Valentine’s Day Is More Than Chocolate

When men are in a relationship around Valentine’s Day, many will wait until the last possible second to pick up a gift for their special-someone. The lack of planning plays a large role in the type of gift that’s selected- and more often than not, a last minute gift-giver will go with the over-used standard: a heart shaped box of chocolate! 

You may be thinking that your girlfriend or wife absolutely loves chocolate, and you’re probably right. The problem is not that the gift won’t be enjoyed; but that it doesn’t show that you put any thought into what you would get the person you love on the day reserved for love!

If you want to show her you care, try something a little outside the standard heart shaped box of chocolate. 

Another gift that’s regularly given on Valentine’s Day are roses- and in particular, red roses. Flowers are almost always reserved for special occasions, and most women enjoy receiving a pretty bouquet of flowers because most women don’t have the pleasure of receiving flowers on a regular basis. To go a little outside the typical dozen red roses, you could select something else, like a multi-colored arrangement of flowers in a pretty container. Stargazer lilies and Blue Irises always make a bold statement when paired together in a nice vase or basket; and the arrangements will last over a week. You could also go with a plant that will last months or more, as an indication of your own relationship’s staying power!

To go along with the flowers, you could select a completely unique gift based on your girl’s personality. Is she a writer? Give her a nice set of stationary in a basket you select yourself, with envelopes and postage so she can keep in touch with her friends. This will show you put some thought into it, and you can even add a few extra touches like a package of her favorite pens.

Is she the outdoors, animal loving type? Surprise her with a horseback riding trip or something similar you think she’d love but that you don’t get to do all that often. A Valentine’s Day present doesn’t have to be pink or red or heart shaped to count! In fact, the less it looks like a standard Valentine’s Day gift, the more she’ll probably enjoy it because it shows you cared enough to think about it and pick something you knew she’d like.

Is she a little on the wild side? Try some novelty gifts that may also be a gift for you, if you play your cards right!

The trick with selecting a Valentine’s Day gift that your girl will appreciate is simply to put some thought and effort into it. If you wait until the day arrives and simply grab a heart shaped box of chocolates- she’s going to know you didn’t think about it at all and probably be a little disappointed; even if she doesn’t let on that she is!

Submitted by: Debra Dragon

About Today's Contributor:

Debra L. Dragon writes for hoppyshopper.com about flowers and gifts and a variety of consumer interest topics.

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Writing Fiction Versus Non-Fiction

Fiction and non-fiction have been compared tirelessly throughout the years. Because each genre has its own pros and cons, people often debate about which writing style is easier or more practical. Let's examine some differences, and then find out how they differ and what similarities hold true to both. 

Venus of Milos Island in Greece - History of Aphrodite

The History
The statue of Venus of Milos dates back to 150 B.C. from the Greek Hellenistic Age. It was discovered in 1820 on Milos island in Greece, when farmers dug up stones for their houses. A farmer called Theodoros Kentrotas tried to hide the statue in his stone house, but Turkish officials later seized it. The French naval officer, Julius Dumont d'Urville realized its importance and made arrangements to purchase it from Turkey. The Turkish government accepted the offer, out of fear that if they refuse, the French would either steal it, or take it by force. The statue was taken to France by boat and after repair work, was offered to Louis the XVIII. He presented it to the Louvre museum where it can still be seen.

Some less reliable accounts state that the Turkish soldiers never seized it, but the French commander who saw how the farmers dug it up, purchased it from a local farmer called Yorgos. According to the Milos islanders, the stone house on Milos island in Greece is evidence for the truth of the first account 

The Rules of Sumo Wrestling Games

Sumo wrestling games are an extremely popular sport in the Japanese culture. This form of wrestling involves two opponents, and each one of them is trying to force the other out of a circular ring called a Dohyo. They can also win by forcing the other to touch the ground with any part of their body other then the soles of their feet. Many people are familiar with sumo wrestling, but few are knowledgeable about the many rules of this sport. Let us look at how one of Japan's favorite pastimes is played.

IP Address Geek Game Perk

Silly human adults. They busy themselves with work, groceries, and Modern Family. 

Every now and then they look up to check on you in your eternal hibernation in the the cluttered space you call a room but, sometimes, they need your help and that's when the tide turns in favor of every self-respecting geek.

Yes, Mom...you may pay the bills but I set up the remote control, the DVD player, the Wii (really, you can't even register the remote??)

Oh No! It's Valentine's Day Again

What are the two most hated days of the year for single women? It’s probably no surprise: New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day. Well, you have survived one already a few weeks ago. Now, you have to prepare for getting through the next one –- next month.

Why do most single women hate February 14? Because Valentine’s Day is a holiday that shouts, “You must be in love." Commercialism has designed this day for lovers. Hotels and restaurants and jewelers and florists (etc.) all have specials for men and women in love (Or at least, men and women who are partnered or married!). And if you are not with a special man, you feel left out.

This is why so many women hide out on Valentine’s Day. Yet, here’s a curious fact. This day, devoted to lovers, has a nefarious beginning. There are a number of stories about how Valentine’s Day got started. Ironically, two of the more common ones are connected to murder and rape. One version says Valentine’s Day is named for a Christian saint who was murdered for marrying men and women at a time the Emperor needed men to go to war. If married, goes this story, men wouldn’t want to leave their families. The emperor needed single soldiers so he killed the man who was marrying the couples.

Another version says Valentine’s Day actually derived from a pagan holiday where a lottery was held for young men to win a young woman (probably a teenager of younger) for the male’s sexual pleasure.

