Working on the Internet is kind of similar to being a member of the Nebuchadnezzar crew in "The Matrix." You spend most of your day staring at a screen until you begin to recognize patterns among the images and articles you unconsciously digest all day.
Some of these reoccurring themes are more obvious than others; it's not exactly surprising websites are going to suddenly start featuring articles about Valentine's Day around the middle of February.
However, when you work on the Internet for way too long (as I have), you start to notice even subtler and more specific trends. For example, I know as soon as January ends, it's only a matter of time until I see an article featuring pictures of fast food restaurants inexplicably framing themselves as "romantic."
I could never decide if these offers were incredibly ill-advised promotional events or brilliant examples of viral marketing because bringing your girlfriend somewhere with self-serve soda machines on February 14 seems like a good way to not have a girlfriend on February 15.
