Speaking as a geek in a long term relationship (defininition: over a year, no rings yet though), Valentine's Day is one of the most difficult holidays to deal with. I had intense social anxiety in high school, but even now, years and years later, there are still some things that trigger it for me. Number one is my fear of getting lost--if I have to go to a new place (say, a restaurant) and worse, I have to get there by a certain time (say, a reservation), I'll worry about it for days unless I take a drive during my free time before the event to memorize all the markers and distances. Number two is crowded places with no places to walk around (I usually solve this one with frequent trips to the bathroom or bar.) At Valentine's Day, though, every restaurant is going to be absolutely packed, and there will be no space at the bar.
I'm not saying your geek has any of these problems, but chances are, he's still feeling the stress of his first V-day in a relatively new relationship. The absolute perfect gift for me would be for my girlfriend to show up at my place on February 13th, tell me she had cancelled my reservations, and drive me to dinner. (Regardless of who pays.) It would show that she understands my problems. (And she does--she's been a huge help getting this far, and it was her suggestion that we take Friday off and spend the weekend with my recently divorced mother.)
As for presents though, every guy honestly really just wants the same thing--a great night in bed with no distractions. Pay any roommates to be conviently not there if necessary. If you want to get him something physical though (ah-ha), consider a framed picture of the two of you for his desk at work. Guys like pictures. Honestly. We're just too lazy to get a nice print, frame, etc etc.
This works nicely because guys NEVER ask other guys what they got for Valentine's Day. The only people who ask are women, and women will appreciate you for the thoughtful gesture and will respect him for having such a wonderful girlfriend.
There's an old dilbert comic where Dilbert is explaining to his date how he doesn't order off the internet because he doesn't trust people from stealing his credit card number. He then hands the waitress his card, and she comes back in new jewelry and a fur coat.
Number one tip: never, ever let your credit card go anywhere you can't see it. Ever. By far, most credit card theft occurs when a thief "skims" your card data and then rewrites it on an existing card (say, a prepaid or expired one.) This works because, despite credit cards having a million security features (UV writing, microprint, special emobossed characters, heat-press holos, etc) no one knows how to check them. People just assuming anyone using a credit card should be using that. I mean, logically, is there any reason you need ID to write a check, but not to use a credit card?
If you don't believe me, go out somewhere and try and use your wife or girlfriend's credit card. See if the person swiping it even notices that you're not Jane Doe.
The *only* difference between American and Japanese units is that the Japanese ones have "Made in Japan" stamped on the bank, and the American ones have "Made in China."
Draw your own conclusions about that one.
As for the system itself, it's great. I've had an import for months now, and it really is lightyears beyond Gameboy Color, as it should be. As for the games.... Well, while Mario2 was a poor choice (I'd much rather see Mario3, Yoshi's Island, or a Rare game like Metroid or Donkey Kong Country), F-Zero is top notch, as are third party games like Chu-Chu Rocket, Super Dodgeball, and Castlevania.
One other note, the system itself is really, really incredibly small. It's hard to imagine until you get one in your hands that yes, it is the size of a Gameboy Color, only sideways. Cheap, fun, and small--stop complaining and go buy one.
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Speaking as a geek in a long term relationship (defininition: over a year, no rings yet though), Valentine's Day is one of the most difficult holidays to deal with. I had intense social anxiety in high school, but even now, years and years later, there are still some things that trigger it for me. Number one is my fear of getting lost--if I have to go to a new place (say, a restaurant) and worse, I have to get there by a certain time (say, a reservation), I'll worry about it for days unless I take a drive during my free time before the event to memorize all the markers and distances. Number two is crowded places with no places to walk around (I usually solve this one with frequent trips to the bathroom or bar.) At Valentine's Day, though, every restaurant is going to be absolutely packed, and there will be no space at the bar.
I'm not saying your geek has any of these problems, but chances are, he's still feeling the stress of his first V-day in a relatively new relationship. The absolute perfect gift for me would be for my girlfriend to show up at my place on February 13th, tell me she had cancelled my reservations, and drive me to dinner. (Regardless of who pays.) It would show that she understands my problems. (And she does--she's been a huge help getting this far, and it was her suggestion that we take Friday off and spend the weekend with my recently divorced mother.)
As for presents though, every guy honestly really just wants the same thing--a great night in bed with no distractions. Pay any roommates to be conviently not there if necessary. If you want to get him something physical though (ah-ha), consider a framed picture of the two of you for his desk at work. Guys like pictures. Honestly. We're just too lazy to get a nice print, frame, etc etc.
This works nicely because guys NEVER ask other guys what they got for Valentine's Day. The only people who ask are women, and women will appreciate you for the thoughtful gesture and will respect him for having such a wonderful girlfriend.
There's an old dilbert comic where Dilbert is explaining to his date how he doesn't order off the internet because he doesn't trust people from stealing his credit card number. He then hands the waitress his card, and she comes back in new jewelry and a fur coat.
Number one tip: never, ever let your credit card go anywhere you can't see it. Ever. By far, most credit card theft occurs when a thief "skims" your card data and then rewrites it on an existing card (say, a prepaid or expired one.) This works because, despite credit cards having a million security features (UV writing, microprint, special emobossed characters, heat-press holos, etc) no one knows how to check them. People just assuming anyone using a credit card should be using that. I mean, logically, is there any reason you need ID to write a check, but not to use a credit card?
If you don't believe me, go out somewhere and try and use your wife or girlfriend's credit card. See if the person swiping it even notices that you're not Jane Doe.
Those curious for a taste of the much heralded action may want to skip directly to the trailer, in either a 120 second or 30 second version.
twenty seconds my ass
Ye gods, someone get this man a thesaurus.
The *only* difference between American and Japanese units is that the Japanese ones have "Made in Japan" stamped on the bank, and the American ones have "Made in China." Draw your own conclusions about that one. As for the system itself, it's great. I've had an import for months now, and it really is lightyears beyond Gameboy Color, as it should be. As for the games.... Well, while Mario2 was a poor choice (I'd much rather see Mario3, Yoshi's Island, or a Rare game like Metroid or Donkey Kong Country), F-Zero is top notch, as are third party games like Chu-Chu Rocket, Super Dodgeball, and Castlevania. One other note, the system itself is really, really incredibly small. It's hard to imagine until you get one in your hands that yes, it is the size of a Gameboy Color, only sideways. Cheap, fun, and small--stop complaining and go buy one.