To the aspiring musicians on our block goes a valentine dialed all the way to 11 with Bandung Hardcore, the traditional slab serif font by Indonesian designer Gilang Purnama. I'll point out the font's roots in West Java's underground music scene as the neighbors and I present the band with a stylin' stack of branded to hand out at their Valentine's Day gig. The dudes will be mega-impressed. I wish they'd go by my nickname for them--"The Bryant Street Death Rays"--because the words look especially awesome set in Bandung at its most hardcore. Hey, maybe bumper stickers will encourage the lads to tour. Listen for our neighbors yelling "Bon voyage!" as the boys in the van roll away.

Mrs. Nina hasn't met my partner, but she knows his tie collection. She has exorcised gum crud from Egyptian cotton and ketchup splats from Irish linen. The pristine condition of the rehabbed haberdashery owes more to her than our Visa card allows, but a timely verse shows our appreciation. Such a valentine is a job for Sorts Mill Goudy, Barry Schwartz's revival of the classic American text font Goudy Old Style. Hence my gift: a lab coat with a heat-transferred haiku dedicated to the queen of stain removal:

Gone like morning dew at noon: egg yolk from my tie. Mrs. Nina cleans!