan but it isn't a cake. It is a combination of milk, yeast and eggs. Why can't it be called "Pan-food" or "Pan-day"?





Besides the point, it is pancake day, and we love it just because it brings joy to the many single humans inhabiting this earthly vessel. It is what I call the recovery process from the depressing demise of two days before, and to "turn that frown upside down". To dedicate just one day of love and affection to your intimate companion is laughable. Surely, if in a loving and caring relationship, love and affection should be present at all times, so why feel the need to celebrate it, and waste 24 hours of my life, and millions of people's lives boasting about how great or poor your lives are with your other half by your side. In deep conversation with my dear friend and flatmate, Mr Finn Nickells, he questionned the relevance of a place such as Tesco in Winchester as to why a gentle and social stroll to the supermarket should be turned into the gloomiest experience of the year? Seeing lovehearts, bears, red or pink cards, along with many other pathetic little features sprawled along the first aisle along entering the shop annoys him. To a huge extent, I can do nothing but agree.

I guess the point is Valentines day is a load of over-grown folly. I know many people who claim to "love and adore" their partners, but they don't. I know they don't, and any of your reading this now know you do not. I know for sure that any girls from my course reading will be thinking, "He's getting a slap on Monday", yet some of the lads will be thinking, "This man is a complete genius!"
To the girls, I respond with "Bring it", and to the lads I reply, "Well it's true though"

My inspiration to summon the power of this blog post didn't really take much convincing. In fact at the point of decision-making, I was consuming an apple and reminiscing over a particular event which lightly humoured me just hours before. Wandering the streets of Winchester like a lost sheep, an elderly man slowly bristled up to a flower stall browsing roses for tomorrow's event. He enquired as to the price of this bunch of roses, and when given the stern response of £25 he quickly turned and exited the 'playing field' along with saying, "£25?! She's not worth that at all!"
What a man! A man who has most probably been married the majority of his lifetime does not see his other half as an expensive item. If there is no hope in that, then what hope is there for the young people of our society believing they are in love after one week, and when the going gets tough, they don't know who to turn to.

When it comes to relationships, I'm hardly one for experience, however I manage to offer the reality check they need. Without sounding too big-headed, quite a lot of people at university and back home have come to me for 'relationship or emotional advice'. To which I reply: "Why me?" or "So the cracks are showing then?"
It's more expectation for me. People know I talk sense which is why they come and talk to me, yet when everything is running smoothly, shall we say I'm not number one priority in their, morelike (in the words of singer Daisy Dares You), I am "Number One Enemy", yes this is a reference to you Mr Nickells.
Despite my negative attitude to the belief of Valentines Day, I am never horrible and I do offer great advice, because regardless of how irrelevant I think Valentines and the whole relationship concept is, I wouldn't want to see the happiness of my friends or family thwarted for anything. I offer what I feel is right for their current situation.

The question. Why should our 'never-ending love' for our soul mate be celebrated on one day? If love is so convincing, then why is celebrated and remembered on just one day of the year, and why not 365 days of the year? The answer. Love is an over-used word. Couples who claim to be in love usually are not, use it for effect and use it to convince themselves that they are happy because they are afraid of changing or making the change themselves.

If I was to ask men now on the street, without the presence of their couples, along with single men, "Would you prefer to be playing Fifa/Call of Duty on Valentines Day, or spending it with your Missus?", the majority would have to resort to the PS3 controllers. What happens then? The girls banish them for their bad attitude to the relationship, or ignore it and declare their love for their boyfriend who quite frankly doesn't give a toss.
Valentines Day is a day for couple, and within all my power I can do nothing to stop it. It's for you to do as you choose, one small favour I ask in return is that you don't rub it in the noses of the single people you know well, because when worst comes to the worst and trouble begins in paradise who is it the taken people resort to for emotional support. My point exactly. If Valentines Day is about giving, taking and sharing affection and care, then give us our time as single creatures, the way we give you your time expressing your affection for the one you 'love'.
Am I bitter? Am I jealous? Certainly not. I question the day's relevance to life, and I am often confused by the attitude of people in relationships to the their 'single' friends who are always there. People change when in relationships, and on Valentines Day, the people who care about you most, become nothing but a bit of dust in an empty turtle shell.

Many Thanks for reading

G-Man