Shiny, shiny tokens of affection

For the second year running, I completely forgot that my coworkers celebrate Valentine's Day.

I don't know how this could've slipped my mind, because I have one of last year's gifts — a heart votive holder — prominently displayed on my desk. Perhaps it didn't immediately spring to mind because I've never before worked at a place where Valentine's Day is shared among coworkers.

So I felt pretty guilty when I walked in this morning and was greeted with cupcakes, candy, a big tin of chocolate, and handmade sterling silver earrings. Knowing the earring-maker was having a particularly rough day, I bought her a large Mountain Dew from Taco Bell. Certainly doesn't equal beautiful dangly heart earrings, but Mountain Dew is hard to come by around here, and she was very appreciative. ::grins::

But nothing — chocolates, earrings, Mountain Dew — compares to the gift that hubby gave me earlier this month. (He couldn't wait until Valentine's Day. We're not so keen on surprises.)

As you have probably ascertained from the photo, it's a metal rose sculpture, hand-made by one of the SA Goons. And it's fitting that it's carved from hard drive platters, so it's a geek gift through and through. But what really got me was the phrase he asked the guy to engrave on the base of the sculpture: A rose like no other for a woman like no other.

Yep. That's a good one. You guys would be well off to write it down and remember it for next year. ;-)

Hope you all — married, single, somewhere in between — remember the people in your lives who love you dearly ... on Hallmark holidays and every other day of the year, too.