Wednesday, February 13, 2008

J'aime pas...... la Saint-Valentin!

As is well-known (at least, to people who were reading me this time last year - and here and here and here as well), I loathe and detest Valentine's Day and refuse to have any truck with it whatsoever. It is thus actually quite fortunate that I have no girlfriend at this time. It is even more fortunate that a good number of my friends are also currently single (quite a few of them attractive single women, at that) - so there is every prospect of a rather good "Don't even mention the V-word party" evolving tomorrow.

You certainly won't catch me doing anything Valentiney tomorrow. However, I might send out one or two expressions of affection a day early because, you know, if it arrives on the 12th or the 13th it's not a Valentine's Card, is it?

And, having got my obligatory annual curmudging out of the way in the opening paragraph, even I have to admit that this is a very cute picture. So, if any of you are in a happy relationship at present and are looking forward to tomorrow as an excuse to be extra lovey-dovey for 24 hours - good luck to you! These amorous elephants are my gift to you.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Est-ce que "Je n'aime pas" Monsieur Froog, non????

Anonymous said...

There's currently a stampede of male colleagues, in a relay-style (as word spreads), heading to the Post Office across the street from the office, purchasing quite large Valentine's Day cards for the bargain-basement price of 25 new pence each.

Missed opportunity there, Froogal.

And they say romance is dead, eh?

Couldn't you send one to Madame X, signed with a very mysterious 'X'?

Probably a bit late now... unless you can hand-deliver while she is at work tomorrow (could be seen to be doing something constructive with your day...)

Froog said...

I don't do Valentine's cards. Especially not with X. I might be seeing her tomorrow. V-Day will not be mentioned (I hope).

Tulsa said...

oh, forgot about this. hmm, hope it doesn't make the usual thursday night hangouts all pink and lovey-dovey.

Froog said...

Ali (I presume it is you),
I believe the 'ne' is often dropped in conversational French.

This is yet another film reference that most people are probably failing to spot. In Jean-Jacques Beineix's very hip 1980s thriller Diva, Dominique Pinon plays a diminutive psychopathic hitman called Le Curé whose catch phrase is "J'aime pas...."

He even says at one point, "J'aime pas Beethoven."

His partner sourly remarks, "Tu n'aimes rien."

Anonymous said...

But you weren't indulging in conversational French - you wrote it on your blog :o)

Froog said...

I was quoting the Pinon character. I'm pretty sure that's what he says - although I haven't seen the film in 15 or 20 years.

Anonymous said...

Now how can you say that this blog isn't a success when you have your very own troll?

My favourite bit in Diva was the peeling onions with a snorkel scene.

Anonymous said...

Just to confuse the issue, there are now 2 different 'anonymouses' commenting within this comment form... even I was confused for a split second cos I couldn't remember writing the comment above (the 1.30pm one)... then I realised that the reason why I couldn't remember writing it cos I hadn't written it!

Old age doesn't come alone... you'll understand that Froog, won't you?

Froog said...

So, I have a schizophrenic anonymous troll now, do I?

Why don't you just sign your f***ing name and make life a whole lot simpler for all of us?

Froog said...

I apologise for my earlier irritation.

No - I don't. I AM irritated, and it's your fault. Commenters labelling themselves 'anonymous' bugs the crap out of me; I would disable the facility to do so, if I could.

Now, there are three people who have quite commonly commented on here as 'anonymous' - and they are all very dear lady friends of mine, and I try to be as tolerant of their foible in this regard as I can be. But please - it's not that goddamned difficult to give yourself a distinctive tag.

You don't have to sacrifice your anonymity, you don't have to use your real name, you don't even have to use a nickname that would identify yourself to me alone (although if you're one of my friends, I can't see why you wouldn't!); but it is useful - essential to have some label by which we can differentiate your comments from other people's.

Also, of course, there is the problem that if you are going to make needling remarks or jokes about me, they appear far more hostile
coming from an 'anonymous' source; a certain intimacy is necessary for you to take the piss out of someone without causing offence, and you lose that intimacy if don't identify yourself in any way at all. In fact, as you may have experienced on another post, you appear to be just a random stranger having a go, and will risk attracting counter-invective from my other blog-buddies...... and possibly even from me.

So, PLEASE, pretty-please-with-fucking-sugar-on-top, all you 'anonymouses' out there, give yourself a 'name' when you comment on here.