My Funny Valentine.

Before retiring for the evening, I'd like to share my favourite anecdote about today's Patron Saint, Valentine. Set your Wayback machine to the 3rd century for a little blurb about: St. Valentine, a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity. He died on February 14, 269 A.D., the same day that had been devoted to love lotteries. Legend also says that St. Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it "From Your Valentine". Other aspects of the story say that Saint Valentine served as a priest at the temple during the reign of Emperor Claudius. Claudius then had Valentine jailed for defying him. In 496 A.D., Pope Gelasius set aside February 14th to honour St. Valentine.

Those very love lotteries mentioned above would often entail choosing a potential lover's name from a hat and then pinning that name upon your garment. Thus the etymology of the term, "Wearing one's heart on one's sleeve." But another cool ditty from that time involves taking an apple, grasping it by the stem and twisting it. With each rotation of the pomme, say the name of a potential paramour and the name you state when the リンゴ ringo breaks off from the stem will be the person you will marry. Let's try an example using some Japanese names, shall we. Yuka, Yukari, Yukiko, Yuko, Yumiko, Yukari, Yusaku and SNAP!! it breaks off and "I LOVE YUU!" So I am destined to marry a girl named Yuu. NOTE: This was only a demonstration, should any of the girls I just picked from my phone book (especially those named, Yuu) feel that I am under any legal obligation to marry them, please consult my lawyers first. By the way, if you take that same apple and vivisect it in two, the exposed seeds from the resulting slice will be identical to the amount of kids you'll spawn.

The following picture is taken from the Simpsons 2007 Mini Calendar for the month of February. I'm involved in at least 9 of these types of love...