Boo hoo hoo! So you’re single on Valentine’s Day? Count your blessings.
Every year on Feb. 14, single people everywhere are taunted by garish displays of love and romance as envisioned by the greeting-card industry, the chocolate industry and legions of rose-pimping florists. But what are you really missing if you don’t have a Mr. Wonderful to take you out to a five-star restaurant? Him checking out the girl with the two-sizes-too-tight blouse at the next table? High expectations and disappointing results? Red-wine stains on your $200 dress?

We’re not saying that romance is a crock; it’s just that romance as seen on TV is a far cry from the real thing. And while the greeting-card industry would like you to get all worked up to find a date on Valentine’s Day, it’s really no big deal. Mr. Wonderful may be out there, but Feb. 15 is as good a day as any to find true love.

But if you need some reassurance that your life isn’t the pits if you’re alone on V-Day, here’s a roundup of some amusements to help you coast past Cupid’s bacchanal.

The Anti-Valentine’s Day Movie List
Put on your sweats, grab a pint of Ben & Jerry’s and enjoy one of these films that will remind you why it’s nice to be single:

“What’s Love Got to Do With It”
If ever there were a poster child for the creepy husband, it was Ike Turner. Laurence Fishburne turned in an amazing Jekyll and Hyde performance as the drug-addled, charismatic producer who could turn vicious without warning, and Angela Bassett as Tina Turner will have you shouting “You go, girl!” at the TV screen. You’ll forget all about dinner for two.

“The Color Purple”
Another chilling film to make you forget any feelings of self-pity you may be harboring on Valentine’s Day. Whoopi Goldberg, as Celie, is given away by her sexually abusive father to an abusive husband whom she knows as “Mister.” Through warm friendships and her own unwavering humanity, she finds the strength to take control of her life and leave her monster of a man. Take that, Cupid!

“Romeo + Juliet”
The 1996 film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes is a slick popcorn movie, but Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 version is also good if you prefer your Shakespeare without lots of gunplay. Either way, the timeless story of history’s most romantic couple ends the same way: They both die!

Fantasy Husband
Kim Cramer of Tallahassee was inspired to create www.fantasyhusband.com when she observed her co-workers’ obsession with fantasy sports leagues. Here’s how it works: Players register on the site, and each week they have the opportunity to draft three “husbands” based on photos and bios, which include professions, interests and annoying habits. The husbands are real guys who are presented with hypothetical scenarios and must describe what they would do. Their answers are scored by a real marriage counselor.
For example, a scenario for one of the “Football Season 2006” season was: “You share personal stories about your wife at one of her company functions. Your wife tells you that what you did was very embarrassing for her. Do you care?”

One fantasy husband actually answered, “You rather that I talked about myself all night?”
Yes, it’s that true to life. Why were you feeling lonely, exactly?

Quirkyalone
If you’re still feeling alone, you might surf over to www.quirkyalone.net, a Web site that celebrates the uncomplicated satisfaction of the single life. According to the site: “Quirkyalones are people who resist the tyranny of coupledom. Oddly enough, we quirkyalones also tend to be romantics. We resist the tyranny of coupledom because we would prefer to be open to the possibilities that life has to offer than be in an unsatisfying relationship. That is, to date for the sake of dating or be in a relationship for the sake of being part of a couple.”

Does this description fit you? Congratulations, you’re part of a grass-roots movement! In fact, you even have your own holiday: International Quirkyalone Day, which is, of course, Feb. 14. No cards required.