My Daughter, My Valentine.

Posted on 02/14/2012 by Panama Jackson

A few weeks ago, somebody asked me what the best part about being a pappy was. My response was that the best part had something to do with having a built in best friend and a pal who was just genuinely happy to be doing anything with you. If you want to throw rocks at old people walking along the street, your kid will be all.about.that.

But kids add all types of fun dimensions to your life. For instance, I could go see

This picture made me want Skittles. What? Happy Valentine's Day muda skunts.

Beauty & The Beast with daughter in tow and NOBODY would think there was anything odd or wrong with that. Nevermind the fact that I wanted to go see it. Kids are the best out ever.

Alllllllllllllways. No Atlantic Starr.

Well, another great facet is that you have a built in Valentine. See, I’m aware that Valentine’s Day sucks for a lot of people. And by people, I mean women. Very few men could give a flying f*ck about Valentine’s Day. In fact, as a man, the main reason the majority of us do anything for our women on Valentine’s Day is because she’s so looking forward to…us doing something for her. If men didn’t have to go out and buy random odds and ends just because some random ass person came up with this random day eons ago then we wouldn’t.

Interestingly enough, Valentine’s Day is the only day per year where even the most thugged out of individual can walk down the street with a balloon that says “Sweety Pie” and a wrapped up dozen roses without anybody judging or questioning if he’ll murder them. It’s also the one day where you’ve got t put the thug back on the shelf because its really hard to look intimidating in the checkout line at Giant with a box of chocolates and a lily. And homeboy, buy more than one next year.

Back to my daughter. Having a daughter is about as sweet as it gets come days like Valentine’s Day. See, having a little girl brings out a certain sensitivity in most men. Your daughter is the woman in your life that you want to be happy at all times. So even if you don’t get into Valentine’s Day, somehow, someway, you still want to do something nice for your daughter JUST so she’ll always know that her father remembered days likes Valentine’s Day so that when the man she ultimately chooses to deal with in the future DOES forget, she realizes that she can do better like Drake singing an Adele song written by Babyface and Marques Houston.

The fact that I have a built in Valentine every year is one of those things that genuinely puts a smile on my face. Will she remember the random balloon two years from now? Nope. Will I remember the smile she had because she’s still young enough to get insane amounts of joy out of a balloon? Absolutely. And it’s worth it every time. Being a parent is obviously no walk in the park, though it’s one of the most rewarding jobs on the planet. But making days like Valentine’s Day matter because there’s a little princess in the picture? Well, that’s what makes life worth living.

Besides, my daughter will actually be completely content with a balloon, one flower, and a stuffed animal. How many women would be okay with that? More than I think, probably. But I’ll be willing to be all of your lunch money that most men think that they do a better job at Valentine’s Day than we really do. It’s just another reason why women are in the “Who Sucks The Least” race in Black America because I saw all of your/their boyfriends in line tonight while I was getting some Crisco. Your gifts are about to suck ladies.

I promise.

But not to my daughter. Not to my favorite person on the planet. And not to my numero uno Valentine for life.

Was this a sappy post? Perhaps. Was it honest. Absolutely. And you can’t whip my a** anyway.

Happy Valentine’s Day to those who don’t hate the day. Happy 14th to those who do. Every day is the 14th.

What’s your Valentine’s Day looking like? Do you like Valentine’s Day? Hate it? Do you refuse to celebrate it? Why or why not?

And fellas…if you have to go see The Vow, it’s okay. You’ve got a friend in me.

Love 40.

-VSB P aka THE ARSONIST aka MR. SHUGGIE VALENTINO aka GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRL HE A 3

Valentine’s Day Triple Threat + Cupid’s Hunt

Posted on 02/12/2010 by Very Smart Brothas

Hey VSB Fam,

We decided that since we are the leaders in this online love blogging game, we would hit you up with a special triple header for the official Holiday of Love.

Not only do you get Panama’s post for today, but you also get the Champ weighing in on such an important day for all you love birds. Yes, Valentine’s Day is worth a post from each of them. It’s like Speakerboxxx/The Love Below except after this, they won’t break up and pretend to still like one another.� Make sure you scroll down and peep both of their posts.

But that’s not all!! Continue reading →

Love You For Free (Or Something Like It): Valentine’s Day Date Options That Won’t Cost You A Fortune

Posted on 02/12/2010 by Panama Jackson

If I had money, this rose would have color.

Valentine’s Day is Sunday (in case you forgot). While many of you assumed that my suggestions for the lonely single were tongue-in-cheek, I can assure you that it was filled with the utmost sincerity. Well, it seems slightly unfair to lend a helping hand to one group and not the other; technically that would make me a racist. And I’m so not a racist.

Since the number of strippers is on the rise, we know we’re in an economic recession. That means that nobody has the money to blow $10,000 on romantic getaways to wherever Jay and Beyonce are going. Nope, a lot of us have to stay in our lanes – and I don’t mean the HOV (hey, he has his own lane, already). As my gift to the you, and you (this goes out to you), I decided to come up with a list of Valentine’s Day date options for the economically challenged (or just late as hell on the planning tip).

