TAKING A PASS ON VALENTINE'S DAY

February 14, 2010
LIBRA HOROSCOPE (from astrology.com): Don't volunteer for anything today -- you need to make sure that you're clear when other projects come your way in the near future. If you can avoid taking on new tasks, you should be good to go.

Laura’s Log:
“Can you get Mom to back off?” It was Lucy. 8:15. How had I slept so late? I urgently reached for Tupper. Still breathing. Thank God.

Being awakened by the phone had me feeling frantic. “Where are you calling from? You in jail?”

“WHAT?!” Lucy screamed. “Are you accusing me of smashing windows too? What’s with this family?!”

“Don’t act so indignant,” I said as I sat up and became more clear-headed. The piercing scream helped. “You wear your protesting like a badge of honor.”

“I’m totally against violence. You know that. Can you remind Mom? She left like ten messages for me yesterday, telling me I was ruining the city’s image and saying I was mixed up with hoodlums.”

“Were you there?”

“I was around.”

“What the hell were you guys thinking?” I’d seen the coverage on the news last night. Smashed windows at The Bay, protesters in black hoodies and masks. They seemed to be alienating everyone.

“I didn’t do it. It was some faction that just showed up with its own agenda.”

“There’s a surprise.”

“Look, I’m asking you to join us today. We need to beef up our numbers.” Was this a joke? Or was the cause, as ill-defined as it was, that desperate?

“Losing too many to jail, I guess.”

“Fuck you!” Click. Even if she hadn’t condoned yesterday’s vandalism, the violence was rubbing off. Lucy hadn’t flung the F word at me since university.

Did she really think I’d agree to joining the Olympic protests? Not that they were really protesting the Olympics, from what I could tell from the news last night. Seemed more like a desperate excuse to grab the spotlight with foreign media in town. A bunch of nebulous complaining about Big Brother as far as I could tell.

Not what I wanted to wake up to. I’d had enough drama. Late night due to a marathon session yesterday trying to console Tamara. Today will be even more brutal. My V-Day despair takes a backseat to Tamara’s as she continues to deal with being dumped. Andy, naïve clod that he apparently is, continues to campaign for a long-distance relationship with Tamara. “I didn’t want to move there,” Tamara said during a brief break from sobbing. “Why the hell would I want to spend my weekends flying there?”

We’ve decided to focus on Chinese New Year today. Gung hay fat choy! Will try to get a table at Long’s Noodle House for lunch. After that, maybe some Olympic viewing. So glad there are other distractions on V-Day this year!

KEN’S JOURNAL (via BlackBerry):
FIRST VALENTINE’S IN 8 YRS I DON’T HAVE TO RUN AROUND BUYING CHOCOLATE. GOTTA ADMIT I MISS IT NOW. NOT GOING TO DWELL ON IT. MARTY’S COMING OVER FOR TO LISTEN TO THE CANUCKS ON THE RADIO WHILE WE WATCH THE OLYMPICS. CAN’T EVEN MENTION VALENTINE’S AROUND HIM. IF I GO THERE, HE’LL GIVE ME A GOOD KICK IN THE ASS. SOMETIMES HAVING AN UNSENTIMENTAL, LOVE-PHOBIC BEST BUD IS A GOOD THING.

ROCK CLIMBING W/TRAVIS YESTERDAY WAS OKAY. HE USED CAVEMAN/TARZAN GRUNTS AND MONOSYLLABIC UTTERANCES TO COMMUNICATE BUT I RECALL PUTTING UP THE SAME WALL W/MY PARENTS. SOMEHOW I ALWAYS THOUGHT I’D BE ABLE TO STAY THE COOL UNCLE THRU HIS TEENS. CAUGHT HIM SMILING A FEW TIMES. MUST’VE NEEDED A BREAK FROM ROLLING HIS EYES. THINK I IMPRESSED HIM W/MY CLIMBING SKILLS. THEN AGAIN, HE MIGHT HAVE JUST BEEN AMAZED THE CABLES COULD SUPPORT FAT UNCLE KEN.

SARA INVITED ME FOR DINNER TONITE BUT I’M NOT READY TO TAKE OVER AS FATHER FIGURE. WORK TRAVEL OR NOT, JERRY’S GOTTA STEP UP.