No matter how many times you put a big red circle or set up triple reminders around February 14th on your paper and digital calendars, 99.9% of U.S. males are still bound to forget Valentine’s Day.
If you’re known as one of those dudes who scrambles every year for a last-minute gift idea that says, “I love you, sweetheart”, you also know that the perfect token of your love is difficult to find at the drop of a hat. No, you don’t want to present gas station flowers, candy, or balloons to your beloved yet again this holiday of hearts, so take these five last-minute Valentine’s Day gift ideas to heart.
Is your Valentine feeling a little stressed-out? Treat her to a spa gift certificate that’ll pamper all the anxiety away. Just ask her (or one of her friends) about her favorite spa and pop in or (even better) purchase a gift certificate so she can book a facial, mani-pedi, or massage.
On Valentine’s day you can never go wrong with a classic duo of flowers and candy. And better yet, you can arrange both the day before or the day of, without even leaving the comfort of your couch. Simply pre-order flower delivery online. Pair your beloved’s bouquet with a box of candy and voila, Cupid wins again. She’ll be tickled roses to have flowers delivered to her place of work.
There’s no rule that what you give on Valentine’s Day has to be enjoyed on the actual day. Hence booking last-minute tickets to a romantic B&B. You’re technically giving a gift on February 14th that’s intended to be enjoyed at a later date. Your beloved doesn’t need to know that it’s a stall tactic because she’ll be dreaming of what she’s going to pack for your weekend away.
Like flower delivery, love is like a box of chocolates…it’s sweet and always satisfying. And, even better you can arrange to have an impressive array of flowers and chocolates delivered right from your computer. Do it now, it’ll take 2-minutes tops. Most online flower delivery services also offer upgrades with chocolate, candy, or chocolate covered strawberries and you can pre-order by scheduling delivery to a future day, pay with credit card, and get your Valentine’s day shopping taken care of early.
For the health-minded Valentine who isn’t tempted by flowers or candy, there is the fresh fruit basket or edible bouquet. A colorful fruit basket delivered in a delicious arrangement of fresh sliced melon, grapes, pineapple, banana, and strawberries ripe for the plucking and enjoying. Arrange to have yours delivered or show up at her office with your fruit basket and a bottle of bubbly…ta-da…romantic picnic lunch, and you win Valentine’s day!
Nasal polyps develop as soft and painless, non-cancerous growths in the lining of your nasal passages and sinuses. Nasal polyps hang down from the nasal passage like teardrops. They are usually caused by chronic inflammation associated with asthma, allergies, recurring sinus infections, drug sensitivity, and some immune disorders.
Tiny nasal polyps may not cause any symptoms, but large polyps make it difficult for one to breathe because they block the nasal passages and lead to loss of smell and cause recurrent infections. Nasal polyps are more common in adults. Medication can be used to treat polyps, but surgery is often recommended in severe cases, even though nasal polyps often return. Signs and symptoms of polyps include the following:
1. Runny nose
Excessive production of mucus normally causes a running nose. One may have a chronic running nose and makes patients feel like they always have a cold. Runny noses are a very uncomfortable experience, especially if they occur for an abnormally long period.
2. Persistent congestion
Nasal polyps normally grow into large lumps over time if untreated. Therefore, the patient finds it very hard to breathe through the nose, which often causes breathing problems and disrupts sleeping patterns. Nasal polyps make the nose feel stuffy. And only surgery would solve the polyps by stopping its growth for permanent relief and better breathing.
3. Postnasal drip
Everyday nasal, throat, and intestinal tracts produce mucus. Normally mucus mixes with saliva from the nose and slowly drips down through the back of your throat effortlessly. So when the body produces mucus in excess or even thicker mucus, it may drip at the back of your throat, which is called postnasal drip. Swallowing problems may cause the buildup of liquids in the throat, which may feel like a post nasal drip. Therefore, polyps make a patient feel the urge to keep swallowing. Postal nasal drip often at times causes coughing, especially at night, when you lie down to sleep.
