Valentine’s Day, one of the most magical days of the year if you’re dating, or have been married for 50 years or are in the flower industry. However, for the rest of us — not so magical.
It’s a day for couples, but what about all the single ladies? There’s nothing like a day dedicated to love to make you feel like a loner, and there are always articles like, “Fun Things to Do on Valentine’s Day,” but they really mean fun with your boyfriend.
In hopes of not sounding like a future cat lady, I just want to point out that a lot of people are not in serious relationships in college, and whether you are or not really affects the college experience you have. I’m not saying that either one is better or worse, but this is for those who are not.
This is for the independent women, the dedicated collegiettes who don’t have time for immature boys and of course, for the girls who attend UNC-CH, where the guy to girl ratio is a measly 40:60 percent.
So here are some fun things for you to do not by yourself, but for yourself. Call up some girlfriends and make it a fun day.
1. Go out to eat.
Yes, treat yourselves to a good dinner. Just because you’re not with a guy doesn’t mean you can’t eat well. In fact, it’s more reason to go out to eat! Don’t just order a salad; go for the filet mignon and an ice cream sundae. You don’t have to worry about keeping your skinny jeans looking hot, so go ahead and unbutton them when you’ve stuffed yourself. (Don’t even pretend you don’t do that occasionally.) Order some martinis with your gal pals and flirt shamelessly with your waiter.
2. Have a movie marathon.
If you enjoy being scared as much as I do, you could rent a few horror movies, order in Mediterranean Deli and go out with friends. But if you’re not a big fan of exorcisms and chain saws, then my next suggestion is comedy. Anything with Will Ferrell should do fine. Do not, under any circumstance, watch a romantic comedy or anything with Meg Ryan. I suggest Justin Bieber’s Never Say Never. It’s coming out that weekend, and it’s probably going to be hilarious. Just to clarify — Vince Vaughn: Yes. Jennifer Love Hewitt: No. Get the picture?
3. Have a cocktail tasting.
Have all your single friends, guys and girls, bring the ingredients for their favorite drinks and make yummy hors d’oeuvres. Have all the guests make a small pitcher of their drink and tape a note card on it with the recipe. Then play Taboo or Pass the Pig and who knows, you might meet someone new, but if not you still get to drink cocktails all night, so who cares?
4. Attend Professor Ralph Byrns Valentine’s Day speech.
Annually, the renowned professor shares the secret to love, which is apparently mathematical. “The Economics of Finding True Love,” will be held in Carroll 111 at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, February 14 and brings in about 300 members of the Chapel Hill community every year. Byrns shares a demand curve comparing the price versus quality of your affection and a graph of how likely you are to get a date depending on certain characteristics. According to Byrns if you like making people laugh, and you’re good at it, it’s looking good for you to get a date. He also suggests, “Don’t cling to your partner. If they choose to be with you, that’s a great relationship.” This is good advice because no one likes a stage five clinger.
5. Speed Dating Event.
Lastly, a pre V-day event that might actually get you a Valentine. The student organization Project Literacy is putting on a speed dating event on Wednesday, February 9 from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tickets will be on sale in the pit Friday, February 4 to Wednesday, February 9 for $4. Some studies suggest people who talk about travel were liked more than people who bring up movies, so maybe you should discuss places you want to go for your destination wedding. Just kidding, that would freak him out. (See: He’s Just Not that Into You) Asking about whether the other person is interested in studying abroad or if they have plans for Spring Break would be good conversation starters, but I suggest skipping the ‘freshman five’ questions. You know the “what’s your major, what’s your dorm” speech is not going to be memorable at the end of the night. Bring a wing woman and have fun with it!
While we’re looking at places to go, here are a few places to avoid on the 14th.
1. Morehead Planetarium.
They are offering up a romantic star show, so unless you want to be the only solo picnicker, not making out with your boyfriend and sharing a double-strawed root beer float from Sutton’s, don’t go there. The only semi-astronomical thing you might want to look into is your new astrological sign. Apparently those things change, and with planets coming and going faster than Lady GaGa’s hairstyles, let’s hope you didn’t get a tattoo of your last zodiac.
2. The Varsity Theater.
Stepping up the planetarium, the Varsity is actually selling a couples package including dinner and a showing of Gone with the Wind. For a mere $20 you can have free concessions throughout the movie and enjoy a unique story of love during a time of war, because we’ve never heard that one before.
3. The Lifetime Channel.
I’ll leave you with one parting piece. Being single has its perks. We don’t have to try awkwardly to avoid poles while walking and holding hands; we don’t have to share the remote; and we can use this holiday as an excuse to buy chocolate on sale and go out with friends. Don’t let love get you down. Check out this “Could Have Been Love Story” video — remember it next time you’re on Facebook.
Sources:
Info on Byrns: http://www.dailytarheel.com/index.php/article/2010/02/professor_explains_economics_of_true_love
Statistic: Women 60%, Men 40%: http://collegesearch.collegeboard.com/search/CollegeDetail.jsp?collegeId…
Speed Dating FB Event: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/event.php?eid=167564276623480
Fact about travel vs. movies: http://web.archive.org/web/20070702025413/http://news.scotsman.com/scitech.cfm?id=567952006
Conversation Hearts (photo): http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_X2sjPjJJdH8/ScgMUGzdoTI/AAAAAAAAJls/J30eOq3l7z8/s400/Conversation-Hearts-2.jpg