Mr. Sensitive asked me "What do you think girls really want for Valentine's Day?"

So what do I recommend?

Flowers Never Hurt

Well, as cliché as flowers are, they never hurt. Nobody doesn't like flowers, and roses are always beautiful, but maybe she has a fondness of sunflowers or daffodils ... hone in on what she likes.

Music

I think my favorite all time gift from an admirer was a Valentine's Mix of semi-romantic songs. It obviously took a lot of thought and a lot of time, and it was one of the sweetest gestures I had ever received. Now you can get more high tech and custom make CD's, either on a computer or through on-line music distributors, but the tape costs like a buck but has a value of much, much more. Every time I hear Sarah McLachlan sing "your love is better than ice cream", I can't help but think about him.

Homemade Dinner

If you are with somebody, a nice dinner is in order. Jake cooked for me one year, and it almost brought me to tears because when I walked in the door, dinner was served and candles were lit. It doesn't necessarily take originality, just a lot of sincerity to make me happy.

Secret San Diego Spots

Since I am from San Diego, I will recommend a couple of my personal favorite semi-private spots ... since I won't be there this year, you can take them.

My all time favorite place to take somebody, especially if they were not from San Diego, is the Spruce Street Bridge between Hillcrest and Downtown, off 2nd. Take a blanket, smuggle a bottle of wine, and watch the planes fly in. Hopefully the stoned kids will leave you alone and not insist on rocking the bridge too much.

My favorite beach is Windansea. Because of the tidal changes, this beach never looks the same twice. Sometimes the rocks are exposed, sometimes it is sandy. It is almost always vacant and there are spotlights on the water which are nice. Make sure you make arrangements so you do not have to use the one outhouse located there. Believe me ... hold it!!

Okay, enough Alicia secrets for you.

Final thoughts: be sincere and don't think of a plan as a means to an end but an end in itself. The whole point is to let them (whether husband/ wife/ girlfriend/ boyfriend/ friend/ lover) know that somebody cares about them.

– Alicia