4. Loss of sense of taste and smell
The loss of the ability to identify smells and taste occurs when the taste and smell sensors, located within our nasal passages, are blocked. In this case, polyps develop and may result in lack of taste and smell, or unpleasant smells and tastes. The loss of taste and smell may not return after polyp removal. A combination of smell and taste is what helps human beings experience the flavor of food. In most cases, your taste buds may function fine, but nasal congestion often causes the impairment of normal taste and/or smell.
5. Facial pain and headache
Severe and frequent headaches affect quality of life. Surprisingly, large nasal polyps may cause frequent headaches and even migraines if the pressure is severe. Frontal headaches are common with nasal polyps as well as pain in the face, ears, and teeth. Tension headaches due to nasal polyps may cause mild or moderate pain that feels like it’s spreading from your neck to your shoulders. You may also feel pain in your forehead, eyes, cheeks, and in your upper teeth. Therefore, leaning forward may cause increased pain and pressure.
There’s just something about a classic pick up truck. As far as stature and power, the following trucks led the way as far as impressive styling, engine power, hauling and off road capabilities that, no doubt, inspired the design of many pickups on the road today.
Here’s our list of the six most tried and true pickup trucks in history:
When I was a kid, all the cool teens had a Ford Bronco, but those with a limited edition Baja Bronco were king of the road. Why? As far as off-roading capabilities, the Baja offered a powerful 302-cid V8 paired with a C4 automatic, plus drivers got a impressive boost due to the high cut rear wheel wells and flares, which left ample room for huge tires. The Baja screamed daring adventure roll cage and special enhancements made to offer heavy-duty suspension.
Ford longed to take their classic F150 off-road, but it took until 2009 for them to create the Raptor, a pick up that offered smooth driving and handling and four-wheeling on even the most extreme desert terrain. Not to mention, this truck could haul an 8000-pound trailer. No problem! Offered in a SuperCrew cab and SuperCab configuration, the Raptor also featured a 4WD system based on the standard F-150, plus urethane bump stops and internal-bypass Fox Racing shocks, which allowed for smooth-riding suspension over the roughest roads and highest jumps.
More of a conversion kit than a model truck, Napco (otherwise known as the Northwest Auto Parts Company) made up for the fact that 1950s pickups didn’t come in 4WD (opposed from Dodge). So Napco designed a 4WD offered a conversion kit that let Chevy, Fords, and GMC owners get the 4WD power they longed for. By the year 1957, pick up manufacturers finally caught on and began installing Napco Power-Pak 4WD conversions on their assembly line pick ups.
While GM and Ford enthusiasts may have issue with this truck, one can hardly match the ruggedness of the Dodge Ram of the early 90’s with it’s Cummins diesel engine. In fact, you can still witness the impact of this redesigned Ram on many GM and Ford trucks to this day, with it’s “big rig” styling.
Prior to the Ford F-150, the Highboy was king of the Ford pick up empire. A tough-as-nails truck renowned for it’s ultra-rugged driving capabilities on any terrain, the Highboy was named for its sky-high frame and 35-inch tall tires that was inches taller than any Jeep, Dodge, or GM on the market. After 1977, the Highboy was considered a “Lowboy” as it was constructed at least 2-inches lower, which is why the original pre-1977 model is now considered a collector’s item.
When a celebrity race car driver pairs up with an auto manufacturer, sometimes the results can be disappointing, which was sort of the case when Rod Hall collaborated with Chrysler to birth the Rod Hall Signature Edition Dodge pick up truck. Only 33 of these beauties were made, and despite the Dodge Ram 150 base design, bed-mount light bar and driving lights, and slick pre-runner front and rear bumpers, for some reason Dodge plopped in a whimpy 318-cid V8 with only 170 hp. Despite the fact, this truck continues to be a collector’s item among pick up truck buffs.
The pickup truck is synonymous with America. It’s tough. It works hard. And it has no problem getting dirty to get the job done. This is likely why the pickup truck continues to be among the best selling vehicle in North America. Regardless of if you’re part of team Dodge, Ford, or Chevy, you know that owning a truck offers a truly unique driving experience compared to any sedan, small compact, or even an SUV.
