February 15: Discount Valentine's Candy Day (it's like two holidays in a row)

We don't celebrate Valentine's Day typically, because we're not crazy about forced displays of affection, but ye gods! we had a babysitter. The mate and I planned on keeping it old skool with our dating standby: the venerated dinner and a movie. Paolo was not cool with being left at home, probably because that happens just shy of never. As we were leaving, he was all, let me get my coat, I'm going to order grilled cheese. I explained that his dad and I were going out by ourselves, and he was thoroughly disgusted. He grumbled, "If you think you're going to have a scrap of fun without me, you are tragically mistaken," or something like that.

Sam and I drove up to a new movie theatre in Rogers and narrowed our choices to Catch and Release and Pan's Labyrinth: light romantic comedy or dark, spooky fairy tale set during the Spanish Civil War. Dark and spooky, please! It is Valentine's Day, after all. I don't know if you've seen Pan's Labyrinth, but wow! that may not have been the best choice. It's violent, gruesome, and wholly depressing. The basic plot line is a girl in danger from real and imagined aggressors throughout the movie, unprotected because her father is dead and her mother is dying with her second child, and at the end, the girl is killed, too. Part of me wants to say it was a good movie, just not one that appeals to me, but I can't think of anyone I'd recommend it to. It was a really nice theatre, though. Comfy seats.

On the drive back to Fayetteville, my appetite returned as I blocked out the horrors I'd just watched on a big screen. However, we live in Arkansas, and every restaurant other than Wendy's drive-thru was closed by 9:30. We popped into the grocery store for a frozen pizza and salad greens. $8.50 for Valentine's dinner: not bad, eh?

And yet, I got three out-of-the-house hours with my best bud, and that's a pretty special evening in my book, no matter how we spent it. Paolo has forgiven us, as well. I was braced for accusations of betrayal when he woke this morning, but all he said was, "Why did the moon go down?" "Because it was time for the sun to come up," I answered. "Oh. That makes sense."