My Best Friend Jerry: Gift Suggestions and Birthday Deals

Today is my best friend Jerry’s birthday. He is now twenty-five years old. Of course, being the klutz that I am, I had forgotten the date, and that’s why I woke up this morning cursing at the ceiling. A few minutes after that, I was at the computer table, searching the Internet for gift suggestions and online coupon codes.

What to give Jerry? He lives in an apartment by himself, a bachelor with too much space around him and too much time in his hands, but he really isn’t that much into sports or rock music or video games like most guys in our neighborhood his age are. Well, he does love alcohol – but I am not going to spend on cases of beer or box of expensive wine for that guy! (I like to promote good habits, you see.)

Anyway, I am thinking of getting him a one-year subscription to a men’s magazine, like Esquire or Men’s Health or GQ. He can read the tips in there on how to keep fit, maintain a bachelor pad, tie a necktie, shave against the grain, and date successfully. Do you think he’ll get the hint and take offense? The truth is, he needs a bit of motivation right now to make his life more active, more productive, more worthwhile. And nothing motivates more than a magazine with, say, a picture of Tyra Banks on the cover.

Or maybe I ought to get him a stainless steel kitchenware set. I saw one on the Web that’s on sale – from a thousand bucks to five hundred, as long as you use the store’s online coupon codes. It comes with a cooker, a countertop oven, a coffee maker, a 3-speed blender, and a chopper. (Pretty good deal, I tell you.) Anyway, I think that this gift will teach Jerry the rudiments of preparing a home-cooked meal; he can even invite a date over to his house for some roast potatoes and fried buttermilk chicken. He won’t have to go to McDonald’s all the time; he won’t have to stuff his mouth with cheeseburgers and high-cholesterol snacks. He can watch his weight, his diet, his health. (I am such a thoughtful friend.)

Speaking of watching, I have one more birthday gift idea for Jerry. He loves movies: action flicks, romance comedies, sci-fi films, critically acclaimed dramas, classics from the fifties, what-have-you. (In fact, our love of movies is one thing we have in common.) Should I present him with tickets or a free membership to an online DVD rental store? I am still not sure, but at least Blockbuster rental store has wisely made available at their website all sorts of gift cards and online coupon codes. The sweet part about this deal is that it can be shared with family and friends. I can come over to his apartment anytime to chill out and enjoy a Star Wars marathon or something.

Or maybe I should just get him a Kobe Bryant Olympics Edition Team USA jersey.