Here are our top reasons to super-size your driving experience to a pickup truck:
If it’s room you desire, ignore any desires to buy a sleek, compact car and turn to a pickup instead. Seriously, a recent Chevy Silverado offers ample legroom and cargo space for a comfortable daily commute or road trip because who wants a leg cramp to start the work day. Passengers can literally stretch their legs out in a roomy four full pickup truck with ample room for tools and everything you need.
Perhaps power and hauling capabilities are your biggest concern when thinking about pickup truck ownership. However, believe it or not safety is a huge benefit of pickup truck ownership. positive! Think about the safety features built in to most full-size trucks—you get a caged cab, vehicle stability, safety seatbelt systems, side impact protection, and even trailer sway control already built into your vehicle.
Sure, if you own a pickup truck you kind of open yourself up to helping every single person you know move house. However, when it comes to hauling your own stuff, you can’t go wrong with a pickup truck. Take a truck like the Chevy Silverado for example, you can suddenly haul up to 12,000 pounds no problem thanks to the impressive torque and horsepower. Suddenly your vehicle can easily transition from work truck to off road camping vehicle of your dreams.
If it’s a boost you want, a pickup is your best bet when it comes to the best visibility on the road. The height of a standard pickup truck cabin permits a view over most other vehicles on the highway. Is that a traffic jam 6 blocks ahead? Luckily, you’ll be able to see it and take a quick detour if you drive a pickup. Not to mention, the cab of a pick up offers the driver and all passengers all-round visibility, front, back and side thanks to huge rear and side-view mirrors.
Leading us into the next reason why trucks are such great vehicles.
Putting aside all jokes about overcompensating, there is little doubt that many individuals choose to drive a pickup for the sheer power it offers. While Ford, Chevy, and GM differ as far as horses under the hood, most current trucks offer between 350- to 440-horsepower (hp) if you consider a Ford F-250 or a Dodge Ram.
Pickup trucks represent the American dream. And while car buyers have vered from SUV to sports coupe over the past few years, pickup truck buffs tend to harken to the past when it comes to sticking with their love of the classic pickup truck. Many of the following classic trucks in good condition sell for a pretty steep price among collectors.
Here are four of the most coveted collectible pickup trucks:
Considered neither a car nor a truck, the Bronco was unique as far a broaching the needs of both a car and a truck driver, which explains it’s motto “the best of both worlds”. This cube shaped truck debuted for 1966 in rudimentary form for a mere $2400 (base model). However, it was the impressively wide (at 92-inches) wheelbase that offered serious off roading, smooth highway driving, and extreme towing capabilities in a single vehicle. Touted literally as a sports car with 4-wheel drive, the Bronco was mounted on coil springs and outfitted with a V8 engine that could literally take drivers from camping to off roading while offering the style and comfort of a family wagon. Today, this year range of Ford Bronco retails for $25k plus.
Behold the inaugural Ford F-series pickup. Think of it as the crown of America’s trucking obsession. Considering this Ford series has ranked in the best-selling for decades, many pickup truck owners are still firmly planted in the Ford camp thanks to this very vehicle. If you’re lucky enough to find a 1948 Ford F1 for sale, you can expect to pay upwards of $30K depending on condition and customizations.
Looking at this truck, there’s little wonder that it was originally designed in the early 1940’s for military purposes. However, the Dodge Power Wagon caught on in the mainstream market due to its ability to travel virtually anywhere. The impressive 4×4 capabilities of this truck was so good that it there were no revisions until it was discontinued in 1968. If you spot one, expect to pay $45k or more!
It was called the “Super” for good reason. This high-option, everyday use pickup truck boosted unique interior design with a/c, tach dash, power brakes and steering, headliners, and tilt columns. Plus, the exterior could be costoumize with special paint and trim. Find one and expect to pay up to $30k for a model in good condition with lots of options.
