Not a real post

More of a Kudos to ILYT's post from Valentine's Day. I spent the day talking to people who were just NOT at all feeling Valentine's day and in fact said that they hated it.

Now perhaps its because my mom, like ILYT's, always made the day special and taught me to make it special for myself, but damn it! I was really sad for a lot of folks yesterday. I really can't wrap my head around it and to be honest I didn't try very hard since misery loves company. Instead, I shared my kisses with the office and smiled all day long.

Love and Be Loved

It's VALENTINE'S DAY!

I know, I know...so many of you don't get into VDay for one reason or another, but I'm all about it-with or without an actual valentine. We usually associate valentine's day with one type of love- eros. This is the type of love associated with sex and romanticism. The type of love that many focus on in terms of relationships with the opposite sex. While this is a huge part of VDay for some people, I think we should remember the other types of love that exist and use this day to celebrate those as well.

Agape. Christian love or love for mankind as exemplified by the love that God shows us. This is an unconditional, self-sacrificing love. One that is not self-seeking but seeks to please others. Its about doing something for other people. We live in such a self-seeking society that agape love often gets lost in the list of things that we will or wont do depending on how it makes us feel. Lets do something for someone else today-for the greater good. I bet you'll get warm fuzzies inside.

Storge. Affection and family love that is usually shown between parents and children. If you know me, you know how important family is to me. AND because VDAY is such a celebrated holiday in my family. I always celebrate this love. *Currently awaiting my package from mommy *(snow delay)

Phila. Brotherly love, love for friends. I honestly thank GOD for my close friends...pretty much every day. They each have a special role in my life and a little space for themselves carved out in my heart. VDAY can be a day to celebrate those people. To celebrate friendships new and old and to remind those people close to you of their importance.

So for all of you Valentine's day scrooges..I hope i've given you a reason to re-consider the greatness of Valentine's day. If not...maybe there's no hope for you. Either way, I'm off to enjoy my VDAY-wall climbing sounds like a good idea!

LOVE AND BE LOVED!

Single Girl Valentine's: ALL STAR WEEKEND 2010

Many people are digging their way out of the snow and getting ready for this weekend. Sunday is VALENTINE'S DAY! Now for some, this is single's awareness day, for others its a national trickin' holiday (via TGL blog), yet for others it is all about love and being loved!

...then there's the single (and not so single) crew that forgoes V-day booski celebrations to head to All-Star weekend every year. Yes, All Star ALWAYS falls on or around Valentine's day which serves as v-day plans for many guys and girls looking to celebrate in a "not so locked down" manner.

So many women flock to All Star weekend for more than partying. Many are going down to snag their baller (or entertainer) of choice. Gone girl...get your man. One problem though, every other chick is there for the same reason (yes I am generalizing). So that means there will be tons of lashes, weaves, caked on makeup, short dresses, and clear bottom heels trampling around Dallas. What's more is that All Star is kind of a man's playground so the chance of finding love on V-Day in Dallas is pretty slim. BUT, you're going! You already got your ticket, booked that hotel, and bought those couple outfits that you can't really afford but need in order to catch that baller's eye. So since you are going...here are a few tips based on my All-Star observations:

• NOT ALL TALL GUYS PLAY BALL- I know this is obvious right? Well don't get caught up wasting time on every tall guy thinking that he's some baller that maybe rides the bench. In some cases, this may be true, but remember this is a come-up weekend for some guys so they will be using their height to their advantage. This brings me to my next point...
• GOOGLE everyone! We all have iPhones (if you don't you should) or something of the sort. Not sure who that guy is? Looks kind of familiar but maybe "we all just look alike"? GOOGLE him. This is going off of the assumption that real names are given. I really think its more of a girl thing to make a "party name" so I would definitely judge a guy that did that. Anywho, Google helpful especially if there isn't anyone in your entourage that knows rosters and depth charts (not just NBA...remember this is a play weekend for all guys so you need to be able to recognize those NFL and MLB players too). Don't google the name immediately, thats not a good look!
• EVERYONE IS VIP- All-Star weekend is the perfect party weekend for everyone. This also is a weekend that guys save for so they can ball out. Think about it...when is a better time to meet and greet with the number of beautiful women that flock to one place (other than Super Bowl Weekend)? So they pull out all the stops. Buying tables, popping bottles...all that. The appearance of "money" at All-Star is just as good as actually having it since there will undoubtedly be some basic chicks there that don't know the difference. So my tip to you is don't go all crazy just for the VIP. If they invite you in..go..drink..converse (remember that CONVERSATE is not a word)...and keep it moving. Again, google should come into play here to let you know if you are wasting your time. But don't spend the whole night in the VIP with the group of 20 guys sharing 1 bottle. Chances are..they aren't the baller you were looking for.
• Daytime activities- This year All-Star is in Dallas and from what I understand, many things are spread out (this was not the case for All Star in Vegas which was a totally different situation). With that said, it is likely that there will not be a central daytime kickin it spot for everyone. BUT you can always count on the shopping malls being packed with celebs, ballers, baby ballers, and the like. That is something that always goes down at All-Star. Most likely it will be the Galleria in Dallas. Other than that, check out some of the daytime charity events or product parties if you can get a connect to get you on the list. If there's an indoor pool, that's probably a safe bet too as long as you are staying at a well-booked hotel. The weather is supposed to be cold in Dallas this weekend so don't get sick. No one is checkin for the girl with the disgusting cough and the dirty nose like Roscoe from Martin.
• HAVE FUN- don't take this weekend too seriously. Don't go down there trying to fight the next chick that looks at your baller...all of the ladies are looking at your baller! Go and be you and have a good time. If he likes it...he'll let you know. Otherwise...do you! There's enough people there to have a great time, enough guys to buy you drinks, and enough parties to hold you through winter. Like ILYT said to her LS...if it's not too crazy and you won't end up in jail...do it! Take a little risk, have some fun. Return to life on Monday...or Tuesday. But most of all keep it safe kids!