Monday, February 14, 2011

Happy Valentine's Day... I guess

This has never been one of my favorite holidays.  It's a day of forced sentiment and horribly over-priced fixed menus.  Also, it's my birthday.  I have generally not had good luck on my birthday.

Here's what happened one year when I was invited to the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit party.  You'd think that would be a great night, wouldn't you?  I met Beyonce.  I posed with Brooklyn Decker.  And then this.

Still, that was nothing compared to this birthday celebration.

This year my family is taking me to dinner at Roy's, one of my favorite restaurants.  So stock up on bottled water and the essentials.  A meteor is crashing to earth tonight. 

For today's post, I'm going to take a cue from Hollywood.  For years now, whenever a movie wants to convey a romantic moment, instead of having writers craft a wonderful scene with heart, and emotion, and memorable dialogue they just play the most on-the-nose song their legal department can clear.

So since I don't feel like writing anything particularly romantic, fearing it will veer into extreme schmaltz or bitter hostility, I am instead offering this music video.  The group is the very cool, Best Coast, the title is "When I'm With You", and it's my love song to you. Happy Valentine's Day!

36 comments :

Charles H. Bryan said...

Happy Birthday, Ken!

Hope you get a Maker's and ginger ale.

I'll say this for Valentine's Day -- at least it's got some history behind it. Sweetest's Day, on the other hand, is nothing but a ploy.

Stephanie said...

Happy Birthday Ken! May it be a good one. I look forward to your blog each and every day. You always make me smile.

J Lee said...

Happy birthday Ken -- maybe you should try getting Brooklyn Decker into Katz's Delicatessen in New York for a Valentine's Day recreation of the scene from "When Harry Met Sally".

Howard Hoffman said...

I know this is a huge triumph for you. Happy birthday, Ken.

Tom Quigley said...

Ken,

Every year you always do a great job of conveying the ambiguity you feel about being born on this day, but did you ever wonder if your parents ever planned it this way nine months previously? :-)

Have a great birthday, and Good Luck with the Mariners gig this year!

RCP said...

Happy Birthday, Ken!

Andrew Wickliffe said...

Happy birthday...
Maybe USA will be showing Mannequin 2 when you get home

Eduardo Jencarelli said...

First of all, happy birthday.

I'll admit that Valentine's never felt like an honest heartfelt holiday.

Writing romantic stuff can be challenging (at least to me). One thing I've always wondered is if the networks dictate that there has to be a Valentine's themed episode every year or so in most shows.

Anthony Hoffman said...

HBD, Ken.

Mike McCann said...

Ken,

Great song discovery! Where did you find or who tipped you off to it? Certainly had that '60s groove... It was almost like The Honeys reinterpreted by Blondie.

Have a terrific birthday. See you in AZ!

Janet T said...

Happy Birthday Ken- your blog is your gift to all of us.......
Here's to another year of Ken! Cheers!

Valentines Day- such a weird stressful holiday. hubby and I are going on 27 years together- and have never felt the need to do the whole candy/flowers/romance thing on this one day. We try to show the love and appreciation for each other all year long.

Tim W. said...

I stopped celebrating my birthday a LONG time ago because I realized they're always a let down. My best birthday was when my wife forgot about it and no one said anything to me all day about it.

Oh, and happy birthday, Ken.

Phillip B said...

Have a happy day, Ken!

Apparently there is an underground tradition, as reported by the NYTimes, that the night before Valentine's Day is the appropriate night for men to take their mistress out to dinner.

Another fine tradition, ruined by commercialization...

Max Clarke said...

Hey, we're supposed to give you the present!

You look like a guy who's done what he loves for a long, long time. You were born on the right day, Ken.

Happy birthday and thanks for the song. The music video was charming.

Gary said...

Roy Rogers is still open? Enjoy! HBD.

Anonymous said...

I felt it important to wish you a very Happy Birthday!

Jonathan said...

Happy Birthday. And thanks for including the video. One of my former students directed it.

AlaskaRay said...

Your hepatitis birthday could have been worse. I just read a report that 80 people who attended a party last week at the Playboy mansion have come down with Legionnaire's disease. That's a pretty high price to pay for spending the day with a bunch of plastic enhanced women.

Happy Birthday.

