And something I forgot about yesterday:

I had to go to W*l-mart (into the belly of the beast) to pick up some teaching supplies. It was, shall we say, an interesting sociological study: 4 pm on the "romantic" holiday of the year, where you damn well better cough up something for your sweetheart if you expect them to still be your sweetheart.

Well. I will leave out the people buying flowers, because of course flowers are perishable (but I would also argue that even in this small town there are probably more auspicious places to buy flowers from). But still. The place was choked with people frantically grabbing up chocolates, and cards, and red or pink plush things (The guy in the checkout line ahead of me had a bag of generic minicandybars, a Fitness Water and a red stuffed toy dog).

The thing that really amused me, though, was near one of the checkout lanes: it was a display of (as far as I could determine) cheaply made frying pans. But not just any frying pans. They were pink, and had things like "Kiss the Cook" stencilled across the bottom (the underside; the part that would go against the burner). There was also a yellow one that said "Caution: Man in Kitchen." (Gender stereotype much?).

It amused me on several levels. First of all, the simple absurdist level: it was so random. Why frying pans? Why not saucepans or garlic presses? Second, it just seemed so pathetic: I mean, if you've waited until 4 pm on V-day to go out and get something for your sweetie, and you're not exactly inspired with what to bring home, I really really really really think a frying pan with the words "Kiss the Cook" and a big pink pair of lips painted on them are NOT your best shot. (And even if your sweetie loves to cook, I think maybe a painted fry pan from the W*l-Mart really isn't your best choice of a kitchen gift). Finally, the thought of someone bringing home a fry pan as an unsolicited Valentine's Day gift just seems like such a Homer Simpson sort of thing to do. (Homer would probably also pick up a package of pork chops to go with it).

So, thank you, W*l-mart, for contributing further to my cynicism about the "You VILL buy the person you love a gift, or else" nature of the day.