Happy Valentine's to Me

Happy Valentine's to Me
Originally uploaded by misocrazy

This may have been the best Valentine's Day I've ever had.

I didn't even intend to celebrate the holiday, but by the end of the day, it felt like I did.

I planned to leave the house early, but then my roommate woke up, announcing that I had to stay for waffles she was going to make, because her sister and sister's boyfriend were visiting.

I couldn't say no to that, so while I waited for brunch, I found some crochet supplies to bring with me on the subway. We enjoyed some delicious waffles with fresh berries and syrup on top. In exchange, I offered them my Netflix of Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist to watch as they digested their yummy brunch.

Finally I got out of the house. While I attempted to crochet on the subway, two very fluffy-haired, young men in skinny jeans and scarves hopped on the N and were continuing a very enthusiastic conversation over whether something was Apollonian vs. Dionysian. One of them spoke in a British accent, but I thought the other dark-haired fellow was cuter. But I also suspected he wasn't straight, possibly too hipstery, and either not interested in a girl who had no idea what they were talking about, or too caught up in his own brilliant studies to know what to do with a girl, so I continued crocheting my little pink heart. Also I didn't want to interrupt their fascinating conversation.

Finally found the New York Public Library, which is as beautiful and majestic as my art history teacher described. There are old sculptures and frescoes all over the building, so I had to stop and take photos like a tourist, even though I live in Manhattan.



I got an access card and started to research games from India (for my art history class and games class). Of course, the friendly old librarian chatted with me about types of games I could look at, maybe a little too long, but it was entertaining nonetheless.

But time was running out for me to make it to the Whitney Museum. I got there just in time, about an hour before it closed. It was Alexander Calder's early works, in Paris, which involved a lot of mechanical wire sculpture. There were even scraps of art from when Calder was a child and created Valentines and wrote the sweetest letters to his mother.



A big portion of the exhibit included his mechanized wire and fabric circus, which he performed like a puppet show. It was all very charming and related so well to toy design. Some of the wire sculptures were really funny and referenced other art. He even made wire facial portraits of people. And I learned that he started as a newspaper illustrator, which I once did myself. It was so inspiring! I loved it and was so happy to see it before it closed.

Then I tried to rush over to FAO Schwartz before it closed, to get a thank-you token gift to a friend. But on the way there, I ran into Dylan's Candy Bar, a fancy candy shop I had never been to. So I stopped in to look, partly because I had to design a candy-based toy anyway. And I decided I would just get candy instead as the thank-you gift, since it was much easier to share. Plus I could get candy for myself and my friends.



I left with almost $60 in candy, chocolate, fudge, Jelly Bellies, and a pair of gummy-bear-shaped earrings.

On the way home, I passed a McDonald's, where I picked up 3 Happy Meal Sanrio watches! Woo!



Exhausted from the fun, I enjoyed some delicious local Chinese takeout, from "Excellent Dumpling House" at home. Then my roommate came home with some friends who just saw a horrible play about love stories, so I shared some candy with them.

Also, in that same weekend, I bought a pink Domokun plush, pretty underwear, and Hello Kitty MAC makeup for myself.



So I feel like I had a very romantic "quirkyalone"-style date with New York City, with all the traditional gifts that come with Valentine's Day (except for boring roses). Surely it was better than all the Valentine's Days I've ever spent with a boy! Boys were always disappointing on Valentine's Day. ...And I suppose in general. I keep hoping one will surprise me, but I guess I'll be doing okay if it never happens!

Hmm. This is going to make it harder for me to want to date again.