7 lovely ways to spend your Leap Day

But Feb. 29 can be different.

This Wednesday we get 24 extra hours to use how we choose. A whole extra day in our year. A 366th when we're so used to only 365.

Take advantage by doing something for yourself.

1. Enjoy a beverage. But not just any old beverage, a "Signature" drink at the opening event for Maine Restaurant Week. Don't come looking for a Miller Lite - or a boring house margarita - because local bartenders will be battling for the People's Favorite honor from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $35 in advance ($40 at the door), but really, how often do you get a chance to get tipsy on Feb. 29?

2. Take a leap of faith. What better day to storm into the boss' office and demand a raise, a promotion, a bigger office AND free doughnuts every Friday. If he demotes you, cuts your pay and moves your office to a closet in the basement, no worries - it's the day that never really existed anyway. (And he technically didn't say no to the doughnut idea.)

3. Treat yourself. There are oh so many ways: Reviving your feet at Soakology, getting a new 'do at Head Games, enjoying a massage at Nine Stones, starting to work on your tan at Sun Tan City. It's all about you today and the laundry can wait.

4. Pop the question. Irish legend has it that Feb. 29 is the one day every four years when it's acceptable for women to propose marriage to men. So go ahead ladies. You've been hoping for that ring for the last seven Valentine's Days during the nine years you've been dating but he keeps showing up with a box of assorted chocolates and a stuffed teddy bear. Take a chance today or keep dropping hints until 2016 when your chance comes up again.

5. Ignore the calories. Want cheesecake? Eat it. Want fries and a greasy burger? Order it. Everyone knows that calories only stick to the hips 365 days a year. Being forced to diet for even one extra hour would be more cruel than to have to smile and fake your excitement over a stuffed Valentine's teddy bear - again.

6. Sleep in. Or all day. Why? Because you can.

7. Act like a kid. Say you're 30. In Leap Day age that's really only seven-and-a-half. So wear your underwear on the outside, throw a towel cape over your shoulders and play superhero for the day. You can go back to being 30 when March arrives.

UPDATE: To celebrate the Leap Year and the extra ski/ride day on the calendar this season, Sunday River will be selling $29 lift tickets for all ages on Wednesday, Feb. 29. FMI: www.sundayriver.com/TicketsPasses/Lift_Tickets.html

7 tilted trails for top-notch tubing

Ski if it suits you. Snowboard if you're into that sort of thing. But if, like us, you think the best way to appreciate a snow-covered hill is face-first in a snow tube, then this is the list for you.

Even though snow has been shy in Maine, most of the tubing areas make their own, which means the tubing goes on even if Mother Nature decides she just isn't into snowfall this season.

Even better, the areas supply the tubes, so there's deciding which of the kids has to hitchhike to the hill because the tubes take up too much car space. They all have lifts too, so you can "experience the thrill of sliding without that annoying walk back up the hill," as the folks at Hermon Mountain so rightly put it.

So, without further adieu:

Black Mountain, 39 Glover Road, Rumford.
364-8977 | www.skiblackmountain.org
$10 half day; $16 full day. Friday 5 to 9 p.m., Saturday noon to 4 and 5 to 9 p.m., Sunday noon to 4 p.m. February vacation hours: Monday through Thursday noon to 4 p.m., Friday and Saturday noon to 4 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m., Sunday noon to 4 p.m.

Camden Snow Bowl, 20 Barnestown Road, Camden
236-3438 | www.camdensnowbowl.com
$5 per hour. Weekends, holidays and February vacation, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Check here for current conditions. If that isn't enough downhill for you, take it to the toboggan chute. $5 person per hour, their toboggan or yours.

Hermon Mountain, 441 Newburg Road, Hermon
848-5192 | skihermonmountain.com/tubing
$12 for three hours. Wednesday through Friday 3 to 6 and 6 to 9 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to noon, noon to 3, 3 to 6 and 6 to 9 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. to noon, noon to 3 p.m. Also open Monday & Tuesday during vacation week. The 600-foot tubing run is servicecd by a lift - simply sit in your tube and ride up. "Experience the thrill of sliding without that annoying walk back up the hill."

Oxford Plains Snow Tubing, Route 26, Oxford
539-2454 | www.oxfordplains.com/tubing_2006.htm
$12 for one hour, $14 for two hours, $16 for three hours, $20 all day. Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. during school vacation week. And yes, they've got a lift to tow you back up, plus a warming shack and outdoor concessions. They also make snow, so fret not. Bringing your own drinks and food is fine.

Seacoast Fun Park, 932 Roosevelt Trail, Windham
892-5952 | hseacoastfunparks.com/snowpark.asp
$17 for two or three or hour-hour block. Regular hours run Friday 5 to 9 p.m., Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. During vacation week, the tubing is also open Monday through Thursday 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., noon to 2 p.m., 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., and 5 to 7 p.m.

Sugarloaf, 5092 Access Road, Carrabassett Valley
237-6939 | www.sugarloaf.com/EventsActivities/turbo_tubing.html
$8 per session. Monday, Wednesday & Saturday, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Sunday River, Sunday River Road, Newry
824-3000 | www.sundayriver.com/EventsActivities/White_Cap_Fun_Center.html
$10 per session. Open Friday and Staurday 5 to 9 p.m. Open 5 to 9 p.m. all week during vacation week. Now located on Sundance trail at South Ridge, accessed by the Magic Carpet.

