Oh. I was thinking of the board game with the little colored pegs.

Considering wholesale prices for longstemmed roses can go as low as TWENTY-FIVE CENTS PER ROSE (usually grown in Columbia) and the florists charge $75-$100 for a dozen delivered, there is something seriously wrong with the marketing of roses for VD.

Not that I don't think roses are beautiful--I love them, I just hate that they've gotten such a huge mark up for the holiday.

Okay, I'm perennially single and my opinion maybe shouldn't mean much but I have to say if your relationship is ruined by Valentine's Day that maybe it wasn't meant to be in the first place.

As a couple's therapist, I couldn't agree MORE...but the pressure and social expectations are immense. I'm forEVER trying to get people to see beyond the commercialism and to either not get caught up in it, or to create loving traditions of their own. But the temptation to fall in behind everyone else is so great that, if I told every couple who struggle with this kind of thing that they maybe shouldn't be in a relationship...I'd have NO clients and/or many, many otherwise okay relationships would desolve.

People just go along to get along too much of the time.

Ever met a perfectly sane woman who turns into Bridezilla and wrecks friendships? We've told stories here about that many times. Cultural expectations and entitlements are HUGE. Like borg sort of irrestistable to many, many people.

Oooh, or I could make her a necklace with some of the tumbled stones I've collected.

I think this. It's a lovely idea, and she would think of you every time she wore it.

Considering wholesale prices for longstemmed roses can go as low as TWENTY-FIVE CENTS PER ROSE (usually grown in Columbia) and the florists charge $75-$100 for a dozen delivered, there is something seriously wrong with the marketing of roses for VD.

This is what I'm saying. Not to mention that the 'forcing' process causes the majority of growing energy to be spent on building those long stems which become so woody that florists use machines to cut them (which causes the embolism -air bubble in the stem- that makes the head drop over the next day) rather than hand cutting them under water...so they really are ruined from the start.

I used to try and sell nice Spring mixes...they are colorful, last much, MUCH longer and cost a third less. Oh NO. I literally had men say "That's not love," in response. Love...brought to you by FTD.

Happy Birthdays, Kristin and Maria!

there are usually cards on v-day sometimes flowers. andwedo dinner,sometimes in ,sometimes out. For us it has becme an excuse not to do anything with other people. andwe need reasons t keep other people out.

happy birthday Kristin and Maria

I was hoping my valentine's day would include a massage, but I have to wait a week for that. Still, I am valentining myself with ice cream and chocolate.

WindSparrow, the tumbled stone necklace idea is quite lovely. I would cherish something like that.

Okay, I'm perennially single and my opinion maybe shouldn't mean much but I have to say if your relationship is ruined by Valentine's Day that maybe it wasn't meant to be in the first place.

That is probably true, but Valentine's Day can bring to a head a string of resentments. If you're with a guy who doesn't remember birthdays or anniversaries, it's particularly annoying that he can't even bring home a card after every commercial and newspaper ad, plus cutesy stories on local news, have been hitting him with the giant Valentine's anvil.

I hate Valentine's Day.

We should be Masterminds. Yes we should. Anyone need something written?

More importantly, buon compleanno, Maria! Happy birthday, Kristin! (I hope Google was right and that's really happy birthday.)