Thursday Thirteen: 13 Things I Would have Liked for Valentines Day

1. An actual real Valentine man, a My Funny Valentine kind of guy would be just fine.

2. A pretty locket.

3. A weekend at a bed and breakfast with my Funny Valentine.

4. A box (not massive) of Valentine chocolates, really good ones.

5. Cheesecake, really good ice cream and/ or very fresh fruit salad. (It's not all chocolate!)

6. A Valentine card, something really pink and flowery.

7. Valentine lingerie for more than full figure type. Something long and luxurious rather than skimpy.

8. A gift basket full of good things: chocolates, really nice smelling shampoo and soap, etc.

9. A car. Not that I actually expect to get something so expensive but lets just put it out there, just cause you never know...

10. A day out for fancy coffee, shopping at the bookstore, and a chick flick.

11. An evening of my Funny Valentine cooking dinner, cleaning it up and making a really good coffee for late night conversation.

12. Flowers, tulips would be nice or something fancier. Something with roots that can be planted in the garden this Spring would be great too.

13. Sex. Not average, man in charge sex, something a lot more fun for me.

The Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen reasons to have long hair...

1. It keeps the back of your neck warm.

2. You can always do a Rapunzel if you're stuck in a tower or something.

3. It gives you something to do with your hands when you're stuck waiting for a bus, trying to quit smoking or just want to twirl your hair for no good reason.

4. You'll seldom be mistaken for a boy/ man.

5. If you get stranded on a deserted island you can always pull out a strand of hair and go fishing.

6. It works to drive your ex-husband crazy (or at least annoyed) long after you have moved on your hair still keeps clogging up his vacuum cleaner.

7. If you're kind of kinky... you can swat flies with it, just like a horse.

8. If you're out somewhere fancy and lose a button you only need a needle to sew it back on.

9. You're saving all that hair from just being stuck in some landfill or other.

10. When you really want to be alone you come equipped with your own curtain to close off the world.

11. It gives school children (those little sweethearts) a place to put their gum.

12. Pile it up on top of your head and you can always claim to have something on your mind.

13. The all you can eat buffet, a few napkins and well placed bobby pins and you've got enough for lunch the rest of the week.

Writer's block isn't phony. You can get in the way of your own creativeness. Whether you are a writer, photographer, illustrator, fashion designer or some other creative and art type everyone can get to a point where they feel out of ideas or lacking in a way to bring the ideas in their head out into the world.

1. Give yourself a break, know you are a little burned out right now and stop forcing yourself to come up with something brilliant and original. Get some physical, real distance from the burned out area.

2. Pick something else to do, creatively. Set the table for dinner, take the time to be fancy, glamorous or kitschy. Google a few favourite foods and see what interesting recipes come up, try one of them.

3. Do something practical, think of an errand or household task you have been putting off cause you were just too busy. Finally sew on that button. Take that stack of books to the second hand bookstore.

4. Pamper yourself. Try a new hair colour or style. Spend time in the tub with a good book. Sleep in with the radio on low and don't rush starting your day.

5. Retail therapy. What's your store of choice? I like the bookstore, coffee shop and the thrift store. Or window shopping and online catalogues for those who don't want to be tempted into spending.

6. Enjoy your day. Do something you really want to do, only you know what that is. I'd go on a road trip and take more photos of abandoned farm houses.

7. Exercise. Go for a walk. Try yoga, pilates or something else new, different or more extreme.

8. Stop being so perfect. Let a few mistakes happen. The world won't spin out of orbit if you burn the toast. But you might feel less pressured to perform up to some unrealistic standards you set for yourself.

9. Unclutter. We have so much stuff and only so many drawers, closets and floor space. Tidy up, throw it out or give it away. Once you can see the surface of your desk/ work space again you might find what you were looking for.

10. Be an angel for the day. Kids love getting something in the mail just for them and Grandparents love to feel they are still included in your life. Make a batch of cookies or muffins for a single parent you know.

11. Laugh along with life. Watch a movie that made you laugh before. Call a friend who can look at things with fresh perspective and laugh about what seemed so important before.

12. Spend time with people. Take the kids to a movie. Meet a friend for coffee. Join a new group involved in some kind of hobby or interest you haven't had much time for lately.

Thirteen things I like about playing Kingdom of Loathing- KoL.

1. The stick figure drawings.

2. Every now and then you find something Canadian.

3. The weird humour. You have to play to read it.

4. It's free, right in my price range. Though I'm looking into making a donation.

5. It's an RPG. I always did like the choose your own adventure type of games. Still play a few of them on the computer, city building mainly but an RPG as well.

6. Who wouldn't like having a colossal closet, even if it's fictional?

7. My friend ADeadHeart is there. Don't say the c-word when you listen to her DJ at KoL Radio.

8. KoL Radio. If you have not experienced live radio alongside live chat you should try it, soon.

9. There are all kinds of really odd bits of equipment and some of them are edible.

10. It's not a game for those Grammar Queen types or those easily scared off by typos. No perfectionists could survive long in this game.

11. The currency of the game is meat!

12. It's always nice to find a group of fellow flakes to belong to.

13. I get my own character.

Today for the Thursday Thirteen...

Thirteen things I put in the cookies I made today:

• red and green candied cherries
• vanilla
• light brown sugar
• cinnamon
• freshly ground black pepper
• ginger
• 4 eggs
• white sugar
• unsalted peanuts
• flour
• salt
• canola oil
• baking soda

I don't count the hair that tried to make it's way in there too. I pulled it out while it was still on the side of the mixing bowl.