Valentine's lovers and haters can both enjoy day
LAURA KELLY
Associate Scene Editor
For those lucky lovebirds who have someone special in their life, the question of how to spend this Valentine's Day looms large. New couples puzzle over how to surprise each other, while those in serious relationships rely on tried-and-true ways to express their love.
No matter how young or how weathered the relationship, there are always creative ways to spend the holiday, often without spending much money or doing extensive planning.
Thus, here are the top 10 ways to spend Valentine's Day when you have a significant other:
10. Go out to dinner. The classic romantic fall-back: soft candlelight, gentle music and the two of you slurping on spaghetti a la "Lady and the Tramp." Taking that special someone in your life out for an elegant meal is always a sure way to win brownie points and show off your good taste.
Try Italian or French cuisine for this holiday of love, as the Europeans are notorious Casanovas. Many area restaurants offer Valentine's Day specials, but be sure to call ahead for reservations as you don't want your plans of wining and dining to fall through at the last moment.
9. Cook dinner. For those who are a little low in the funds department and are looking for other creative ways to treat the ones they love, try cooking your own meal. No excuses here — you can flex many of the ingredients for a gourmet meal at the good ol' Huddle, and dorm kitchens are available everywhere.
Find a good cookbook, whip up something quick and easy and your love is sure to be impressed. This goes for both genders — food may be the way to a man's heart, but any woman will also be swept off her feet by her man's attempts to cook. If you don't have the time to devote to a full meal, go for the classic SYR batch of cookies or brownies. The thought is what counts.
8. Spend a night at the movies. Hollywood has once again attempted to provide some decent Valentine's fare for lovebirds across America. South Bend's own Showplace 16 and Movies 14 are offering several holiday-appropriate flicks. For those looking for a fun or romantic first date, try the awkwardness of first love in "Save the Last Dance" or the French seduction of "Chocolat."
If you are up for a good scare or just want your girl to leap into your arms with fright, check out the aptly named "Valentine" to see some holiday horror. And if your relationship is well along in years and you're looking to take it to the next level, "The Wedding Planner" may be a way to subtly broach the subject.
7. Play for a day. Everyone misses the carefree days of the playground, especially those of us buried under piles of homework and the stresses of school. Why not spend this Valentine's Day the way you would have in third grade? Take your boyfriend or girlfriend on a trip back in time.
Find a local playground, race on the monkey bars and try to swing the highest. Indulge your inner six year-old and visit Chuck E Cheese — play skee-ball and take a jump in the ball pit. Lace up a pair of roller or ice skates and hold hands during the Snowball Skate. Laugh at how you would have teased each other if you had gone to grade school together.
6. Take a day trip. Two destinations within reasonable travel distance are Chicago and the Indiana or Michigan dunes.
The South Shore provides regular and affordable service to downtown Chicago, where you can see a show or just window shop down Michigan Avenue.
While Feb. 14 may not provide perfect beach weather, two lovebirds can still stroll down the beach or sit and watch the waves roll in. A quick romantic getaway might just be worth skipping a day of classes.
5. Surprise! Whether or not they will admit it, almost everyone loves to be surprised. And holidays like Valentine's provide perfect opportunities to catch that certain someone off guard. Several local companies provide singing telegrams, a public embarrassment perfect for the dining hall or a large Debartolo classroom. For those who like to splurge, the Aerial Ads Banner Towing Company will fly your message of love over campus for a nominal fee.
A smaller-scale surprise is easy to scheme up if you or a good friend can sing or have any portable musical talent (pianos are difficult to push across the quad). The classic serenade to a bedroom window has melted many a heart, and is sure not to fail, even if the eager warbler is slightly tone-deaf.
4. Go for a walk. While South Bend may be lacking sandy beaches to amble down, there's nothing simpler or more romantic than a long walk together. When was the last time you strolled around the lake and just talked (or maybe more importantly, listened)? For those who are itching to get off campus, borrow a car, pop in a good CD and go for a long drive. Indiana's endless stretches of cornfields are perfect to get lost in.
3. Indulge your laziness. Everyone needs a day off during the dreary winter months. Why not play hooky with your favorite partner in crime? Call in sick to work, e-mail your professors with lame excuses and spend a lazy day relaxing. Go to the dining hall in your pajamas and share a big breakfast.
Rent a stack of movies from Block-buster or Hollywood and curl up on the couch. Most of all, don't let yourself worry about anything school-related — just enjoy hanging out together.
