I do not celebrate Valentine's Day.

I don't celebrate Valentine's Day. I don't hate Valentine's Day, either. It's just one of those days that has never held any significant meaning to me. Perhaps this is because I never had a Valentine. But even things change and I have a Valentine in my future, I'm pretty sure this indifference will stay the same. You see, the fourteenth of February, for me, has already been marked as (1) my friend, Tara's, birthday and (2) the general time of year when the V-Day campaign to end violence against women is marked. And this year, there's the added occasion of the Lunar New Year falling on this day, according to the Chinese/Lunar calendar. So I'll be busy with that.

However, when it comes right down to it, I am a rather sentimental person who also doesn't mind the occasional friendly, trivial quiz. So to mark this Valentine's Day, I will answer the questions posted over at The Pioneer Woman's blog on love.

What was your first love’s name?
Have you ever had your heart broken?
What’s your favorite love song of all time?
Do you have a Valentine this year?
Do you believe love rules or love stinks?
Have you ever walked into a plate glass door in the dining hall on your first day of college?

Here are my answers:
First like = Will.
No.
"They Were You" by Barbara Cook for the musical, "The Fantasticks"
No.
Rules.
Not on the first day...


So, Happy Year of the Tiger!


And Happy Valentine's Day!



In other news:
My hair is curly!
I love ice choppers. Before tonight, I never realized just how essential they are to breaking up clods of snow that fell from the awning onto the garage, forming a tightly packed pile.

A Season of Hope: Holidays on Wall St.

By Heather J. Chin

The Christmas melodies of Gavin deGraw and Aretha Franklin were two of the main attractions at the New York Stock Exchange’s annual tree lighting ceremony this year. Beyond the glitz of Rockefeller Plaza, Wall Street’s celebration has the distinction of being organized by New Yorkers for New Yorkers, with plenty of holiday cheer permeating the gloom that become a familiar part of our days.

Hundreds of New Yorkers past and present gathered downtown for an evening of celebration, rumination and time with family before facing a new year and uncertain economic times.

Larry Lampiasi came downtown to watch his granddaughter sing with her schoolmates in Brick, New Jersey’s Monsignor Donovan Choir. As a self-employed salesman, he says he’s felt the economic pinch, but thinks the holiday season will help.

Jack Ruppenthar, also present to support his grandson in the choir, agreed, noting that the current economic recession would hurt those with financial investments and retirement savings and 401Ks. But with the holiday season upon us, he thinks it “will make people think more, being a little more frugal … putting more thought into the quality of gifts over the quantity of gifts.”

The ceremony outside the NYSE building on Broad Street between Wall Street and Exchange Place is quite possibly the most personal, meaningful and even oldest of all the high-profile holiday events in New York City, as it takes place in the heart of old New York and has been a tradition since 1923.

This year, while Mr. DeGraw and Ms. Franklin’s drew audience members who recognize their music and name, the evening’s entertainment and festive atmosphere also catered to the younger generation. Performances from local teen musicians were featured: Long Island rock band Push Play and 14-year-old Tiffany Giardina – her music is included in an upcoming movie, “Another Cinderella Story” – who grew up in New York.

Also on hand was 25-year-old jazz pianist and singer Peter Cincotti, whose blend of traditional jazz and classic styles with rock and pop made his song “December Boys” and his Christmas-themed melodies transfix crowd members of all ages.

Alceste, a New Jersey native and former retirement center COO who moved to Florida several years ago, noted the impact of the current economic crisis on both the younger and older generations.