Follow me. Continue reading →

why we need valentine’s day

Posted on 02/12/2010 by The Champ

by the time you read this, i will have already made reservations to spend friday evening eating overpriced pan-asian entrees with my girlfriend at the type of obnoxiously postmodern restaurant usually frequented by overemployed gay business men who dress like sephora salesladies and look like jeremy piven

i may have already spent approximately $15.50 on greeting cards for my mother and sister, despite the fact that said cards will only be read once and will both probably contain the same fisher-price inspirational phrases regularly found in hill harper books and rehab clinic pamphlets.

there’s also a slight chance that i might have already crafted the multi-faceted lie i’m planning to tell to my girlfriend to trick her into allowing me to watch the entire nba all-star weekend guilt-trip free. Continue reading →

Valentine’s Day Alternatives for Those Without Plans Or People To Plan Stuff With

Posted on 02/09/2010 by Panama Jackson

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In less than a week, the Hallmark creation that has complicated more relationships than Facebook will descend upon, well, everybody. Nobody is immune from Valentine’s Day. If you have somebody, you’re reminded that you need to make it memorable. If you don’t have anybody, everyday without a date is like your alarm clock on snooze: sure you’d like to sleep thru V-day, but television, Sarah Palin’s hand notes, and CVS’s discount rack keep reminding you that you’ve got nobody.

Like, nothing AND nobody. As in loneliness.

As of 10pm, both of the VSBs had somebody to spend Valentine’s day with, but that doesn’t mean we can’t empathize with those individuals sans date. We make it our business to be in business of problem solving and world happiness. It’s a gift and a curse really. Kind of like Jay’s Blueprint 2, except we’re actually worth listening to.

Odd question time: Didn’t Jay’s inclusion in the Super Bowl and his “mashup” seem kind of forced? I’m as big a fan of Jay as everybody else and Reasonable Doubt is hands down one of the 5 albums I couldn’t live without, but when it’s all said and done, aside from a number’s game, is Jay’s actual musical contribution that noteworthy? Just fodder for convo. Short of the first Blueprint, has Jay really spearheaded music into any new territories? He changed hip-hop for a few years and he’s the GOAT and all, but I find him performing with like a 40-piece orchestra, slightly ridiculous and an overstatement.

So here’s some ideas to get your motor running (since you have to do it yourself anyway� – no roadside assistance):

1) Crocheting – It’s slightly scary how many 30+ women I know who are actually into crocheting as a hobby. I used to assume that it was for the 70+ crowd since there really isn’t sh*t else to do while you wait to meet Jesus. Plus it doesn’t require much mobility, and what with all the old mothertruckers killing people at Whole Foods and outdoor markets, anything that keeps seniors in their rocking chairs is alright with me. Anyway, all it takes is some string, some needles (no Baltimore) and some creativity. Oh yeah, and talent, which is hard to come by. However, you were probably going to spend all your time watching pr0n, throw in a crocheting DVD and learn a skill you might actually use.

2) Snuggie Beer Crawl - They had one of these in DC a few months back and I heard about them in Chicago as well. If you can’t lick ‘em, join ‘em. And trust me, most people running around in Snuggies in broad daylight or at a bar are doing this because they don’t have anybody in their lives who loves them enough to say, “hey, stop it.” Love Misery loves company so just send out of those viral emails that results in legions of virgins and 16-year old college seniors meeting up and arguing about the 382nd number of pi. Beats the hell out of a solo Snuggie Beer Crawl which I’m pretty sure is called being sloppy drunk which is like so, ewww.

3) Online Battleship - This game f*cking rocks when you play with real people so I assume it’s pretty cool when you play against ROBOT1 too. Then again, with the advances in Internet technology, you can probably play legions of games with other gamers from across the world. And technically, if you plan to do it ahead of time it’s a date, so there you go. You can have a date with BigRobLove735. You just can’t see or touch him. We call that marriage at age 80.

4) Netflix Night – You probably suck at picking movies for a group of people. But fret not, MOST PEOPLE suck at picking movies for a group. But lucky for you, you have nobody to please but yourself so it can be all The Tale of Desperaux, A Scanner Darkly, and The Tony Yayo Story, to your heart’s content.

So good hearted people of the VSB, what are some other Valentine’s Day alternatives that folks might not think about?

-VSB P aka THE ARSONIST aka TANGLE JIG P aka GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRL, HE A 3

ADMIN NOTE: On February 18, I’ll be at FAMU as a guest speaker at their 4th State of the Black Student Summit along with Dr. Steve Perry, Enitan Bereola, TJ Rose and another celeb panelist. I’m honored to be asked to be there and speak on the Edification of The Black Man. I know nothing about Tallahassee so I’ll be depending on you folks to let me know what to get into (if anything). Do we have any FAMU folks here…holla at the kid. Anyway, bigups to FAMU for bringing Panama “I Speak of Myself in 3rd Person” Jackson to speak about Blackness, no Kool-Aid.