THE LEFT LANE
Love by the numbers

Valentine news flash from the Census Bureau:

• 2.3 million: Number of marriages that took place in the United States in 2000. That breaks down to about 6,300 a day.
• 25.1 and 26.8: The estimated U.S. median ages at first marriage in 2000 for women and men, respectively.
• 3.8 million: Number of cohabiting couples who maintained households in 2000.
• Two: Number of places in the United States named Valentine. Valentine, Neb., is the more populous of the two, with 2,820 residents at last count. Valentine, Texas, had just 187.
• 25 pounds: Per-capita consumption of candy by Americans in 2000.

Forget to buy your Valentine the obligatory gift? The public relations spinmeisters at the Foot Health Network say you can still make up for it with what they call the "fun, flirty foot massage."

The Web site's foot gurus say the fantasy foot massage should have "dim lighting, a gentle waft of incense and romantic music to set the scene." But no-nonsense types (and cheapskates) can simply pick up a few techniques for free by visiting foot.com.

It's official: One in four Americans still pines for a long-lost love. That is one of the findings of the 2002 Harlequin Romance Report, released by the leading publisher of romance fiction.

Eighty-one percent of the torchbearers say the long-lost love probably was better in memory than in reality.

Of those who admit to carrying a torch, 23 percent fantasize about finding their lost loves; 19 percent say they would like to rekindle the romance; and 6 percent dream of finding that love for the ultimate payback of being the dumper rather than the dumpee.

At superpages.com, choosing your favorite chocolate will reveal your preferred "type" of mate.

Looking for a blast from the past? Verizon's superpages.com has created Romance Central on the Internet to reunite lost loves, offer multi-language translations for "I love you," and find your match based on your sweet tooth. Go to superpages.com and click on the heart. You can search for your old flame by name, city and state. You can vote on your favorite heartthrob. You can create a "love coupon." Or you can browse for flowers and gifts available in Honolulu.