No Boo? No Problem! A Singles' Guide to Valentine's Day

So you don't have a boo. No biggie. Sure, it's fun to hold hands and have someone buy you an eclair for no reason and all that jazz. Loving someone else is super. But there's another form of love that predates loving someone else: the love you have for yourself a.k.a. The Greatest Love of All! So this Valentine's Day, let's not be so terribly obvious and transform into Bridget Jones. There's really no reason you need to cry while eating chocolate and singing Celine Dion ballads in your underwear. You're cute and fun and you should get out there and do cute and fun things! Here are a few ideas of ways to spend your Valentine's Day:

1. TREAT YO' SELF

You work hard and you deserve nice things. Forget about waiting around for someone to buy you something you've always wanted and treat yo' self! Some good ideas: sweaters, fragrances, massages, mimosas. You get the idea.

2. CALL ALL THE SINGLE LADIES (all the single ladies)

Sometimes it might seem like you're the only person not living in Boo Land (favorite activities for residents include forgetting about their friends and saying annoying things like "you'll have this someday, too!"). But there are plenty of friends who are flying solo just like you. So call your favorite friends from this group and be each other's Valentines. Make a three course meal for each other. Or hit up a karaoke joint and sing love songs to each other. Just make sure to follow the rules.

3. HOLLYWOOD CRUSH MARATHON

If you don't feel like going out, why not watch a marathon starring your number one crush?

If you like boys, I suggest this Ryan Gosling triple feature:

Drive
Lars and the Real Girl
Half Nelson
Blue Valentine (tonight is not the night for this)
The Notebook (or this)

If you like girls, I suggest this Winona Ryder triple feature:

Beetlejuice
Heathers
Reality Bites

4. OPEN YOUR THIRD EYE

Our society tends to stigmatize spending time by yourself. Loners are weird and wear trench coats and talk to themselves, right? Wrong. The ability to be alone without feeling lonely is something we should all strive for and the surest way to get there is by practicing yoga. Tune into your body and breath and relax a little. If this really doesn't sound like fun, find comfort in the 96.7% probability that your bendy teacher will be a babe.

5. SAN FRANCISCO IS YOUR LIFE PARTNER

Significant others come and go and often take your favorite records with them. But San Francisco is always there for you. Spend some time in a place in the city you love or maybe have never gotten around to visiting. And take a bottle of red, while you're at it (that's not weird, it's classy). I suggest biking to the Sutro Baths or climbing Bernal or losing yourself in the little-known cloud forest on Mount Sutro.

6. GO TO A SHOW, EXHIBIT, OR EVENT

There are always 101 things to do at any given moment in this town so surely there is something for you out there. Here are some friendly suggestions:

Concert: Icona Pop at the Rickshaw. Who doesn't want to chant "I don't care! I love it!" with two fly Swedish honeys?

Exhibit: Magnificent Magnolias at the SF Botanical Gardens. They're blooming just in time for your hot date with yourself! Also, for the Francophiles out there, the Legion of Honor is hosting an exhibit called Royal Treasures from the Louvre: Louis XIV to Marie-Antoinette. You're worth as much as whatever Marie Antoinette's bling costs.

Event: The Academy of Sciences is calling this week's Nightlife "Spin the Bottle," and for good reason as the schedule hints that things will likely get pretty steamy. Hard French DJs will be spinning in the piazza and the Center for Sex and Culture will be hosting talks like "How to Make Anything Sound Sexy" and "Sex and Dating in San Francisco." Oh, and there will be really cute penguins there too.

7. AWAKEN YOUR INNER CHILD

No one appreciates it when you bottle up your emotions and eventually turn into an insufferable jerk for no reason so take out some of that aggression in a healthy way by attending the annual V-Day Pillow Fight! It'll be like slumber parties from your past, only you can stay up as late as you want and you probably won't pee the bed this time.

8. EXPRESS YOURSELF

Sure, Valentine's Day is a commercial invention, but it does serve as a reminder to tell those important to us that we appreciate and love them. Just cause you don't have arm candy this year doesn't mean you shouldn't send cute notes to friends and family members and that cutie who serves you tea every morning. Everyone loves mail so you can't go wrong. And try making a habit of expressing your adoration for the people that matter not just on Valentine's Day, but year round. Kumbaya.