Come on, unplug for your big summer vacation.  Here's how...

Have a plan.  Delegate work when you're away from the office.  Don't wait until the last minute.  Be sure your bases are covered before you head out.

Set your email to "out of office."  Create a new message for your voicemail.

Most importantly, hold fast to your resolve.  Here's how to really let go when you get where you're going:

     1. Bring an old-fashioned camera.  DON'T USE YOUR CAMERA PHONE.  You'll be too tempted to share.  Instagram can wait.

     2. Wear a watch.  One of the top 3 reasons we use our smartphone is to check the time.  WEAR A WATCH!  Or forget the time altogether.  (When it gets dark, it's tonight.)

     3. Set a time to check voice and email.  Yes, there may be an urgent message.  Shouldn't once a day be enough.  YOU'RE ON VACATION!

    4. Take a book.  Kindle is cheating.  Remember, you're unplugging.  TAKE A REAL BOOK.  That's that squarish thing with pages.  Pages are those turny paper things.  Take a book.  Read.  Relax.  You're on vacation. DaveT (photo from beach-vacations.net)

Women in heels!

Just wondering how you can wear those giant heels and not tip over, blow out an ankle or get stuck in a grate?

And now there's a survey which asks just exactly how long it takes you girls to feel the pain in a super tall pair of heels.

The answer...on average...is one hour and 6 minutes!  10% of you say just 10 minutes will do it.  And when the torture gets to be too much, one in four women have resorted to dancing barefoot in a nightclub or bar, while a third of you have walked home barefoot due to throbbing feet.

Regardless of all that, a whopping 20% of you say you own at least one pair of 6-inch heels.

And what exactly happens when it gets to be all too much?  Ask 44-year-old Ana Trujillo of Houston, TX, who was charged with murder a few days ago when she offed her boyfriend with a stiletto heel.  Ow!

The moral to the story?  Sensible shoes!  Wear them.  Breathe.  Relax.  Put your feet up. DaveT (photo from zaphonshoes.com)

A new global survey says that 23 percent of Americans have NO PAID VACATION!  Worse yet, 23 pecent of us have NO PAID HOLIDAYS!  On the other hand, all European countries have 4 weeks minimum per year GUARANTEED!  Cool for them!

But here's one American company which is at least getting creative to give its employees a chance to get more time off.  USG Corp in Chicago lets employees either take their vacation time, sell it back to the company or buy more with paycheck deductions.  There's even an option for charitable employees to donate their vacation time to a special pool set aside for employees in need.

Care to dream a bit about your next vacation destination?  Here is where the beautiful people go... DaveT (photo from content.clearchannel.com)

You can't give Dad the same old dumb tie.  But you CAN make his day with an atomic blue 8-bit digital tie that... Well you got to click to see right here.  If your Dad's a chef, we have him covered here. Remember that computer, Hal 9000 in "2001," that sci-fi movie?  We've got a take on "Hal" that Dad'll love.  Our Camera Lens will blow him away.  Wait, that's a coffee mug.  Does Dad dig zombies?  We've got Plush Zombie slippers for Dad to wear while he's running for his life.  And when he escapes, he can enjoy a drink chilled with Whiskey Stones (?).  We've got all this and much more just for Dad and just in time for Father's Day.  Just click here. DaveT (Tie from ThinkGeek.com) 

Got the munchies?  Need a snack?  But it's late and everything's closed.  Sure could go for breakfast.  But at 3am?

The answer to all of the above is...the New McDonald's "After Midnight" menu!

Starting this month, you can feed the need at participating 24-hour McDonald's where breakfast will be served anytime at all.  And, not only that but now you'll get to mix and match a bunch of items to create "Midnight Value Meals" with EITHER fries OR hashbrowns on the side. 

As for the "Mega Potato" we've been talking about (that colossal 3/4 pound double-huge serving of fries), sorry, it's still only available in Japan so far.

But if you're bleary, tired and famished in the middle of the night, it looks like the Golden Arches could be you're new go-to destination!  DaveT (photo from ivpressonline.com)