Unhappy Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is another one of those occasions that I thoroughly despise.

Don't get me wrong; I'm happily kept in check by and living in sin with the gorgeous and eternally patient MissDY6, so it's not a matter of being bitter and twisted about not having a girlfriend. I'm just a bit of a grumpy bugger and instinctively dislike most displays of organised mind control*. And, besides, every day's Valentine's Day when you're me**.

Anyway, the internet is awash with people either extolling the virtues of the day or whining about how crap it is. So I'll do neither from now on, and instead provide a couple of alternative treats for anyone in either camp.

First up, it's something for those of you for whom Valentine's Day is an occasion that makes you want to sit on your own in a dusty bar, thoroughly miserable, drinking solidly until you fall alseep face down in your own vomit, waking up only when it has upped and left again for another year. It's a gorgeous song by Queen from their News of the World album. This version was recorded in 1977 in Houston, and was performed as a part of their promotional tour for the aforementioned album. It is, for me, an exquisite example of what I like to call semi-drunken bittersweet blues***.

Next up is one for all you pro-V-Day types, especially if you're a bit of a geek as well. Tweeted by @standupmaths earlier is this Make a Mathematical Valentine's Card article from Timesonline. It details how to use the mathematical (and physical) curiosity that is a Möbius strip to make a sickeningly lovey yet still geeky Valentine's Day gift. There's an instructional 'cut-out-and-keep' instructional PDF file linked from the article at the standupmaths website right here. Don't say I never do anything for you. If you make one, please take a photo of it and show it to me!

* This one's mostly about convincing people they want to spend ludicrous amounts of money on dead (or dying) flowers and greetings cards, which admittedly makes a change from the usual Lets All Do The Same Thing days that are about convincing people they want to spend ludicrous amounts of money on dead (or dying) flowers and greetings cards and believe in magic sky fairies sitting on clouds.

** Quite blatantly it isn't, but where's the harm in letting me think it?

*** A musical genre which, at the moment, includes just this song. Any others out there?