Monday, February 08, 2010

Ten Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas In A Recession

A freelance article I wrote recently posted here: Ask Matt and Tamsen

Ten creative and heartfelt ways to celebrate Valentine's Day in style! And these are not gender-specific.

10. A Letter from Future You – Tell your partner "I’m happy with where we are" by writing a letter sent back from yourself in the future: the things you've enjoyed, what life is like (have fun with this one) and how you still feel. It’s personal, inexpensive and not without sentiment.

9. A Mini MP3 Player – Load it up with your partner's favorite songs. Yep, a hi-tech mix tape but still sentimental. It’s re-usable so it’s green!

8. Dinner Chez Vous – A nice meal made by you, with candles and an inexpensive bottle of wine (plenty are rated 87 points and higher for under $20) says "I care." And "I hate crowds, too." Dinner for two, no matter where you go, is an opportunity for intimacy.

7. A Trip to Victoria’s Secret – Let’s face it. Asking a man to purchase lingerie or women's shoes is like asking the mechanically uninclined to buy car parts. So take him to VS and let him help you pick out the perfect items. And a quick web search can score you some coupons: like SPRING10 gets you $15 off $100.

6. A Night Alone - Get a sitter if you need one for your kids or your roommates, and just find some quality time together. No work, no distractions, and no regrettably big bills when it’s over. These are the times you’ll remember; not the trinkets. A meal at a nice spot off the beaten track and at an off-peak time will provide you the best chances for quiet time. Otherwise, see number 8.

5. Digital Picture Frame - Load it up with your personal selection of digital photos. They’re not expensive and you can select the memories. Some offer the ability to load MP3s so you could add a soundtrack and even record a few personal messages. Just be careful if they’re taking it to work!

4. Spend the Day Together – This may sound obvious or easy, but when’s the last time you both took off a weekday to just hang out together? There are a billion things you can do that don’t cost a lot of money – museums, parks, libraries, malls, movies - do whatever you both enjoy during the day, when everyone else is piling into the restaurant waiting areas that night, looking at their watches instead of each other.

3. Donate – Take what you would have normally spent on your Valentine’s Day evening/gifts and make a donation together. There is always someone who needs help. And it will be another sharing the love moment that neither of you will forget.

2. The Ultimate Personal Gift – nothing says “I love you” more than a personally written song, poem, note, photo or drawing. We’re all creative beings so dig deep down and you’ll find something. As long as it is expressive and honest, it’s a win. And humor is fine if you have difficulty with the prose, mush or can’t master a stick figure. And every computer these days comes with the tools to create!

1. Dinner Party: Potluck – What?! Personally, I think the best way to spend Valentine’s Day is with your single friends. Holidays are depressing enough for many; make this one inclusive! What better way to share the love?



Saturday, February 06, 2010

Freelancing

When I'm not blogging, I'm podcasting, freelance writing or tweeting.

I podcast for HoCoMoJo (Howard County Mobile Journalism).  Local thoughts on living in Howard County, MD.  You can check them out here if you're so inclined: Podcasts for HoCoMoJo

I freelance for Ask Matt and Tamsen. I don't have a dedicated page yet but if you search on "Morucci" you'll find a bevy. No, I don't offer dating advice - just my thoughts, usually humorous, honest and from the male perspective.

And I'm addicted to twitter. You can find me here... twitter

How much extra money do I bring in with all of these activities? None. But it's writing and I love it. And it only makes me gooder.

More to come!



Top 10 Things A Man Would Rather Be Doing On Valentine’s Day

A freelance article I wrote recently posted here: Ask Matt & Tamsen


Top Ten Things a Man Would Rather be Doing on Valentine's Day than Celebrating

10. Filing Taxes - The lesser of two evils when it comes to procrastination: buy a gift or do my taxes? I'm in the dog house if I don't get a gift, but I can go to jail if I don’t get my taxes done. And I’m too pretty for prison.

9. Watching Football - Yes, we’d rather be watching football on any day but on February 14th we’re still in mourning, with the season just ending. Allow us to pay our respects watching ESPN Classic all day.

8. Getting a Colonoscopy - Fun? No. But at least I can sleep through it.

7. Buying Groceries - OK, I hate grocery shopping but at least I come home with something I picked myself that I can enjoy, instead of a stuffed bear with a squeeze-me paw.

6. Getting a Root Canal - Extreme? Yes. But they give you all kinds of meds to forget the experience, and you take more home with you. Plus that nagging toothache is finally gone.

5. Organizing the Sock Drawer - It never mattered before but now it totally seems worth doing!

4. Meeting the Neighbors - I was OK in my private domain with everyone minding their own business, but maybe they have hi-def. And beer.

3. Going to the DMV - At least I can talk about cars, even if it's just my own. With a clerk. After standing in line for 2-3 hours. But we won't be talking about our relationship!

2. Sleeping – I don’t mean sleeping with someone else, I mean skipping the whole red-card, candy-filled day.

1. Dinner and a Movie - And by dinner I mean ordering pizza, and by a movie I mean anything with explosions and comedy, and without romance or...romance.