Yes, another Valentine's Day is upon us. Obvious expectations on this "special" day include the following: grumpy singles, unsavory public displays of affection, overly excitable girlfriends, an arsenal of disgruntled Hallmark employees, and, of course, lots and lots of chocolate. But before the Weekly Volcano goes on, let us anticipate a few of your nagging questions. First, yes, chocolate is indeed an aphrodisiac! And, no, it's not all right to buy her (or him) the Snicker's Family Pak and call it a night. We hate to break it to you, but that's just not worthy of your Valentine.

Below are a few events and parties in the South Sound worthy of your Valentine:

Be sure to grab local sweets for Valentine's Day.

If you hurry, you might be able to score these local gifts for Valentine's Day.

It's almost certain that restaurants are booked tonight. That said, you might want to take a look at South Sound restaurants serving special Valentine's Day meals. Oh, and what if you could score these awesome restaurant seats in Tacoma and Olympia?

The Swiss is celebrating relationships forged at the downtown Tacoma pub. It has erected a Love Wall and a Divorce Shredder.

TUSH! Burlesque and the Gritty City Sirens are a part of the Sweet & Spicy: A Valentine's Day Burlesque show tonight at the Pantages Theater in Tacoma. There's more burlesque next week.

The Weekly Volcano presents six South Sound love stories.

Our Music Calendar has live music, DJs and comedy tonight in the South Sound.

The Weekly Volcano's Events Calendar has a variety of Valentine's Day activities in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area.

Maybe, all you want to do is drink and stare at a wall.