Irksome.

I am irritated.

I am irritated by phony feel-good holidays.

Valentine's Day is the worst. I'm not a Catholic and I'm not a jerk. Pretty much everything I do is for my wife and family. I shouldn't have to go to some extra effort on some arbitrary day to say what my entire life says every day. Let me be clear:

Valentine's Day is for Jerks.

If you need to buy a card, candy, flowers, jewelery, etc., so your woman knows you love her, you aren't expressing it properly, or she is an ungrateful wretch, brainwashed by feminist influences in our society, including commercial advertisements. either way, if you need to do something special on V'D, somebody in your relationship is a Jerk. I actually got offended this year by all the commercials equating stuff with love. I mockingly say "happy love day" and don't celebrate it. I did the same thing this V'D as the year before and after for my wife: Nothing Special.

But today is especially irritating; Mother's Day. Who could be against mothers? I'm for mothers, and my kids have a good one, but because Congress says so I have to do Something Special? Humbug. So I sat there & stewed in my juices the entire morning and will likely do so all day.* I think I'm not the only one. I told a joke and the guy to whom I told it got all offended. Blame fake holidays.

Now a real event, I'll recognize. It's our 10-year Wedding Anniversary this year, and if I can afford it I'd like to get a diamond ring for my sweetie. But today is just another day as far as I'm concerned. Count me that man who "esteemeth every day alike". I would miss my birthday. I would forget it was Christmas. I would ignore the New Year. We know the date of Easter, so I'm glad for that day. Don't get me started on Halloween.

Oh well.

And by the way, if you think that the above makes me a Jerk, what did you do for Secretaries' Day Administrative Assistants' Day? What will you do on Armed Forces Day? How about Hurray for Buttons Day, National Third Shift Workers Day, Migratory Bird Day, or Fibromyalgia Awareness Day?

HUMBUG. Bah.

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* I wrote this while I was still irked. As we were driving home from church, it occurred to me why this day sucks so bad. It's not Mother's Day, it's the Lord's day. I'd be upset if somebody threw my next door neighbor an un-birthday party in my house on my birthday, too. What a terrible idea. At least, while my wifey is out, I'm cleaning up around the house.