Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. For those of you who are single and embittered on this otherwise fine day, there are a couple of options:

On the upbeat side of things, you can celebrate International Quirky Alone Day:

On February 14, instead of cursing Hallmark, or sequestering ourselves with lovers at Italian restaurants, we get together with our partners (if we have one) and our friends, and recognize great quirkyalones in history, people who pushed at the boundaries of culture and society to create a more free society. Iconoclasts who paved the way for us today, such as Katharine Hepburn, James Baldwin, Rainer Maria Rilke, Nina Simone, Margaret Fuller, and Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas […]

Apparently they hold parties and socials at bars and clubs, so who knows…maybe you’ll get lucky!

If you would rather stay indoors with curtains drawn and lights dimmed, treat yourself (or a hated one) a box of Bittersweets from the wonderful folks at Despair.Com:

Introducing “BitterSweets(tm)”. The Valentine’s Candy for the Rest of Us. Like the ubiquitous candy “conversation” hearts, “BitterSweets(tm)” are made of flavored, chalky-tasting sugar and sport a message on their face. But unlike other candy hearts, ours are stamped with bitter musings and mockeries perfectly suited to the dejected spirits of those who will spend the holiday alone, or wishing they were.

Available in different flavors such as Grape Dust and Banana Chalk, these apparently sold out quite quickly in years past, so get your order in early.