Oracle editors share Valentine's Day plans

Still looking for ideas of what to do this Valentine’s Day? Here are some suggestions from Oracle  editors.

It seems many people go out of their way to follow the idea of what Valentine’s Day is supposed to be, that they forget what it is about. The day is meant to focus on someone you love or care about, which in my opinion should include something you both enjoy as opposed to what society says you should do. With that said, I think my ideal date would consist of some kind of music concert around Tampa. We have a couple of different places to chose from in the area, from bigger places like the Tampa Bay Times Forum to the Ritz Ybor, depending on who we chose to see. Coming from the USF area, we are only about 45 minutes away from the beach, which would make a great place to get some food and eat at an outdoor restaurant, so take advantage of the aesthetics.

—Kelsey Sunderland, MONTAGE EDITOR

After a long day of classes, we would meet at Starbucks to grab a cup of coffee and unwind. From there we would walk together through the grassy lawns of MLK plaza toward the Richard Beard parking garage. We would ride the elevator up to the top floor just in time to watch the sun set over the roller coasters of Busch Gardens and downtown Tampa.

At nightfall, I’d take my date to the best place for dinner on campus: Beef ‘O’ Brady’s. It’s a little pricey, but it’s well worth it. After dinner, I would borrow a DVD from the sixth floor of the library, and request a study room from the main desk to “study.” By study, I mean spend three hours with my date in my arms watching the DVD on my laptop.  

—Alex Rosenthal, NEWS EDITOR

My perfect Valentine’s Day, assuming I had a Valentine, would probably be pretty typical. Having never celebrated the holiday, I usually forget until the day before because I’ve had no reason to remember. But I digress — back to the perfect Valentine’s Day. 

I’m a pretty active person, so my day would have to start with the gym. I don’t care what holiday it is, you have to stay in shape — no excuses. 

As far as the rest of the day is concerned, I think it would be nice to have a homemade breakfast to kick things off, made by me for my hypothetical girlfriend. I’ll most likely have roses, candy or something nice like that.

Afterward, I think going to the Florida State Fair would be a cool place to go to with said girl. Following a fun afternoon at the fair, my date and I would go to a nice place to eat dinner where I would give a really nice gift, depending on whatever this imaginary girl likes. Later on, she and I can go get ice cream for dessert. 

By this time it will be late, so why not end the night watching a movie at home and see where it goes?

—Adam Fenster, SPORTS EDITOR

As cliché as it might sound, my ideal date would involve a night at the beach. 

All of the beaches around the Bay Area offer the perfect setting for a romantic night with a special someone. I imagine taking a walk down the beach and ending up at a preset

romantic scene. There would be a picnic blanket big enough for two lying next to a roaring fire.  The meal could be as easy or as elaborate as my date would like, but chocolate in some form is a must — preferably chocolate-covered strawberries. 

Usually when you are away from the city lights, you can get a better view of the night sky. It’s a great setting to get to know someone while gazing at the stars and listening to the crashing of the waves. The beach is my ideal location, but this is a romantic idea that could be done anywhere that is isolated. The park or the roof of an empty garage could set a great mood as well. If an organized flame isn’t permitted, string some Christmas lights up to help set the mood. Enhance the ambience by loading an iPod with romantic tunes. It’s important to remember to bring a couple of pillows to rest your head on while you “star gaze.” 

— Shaunda Wickham, MULTIMEDIA COORDINATOR

Why waste time with the roses, chocolate, stuffed animals and artificially imposed expectations on this annual day of glorified commercialization brought to you by Yours Truly, Hallmark, Inc.?

Ideally, if you have a special someone in your life, every day should be filled with surprising proclamations of love and exchanges of sweet nothings.

Instead of caving in to huge corporations’ pink-red-and-flowery requests to put their hands in your pocket, invest in the only relationship you can be 100 percent sure will last longer than Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries’ marriage — your relationship with yourself.