Obligatory Valentine's Day Post

Today is Valentine's Day, and keeping with the status quo of the past few February 14ths, I am single. This does not bother me in the least, mainly because there is a new episode of Lost on tonight.

I did receive one Valentine's Day gift, from my parents. They gave me the largest bag of dried fruit and nuts ever manufactured along with a similarly sized bag of almonds. I found these to be delicious, and I've managed to put a sizable dent in the dried fruit. They also sent me one more thing, a Oregon State winter hat. It looks like this:



This is a great gift, as I am always in need of more Beaver paraphernalia, except I think my parents must have gotten it for free at a Beaver basketball game because the back of the hat has this on it:



Now I know I have a friend in the diamond business, but I am not yet prepared to advertise this fact to the world. In the words of one of the great philosophers of our time, "Disco Stu doesn't advertise."

This Valentine's Day has got me thinking about how I am growing older, and how much more of an adult I have become. Evidence of this includes the following:

1. I go to bed at 11 every night and wake up before 8
2. I need glasses
3. I regularly watch shows like Lost
4. I listen to public radio in my office
5. I enjoy the taste of coffee, beer, and wine
6. I am growing a garden for the summer
7. I have a subscription to National Geographic
8. I buy organic food
9. I have friend who have/are getting married

However, there are many things holding me back, such as:

1. I am still in school, albeit graduate school
2. I have no car, just a few bikes
3. I dated a 20 year old this past summer
4. I have no money or career to speak of
5. I am not in any serious relationship

Where I actually stand in the realm of adulthood I have no idea, some sort of purgatory-like middle ground where I float in relative apathy. As to which side (that being adulthood or adolescence) bares a closer resemblance to heaven or hell remains to be seen.

In regards to my future relationships, I have always found that when I am in one, I usually want to be out of it. When I'm not in one, I often times think it would be nice to be in one. Is this just my mind, or some sort of ancient male instinct to help keep the gene pool diverse? I guess the grass is always greener on the other side. For a time I believed that the ideal woman for me would be one that was into biking, but this is probably not true, as it would probably be frustrating to feel like I had to ride with them every time I went or feel obliged to stay at their pace. I now believe its more important to have someone who appreciates your hobbies, but doesn't necessarily feel the need to do them with you. For now, I'm going to wait and see what comes my way, I have a feeling that this year may yield something spectacular, although that might turn out to be a new cyclocross bike for myself. Regardless, I think I'll be happy with it.