Valentine’s Day
February 11, 2008
by
findingDulcinea Staff
Romantic movies can captivate everyone, from weepy women to tough guys. Today we take a look at the most memorable romantic movies, lists made by some venerable film organizations, and multimedia to engage your softest side — or just make you laugh.
Email ThisMonday: Last-Minute Valentine’s Day Treats
The Gift of Song
Mix CDs are great for anyone with a CD player or computer, but they remain a favorite mostly with the generation that grew up with Napster. But Mix CDs are a personal and long-lasting gift idea, especially with the Web involved: there are sites that help you make mix CDs, understand the “art” of the mix, and take advantage of catalogued mixes that other users have submitted, so you can borrow others’ mix ingenuity, in case you run out of song ideas.
High Fidelity, the novel by Nick Hornby, made into a movie with John Cusack, has as its centerpiece the mix tape, now a dying breed (though, naturally, it still has a fan calling online.
Read this NPR article by the venerable indie musician Thurston Moore to learn about the “art and artifact” of the mix tape, vs. its skip-heavy counterpart, the mix CD.
Source: NPR
The joy of mix tapes, adopted by many mix CD makers, is in the order, theme, and reasoning behind each choice. Each can be clearly indicated to the receiver of the mix: create a CD inlay with lyrics or other interesting information about each song; order the songs in a way that tells a story; and even decorate the CD with free software like CDCoverCreator (for PCs) or ClickBook (for Macs).
A quick gift idea is to create an iMix on iTunes. Visit this tutorial, from the magazine MacWorld, to learn more. You can create a playlist of songs, submit it to the iTunes store, then purchase and send the iMix to your friend or loved one. The time it takes for the iMix to appear in the iTunes Store is usually 24 hours or less, and you will be e-mailed when it’s ready.
Source: MacWorld
Better yet, write your own love song. You can download a trial of music-making software like GarageBand, part of Apple’s iLife software package, and use built-in instruments and your computer’s microphone to record a romantic ditty—or a comedic one. Don’t rule out comedy on Valentine’s Day.
Better still, head to TailoredMusic.com, where you can customize and purchase your very own love song from a selection of hundreds of standard tracks.
Source: Tailored Music
Home Delivery
Another way to spruce up Valentine’s Day is to create a lavish experience—a meal, a dance, or a night at the opera—in your own home. Below are a few ideas for the big day that might be particularly popular with women. And check out the section below that for gift ideas to please the forgotten gift givers of the 14th: men!
The opera: one of the most expensive and longest nights out. But it’s also one of the most traditional, luxurious, and memorable. The sheer power of the opera singer makes the experience hard to rival with a stereo or headphones. But if you can’t make it to the house, take advantage of the vast number of opera films that have been produced. Create an intimate, candlelit environment in your home, flip on the DVD player, and even dress up for the occasion.
For something less formal, you can watch and listen to broadcasts of the Metropolitan Opera in New York right on the Met’s Web site. Take a look at the findingDulcinea Guide to Opera to get more familiarized with the art form using the Web.
Source: The Metropolitan Opera of New York
By Candlelight
Valentine’s Day dinners remain the most popular choice for wooing a loved one, especially if a proposal of marriage is the goal of the evening. Several popular food Web sites cater to this trend with special Valentine’s Day dinner and dessert ideas. Try the Food Network’s five dinners for two, or this heart-healthy dinner idea from MedicineNet. For vegan lovers, the food blog Vegalicious has a few heart-shaped specials for dinner and dessert.
And About.com informs us that it isn’t so hard to make homemade truffles, after all. Check out About’s recipe, with pictures, here. iFood.tv, featuring solely cooking videos, also has a good truffle recipe, and an index that lets you know how healthy each of the site’s recipes are.
For more dessert ideas, you can watch free cooking videos in the “Desserts” category on 5Min.com, the instructional video site compiled by users.
Source: 5Min.com
Lonely Hearts with a Purpose
If you know a friend who’s single on Valentine’s Day, make a point of getting them a gift that doesn’t say “pity party.” A relaxing, ego-boosting gift like a day at the spa is a great gift idea that isn’t used enough. Try SpaFinder, which organizes by zip code and has hundreds of listings around the country—and also has listings in Japan, the U.K., France, and Germany.
Source: SpaFinder
Ban the Gift Card
Men like being pampered, too, and there’s an army of men’s brands available on Sephora. But also take advantage of the number of customized retail stores opening up around the country right now to buy useful gifts that men—or women—in your life just wouldn’t expect.
Source: Sephora: Men
Try Etsy, the online store run by creative types around the globe, who make handmade and one-of-a-kind products like shoes, jewelry, handbags, hats and clothing.
Source: Etsy
If you’ve got a jet-setter on your hands, skip the flowers or cologne and go for Flight001, which sells sophisticated luggage, wallets, alarm clocks, toiletry bags, city guides, and a variety of other travel necessities.
Source: Flight001
For more of a splurge, visit the Jack Spade site, where you can find luxury toting accessories for men (the popular brand is also sold in smaller quantities at Flight001 stores).
Source: Jack Spade
For the neat freak, check out the pretty and useful items on sale at the Container Store, which sets up shop around the country, but also has an online store. Why not buy your spouse an über-organized closet system? On the cheaper side, the Container Store also has a fabulous “Gift Wrap & Boxes” section, featuring reusable boxes, colorful bubble mailers (ideal for mix CDs), ribbons, and much more.
Source: The Container Store
For children, baking and crafts—such as heart-shaped cupcakes and glittery Valentine cards—can be a great way to give and receive gifts on the 14th. See Martha Stewart’s special section on Valentine’s Day for many ideas for givers and receivers of all ages.
Source: Martha Stewart Online
Love in the Wintertime
The wintertime can be especially lovely around Valentine's Day, when some of the season's biggest storms kick in. But even if you have to imagine a snowstorm, you might come by some other options: a "snowed-in meal," sans snow, a clear sky for gazing at winter constellations, or a local hockey game to get your adrenaline going. Check out Beauty Den's suggestions for winter dates.
Source: Beauty Den
Flower Power
Finally, flowers may seem like an obvious gift, but in fact, they’re still much appreciated, especially if you use some ingenuity and tips from magazines like Domino, which has a great how-to section.
Source: Domino Magazine
For quick deliverables, visit national flower delivery services like ProFlowers, FTD, which offers flowers by Vera Wang, and the old favorite, 1800Flowers.com.