I know single people are supposed to hate Valentine’s Day the way dogs hate cats, but I think I actually enjoy this fake holiday more as someone who is not partnered up and saddled down.  No pressure to read between the lines (if she claims to hate Valentine’s Day, does that mean I shouldn’t buy flowers, or does it mean that I damn well better?), no dinner plans that must be made weeks in advance, no need to placate and please.  Yes, I’ll admit that this loving-my-alone-time-with-the-occassional-fling may be short-lived (my friends threaten me with the “One day, you’ll wake up and realize you want a partner” talk, which sounds awfully similar to the “One day, you’ll wake up and realize you want a kid” talk – why isn’t there a “One day you’ll wake up and realize how happy you are to pursue what you’re pursuing in the way you want to pursue it” talk?), but for now, I’m content with not celebrating V-Day with anyone other than the dog and friends.

For those who love today, or for those who don’t but still must deal with it, this is a last minute guide to get you out of a jam if you haven’t planned anything just yet.

• Susan Feniger’s Street has a special Valentine’s Day menu [links to PDF] or try OpenTable for a list of restaurants with availability tonight
• Platine Cookies in Culver City has heart-shaped cookies and will stay open until 6pm
• Win-win: Pick up last minute flowers for him/her at Parisian Florists in Hollywood, mention Ricky of Ricky’s Fish Tacos, and you’ll get a free fish taco the next time you hit Ricky’s stand
• If you forgot about today are planning a romantic dinner at home, check out Jonathan Gold’s Top 10 Aphrodisiac Foods for Valentine’s Day
• …and for after dinner: an adult toy surprise, perhaps?

Regardless of what you do, I’m sure it will be very nice and sweet and full of the love that should be apparent every day of the week.  Happy holidays!

Photo by Renee Rendler-Kaplan via the Blogging LA Flickr pool.