It’s Hawaiian shirt day here at the DP offices! Why? Because we think they’re ridiculous. Who in their sober right mind would chose to buy an ill-fitting, ugly piece of cloth adorned with false representations of tropical plants? That would be like having a pair of pants with illustrations of hazelnuts all over. Actually, that might be kinda cool now that I think about it.

1. Street View added to Google Maps - I admit to having a schoolgirl crush on Google Maps. Always have, actually. So this week when they rolled out a new (developing) feature, I swooned all over again like it was a first date. You can now pinpoint areas on a map and get panoramic photo views of the streets in question, with the ability to rotate and travel up and down streets. Very handy. For traveling. And spying.
2. Getting growlers of beer - I realized last week that my local Liquor Barn (don’t laugh, that’s seriously what it’s called) offers a great beer on tap, with the ability to bring/buy a growler and fill it up. $4.99 for a half-gallon of fantastic Arrogant Bastard ale. Read that again. Five bucks. At that price, I actually believe the dude in the store that said he used to have a customer that came in to fill up 3 gallons each week (that’s a 7% ABV beer, too. Doing the math, that works out to 32 12oz bottles. Yikes.) Plus, I feel like I’m back in the olden days before refrigeration or force-carbonation when this is how people got their beer!
3. Squirrels With Light Sabers - I’m not even a Star Wars fan. It’s the squirrels. They’re hilarious.
4. Chocolate Peanut Butter Chunk Fudge Ripple Ice Cream - I imagine this is what heaven tastes like when you die. Or when you take an acid trip. Either way, this recipe, which was based on a few things from The Perfect Scoop is absolute perfection. Of the eight or so batches I’ve made (hello! get Jenny Craig on the line, stat!), I think this one wins.
5. “What Goes Around” by Justin Timberlake - My eyes are cast downwards as I write this, because the music snob that lurks deep inside me is ashamed of this gem of a song. I feel guilty. But alas, I can’t deny how catchy the song is (as is the previous album cut, “Love Stoned”), and apparently other artists can’t either, as covers have already surfaced (Marilyn Manson, acoustic?!). I predict it will be this summer’s runaway anthem like Gnarls Barkley/”Crazy.” Ok, maybe not.

Sadly there will be no roasted pig for lunch. I don’t allow the staff to eat lunch. They’re permitted to crouch in the corner of their offices for 5 minutes. It allows them to stretch their legs. Maybe we’ll listen to Jimmy Buffet songs to celebrate the fact that it’s finally June (month of The Vacation™). I think hearing “Cheeseburger in Paradise” on repeat for eight hours is enough to drive them all sufficiently batty (and possibly quit).