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Don’t let your computer feel as miserable as you do this Valentine’s Day

I never understood the overwhelming hatred of Valentine’s Day. Sure, I’m in a happy, healthy, loving relationship, which makes me a prime target for scorn today, as well as completely discredits anything I could possibly have to say about the holiday in general. Still, even during my single years, I never cared. Maybe I just grew up looking at the day differently than most.  You don’t need a “lover” per say, you just need love, and I love a lot of things. Besides, it gave me an excuse to round-up a bunch of my friends to get drunk and watch bad horror flicks – two of my favorite hobbies! Not to mention, um, it’s just a day.

Still, I’d like to think I’m compassionate and recognize I am very much in the minority with those feelings. Starting as early as a week ago, social media sites were beginning to overflow with dread of the impending day. Guys planning to drink whiskey in silence, girls planning to stay in bed with 4 pints of ice cream, and the incessant overuse of the words “cliché”, “Hallmark”, and “singles awareness”.

Okay, I get it. February 14th sucks big time. But does anything bad actually happen on Valentine’s Day that merits the preparation of the Apocalypse? Kind of. I don’t know about going that far, but historically, the day does have some messed up roots, most notably the 1939 Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre in Chicago and most recently, malware attack warnings in our humble little abode of Rochester.

That’s right. As if this day weren’t already annoying enough for the majority of the population, now we have to be cautious of what we do and don’t click on in our social networks! (Which, by the way, you should be doing anyway, but I know it’s a rough day, so I’ll save the lecture.) Yesterday, Aware Bear Computer Repair in Pittsford warned consumers to be apprehensive of Valentine’s Day themed links, messages, and videos already circulating Facebook and Twitter. Andre Alves, Rochester native, as well as owner and founder of Aware Bear, stated:

“An apparently harmless message spreads in email messages with subjects like ‘I Love You So Much,’ ’Inside My Heart’ or ‘You in My Dreams.’ The text of the email includes a link to a website that downloads the malicious code. The page is very simple and looks like a romantic greeting card with a large pink heart. Once it infects a computer, the worm sends out a large amount of emails, creating a heavy load on networks and slowing down computers.”

That’s just one of the social media viruses Aware Bear has faced this Valentine’s season, and apparently, there are many. Chances are, if you’re a V-Day hater, you won’t be likely to click on anything holiday-centric today, anyway. However, for those of you who either have a honey bunny or just simply don’t care, take the normal precautions you’d approach your online interactive decision-making with and double it.

Happy Valentine’s Day, All. Don’t worry, we’re already halfway through it until next year.

By Jillian Seaton

Jillian is a recovering sorority girl/cheerleader and an aspiring trophy wife/crazy cat lady who somehow found herself in the magical land of auto dealership marketing and family portraits. Her true passions in life are writing, whiskey, music (especially good ol' rock 'n roll), and cheese. Jillian's life goals include saving the world from cancer and becoming the best astronaut ever.