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My anti-Valentine's Day diatribes are well-documented on this site, so I'll save you the drawn out version, but suffice it to say that I find it a manufactured, overly commercial, "Hallmark holiday," and while some of my friends have claimed that that is the bitter single troll in me, they conveniently forget that (A) I'm not at all bitter about the holiday, and (B) my thoughts on it have been consistent throughout my life, no matter what my status was each year on that day.
But I invite you to join me in celebrating the real holiday on February 14, the only holiday I'll acknowledge: Arizona Day. A lot of people, when I wish them a happy Arizona Day on that day, think I'm blowing smoke up their hoohas. "It's not Arizona Day, you silly guy!" And then they'll check their smartphones, and be shocked to find out that yes, yes it is. On February 14, 1912, my home state, the great state of Arizona, became the 48th state in the Union. And I celebrate that day every year, even though I currently live in Florida. Three years ago, on Arizona's centennial, I was actually heading out small, hand-held Arizona flags to any who wanted them, and having a great old time with the whole thing. A surprising number of people, both singles and couples, male and female, got into the whole thing, and people who had never lived in or even been to Arizona were drinking toasts to the Grand Canyon State.
So next Saturday, feel free to channel the beauty of Arizona, the warmth of its deserts, the majesty of its mountains, and the grand variety of its climate and geography, and join me in celebrating its sheer and utter awesomeness. Lift a prickly pear margarita or a Four Peaks Kiltlifter (or whatever you happen to have handy) in honor of Arizona, the greatest State in the Union! (At least in my opinion, and that of a lot of people's grandparents!)
Also, if you need some appropriate music for the occasion, there are tons of musicians and bands that have sang about Arizona. Most notable are The Eagles ("Take It Easy"), The Scorpions ("Arizona"), The Beatles ("Get Back"), The Steve Miller Band ("Rock'n Me"), Public Enemy ("By the Time I Get to Arizona"), and Glen Campbell ("By the Time I Get to Phoenix"), but many, many other artists have sang about Zona, including Wilco, Ray Stevens, The Dead Kennedys, Tool, Waylon Jennings, The Misfits, R.E.M., 10,000 Maniacs, A Tribe Called Quest, Tori Amos, The Vandals, Kings of Leon, Sir Mix-A-Lot, Notorious B.I.G., Paul Simon, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Everclear, Beck, Dan Fogleberg, Bruce Springsteen, The Coasters, Big and Rich, Marty Robbins, Wilco and Modest Mouse....and many others.
Some great Arizonans of note (besides me): Stevie Nicks, Lynda Carter, Cesar Chavez, Steven Spielberg, Linda Ronstadt, Ted Danson, Kerri Strug, Alice Cooper, Barry Goldwater, the Gin Blossoms, Michelle Branch, Sandra Day O'Connor, Sandra Bernhard, Emma Stone, Michael Biehn, Garry Shandling, the Tubes, the Refreshments, Phil Mickelson, Curt Schilling, Danny White, Darren Woodson, Tanya Tucker, Jordin Sparks, CeCe Peniston, the Meat Puppets, Jimmy Eat World, Pat Tillman (ASU), Reggie Jackson (ASU), and Frank Lloyd Wright (a longtime winter resident).
(I left David Spade off this list because everything I've ever heard him say publicly about growing up in Arizona or about Arizona in general makes it clear that he hates everything about the state. And please, don't blame us for Stephanie Meyer--no state is without its flaws or embarrassments.)
By the way, if Arizona and the Southwest is not really your thing, if you're more of a Pacific Northwest kind of person, I have good news: February 14 is also Oregon Day!
Whatever you decide to do on February 14, let me be the first to wish you a very Happy Arizona Day!
But I invite you to join me in celebrating the real holiday on February 14, the only holiday I'll acknowledge: Arizona Day. A lot of people, when I wish them a happy Arizona Day on that day, think I'm blowing smoke up their hoohas. "It's not Arizona Day, you silly guy!" And then they'll check their smartphones, and be shocked to find out that yes, yes it is. On February 14, 1912, my home state, the great state of Arizona, became the 48th state in the Union. And I celebrate that day every year, even though I currently live in Florida. Three years ago, on Arizona's centennial, I was actually heading out small, hand-held Arizona flags to any who wanted them, and having a great old time with the whole thing. A surprising number of people, both singles and couples, male and female, got into the whole thing, and people who had never lived in or even been to Arizona were drinking toasts to the Grand Canyon State.
So next Saturday, feel free to channel the beauty of Arizona, the warmth of its deserts, the majesty of its mountains, and the grand variety of its climate and geography, and join me in celebrating its sheer and utter awesomeness. Lift a prickly pear margarita or a Four Peaks Kiltlifter (or whatever you happen to have handy) in honor of Arizona, the greatest State in the Union! (At least in my opinion, and that of a lot of people's grandparents!)
Also, if you need some appropriate music for the occasion, there are tons of musicians and bands that have sang about Arizona. Most notable are The Eagles ("Take It Easy"), The Scorpions ("Arizona"), The Beatles ("Get Back"), The Steve Miller Band ("Rock'n Me"), Public Enemy ("By the Time I Get to Arizona"), and Glen Campbell ("By the Time I Get to Phoenix"), but many, many other artists have sang about Zona, including Wilco, Ray Stevens, The Dead Kennedys, Tool, Waylon Jennings, The Misfits, R.E.M., 10,000 Maniacs, A Tribe Called Quest, Tori Amos, The Vandals, Kings of Leon, Sir Mix-A-Lot, Notorious B.I.G., Paul Simon, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Everclear, Beck, Dan Fogleberg, Bruce Springsteen, The Coasters, Big and Rich, Marty Robbins, Wilco and Modest Mouse....and many others.
Some great Arizonans of note (besides me): Stevie Nicks, Lynda Carter, Cesar Chavez, Steven Spielberg, Linda Ronstadt, Ted Danson, Kerri Strug, Alice Cooper, Barry Goldwater, the Gin Blossoms, Michelle Branch, Sandra Day O'Connor, Sandra Bernhard, Emma Stone, Michael Biehn, Garry Shandling, the Tubes, the Refreshments, Phil Mickelson, Curt Schilling, Danny White, Darren Woodson, Tanya Tucker, Jordin Sparks, CeCe Peniston, the Meat Puppets, Jimmy Eat World, Pat Tillman (ASU), Reggie Jackson (ASU), and Frank Lloyd Wright (a longtime winter resident).
(I left David Spade off this list because everything I've ever heard him say publicly about growing up in Arizona or about Arizona in general makes it clear that he hates everything about the state. And please, don't blame us for Stephanie Meyer--no state is without its flaws or embarrassments.)
By the way, if Arizona and the Southwest is not really your thing, if you're more of a Pacific Northwest kind of person, I have good news: February 14 is also Oregon Day!
Whatever you decide to do on February 14, let me be the first to wish you a very Happy Arizona Day!
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