Romance Phobic

Half watching an episode of Sex and the City as I did dishes, I was struck by something Carrie said. Being treated to extreme romance by Mikhail Baryshnikov (oh damn!) the character says something to the effect of romantic gestures being icky. Now its been a long time since I dated a musician who wrote a tonal poem for me which I neither enjoyed nor understood but I would like to believe romance isn't dead for me. Being a little older and wiser I hope I have learned to appreciate the truly romantic gesture. I would be inclined to consider the following gestures as more romantic than a dozen roses.

• Helping me pack/move. Chivalry truly is dead, most of my male friends tend to find reasons why they can't help, aren't available, lost their ability to lift boxes that wouldn't tax a fourth grader, or are just not willing to give up their X-Box time.
• Willingness to listen for more than a five minute time period. I don't know if this is Gen X/Y/Z thing but men for whom communication needs to be in sound bites, really need to commit to any lengthy discussion unless its related to the following topics.
• Conversely the ability to not lecture on any topic related to cars or mechanical/electronic equipment. If I am frustrated with any of these, I am not asking for a technical explanation, I am looking to vent.