by Eddie Pipkin

This year marked one of the rare occasions on which Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday aligned.  The two “holidays” have antithetical purposes – one to celebrate the joys of romantic love and one to remind us that life is short and then we die.  It’s a tricky balance to pay homage to the spirit of both occasions.  If you’re Catholic, the bishop of Boston issued a gentle reminder that even if you were tempted to celebrate with a traditional Valentine’s dinner, fasting rules were still in effect.  And even if you’re not Catholic, but you were planning on giving up chocolate for Lent, you might have had a difficult moment when your lover gifted you with one of those ubiquitous heart-shaped boxes.  But I think thi