There are endless sources of stress for a single person during the holiday season. Most of them center on the annual rite of passage known as “Determining What You’re Doing For New Year’s.” For years, this question has plagued me–seldom do I have a satisfying answer when the question is asked.

Occasionally I’ve thrown parties, which has been great, but stressful; other times, my friends have thrown parties, which have been great, except I drink too much and then have to stumble home. But on the whole, the “do you have a date” thing was so annoying that I was really glad to be going to Israel over New Year’s this year. I could evade the question and the event entirely! In fact, I could even pretend that we were still in the old year, if I wanted to!

But then I read this. A Miami Herald columnist is writing about her quest for a date by Valentine’s Day. That’s right–skip the December dilemma and head straight for the February FUBAR. Because in case you’ve decided New Year’s is stupid, this column will be here to remind you that Valentine’s Day is coming, and God help you, you’ll need a date for that too.

Aside from an initial “oh great, I have to worry about February 14th, too?”,  I wish her luck. But more than that, I hope she stumbles across some essential truths that make it easier for the rest of us to date, or that she at least experiences some funny stories that she’s able to share with the class. But I have to say I’m skeptical. But if this quest does succeed, maybe one of us at JDA will do an online blog challenge like she is…it’ll be like The Biggest Loser, but with dates instead of weights, and online instead of prime time.