2. Make the most of South Bend. Valentine's Day is the perfect time to explore the native culture of our corner of Indiana. Stroll around the University Park Mall together: nothing screams "townie" like wearing matching outfits or walking with your hands in each other's back pockets.
Get glamour shots taken for that special someone or have your names air-brushed on T-shirts. To top it all off, a romantic day in the Bend wouldn't be complete without a splash in one of the heart-shaped jacuzzis advertised by motels on 31 — watch for Valentine's specials.
1. Just get it on. What better way to say you care? A full-blown make-out session is the perfect gift. It requires no planning, it's absolutely free and it's what you both wanted to do anything.
Plus, if you forget the big day, it's the perfect way to make up for it or pretend you did have a big surprise ready. So stop worrying about the perfect gift and just give a kiss. It's what this day is all about.
But what about the Valentine's Day haters? The vast majority of college students in particular are single, and many of these are vehemently opposed to the holiday.
These Valentine adversaries are quick to voice what they hate about Feb. 14.
It is a superficial Hallmark holiday. It singles out those without a significant other and makes them feel lacking. And overall, Valentine's does nothing but deliver a blow to self-esteem or disappoint those whose expectations aren't met.
So for those without Valentines this year, do not despair. There are still many ways to enjoy the holiday, whether you choose to pamper yourself or take out your bitterness on the happy couples around you.
10. Treat yourself to a day at the spa. You don't need someone else to tell you you're worth it — go ahead and give yourself what you deserve. Massages, facials, manicures and pedicures are available at several area beauty salons and health clubs. Once someone else is kneading your back or rubbing your feet, all that pent-up Valentine's frustration will just melt away.
9. Count your blessings. Even if you don't technically have a girlfriend or boyfriend, you still have many things going for you on this holiday. Family, friends, a top-rate education, a sense of humor. Take some time to think about how much you really have. Flowers eventually die and chocolate gives you a stomach ache, anyway.
8. Redo something. Channel that Valentine's aggression into a creative outlet. Crank up some angry music, tear everything off your walls and redecorate the entire room. Give yourself a makeover. Vent through poetry or compose an angst-full song and send it off to Alanis.
7. Splurge. Don't wait around for someone to buy you dinner or diamonds. Throw caution to the wind and buy the new outfit you've been eyeing or the CD you can't live without. Or, for the less adventurous, go on a Reckers or BK shopping spree and treat yourself to all the wonders flex points can buy.
6. Volunteer. Spend the afternoon at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen and suddenly the lack of roses on your desk will seem less significant. Or if you really need something to cuddle, play with neglected animals at a shelter or the Humane Society. It's impossible to frown with a warm puppy in your lap.
5. Band together. Most Valentine's talk as of late has come from those embittered souls who can't wait for the 15th to arrive. So seek our these kindred spirits. Go out for coffee or pizza and share your stories about past V-Days.
Rent "Romeo and Juliet" and take comfort in not being one half of a pair of star-crossed numbers. Or watch "Will and Grace" and realize that nothing beats a good platonic relationship. There's strength in numbers.
4. Be obnoxious. When you've had it up to here with nauseating pink and red decorations, start stealing other people's Valentine fun — eat their chocolates without permission, snatch their flowers, hang up their greeting cards as if they were your own. Wear black and glare at anyone who looks remotely happy. Reclaim the day for your own.
3. Hit the singles scene. Think of all the social opportunities that South Bend has to offer the happily-unattached — bars, clubs, parties, bingo halls. The possibilities are endless.
Those who are of age can get their groove on at Heartland or drink their sorrows away at the `
Backer. And everyone else can go to the Boat and pray the second floor doesn't cave in.
2. Break up couples. Head out to the quads and aim for couples that look to be happily involved. Blatantly hit on whichever half of the pair you prefer, acting as if they are a past hook-up that you can't believe hasn't called.
Do not relent if they get flustered and pretend they don't recognize you — if you persist, you will surely cause see fireworks between the formerly happy pair. Some may call it cruel, but if you can't beat 'em, tear 'em apart.
1. When all else fails, realize it's only a day. Once 11:59 p.m. comes and goes, Valentine's Day will be over, and all the pent-up furstration with it. So grit your teeth and bear it — count down the hours and all the sappy talk will be done soon.
All Scene Stories for Wednesday, February 14, 2001