Ray

scottmc said...

Ken,

Wishing you the best today and for the year to come.

Aaliyah said...

Ken,

Happy birthday. I'm not big into V-day either. Have a a great day.

Mac said...

Happy Birthday, Ken.
That Porn-Star post made me hoot the first time I read it, and I've quoted it to anyone who has a 45+ birthday coming up. I tell them to enjoy it because 55 is when you get passed up for a goat.
Hope you have a good one. Great song, by the way.

Cap'n Bob said...

Happiest of birthdays, Ken. I know what you mean about sharing your birthday with another celebrated day. Mine is on the anniversary of The Gettysburg Address. You can imagine how that takes the spotlight off of me.

Greg said...

Hey Ken, happy B-Day!
Re: Your story about porn stars hating sex with a 55 year old...
True, most young women find the idea of sex with 55 yr old guys loathsome.
Then again, I feel the same way about sex with a 55 year old woman-and I'm just about your age.

My solution: I buy the friendship of attractive women half my age. No, not THAT kind of straight forward money for sex.

I will spend today, Valentine's Day, with a Yoga teacher I met in November who's 31 years my junior. I've got a great Tantric rap, and gladly spend approx. 15K on each girlfriend-jewelry, dinners at Nobu, clothes at Ron Robinsons, ect.

My younger girlfriends have a shelf life of 4-6 months, but that's fine.
Yes, I'm seeking the love of my life, and I'm not an old lecher.
But until then, I'll have fun with young women, overcoming their innate repulsion to dating old guys like me.
Hope you have a fun Valentine's/Birthday Day!

Paul Duca said...

Perhaps you can get together and commiserate with Hugh Downs, Florence Henderson and Michael Bloomberg...they're all Valentine's babies like you.

@IFeedUrTV said...

How incredibly hip of you to link a Best Coast video! If I could love you for that, I would.

Yeah, Valentine's is like any other holiday: means less and less as you get older. I'm just glad the banks and post offices aren't all closed like they are on real holidays.

Wordifier: PIERAXIL - drug taken to help with sickness while watching CNN's new interview show.

PS: Esperanza Spalding?

VP81955 said...

Ken, watch (or listen) to some Jack Benny today. After all, he shares your birthday, had a genius for comedy, and treasured writers.

Happy birthday!

YEKIMI said...

I was adopted on Valentine's Day over 40 years ago. I had a feeling it wasn't for love when quite a few years later my "dad" said the only reason I was adopted was so he could claim a tax deduction on his 1040!

Anyways, Happy Birthday, may there be many more to come and thanks for entertaining me with this blog! [Maybe when you're done with your 1960s book you can collect all these blog stories and publish them, I much prefer holding a book made out of paper than clicking a mouse and reading electronic images on a computer screen....it's much easier on my eyes!]

Kirk said...

Happy birthday, Ken.

Roger Owen Green said...

happy birthday. valentine's day is weird, tho.

i could be a bob said...

Ken, thanks for the link to that song. Been playing it all day, so out of your birthday post, I've found some good new music. Thanks!

Craig Edwards said...

Happy birthday, Mr. Levine!

Mary Stella said...

Happy birthday, Ken!

Gary Pratt said...

Happy Birthday, Ken!

I enjoy reading your blog every day - thanks for sharing your great stories, insights and commentary.

Rose said...

Sorry I missed wishing you a happy birthday yesterday, Ken! I hope it was happy, and that the year ahead is wonderful for you!

Incidentally, I also have a holiday birthday: the 4th of July. But honestly, it ROCKS. You always get the day off work, and you get fireworks and barbeques. I never complain. :-)

Manodogs said...

Happy birthday, and thanks so much for all the great TV you've given us over the years. Keep it up!

Jennifer, 7th sister said...

Ken, happy belated birthday to you, the very least I can say for writing from your gut and hitting my own gastrointestinal chords on so many points.

The most I can say comes now:

Your writing style, your thought processes, and your obvious success with both are very encouraging to me, and I just want to thank you for existing and entertaining us in so many ways.

Look for my byline in the future, for you've encouraged me to go forth with some plans I've left too long on the back burner, simply by being you - and getting away with it so well. :)

Consider me a brand new fan.
Thanks again.