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Open Your Heart: 10 Heart-Opening Stretches

Jenny Sugar — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 22:15:17 PST

I can hear Madonna in my head singing "Open Your Heart," and in my mind's eye see her doing her yoga moves on stage. Why not celebrate Valentine's Day and American Heart Month with a little bit of yogic love? Physically stretching the muscles in your chest, shoulders, and belly can create a deep emotional release helping you to appreciate and honor of yourself and your loved ones. These poses also bring a feeling of lightness and contentment. Try these 10 heart-opening stretches to make you feel positively blissful.

Source: Thinkstock

Show True Love: Make Chocolate-Covered Chicharrones

Susannah Chen — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:42:37 PST

Of all the crazy chocolates I've seen - among them, wasabi pea chocolate and soy-sauce-flavored Kit Kat - the most intriguing I tried was Xocolatl de David's Chicharrón Chocolate Bar. I loved the concept of crunchy mixed into smooth, savory blended with sweet, and yet I found myself wishing for more pork rind.

That's when I dreamt up my perfect chocolate snack: Chicharrónes, or deep-fried pig skins, halfway hand-dipped into semisweet chocolate. The result is simple perfection. Smoky, porky, cheese puff-like awesomeness commingled with just the right amount of smooth chocolate. Any omnivorous man (or woman) would be crazy not to love this. Get the recipe now.

Couple Up: 5 Video Games to Play on Valentine's Day

GeekSugar — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:10:42 PST

Whether you're playing with your BF or your BFF, video games are a great way to blow off some steam and get a little closer on Valentine's Day. Work on your team-building skills with a few of these games that are perfect for you and your favorite player two.

Tools to Bake Up a Geeky Valentine's Day Surprise

Kelly Schwarze — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:25:53 PST

Wanting to show loved ones we care without breaking the bank, this year we've decided to bake handmade gifts sprinkled with an extra dose of geek spices. We hunted down these geeky cookie cutters to get started on some inspired baking.

Be sure to check out our own text message-style version of a heart cookie as well!

Name That Chocolate's Filling!

Susannah Chen — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:15:24 PST

When it comes to a box of chocolates, you probably want to know what you're going to get - regardless of whether or not it's a parable for life. After all, there's nothing worse than expecting a caramel-filled bon bon, only to find it's stuffed with something called "tutti frutti." Well, practice makes perfect. To nail your favorite chocolates and their fillings, I'm putting you on the spot with a pop quiz! I've opened a box of Valentine's Day truffles from See's Candies. Can you guess what's inside of each of these chocolates? There's only one way to find out.

Question 1 of 10

The filling is:

14 Geeky Languages to Learn With Your Love

Kelly Schwarze — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:15:00 PST

Love may be a universal language, but we're not sure that phrase includes the sci-fi alien races and fantastical creatures that rule the far depths of the galaxy, who express love in words beyond our human comprehension. When you're thinking of a unique way to woo your valentine this year, plan a tutorial to learn together one of these 14 geeky languages. While several of these Trekkie, Tolkien, or computer gaming-inspired languages have enough depth to warrant a university level class, many are not fully realized, so have fun discovering select words and phrases to bring to future geeky date outings.

Wookie - Made up of three dialects, the main Wookie language is Shyriiwook. As you'd expect it consists of lots of barks and grunts, but don't you dare say that to Chewbacca. The Star Wars Christmas Special has detailed examples of this mystifying tongue.
Klingon - The language of Klingons, the sometimes ally of the Federation, is arguably the best known of the imagined star languages. Described by its Hollywood creators as gutteral in tone, dedicated Trekkies maintain the Klingon Language Institue, preserving the galaxy's "fastest growing language."
Vulcan - Known as the language of Spock, one version of Vulcan looks like musical notes. Much of the language is available online today as Gene Roddenberry was insistent when making Star Trek: The Motion Picture that the Vulcans receive their own linguistic treatment.
Romulan - As biological cousins of the Vulcans, the Romulan language is difficult to differentiate from Vulcan to the untrained ear. The Central Institute of the Romulan Language ensures you get the right training to one day know the difference.
Cardassian - Residents of the Alpha Quadrant, Cardassians are a fearsome foe of the Federation. Little is known of their language, maybe because of its rectangular-shaped letters and script.
Andorian - The blue-skinned moon species from Andora appeared throughout the Star Trek series and would of course show up in the directory of a PADD.
Elvish - With a background in linguistics study from Oxford, Tolkien did not take the creation of the Lord of the Rings languages lightly. Based on Welsh and English, you can study Liv Tyler's Arwen in the film trilogy for pronunciation and read the many online Elvish resources, including an English to Elvish dictionary.
Dwarvish - Also called Khuzdul, Tolkien is said to have drawn inspiration for the secret language of the Dwarves from Hebrew, reflecting many of the same sounds and structure. As many Lord of the Rings languages, it's been almost fully realized and you can study up with the Dwarvish dictionary.

Check out even more languages to geek out over after the jump.

Love-Filled Quotes From Sci-Fi Romantics

Kelly Schwarze — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:54:16 PST

Ah, love. Whether it's found on board an intergalactic spaceship, while running from a zombie invasion, or amid a battle of good vs. evil, love can be discovered in any science-fiction scenario. We've pulled together a sampling of our favorite sci-fi character quotes on L-O-V-E in time for Valentine's Day.

Now, this list is in no way exhaustive: we want to hear what your favorite lines about love are, whether it's from one character to the object of their affection or an observation of this sweetest of feelings. Just anything about the emotion that humans and aliens alike search the galaxies for.

Lord of the Rings: Geeky Jewelry For Gifting

Kelly Schwarze — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:02:49 PST

A thoughtful jewelry gift doesn't have to mean rare gemstones and hefty price tags. Step outside the, uhm, jewelry box and shower your sweetie pie with the geeky lifestyle treats they love so much. These rings combine romance with pop culture favorites like nostalgic video games and Doctor Who.

February Must Haves

Elka Karl — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:19 PST

February has a reputation as a bit of a dreary month, what with the melting snow, short days, and seemingly endless Winter. Luckily, we have plenty of ideas for countering the gloom. From fun letterpress Valentine's Day cards to colorful hotel rooms and great new home decor pieces, see what catches your eye in this month's must haves.

Get Your Craft On! 5 Valentine's Day Crafts For Tots

Nicole Abbott — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:06:18 PST

Arts and crafts with toddlers can be a bit messy - but lots of fun - and Valentine's Day is the perfect occasion to create some heart-shaped projects with your lil one. So break out the construction paper, glitter, paint, and glue and get creative with these five Valentine's Day crafts for tots.