13 ways to conquer your chocolate craving

In addition to being a day to express your undying love for your significant other - or perhaps your dog - Valentine's Day is also the perfect excuse to jump back into the world of chocolate confections you swore off when the new year arrived. And yes, we realize many of you fell off that wagon back on Jan. 3 and have been satisfying the sweet tooth under cover of darkness or behind a locked office door. But on Feb. 14 there's no need to be ashamed of the five chocolate bars in your purse.

That one true love may not last, but chocolate never disappoints. So indulge your craving with one of these delish options:

A Dozen Valentine's Day Diversions

Ah, Valentine's Day. No other holiday inspires such thoughtful flower-sending, feeling-sharing and chocolate-eating. It's a day for heart-shaped cards, the Valentine's Day Bandit and the whispering of sweet nothings.

But not everyone feels the love when Feb. 14 rolls in on its bedazzled pink bicycle, all giggles and swoons, with a rose bouquet spilling out of the bike basket and the scent of cotton candy lingering in its path through the city.

Frankly, all that love talk makes some people angry. Those folks typically prefer nothing at all to the whispering of anything in their ear. And that's fine. Curmudgeons are loveable in their own way. But don't tell them that - they'll probably just want to shank you.

Whether you're a lover or a hater, here are A Dozen Valentine's Day Diversions:

If you're still pining after a 90s high school crush:
Cupid Loves 90s PROM NITE: A Valentine's Day Dance Party
Relive the love of your youth with some 90s music, 90s clothes and a pager clipped to the front of your pants. The prom photo booth will capture it all so you can relive it over and over and over.
9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11 | $5 | Bubba's Sulky Lounge

If love scares the &%$# out of you:
Midnight Explore Valentine's Ghost Hunt
Get into the Valentine's spirit by hunting spirits at the haunted Rufus Flye House in Damariscotta. The night includes a catered dinner at Salt Bay Cafe and the chance to meet new people...some of whom may or may not be deceased.
9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11 | $45 | Rufus Flye House, Damariscotta

If love is something you kinda sorta HATE:
Hate the Love After-Party
Maine Roller Derby's season opener takes place beforehand at Happy Wheels, Portland. Afterward, the bouting women of MRD will be ready to "hate on love, lovers, dating, and all things gushy with our hate cards, hate poems, hate stories, and so on."
Post MRD bout Saturday, Feb. 11 | $5 | Flask Lounge, Portland

If your love life could use a warm up:
Great Chili and Chowder Challenge
Is the ol' love life not exactly hot, hot, hot? It happens. Perhaps some chili can help spice things up. And everybody knows eating good chowder produces the same chemical reaction in the brain as being spooned on the couch while watching "Love Actually."
12:30 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12 | $20/$17.50 in advance | Holiday Inn by the Bay, Portland

If you need to cool down, you know, emotionally, because your significant other thinks you're a little too intense sometimes, though you don't know why, you're just in love and when you love someone you want to be with them all. the. time!:
Freezin' for a reason
Chill out during the Freezin' for a Reason polar dip. The cold water can be invigorating, so we hear. Plus, it benefits Camp Sunshine. And doing good can warm your heart.
Noon Saturday, Feb. 11 | $100 fundraising | East End Beach, Portland

If your heart is big, but your budget is small:
A Very Too Broke Valentine's
Love can't be bought! But it can be serenaded with romantic country duets. Swoon to the live music and get dinner for two (two entrees, two draft beers or one bottle of wine, and one dessert to share) for only $25. Wowza!
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14 | $5 | Bayside Bowl, Portland

If you tend to bare your heart. And your body:
Eastport's Annual Bikini and Speedo Run
This event takes place in Eastport. Easport is five hours from Portland. That said, you should do it! There'll be Speedos and bikinis as far as the eyes can see! And pasty-white goose-pimpled flesh! On a warmer note: raised funds help provide fuel assistance for the elderly.
3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14 | Fundraising | Downtown Eastport

If you're better at screening short films than screening girlfriends:
Local Love Muscle Valentine's Day Film Festival
Local moving company Local Muscle hosts this festival of short films. Admission is free and attendees get to choose the festival winners, who each get cash. After the films there'll be live music from Huak and Thee Ice Picks and you can dedicate yourself to making friends with the winners and getting them to buy you drinks.
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14 | Free | Geno's Rock Club, Portland

If seeing other couples together only makes you stronger:
Sweethearts Night Out for Valentine's Day
Catch three musical couples: Darol Anger & Emy Phelps, Brittany Haas & Kai Welch, Lissa Shneckenberger & Corey DiMario. If they're not enough to make you "awww," how about some free dessert?
8 p.m. Saturday, Feb 11 | $20 | One Longfellow Square, Portland

If you prefer it in writing:
"Love Letters" at the theater
The play follows Melissa Gardner and Andrew Makepeace Ladd III as they sit side by side at tables and read the notes that have passed between them throughout their separated lives.
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14 | $10 suggested donation | Chocolate Church Arts Center, Bath

If your love is better expressed artistically:
Paint by Candlelight at Color Me Mine
Express yourself through paint...on a mug or large serving platter. You can also bring you own beer, wine and snacks. A candlelight dinner is always swell too, but it's harder to keep the leftovers on the mantle as a V-Day souvenir.
5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14 | $5 per person plus cost of whatever you paint | Color Me Mine, Portland

If "be mine" applies to your canine:
Valentine's Day Canine Cocktail Party and Dog Kissing Contest
This one's for the dog-lovers. Let us clarify: this is for the dog lovers who don't mind a dog tongue on their face and in their eyes. It's for a good cause (Planet Dog Foundation) and fun to watch the kissing contest.
6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15 | $5 donation | Planet Dog Company Store, Portland