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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 7, 2001)
ly, Februan ' ipe makeo goals is to iinithsaid .e problem ns.” nke behioJ phitheatei anks ofttiil -k have eroj l and i Wednesday, February 7, 2001 XCL Cm \ Page 3^A THE BATTALION along the lems for at] airea: the x lly undent, mg lot,” ace the era :s, so the jccat one aotnewte Students begin the search for the perfect Valentine’s Day gifts for their sweetheart 0 ?<vt ycccpb... *pon, airtfo... nitoredb By Mikel Parent "sight Coit :sed of represent "eekTaxI . the PL e, the We: Board as and Recrt Drive b xi match dung Bn t Bryao t. The cos k, street irrgofG le landsi ew recre iroject hi .Smith'; projects tembert; ind diret: md Recro v proble: project. 1 trying! :ts oflao Iges,” he :en the extensioi ttier and: ve tobe' tlete the The Battalion Many are looking for the perfect gift for their spe cial someone this Valentine’s Day. In order to make the gift-shopping process easier, here are a few tips on how to get that extra-special gift for your man and make this Valentine’s Day a memorable one. “As a general guideline, guys like just about any thing you give them,” said Nick Manriquez, a senior biology major. Manriquez may have a point, but a few things should be avoided at all costs— absolutely no Kenny G., Barry Manilow, or John Tesh albums. Once a man was once severely beaten for admitting to owning a Kenny G. album, and, yes, it was a Valen tine’s Day gift. Many guys would love to receive a new CD, so if you are planning to purchase one, make sure it will not get your boyfriend killed. Getting the right music can be a challenge, but a little detective work can solve the problem. On one extreme of the gift spectrum, Paul Breaux, a junior business major, recommended a year sub scription to a men’s magazine. “The great thing is that it’s cool and really cheap, 12 issues for 12 bucks,” Breaux said. Breaux should not get his hopes up. His gift idea is a little like indef initely sustained economic growth or world peace — a nice wish, but not much more than that. Breaux also mentioned that prepackaged gift baskets at local supermarkets make fab ulous gifts. If your boyfriend is into physical fit ness, there are a wide array of per formance enhancing gifts for is, bun: 0 f which can be found nted afteft- at local health food stores. ;; Tfji Sometimes, u xj names of the prod- Koodfaj ucts are ver y hard to part of pronounce. This is a really makes a Valentine’s gift great. ’’What makes the gift memorable is the thought that goes into selecting it,” said Ryan Petersen, a sopho more civil engineering major. “Guys don’t want senti mental stuff; they just want cool stuff. “You know, more practical things, not like flowers and chocolates. But the most important thing is that the gift is not the typical gift you would buy for yourself. It has to be something that shows they know what your interests are.” Petersen’s statement gets to the heart of what great gifts are. A great gift is not about what it does but what it says. For men, a great gift is one that lets them know their significant other takes an interest in their tastes in art, music, movies, food, and the like. “You know, a great gift would be for my girlfriend to take me out to dinner someplace,” Petersen said. “That would be really cool for me. I love good food.” More importantly, this is a great gift because it is one that the couple can both enjoy. With all this in mind, here is one last piece of advice: The No. 1 rule in gift giving is — keep all receipts. By Lauri Lea McDaniel TBe Battalion To give or not to give, that is the question. As Valen tine’s Day draws closer, college-age guys across Amer ica ask the question: What do I get my significant oth er for Valentine’s Day? “I don’t think guys are very creative, and most of the time, when you are in a relationship, the guys get the better presents because girls are more creative,” said Kristi Gardner, a junior English major. It seems Aggies are trying to find more creative ideas for Valentine’s Day each year. Things like picnics in Re search Park or romantic scavenger hunts are turning up as trends this year. “The most creative thing I have ever done was make a Macromedia Flash Valentine’s Day card on the com puter — basically, it is an animated cartoon — and send it to my girlfriend via email,” said Eric Pede, a freshman computer engineering major. In years past, typical Valen tine’s Day gifts consisted of roses, chocolates and mushy cards about fl ■ good sign. Generally, the harder it is to pro nounce, the better the stuff works. Just look at the canisters carefully and find the one with the biggest muscle man on the front. Ask the store clerk for some help. However, one word of caution: Check the price carefully. A small bottle can cost as much as a dinner for five at ommirf|the Four Seasons tiles, e hat dnginai ;les and gic Inci sing hi' irsaid.' 1 iitat iitmoutliS is goins on willu c change :xt COUp] tvered tions,l npusor? bicycle' :rime-] it on-ci lyerfor; en go ge: to: For more adventurous lovers, many romantic and scintillating gifts are available. For example, many books are available for couples to read and get great ideas for spicing up their relationship. If you aim to create an erotic atmosphere, noth ing works better than John Coltrane’s Ballads album, some Barry White or the ever-popular king of “getting it on,” Marvin Gaye. While guys might enjoy these things, effort is what KATIE EASTERLING/Thj; Battalion love and romance. Today, however, students strive to be different and search for new ideas. “Last year, I took my girlfriend to Del Frisco’s Steakhouse in downtown Fort Worth and, waiting for us when we got there was a barbershop quartet to sing ‘Just the Way You Are’ by Billy Joel to her,” said An drew Synder, a freshman international studies major. Not all couples are able to be together on Valentine’s Day, but a creative couple can keep the romance alive by sending sweet cards, flowers and letters professing their devotion.