Two Day Magazine

Valentine’s Day looms over the horizon like a behemoth; rearing its eight tentacled heads as it prepares for a charge, mowing over our convenience stores, card shops, coffee houses, and eventually, our psyches.

In any event, if you are single, newly dating, fresh from a breakup, or in a serious relationship, Valentine’s Day can be an enjoyable experience if you decide to make it that.

When I began talking about when I had been raped openly, the reaction I got varied. Most people’s first reaction was one of pity and sympathy. Some of the reactions were, “Well, you kind of put yourself in the position to get raped.”

Just looking at the old definition of rape displays societal views on male rape. In fact, if a male were to come forward with his story sexual assault, he legally wouldn’t be able to state that he was raped.

I believe what I’ve turned into is a conscious prude. Sex isn’t gross, but I don’t need it shoved down my throat every two seconds. I hope advertisers start sparing me the gigantic boobs and muscled men because people are so much more interesting than that.

This type of relationship is a dynamic combination of being mutually and physically responsible to each another. It differs distinctly from "dependence" in that an interdependent relationship implies both participants are equal partners.

In the last couple of years, Christmas has lost its allure for me. All the joys of it have faded. It begins the day after Thanksgiving. I can’t go to the mall or turn on the radio or TV without being bombarded with commercials and ads telling me to buy stuff.

Most of us feel that need to gather with family this time of year, even if we don’t celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah. And sometimes the holidays bring out the worst in families: Old grudges resurface, and competitive siblings vie for attention (and I’m talking about grownups here, not kids) from their parents.

Despite his past failures at "traditional" marriage, Gingrich is a rabid defender of the Defense of Marriage Act (written into law when he was speaker of the US House of Representatives) and a vocal supporter of a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.  To prove just how much he means business this time around, Gingrich says he will respect the institution of marriage by staying faithful to his wife.