slip slide dip then take a dive. planets lookin high when we travellin on a vibe. yesterday, on the day when couples hold hands and look couply, us single people united and made a foray to the movies. the biggest amc i'd ever seen --an amc thirty, dwarfing san diego's own amc twenty-- awaited us with a ten thirty showing of chicago (which was pretty good, i enjoyed the movie much more than the musical. in fact i hardly remembered the musical at all. having renee zellweger and catherine zeta jones in this one probably helped).



i see now why orange county is the birthplace of alternative, ska and no doubt. we don't get lots of punk rock kids in san diego. at least i don't think so. san diego teenagers tend to be more beach culture-ish and less fashion coordinated, but every other teenager at the block was decked out in rock steady type duds. big flying hair, tight pants, mismatched yet complementary pieces of clothing, bad dye jobs, chains chains and more chains. i kind of liked it actually. lots of personality. i was following a "drink beer, worship satan" t-shirt for awhile. the man attached to that shirt was holding his wife's hand and their little daughter toddled along amiably in front of them. hurray for families.



the block in general seemed like universal's city walk. huge storefronts with gaudy colors and enormous signs. if you haven't seen a fifty foot athlete's foot sign you really haven't lived. on a side note, who was the marketing genius that proposed a store name that had implications of fungus and nasty toes? whatever, they have a fifty foot sign, they hit the big time. i suppose the block is equivalent to our fashion valley, but punkier and more dramatic. fashion valley is just a normal mall built with oversized pastel legos, the block is akin to a mall having taken mario's mushrooms and gone supersized.



i don't remember what i've ever done for valentine's day. something romantic at some point surely. contrary to popular opinion, i am not a total lout. do people really get sad on valentine's? i think only girls do. for guys it's a day to really get their game on, sometimes involuntarily. then again, there is no easier gift than flowers and chocolates. but nowadays you gotta take it "to the next level." flowers and chocolates are so cliche. it's like saying "hi honey, you're cliche. enjoy the chocolates." not that anyone should ever say "hi honey." ever. anyway, you gotta bring a little something extra to the table now so that when girls gossip they can ooh and ahh over your romantic innovations and stylings.



the history of valentine's says that it was marked by "love notes, poems and simple gifts such as flowers." i'm all for sticking to the simplicity of the tradition. just flowers and notes. that's it. no more no less. if by some chance you are unfortunate enough to be my girlfriend, it doesn't mean you're cliche though. it just means that i'm simple. and sweet. keep that in mind. please.



and valentine's day is also good for discerning the status of an acquaintance's relationship status. "so, doing anything for valentine's?" if the answer is "no" then chances are she's single. that's a tip boys, keep it to yourself and don't share with strangers. valentine's oh three was pretty decent for me. how was yours? [pictures]