Here's a couple of nice links with a tropical theme courtesy of J-Walk who's going to Kauai. Bastard.

Thanks to an entire month of prospective jury duty in December, my own incipient plans to go to the islands will be postponed indefinitely. The only place I'm going in the near future is back to frickin' Detroit for two weeks in January to teach a class. I'm convinced that it's God's punishment for my European trip last month.

Anyway, here's the links: the first one is a fun little history of the cocktail umbrella via Cecil at The Straight Dope. The second link features a plethora of vintage Hawaiian shirts in both rayon and cotton. I prefer rayon, myself.

I think I'm going to put on my Oceanic Arts shirt and mix myself a Sufferin' Bastard now. Yeah, I know it's only 6:30 in the morning. What's it to ya?