Today is the day before Valentines Day. The day when I contemplate what horror movies I will watch tomorrow. This is because I have never quite liked Valentines Day. Even as a kid I worried about whether I would receive enough Valentines cards to fill some deep seeded need for acceptance through paper products. Although I would have to say that my main reason for not liking this day is because I have never had the good fortune to spend it with someone. I came close one year but alas it was just not meant to be. This year though I decided that instead of ignoring the day altogether I would embrace it head on. Which translates into to me going way overboard.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy then stir in the vanilla.
3. Add flour gradually as you mix till all is incorporated.
4. Roll out dough on a floured cookie sheet to 3/16” thick and cut out your hearts. Place them on the cookie sheets.
5. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes.
6. When cookies are done transfer them to a cookie rack or some wax paper to cool off.
7. While your cookies are cooling off take a saucepan and fill it ¼ way with water. Take a bowel that will fit on top of your saucepan but will not touch the bottom. This is called double boiling for all of you out there. I prefer this method because it is really hard to burn the chocolate. When putting either in a microwave or directly into a pot I have always burnt it. With this method you can better control your heat.
8. Frequently stir the chocolate with a spatula so it evenly heats up. When the chocolate is melted dip your cookies in there and place them on wax paper. Then sprinkle with your sprinkles. Place your cookie sheets in the fridge and allow for the chocolate to harden. Then put into a tin for transport.

I drove home today as the sun rose. There is something achingly poignant about that but I haven't slepf at all. It's my own fault. Instead of listening to that voice in my head that says "don't drink two cups of coffee after five," I did. I am not a teenager anymore. I realized this about 2am when I frantically wrote nine pages about a Henry Rollins diet plan. Either it's the sleep deprivation or what I wrote made some kind of savant like sense. It's probably the sleep deprivation. I should go to sleep now. Not because I'm tired but because I just tried to spell now with a "t."