poor judgement

So tomorrow is Valentines' Day. Before I met A, it was never really a big day for me. I would write sweet nothings to my girlfriends and perhaps send them a secret Valentine - to be delivered to them in class, of course. Then I met A, and it still didn't seem like a big deal - it was a day of extra obligatory romance, to be sure, but we both knew that we were lucky enough to be able to celebrate in similar fashion any other day of the week if the spirit so moved us... But now that we are in the midst of a month-long sabbatical from our relationship and we "can't" see - or even speak - to each other, February 14th seems to have taken on an entirely new meaning, and I will really miss having the traditional V-day date.

This past week, I contemplated driving the 3 hours to Austin to visit him. It would have been going against the fundamental rules of the break, but I thought it would have been worth it, and I doubt A would have complained. I knew I should probably heed the advice of those of you recommending a continuation of the break, but... it's funny how love does crazy things to you. So the plan was - tentatively - to head out Saturday morning.

But then Friday night happened. I am almost certain that it was fate, as the chances of me enjoying what I believed would be a blissfully perfect pre-V-day weekend were pretty slim. After work on Friday, I went out for a happy hour held at the local BBQ joint in honor of me leaving my old group. (In my book, a free happy hour is always a good thing.) I then proceeded to drink and be merry until 3 am, consequently earning myself my Very First Hangover, complete with all the cranial agony and porcelain-hugging I could handle. When the hell did I lose my tolerance?

So after spending a rainy Saturday recovering from a night of less-than-perfect decision-making, I spent today enjoying the lovely 75 degree, sunshiny weather. Despite my complaints about sucky Texas winters, it sure is nice to be able to wear a t-shirt & shorts in the middle of February! The forecast for Valentines' day? The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminstration predicts:

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 80. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south.

At least Mother Nature is giving us Texas singletons a break.