“I like my girlfriend, Abby, a lot,” said Nick Foreman, a freshman general studies major. “She goes to ‘that other Texas school,’ and for Valentine’s day this year, I bought a bunch of little kids’ Valentines, and on the back of each of them, I wrote something I love about her. I am going to mail each of them sepa rately so that when she opens her mailbox it will be overflowing with letters.” New couples can experience some awkwardness unless Valentine’s Day activities are well-planned. “This is my first Valentine’s Day to be with some one, so we are still at a stage in our relationship where we really don’t know each other’s likes and dislike$ very well,” said Heather Braman, a freshman zoology major. “I am a simple woman. All I want is a set Of those bears from Hallmark that have magnetic lips, they are so adorable.” However, in the case of new relationships, the best way to avoid the awkwardness would not necessarily be to give her a (gift, but to do something memorable together such as going on a picnic Jto Research Park or a romantic bike [ride around Lake Bryan. ‘One time, I gave my girlfriend fots of little gifts by setting up a scavenger hunt,” said John "Williams, a sophomore political sci ence major. “I kept leaving clues with the ? little gifts, and at the very last one was me, 'standing where we first kissed.” Sometimes gifts are not the way to go. jSimply seeing someone she cares about can ^make a girl’s Valentine’s Day special. ‘My dad was on a really long business trip, and he was not due back until way after Valentine’s Day,” said Roshmi Prajapati, a freshman business ma jor. “Well, on Valentine’s night we got a call, land my dad was at the airport. When we went to go pick him up, he was waiting for us in a jrestaurant in the airport, and the tab { le was set jwith a candle-light dinner for me, my mom and |my sister.” In more serious relationships, some might choose to get engaged on Valentine’s Day, making it a memorable day. “I would like to propose on [Valentine’s day by putting her ring [in the bottom of a bowl of conver- 'sation hearts that say ‘marry me’ on them,” said Eric Bean, a fresh man biology major. “It would also be very cool if somehow it could be televised.” So guys, whether it is your first Valentine’s Day with a special someone or one of many, just remember that creative Valentine’s Day ideas can be found with in the Bryan-College Station area. From a simple rose to a romantic serenade, options are limited only by the imagination. a bird. It r s a plane... a combo of gymnastics and high-powered aerobics jndoWl* 15 ' 2678- . geenflfc** taW-Wf lesuir#,: Aeros will perform in Rudder Auditorium tonight By Kendra Kingsley The Battalion For Cosmin Bogdan, a member of the trav eling Aeros team, spending eight to 10 hours a day defying gravity is a way of life. “Aeros is a lot of work,” said the Roman ian-born Bogdan, who began dancing at age 7. “I haven’t seen my family since last November [because of the] three to four months we spent choreographing the routines. It’s definitely worth it, though, because we perform a new kind of gymnastics most people have not seen before.” Aggies can be assured, however, tha they will not be left in the dark when i comes to one of the newest forms of expression in the world of gymnastics. On Wednesday, Feb. 7, OPAS is bringing Aeros to A&M. In the comfort of Rudder Au ditorium, students can be the first in Texas to view one of Europe’s most popular forms of contemporary choreog raphy. Combining gymnastics with high-powered aerobics, Aeros was created by Antonio Gneechi to help Pantene, an Italian company, market a new line of hair-care prod ucts. This alternative form of dance soon gained global recognition under the direction of three of the world’s top choreographers — Moses Pendleton, Daniel Ezralow and David Parsons. Pendleton, who is also a co-founder of the internationally acclaimed Pilobolus Dance Theatre, describes the routine as more than a field trip to Karyoli’s gym (training site for the U.S. Olympic gymnastic team). “An interesting kind of concept is to take those move ments and with lighting and music, you make it look not like a gymnastics display or an aerobics class, but something that is just celebrating emotion and creating — through light and sound — the il lusion of flight,” he said. Although the challenge of completing a se ries of flips and vault routines may seem like the most difficult part of the per formance, the aftermath proves to be the most strenuous elemenfof life on the team. Matilda Hohensee, the Aeros company manager, travels with the athletes and sees first hand the effects of such a de manding schedule. “The gymnasts all work very hard, and they get very tired,” she said. “Constantly perform ing and traveling is very ex hausting for the whole team. It’s the biggest hardship they have to face.” Featuring 15 former Olympic medal winners, in cluding five world champions, the gymnasts have encountered an extremely hectic sched ule since Aeros’ conception in 1997. Italian television program appear ances, fashion shows and sold- out tours have made Aeros a wildly pop ular show in Europe despite its rebellion against conventional dance. - Unlike widely recognized forms of Olympic gym nastics, Aeros combines a wide spectrum of energetic movements that require muscular strength with graceful litheness. Ezralow, one of the team’s founders, describes the rev olutionary performance as the crossroad between dance and athleticism. “[TJhey’re different worlds,” Ezralow said. “There is this world, which is the world of the Romanian gymnas tics team and this world [dance] which is a whole other thing. [Aeros] is the marriage of these two worlds.” In addition to presenting A&M with a creative genre of expression, members of the Aeros team look forward to revisiting the United States. Bogdan, touring the Unit ed States for the second time, said he was excited about performing. “I love America, especially Beverly Hills,” said Bog dan. “We enjoy performing here [in the United StatesO], and think [the audience] will respond to the combination of movements, aerobics and gymnastics. It’s going to be a good show.”