You know when there�s this girl, and there's all this sexy visceral tension and she�s almost your girlfriend, and you�re about to hook up with her and then she gets EATEN BY EXTRA-SMART SHARKS? Sucks to be you. Rated R for graphic shark attacks (seriously, they say that). Rated A for awesome.

Hmph. I definitely feel like dwelling in a soggy pit of hell for a while. Misery thou art Laura. I am also having unchartiable thoughts re: Kirsten as she is being miserable but one should not be miserable when one has a) a fantastic boyfriend b) a fantastic boyfriend who gives you fantastic sex c) a fantastic boyfriend who is fantastic, fantastic at sex and gives fantastic presents. Damn mofo.

Along the same line, I read this great piece somewhere on the net:

I am strongly aware that our culture encourages people to buy love in many different forms.

Nowhere is this more apparent than during the relentless marketing siege called Valentine's Day, where seemingly any product can be bound in scarlet ribbon and sold as a token of one's affection. Before February 14, one can't escape shelves overflowing with red and pink candy boxes and stuffed animals. More insidious than diamond-ring commercials is the kind of love for sale in the form of fairy tales. Look on television and you'll see that so-called "real" love has been well lit, edited, and packaged into 10-minute heart-shaped segments through reality dating shows like The Bachelorette and Average Joe. One thing these shows all have in common is that producers create such elaborate, once-in-a-lifetime-style dates�hot-air balloon rides in Aspen, swimming with manta rays in Hawaii, a trip to a private island off Belize�that contestants can't help but get caught up in it. No wonder they seem to fall in love at the drop of a hat.

Almost anyone could be hit by cupid's arrow under such picture-perfect circumstances, absent the stress of jobs, family, money, and other everyday worries.

.....It's not often (or ever) that someone asks you to be specific about how you want and need to be loved. It forced me to articulate some things that can't always be put into words. I need unconditional love, love no matter what my mood is, love when I am on and when I am off. I need to feel that you who love me are firmly and completely on my team. I don't need a devil's advocate, I need a cheerleader and a friend. I need you to be present. I need you to be honest. I need you to be transparent and share your feelings with me. I need to be doted on and taken care of as much as I need to be left alone. I don't need to be pressured. I need you to have incredibly high expectations and no expectations at all. I need connection. I need to be seen and understood for who I am. My day of True Love made me realize how much true love I already feel in my life, and for that I am grateful.

It's so lovely.