How To Pick The Right Gift for Valentine's Day

What Would Natalie Do? Share some information for you guys who will be buying gifts for your special someone on Valentine's Day!!

Some gift ideas to make sure you end up in her good graces, not the doghouse, this Valentine's Day. Romance doesn't have to be a dirty word. A little effort and a personal touch goes a long way.

• HOT: A bouquet of her favorite flowers or red roses...delivered to the office, so she is the envy of all her co-workers!
  
  Women want to be that woman who is getting romanced for everyone else to see. Sending flowers to work is a great surprise (unless you do it all the time) and creates some heavy anticipation for when you get home!
  
  NOT: A bouquet of yellow roses.
  
  This is the ultimate "friend" present. In fact, it's what you might send your grandmother when she's in the hospital or your best friend when he's had a baby with his wife. Yellow = no passion.
  
  
  
• HOT: A coupon for a backrub from you or drawing her the ultimate sensual bath, with no expectations!
  
  Get versed in the art of massage if you're not up to speed. There are plenty of videos and books out there. To do a sensual bath, all you need is candles, a pile of soft towels and some lavender oil, with relaxing music in the background. Pour the lavender oil under hot running water and tell her she can take as much time as she wants enjoying herself, while you make dinner or do something else that keeps you busy elsewhere. For an added touch, place some wine or champagne next to the bath for her (cold, of course).
  
  NOT: Disgusting toys or movies.
  
  This is the ultimate gift-with-an-ulterior-motive. It's not actually about her, it's about what you want to do with her. Same goes for really skimpy lingerie. Giving a gift like this creates a sense of pressure. It's not enjoyable or romantic. Better to pick out toys and movies together, when you're both feeling it.
  
  
  
• HOT: A home-cooked meal by you...where you really do it all from start to finish. Or, a privately cooked meal at your home with a chef for one night is a special treat for both of you. There are tons of chefs out there who specialize in on-site cooking, and take you from menu conception to preparation to clean-up afterwards.
  
  NOT: Cooking lessons.
  
  This gift will only be taken two ways: one, she is not a good enough cook or, two, you are looking for someone to do more cooking for you. Either way, you lose.
  
  
• HOT: A handwritten love note or a poem.
  
  Don't be scared to be vulnerable! You don't have to be Shakespeare to write a love note to your one-and-only.
  
  NOT: A gift message written on the wrapping paper.
  
  You can ruin a perfectly good, romantic gift by failing to include a card. Women do not understand this. Why is a card so difficult? It feels impersonal to get a gift without a card. Just get one. It means the world, whatever it says, as long as it's from the heart.

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

Natalie would not be happy if her sweetie took advantage of this sale....

Hillary Clinton Asks: Based on your own family's experience, what do you think we should do to improve health care in America?

Interesting question....how do you deal with Kafka-esque beauracracies, horrible insurance companies, litigious patients and a shortage of nurses? Is it possible to make health care affordable for everyone? I don't know. If I had the answer, instead of a "What Would Natalie Do?" blog, I'd have a "Natalie for President" blog.

But I do have some suggestions for Hillary based on my personal experiences with my own health care and that of my parents:

1. Stop fragmented payment. Hospital stays, lab work, x-rays, physical therapy and prescriptions are all paid separately. I'd like to think that I'm an intelligent person but trying to keep track of my parents health care is like a second job. I'm often left confused and frustrated. 100 days of skilled nursing will be paid for only after a hospital stay and only if you have not been in the hospital within 90 days of the current stay. Do Not Pass GO, Do Not Collect $200. What ever happened to preventative care?

2. Put the patient in control. How am I supposed to manage my own health care if I can't access my own medical records, let alone get information on a potential doctor or hospital? I don't know how many HIPA forms I've signed but I don't ever remember reading that I was prohibited from reading my own records!

3. Computerize medical records. This could be a shaky proposition but imagine a world where one doctor could automatically access your medical records from another? How many times have I had to run from one doctor's office to another carrying a folder of information? After HIPA went into effect, I wasn't allowed to do that anymore. See 2 above.

4. Take advantage of technology. I don't know about you but my dry cleaner and grocery store run more efficiently than my doctor's office or local hospital. Would it be possible to use the technology to make health care more efficient, safe and practical?

