Those of you who know me well know that I have an aversion to significant dates in the calendar year - my birthday, Valentine's day, etc. Why? Because of all of the unanswered expectations those days bring. If a friend asks me when my birthday is, and I tell him or her, then at least on a subconcious level I'm going to expect him or her to remember. Or, if I happen to be dating someone on Valentine's Day, I'm going to expect something special.

My life is a series of unanswered expectations. Last Valentine's day, I never heard from my boyfriend; he forgot my birthday, too. The Valentine's day the year before, my boyfriend took out another girl in my place. Back in high school I got dumped on my 17th birthday. Etc. So when I say I never tell when my birthday is, there's a reason. And when I'm so completely unconcerned with holidays, there's a reason too. I do my best to avoid the overwhelming feeling of inadequacy I get for being forgotten.