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Valentine gifts: Internet
can deliver last-minute romance
By Libby
Wells • Bankrate.com
There's
no time to shop for jewelry, and it's too late to make reservations
at a good restaurant, mail-order chocolate body paint, or have candy
delivered.
Can you prevent Valentine's Day from turning
into The War of the Roses?
The answer, my friend, is not blowin' in the
wind. It's staring you in the face. The Internet -- that great conduit
of love, lust and lies -- can deliver last-minute romance. It may
lack a certain personal touch, but it's no worse than going home
with a Whitman's sampler or a bottle of Old Spice.
Flowers -- real and virtual
Now, about that bouquet. It's a longshot, but good
ol' FTD, which reaches nearly every nook and cranny in the United
States, might be able to take the real thing to your sweetie's doorstep
if you call them by 1 p.m. on the 14th. "Realistically, on Valentine's
Day, we're going to be pretty full," says a service rep. "The order
might be passed from florist to florist until we find somebody who
can do it."
If that fails, head to
Virtual
Florist, and tell snookums you didn't get
the real thing because strong fragrances can trigger migraines.
Cards and endearments
Forget about sorting through leftover cards on
your lunch hour. Keep your seat and go to Love
Cards, Blue
Mountain or Postcards.org,
pen a personal endearment and ... zap! Love
is in the air in seconds.
Having trouble finding the
right words? Cyrano
Server has all the sap you could want and
will craft a mushy missive for you.
To add a little savoir-faire,
visit a virtual
linguist site, which tells you how to say
those three magic words in every language but pig Latin. In case
you're wondering, that would be I-ay/ove-lay/ou-yay.
Tasty temptations
All this cyber sweetness leaves you time to head
to the grocery store on your lunch break for the procurement of
fruits and dairy products. The resulting confection, Lover's
Delight, might take a week to digest, but
requires only five minutes to throw together.
Before you head out, get
a few wine tips and pray the grocer's stock
hasn't dwindled to jugs of Ernest and Julio's finest.
Great gift certificates
Kiss up a little more by tossing in a gift certificate.
Check out Spa
Wish for pampering opportunities, or
giftcertificates.com
if you are clueless and would rather let your beloved do the shopping.
Anonymous admiration --
breaking the ice
Maybe the object of your affection doesn't know
you have eyes for them. Now there is a way to find out whether the
feeling is mutual without risking rejection. eCrush
will send an anonymous e-mail
to that person telling him or her that "someone" has a crush on
them.
That person then has the chance to go to the
site and reveal his or her own infatuation. If they name you, eCrush
discloses both identities and puts the two of you in the "match
lounge."
Don't laugh. "We've had two confirmed marriages,"
says eCrush president and co-founder Karen DeMars. "One couple actually
sent us a wedding invitation, which was absolutely the best feeling."
Still looking for love?
If things in the romance department are really bleak, try a cyber
sweetie. Ladies looking for a digital flirtation can visit Fabio,
the romance novel icon with a washboard stomach and tresses like
Barbie. Click on his picture to get your heart pumping. And turn
up the volume on your speakers because he doesn't go above a whisper.
As for the guys, let's not kid ourselves. You
know where to find buff babes online.
Name that heavenly body
Speaking of celestial bodies, for $49.95, you
can go to name-a-star
and put your honey's
name to a twinkling point of light. Name-a-Star provides you with
a certificate of registration that gives the exact heavenly address
of your luminous tribute, the constellation it's in and a position
data table to help you find it.
That oughta go a long way.
Visit a little closer
to home ...
If you really need to kiss up, last-minute flights
to romantic hot spots such as Vegas, San Francisco and Hawaii are
available, but be prepared to pay maximum bucks.
"There's always availability," says Rudi Steele, owner
of Rudi Steele Travel in Dallas. "People who plan at the last minute
can take advantage of cancellations. But if you have to ask how
much it costs, you can't afford it."
If you're not so flush but
bent on a getaway, check out Bed
& Breakfast Inns Online, a directory
of cozy spots around the country offering deals and packages this
month.
And then there's the kiss-off
For some, Valentine's Day wouldn't be complete
without a different kind of smooch: the kiss-off.
At Bansheeweb,
you can send a saucy card when being nice just
doesn't get your point across.
Who says the Internet lacks the personal touch?
--Updated: Jan. 31, 2002
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