Hi folks,

I've never been a big fan of Valentine's day, for the same reason as most singles.  In fact it was always a holiday I loved to hate.  Even during the brief time I had a girlfriend,
I felt that day is overrated and a bit of a drag.   (She wasn't
the right one for me and had some issues of her own.)  Some of
my single friends would get together sometimes for an anti-Valentine's day dinner, which was nice.  But it still hurt being single.  And being an (20 + x) year old virgin didn't
make things better.

But last year's V-day was different.  I had determined it would be, about 50 days before, at Christmas time.  I promised myself that if a girlfriend didn't just jump into my lap by Feb. 14th,
I would take matters into my own hands, so to speak.
I decided I'd take a chance with a provider for the first time.

So once I made my decision, I was amazingly calm.  I saw all the
Valentine's day commercials and shows on TV, and they didn't
phase me.  I'd see my married friends making their plans; I didn't care.  I went to my usual restaurant on Feb. 14 alone (it was really crowded for the obvious reason, and it was on a
Friday);  except for the fact the food wasn't great, I didn't
mind.  I knew what was coming, and I just had to be patient.

I placed the call two days later (I figured Feb. 14 must be a very busy time for providers) to an agency.  (I know now that
was a very risky move, but at the time I had no idea that TER
even existed!)  That night a provider came to my place.  She
was amazing.  Not only was she a part-time model, but she was
also a very intelligent college student.  Since I work on university campus and I am surrounded by many beautiful students, you can imagine this was a dream come true for me!


She was very accomodating, knowing it was my first time.
We went into my bedroom, where candles and champagne were
waiting.  It was just like I figured it should be.
After we were done, we just lay there in each others arms;
it was pure heaven.  

Yes, some might say it was pathetic that I had to pay for this,
but I figured that most guys eventually have to put in much more  money for the entirety of their relationship.  Also, I didn't have to sit somewhere for 2-3 hours listening to some
woman talk on and on, with me nodding and preteding to listen.

Most important, I got some confidence out of this.  I was more
confident about dating and asking people out, and confident about things overall.  (Interestingly enough, about a month after this happened, I went to an interview and got a new higher paying job in a much better city.)  

In June I went to Las Vegas and was not afraid to meet two of
the classiest independents in the business (thank you January,
thank you Jennifer Tyler, wherever you are!).  Again, knowing
that I was going to get what I wanted put me at ease and I could
actually enjoy my trip!

Thank you so much to all you providers, for being there for people like me and for making Valentine's day fun again!

I realize that this is not type of Valentine's Day story most
newspaper columnists like Dear Abby would want to hear, but
I just wanted to share this with my friends on this board.

Have a great Valentine's day everyone, no matter what you do!

-blackj