5. We need more nurses. My father is in the hospital as of this writing. While I was sitting in the emergency room, I saw more doctors than nurses. What's that about? Of course, the doctor will not talk to you and the few nurses that were there were overworked and stressed. Did you know that the average age of the American nurse is over 47 years?

6. Stop loaning/sending money to other countries. What about keeping those billions here and taking care of American citizens? Americans spend $1.4 trillion a year on health care yet more than 40 million are without health insurance.

7. Stop the reliance on generic drugs. Generics do indeed save consumers and purchasers money when a drug has been in use so long that its patent has expired. But generic drugs -- by their very definition -- are not innovations. As of now, there is no generic drug that stops Alzheimer's or Parkinson's diseases. There is no generic drug that shuts off root biological processes leading to diabetes or cancer. We need breakthroughs!!

It's my hope that the candidates will get past the heated rhetoric and make an attempt for a positive change in the US health care system.

How Soon Andy Reid Forgets

What Would Natalie Do?? Start her post Eagles season rant!!

And Saturday was only 4th and 15....

Sometimes there are moments that fade from memory. Sometimes there are plays that disappear immediately after you see them. But sometimes, sometimes there are plays that will stand the test of time. 4th and 26.

Even this wasn't enough to get them to the Super Bowl. So what is it going to take for the Eagles to take control and win a Super Bowl???

Come on Coach Reid, take off the training wheels and get rid of the bumper guards - this is the NFL!!

As coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, my job is to play it safe and perhaps give my team a chance to win. My job is not to adjust the game plan or take chances. Far be it for me to realize that winning a playoff game actually extends the season. Quality percentages mean we go home! Only 1 out of 19 4th and 15+ plays this year resulted in a first down, so I needed to punt and asked my defense to hold them to 3 downs. Then after we punted, I remember that we weren't able to stop the run all night, so although the percentages were not in our favor for a 4th down conversion, the percentages for stopping the Saints run were even lower and we lost the game. I am looking forward to next season though. McNabb will be back and then I can blame the losses on him and his health. I am really getting tired of playing football after Christmas. This year, we had to eat Christmas Dinner at a Tex-Mex place in Dallas and I had heartburn until Wednesday. I didn't want my starters to get used to all of this winning so we sat most of them against the Falcons. But that backfired too - we won that game, the NFC East and now had to play those pesky Giants for a third time. I missed yet another Mummers Parade due to preparing for that game. Enough is enough!!

Coach Reid and his wife are still having their annual Super Bowl blowoutparty. They had to cancel it in 2005 because they had one more game to play in Jacksonville, FL of all places! But last year's party was a blast. All of the coaches stole his lampshades, Donovan puked in his car and the kids spray painted "T.O. T.O. T.O." all over the basement walls. But they lived to talk about it and were anxious to begin next years party. This year Tony Romo (Hey Ladies!) will be there!!

And now - Batman Dawkins!!

RIP Momofuku Ando

Who is Momofuku Ando you ask? He probably touched your life and you didn't even know it. Momofuku Ando was the King of the instant Ramen Noodles.

What Would Natalie Do? Pay respects to the man who created her default lunch! How many of you have Ramen Noodles in your desk at work? (Go ahead, admit it...this is a safe space). My nephew has Ramen Noodles in his dorm room. The supermarket near me sells them by the case.

An article in the NY Times sums it up the best:

Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Give him Ramen Noodles and you don't have to teach him anything. Mr. Ando will have an eternal place in the pantheon of human progress.

A National Hero

Genghis Khan, a National Hero: What would Natalie do?? If I ever get to Mongolia, I'm going to have to stop in at "Chingghis Club" and have a "Chingghis Khan Beer".

Welcome!!

Welcome to the "What Would Natalie Do?" Blog!!

Why did I start this blog? I'm not quite sure. Since I am a football fan, I always joke around and say, "What Would Ed Hochuli Do?". So why not "What Would Natalie Do?".

But speaking of Ed Hochuli....I have the NFL Ticket on DirecTV. And I will scan the games to see if Ed is the referee. How can you not get fired up for a game that Ed is calling?

"You look at him and it looks like he needs to be on our side of the ball, or on defense," says Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb. "He stands on the sidelines looking like one of the linebackers."

If DirecTV offered the "Ed Hochuli Ticket", I'd definitely get it!!