You can choose any story you prefer as the origin just as you can choose how to relate to Valentine’s Day. It can be a day of shame because you do not love and are not loved by a special man, or you can honor this day by acknowledging those people who make your life better. When you were in elementary school, you knew Valentine’s Day was not about lovers; if was about love and caring and friendship. It can be the same today -– if you choose.

If you choose to see it as about love and caring, then you don’t need to hide out, or claim you hate February 14. You can participate in the holiday -– by your definition. You have no reason to be embarrassed about being single; you don’t need to hide. Find ways to celebrate the day with those you care about. Send or make cards, have a Valentine Day meal with close friends, greet people with a “Happy Valentine’s Day” and mean it. Participating in the holiday tells the world you love yourself and you love others.

You can mope or you can celebrate your life -– the life you have at the moment. There is no telling what your life will be like later today, tomorrow, next week. So celebrate whatever you have. After all, right now is the only life you have. And, any day that reminds you of the people you love and cherish is a day worth celebrating.

Submitted by: Dr. Karen Gail Lewis

About Today's Contributor:

Dr. Karen Gail Lewis is founder of Unique Retreats for Single Women. She’s a marriage/family therapist and author of several books about single and married women. Join her for a free teleseminar on Unspoken Truths About Being Single in a Married World. Register at DrKarenGailLewis.com

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Batman Villains - What Do You Know About Poison Ivy?

It's sad that Pamela Isley, or Poison Ivy, became the way she did because of experiments. While she was taking Biology, her professor seduced her and injected her with poisons and toxins.

This caused Poison Ivy to transform into a plant-like menace to society. One of the Batman villains, Poison Ivy started out as a wealthy girl with parents who could care less. 

After this has happened, Poison Ivy's boyfriend suddenly passes away, and she drops out of school. She is gradually changing from Pamela Isley to Poison Ivy. 

Batman Villains - What Do You Know About The Riddler?

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Tim Burton's Batmobile

Fictionally, one of the most perfect cars is the Batmobile. Admit it, if all of us could have one, we would.

The Batmobile was huge, long, low and sleek. It combined design elements from 1930s coupes like the Bugatti Type 57 and modern racing cars such as the Porsche 962 and was built on a Chevy Impala chassis. 

Famous Cars From Another Time

You have to love movies that are either about the future or the past and have some model of the current car configured in to the script. Whether they use them as time machines or weapons, the cars themselves are often the centerpiece of the scene and end up getting more conversation and the movie itself. Here are several examples that come to mind. 

The Solar Solution

Over thirty-five years ago, then-President Jimmy Carter gave a speech on national television predicting that besides efforts to prevent future wars, the biggest issue our country would face in his lifetime was the energy crisis.

One of his solutions was to use solar energy as an alternative to traditional sources of energy – namely oil.

Carter predicted that if the energy crisis was not solved quickly, it would affect the lives of the listener’s children and grandchildren in great ways.

“We simply must balance our demand for energy with our rapidly shrinking resources,” he said. “By acting now, we can control our future instead of letting the future control us.” 

Fast and Furious - Cars in Film

When Universal launched the Fast and the Furious series of street racing films, they only expected only a modest return. Although street racing was getting a lot of press attention and the popularity of modified imports were exploding, the movies was never expected to be a blockbuster.

However, the film was an unexpected summer hit. It grossed $40,089,015 on its opening weekend, surpassing the film's $38 million budget. It may have been the media buzz and gear head buzz surrounding the movies that caused an explosion in the box office and gave global insight and curiosity into the supercharged social scene of racing and customizing cars.

Two of the films' stars that caused the movies to thunder in the box office, were the Mazda RX7 and the Mitsubishi Eclipse. One of Japan's largest automotive aftermarket companies, Veilside, built the Mazda RX7 that was later filmed in Fast and Furious to show off its "Fortune" wide-body kit at the 2005 Tokyo Auto Salon. At the time of the show, the car was painted red, and it had everything a show car should — an HKS T04Z single-turbo conversion kit, a massive intercooler shoved under the front bumper, big Rotora brakes, A'PEXi coil-over shocks and vast 19-inch Andrew Evo-V wheels inside P255/30ZR19 front and P305/25ZR19 rear Toyo Proxes radials.

For the Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift, the same Mazda RX7 was painted Sunset Orange Pearl and Veilside built three more visual clones, including one that was destined for destruction using a previous Mazda RX7 that had appeared in both previous Fast and Furious movies. One of the cars used in the previous Fast and Furious movie was Dominic Toretto's red RX.

In the sequel to the Fast & Furious, 2 Fast, 2 Furious, the character Roman Pierce was given a new partner in his adventure, the Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder with a Snyper Body Kit. The car was personally picked by John Singleton for Pierce to drive and the car came equipped with a Vortech Supercharger V5 G trim, HKS Blow valve, HKS AFR (fuel management controller), RC engineering 270cc injectors, Boost Variant Fuel Pressure Regulator with Gauge and a Magnecor 8.5mil Competition wires and a license plate that said "H8TER."

The Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder had the most elaborate paint job of any of the cars built for any of the Fast & Furious movies. The patchwork design on the car were not graphics but painted on with House of Kolors paint. It was one of the few cars in the film that wasn't destroyed although a total of four were made for the filming. It is rumored that the car exhaust was swapped with a Subaru WRX.

Like all cars in the Fast & Furious series, both cars were heavily reinforced with a roll cage for bridge jumping. Also there was so much neon lighting used in the cars that a technical specialist whose expertise was in shooting neon on film was kept on set at all times. This obviously cost a lot more and cut into the budget but it made the film authentic. 

About Today's Contributor:

Brenda wrote this article on behalf of trianglerentacar.com