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V-Day Restuarants: No shortage of options here: Azura has a special menu; Beato, the new spot in west Seattle, Cafe Flora for the vegetarians; the Hunt Club for romance and opulence; Palisades for your sunset view; Serafina extends this to an entire month of love; Ponti Seafood Grill and Earth and Ocean both have multi-course meals; and the Edgewater Hotel provides both a restaurant and a room.

V-Day Activities: Likewise, no shortage of ways not to be alone this night: Single's Night at Whole Foods Market; Gay Social Meetup at some coffee house; the NW Garden and Flower show starts; there could be some Octopus procreation at the Seattle Aquarium; regional pianist  David Lanz plays this night; POZ Social for HIV positive men.

Health: 5 Secrets to Weight Loss Workshop, Feb 13th, free. Heck, we can do better and claim only two secrets to weight loss: eat less junk and exercise more. There are a zillion fads and claims to roll off the lard, and here's one more. Who knows? This could be the one that works for you (or not.)

Family: Lunar New Year Celebration: Year of the Pig, Feb 17th, free (every third Saturday of the month.)  Is there any sort of social pecking order to the Chinese lunar animals?  Like, is it better to be a horse over a rat over a snake?  Anyway, this is the year of the pig.  They have arts & crafts activities for the kids with a lion dance afterwards.  Wonder if they're serving pork at this event?

Performing Arts: Buddy Holly, starting Feb 13th, $20+.  By definition, a musical about a legendary rocker better rock.  This guy pumps out 20 hits, and it seems like his airplane wreck is the part etched into our historical memories.  No one makes those nerdy black plastic rim glasses look so cool, kind of a hip-to-be-square sort of deal.

Courses: Microsoft/Seattle SIM Dispel Myth about lack of Information Technology Jobs, Feb 13th, free but must RSVP. Remember when the big threat was the outsourcing high-paying tech jobs to India? Well, according to these folks, they can't even find enough qualified candidates to fill local jobs. Hear their take on the job market and the skills needed. * Also, Insects Are Us, Feb 13th, $7. Learn about the creepy-crawlies squirming around our winter water. You even get to take home an insect.

Preservation: Preserving Your Old House, Feb 24th, $25.  Having a grand ole' home can be quite a love affair, but these old homes practically hook up a vacuum cleaner to your wallet and suck out every spare dollar for repairs and maintenance.  This class is all about repairing and maintaining old windows.  Not only can those old windows be a maintenance and mildew hassle, they can leak heat like a sieve.

Art: Captial Hill Art Walk, Feb 13th, free. This area certainly has no shortage of art walks, so here's  another. A dozen galleries band together for their works. The whole thing has that Capital Hill vibe, which may or may not be your thing.

Classes: Building a Snow Cave, Feb 18th, $85. Hey, you never know when one of these might come in handy. * Also, Transforming Burnout, Feb 10th, $30, of renewing yourself and reclaiming your life, whatever that is. * Also, if you need a few dating tips, on Feb 12th, there's Dating after 35 and Dating Tips for Men. Like, if you're a dude over 35, which class would you go to then?

Organization: Society of Test Flight Engineers Seattle Chapter. Oh man, these guys better have some good party stories, plus you know they're just gonna look ultra-cool in their leather flight jackets and aviator sunglasses. This group is open to those interested in aviation, and not just flight jockeys. If you go to their next meeting, ask 'em if it's possible to fly a 747 upside down from a loop-the-loop maneuver?

Valentine's Day Bitch 'n Moan
Valentine's Day has morphed from a day celebrating couples and sweeties to singles carping about the single life slog, of how tough it is to meet quality people, bad dates, and more wah-wah-wah. Instead of wallowing, here's something proactive a single person can do:

Give out Valentine's Day Cards: Think back to grade-school days, handing out those hooky cards to classmates. They were cheesy, but fun. Well, they're still worth a smile to someone's face and perhaps a pleasant memory for a scrapbook. Make yourself feel good by helping someone else feel good, especially to someone who could use it.

Go to a spa: Spas have really become trendy in the last decade or so, perhaps all part of the pampering and luxury trend extending into the middle class. Going to a spa is certainly the antidote of feeling sorry for yourself. Level III spa is new in town.  It looks like they have a pretty good facility with good packages and services as well.

Anti-Activities: Go to the other side of the pole: wear all black this day; get some DVDs and watch Schwarzenegger kick some alien ass; scan the weirdo's on Craig's List and then be glad you're single; eat a big cookie by yourself; take your dog for a double-walk; take yourself out for dinner; play Half-Life all evening.

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About: Seattle Spin is a weekly email newsletter highlighting the best restaurants, activities, and venues in Seattle this particular week Contact: Publisher: Gerard Wirz; Editor: Nathaniel Hollywood; Contributors:  Mike Ford and Mary Novak .