Don't Be A Helper T-cell...

Sooo I believe I told you all that I have an immunology test coming up and today was the culmination of lecture material for the exam. My professor, who people (who shall remain nameless) say sounds like Rafiki (sp?) from The Lion King gave us some sage advice just in time for Valentine's Day next week. He proclaimed "don't behave like a helper T-cell", don't "bind" to someone and forget about them... make sure you send the card and the roses. Now I know he was trying to make a joke because let's face it activation of T cells and immunology in general can be rather boring, but does a silly insincere holiday need to consume us so much that we find reference for it in cells that help destroy the nasty microbes that invade our bodies? Living on this small island really does create a disconnect from the real world and all of the consumerism that revolves around holidays. Think about it, if you didn't watch TV, went to stores that weren't plastered with pink and red decorations and didn't sell those candy hearts with those silly sayings I bet most of you wouldn't even remember that Valentine's Day is next week. I didn't, haha I barely know it's February! I figured I would just voice my opinion and say that Valentine's Day is just another day and if you are going to "behave like helper T cells" every other day of your life then why should Valentine's Day be any different. Is it okay to express feelings on a holiday devoted to candy, flowers, and cards just because everyone else is also doing it or because these are easy superficial ways to say, "hey, I care about you"? You might think I'm being cynical and I usually don't use these posts to rant about "society", but my brain is so fried from all the formalin fumes I've breathed in in the last few days in the anatomy lab. Just thinking about things other than T cell selection and vessels of the thoracic limb and thought I would share!