Thomas is dead! Long live Thomas!

Ah yes, Valentine's day, the holiday made for those who have extra cash and empty heads. My friend Chad said it best when he said that Valentine's day was for those who can't show their affection the rest of the year. Smart guy that Chad. The thing I like the least about this day of love is the way it's shoved into your single, yet available, face. Not that I'm against love or showing one's affection, but it kinda bites being single on a day devoted to love. Kinda like getting an empty box for Christmas or a rock for Halloween. (At least a box or a rock can be used for other stuff, but an empty heart is the worst.) Justin also made a good point that you can't really ask a girl out in the span of Valentine's week(s) because it can be easily translated into something more drastic.

Who can forget the good things about Valentine's Day has given us, like the day Thomas Cranmer was declared a heretic or the death of Captain Cook by natives in Hawaii. Not to mention the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre in which Al Capone orchestrated the death of several of his enemies in a hail of gunfire. Wow, a look a wikipedia reveals quite a few reasons that Valentine's Day is marginally more depressing than once thought. I suppose every day has its ups and downs, but mass murder kinda puts a damper on the whole cupids and roses thing.

Regardless, the real reason February 14th is a great day is because in 1859, the greatest state in the Union was born. Yes, Oregon celebrates her 149th birthday tomorrow and she's never looked better. Despite the years of water pollution and pesky yuppies smelling up the place, I still have to say she looks great. How much better can it get when a state was founded by people who wanted to be here so badly that they walked all the way across a continent for a chance to be here? Before you start saying things like, "Didn't people come to Washington and California and Idaho as well though?" I might remind you that they came over the Oregon Trail. So there. Oregon has it all: beach, forests, mountains, grassy plains, deserts, not to mention cities in both the large and small varieties. I have no problem admitting that I love Oregon and I hope that tomorrow, she'll be my Valentine.