Hello, my name is Lauren and I will be abstinent for the next 40 days.

Yes, the idea may seem insane but I have made a conscious decision to give up sex for Lent.

Born and raised as a good Catholic girl, it is only natural for me to give up something. I’ve tried eliminating some of my vices such as cursing or my love of junk food. This year, I decided on a real challenge.

At least I don’t have to do this by myself. I get to drag my boyfriend down with me.

Similar to the movie “40 Days and 40 Nights,” we will not engage in sexual activity of any kind until Easter Sunday (not even tongue kissing!). We plan to succeed where, can you imagine, Josh Hartnett failed. This gesture will make our relationship stronger and in the end will make our sex life that much better.

When I told my friends about this decision, they all laughed at me and told me it wouldn’t last. Consider this a preemptive apology. I figure by the third week of abstinence I will start to get a little cranky. I found myself on a Web site the other day creating a countdown until we can rip our clothes off and do the nasty. This is sad, but true.

So as my boyfriend and I sit here trying to fill the hours with activities that do not happen in the bedroom, we find ourselves being very creative. He is focusing a great deal of his time on his new love for video games while I actually do all of the work that has been assigned to me. And I’ve also taken up crocheting a blanket.

With so much free time on my hands, I still managed to almost forget about that special holiday. I came to the realization that Valentine’s Day falls a week after Ash Wednesday. Valentine’s Day, when you are in a relationship, seems to be a day where sex is implied.

This is the first Feb. 14 my boyfriend and I will spend together. It’s also our first Valentine’s Day without sex. It will be tough but our self control will get us through it. Besides, as many of my friends have pointed out, Valentine’s Day is just another day, right?

We will celebrate the day with things that we both enjoy that excludes knocking boots. An evening filled with some tasty food, wine and probably some horror movies. If I play my cards right, I might be able convince him to watch “Lost” with me.

Valentine’s Day will mark our commitment to this challenge. I feel that it is more of a challenge than a sacrifice at this point. Now that I have confessed my decision to Binghamton University, I feel that I must complete it. As we are one week down with five weeks to go, we will continue to pass the hours playing “Grand Theft Auto” and catching up on some reading for class.

This will be a productive 40 days.