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By Mark Anthony Maningas
Executive Editor

February 14. For some, this invokes a warm fuzzy feeling in their tummies, a day of exchanging sweet little nothings, eating cardboard-chalk-tasting candy and dining at exorbitantly priced restaurants capitalizing on this very day. For others, it is a dreary reminder of what they are “missing out” on, if the incessant jewelry commercials are to be believed.

No, this is not another article about how Valentine’s Day is just another manifestation of our capitalistic greed masquerading as lame attempts of love proclamations and reaffirmations (though clearly, Hallmark, the chocolate industry, the jewelry stores and florists have cornered this market).

But in all honesty, love is not all about a particular day, or a particular gift or gesture, or about being in a relationship or about social conformity, it’s about unpredictability and irreplaceable memories. The fantasy that coupled people are blissful and well-loved can funnel feelings of loneliness and incompleteness for those people who aren’t with someone and wish they were. The more we see through this façade, the more likely we feel better about being who and where we are in our lives.

Here are four reasons to be thankful that you are a bachelor/bachelorette living and loving the single life this Valentine’s day:

No need to meet “expectations”
For some couples, there is that pressure to get something for their significant other, out of social tradition, instead of from the heart, and therein lies the potential for disappointment and further damage. If you get him/her something too big, there are “expectations” and “where is this going” types of questions; give a smaller than “expected” gift, and the wrong kind of “where is this going” questions will arise. For us single people, we can go out and get it ourselves and we’ll never be disappointed!

Because love can take many forms: familial, platonic, etc.
Who said that Valentines’ Day is only for couples? If you are single and loving it, or even if you are single and wanting to be in a relationship, take the time to invest in the relationships that you currently are in. Call your best friend back home whom you haven’t spoken to in weeks because crazy hectic school or work has gotten in the way. Send your mom a baked goods gift basket.

No need to pay an arm, a leg and two future sons for a prix fixe menu that probably doesn’t taste as good as it is sounds
Especially in this crumbling economy, we all can’t afford to spend $80 on a bleh dinner. And besides, you can probably save up your money to get something that you really would like (see #1)

It’s better to be alone than to wish you were
Enough said.

Instead of being SAD about Valentines’ Day, here are some things to do with the single ladies and gentlemen this weekend:

Go out to your favorite bar/club.
Chances are people that are out in the bars/clubs will be in the same boat as you, out to have fun.

Attend “The Great Pillow Fight” at Justin Herman Square (Embarcadero and Market at 6 p.m. on Valentines’ Day)
Let your inner child out to play! With the weather forecast predicting rain on Saturday, things just got a bit more interesting. Just make sure you bring a pillow made out of natural materials (hemp, cotton, down, etc) and a plastic bag that fits your pillow, and then you’re ready to hack away!

Sprinkle some culture on you!
Michael Rosenthal’s gallery (365 Valencia) is featuring “Morse Code Landscapes,” and its opening night is on February 14th from 6-9 p.m. and runs until March 12th. At San Francisco Studio School Gallery (30 Hotaling Pl), they’re featuring six Bay Area painters in their exhibition “The Nature of Landscapes.” Opening night is this Thursday, February 12th from 6:30-8:30 p.m., and it runs Monday-Friday 1-6 p.m. until April 30th.

Have a night in!
Wine, cheese, board games and delicious take-out, or if you are culinary-inclined, homemade dinner. However, lose the temptation to make a bonfire out of old boyfriend/girlfriend’s stuff, unless you’re trying to lure a firefighter into a date.

Comments, ideas, suggestions, hate mail? Send them to: single.in.the.city@live.com or check out my blog @ RUsingleinthecity.blogspot.com