SeaDoo GTX Limited iS 255
$16,499
http://www.seadoo.com

I made the 11 mile journey out to the Penfield Reef Lighthouse from Norwalk Harbor in choppy seas while piloting an older-model wave runner a few weeks ago. It had no fancy suspension. No variable trim system. Just a lot of speed without so much of the comfort. As a result, I'm sure I compressed my spine by a few inches and drank enough salt water to dry heave several times. The fine folks at SeaDoo heard personal watercraft enthusiasts' complaints and did something about it. Aside from throwing a 255 horsepower engine into the machine (think 70+ mph on the ocean), they added a seat suspension. So while your friends are being tossed around like the passed-out girl at a frat party, you're sitting comfortable and smooth. Check this bad-ass piece of machinery out. You'll thank me. So will your hemorrhoids.

Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King
$9.99
http://www.amazon.com

As a high school and college student in the 90s, it was required that I listen to the Dave Matthews Band. And I did. Tracks off Under the Table and Dreaming and Crash were staples of that time in my life. I thought Dave and crew could do no wrong. But they took some major missteps with Everyday and Stand Up, so much so that I hesitated to look into their newest endeavor. Luckily, I was convinced by a friend to give it a listen. While you won't get the loopy acoustic riffs of the band's older albums, you will get a solid listening experience from start to finish. Infused with sweaty bayou soul and a horn section reminiscent of Tower of Power, this is one of the bands' and one of they year's best albums. A great soundtrack to a sizzling summer.

Nespresso CitiZ
$279-349
http://www.nespresso.com

Full disclosure, Nespresso sent me to an event celebrating the release of the newest model of their at-home espresso makers. And while the party was fantastic, I'll be the first to admit when coffee sucks. I spent most of my teen years behind the bar at a coffee shop in Westport, Connecticut attempting to perfect the perfect espresso drinks. So I respect when an at-home machine can pour some of the best crema (look it up) I've seen on top of a shot of espresso. Nespresso makes it so incredibly easy to enjoy the perfect cup at home that you'll begin to wonder what you ever saw in Starbucks in the first place.

Samsung BD P4600
$350
http://samsung.com

This Blu-Ray player will either display some of the best and highest video resolution around, or it'll latch onto your face and implant baby alien eggs in your stomach. Either way, it's worth the purchase. Taking a cue from Apple, Samsung has made a strong push in the "electronics don't have to be ugly" department. Sure, the BD P4600 may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's sure to make a statement. Additionally, Samsung makes superior products - in line with Sony only without the bloated price tags.

Kiteboarding
TBD
Kittyhawk Kites
Kiteboarding Magazine

First is was the swimmers who got all the tail. Then the surfers. Now it's the guys who strap boards to their feet and get pulled through the water and the sky while attached to a kite. Anyone who has witnessed kiteboarding/kitesurfing will undoubtedly tell you the same thing - it's amazing to watch. And it's not that you're flying a few inches off the water. No, you can get dozens of feet into the air. It's the closest you'll get to flying without the use of gasoline or narcotics. Start off with a trainer kite and work your way up. Most of all, enjoy the ride.

Weber Genesis S-320
$849
http://weber.com

You can tell a man by the size of his grill. That isn't exactly true. You can tell a man by the type of his grill. And if the grill doesn't say "Weber" on it, he's probably not a real man. Face it, we love cooking meat. We love flipping carcass over and over while the smoke flies into our face. It's the male instinct of hunting, capturing, cooking, and devouring. If we could grill in a loin cloth - we would. (Despite the obvious fire dangers). The S-320 is propane with a 42,000 BTU-per-hour input, which means that tenderloin won't know what hit it. Hell, keep the grill closed all summer and just invite friends over to look at it. But bring buckets to hold all the drool.

The Strain
$17.81
http://www.amazon.com

Summer novels don't have to be about bare-chested men rescuing women who've fallen victim to a shipwreck. Especially when the novel is written by Guillermo Del Toro, the director behind Pan's Labyrinth and the Hellboy series. The man knows his stuff, and this time he's taking on vampires. Instead of Twilight-esque man-boy vampires running around talking about love, Del Toro's vampires are out to take over the world. It's suspenseful, it's fast-paced, and it'll give you something to do while the girlfriend is weeping over the ending of New Moon.

Cannondale Capo
$939
http://cannondale.com

True, I'm partial to the 2008 model's fire-engine red color scheme, but the Capo delivers exactly what you want out of a single-speed bike ... despite some questionable color choices. This is the city-dweller's bike. Light. Simple. Easy. There are no frills to speak of, but the ride will get you up to Fort Tyron and back lightning fast, and with so much ease you'll be wondering what you ever needed gears for in the first place. And if you're feeling particularly badass, flip the hub around for fixed gear action.

Ghostbusters: The Videogame
$59.99
http://www.ghostbustersgame.com

What child of the 80s hasn't wanted to strap on a particle accelerator and shoot interdimensional travelers back to where they came from? Up until now, that hasn't even been a possibility due to the laws of physics and the general unavailability of neutrona wands. But with Ghostbusters: The Videogame, it looks like (most of) our dreams are about to come true. Not only do you get to trap and dispose of ghosts, but the original cast is back. (I'd like to see the truck full of money they backed up to Bill Murray's house to get him on board.) The story sheds more light on the origins of Gozer and gives us a background on Ivo Shandor and his followers. If you own an XBox or PS3 and were alive when the first film came out, this is a required purchase.

BMW Z4
$44,912 Base
http://www.bmwusa.com

Anyone who saw the previous iteration of the Z4 knows one thing... it wasn't exactly pretty. Sure, it'll beat out the Celica sitting in your driveway, but when you're plunking down that kind of money on a roadster, you want something that doesn't look like it was designed by students at the School for the Visually Impaired. Luckily, BMW got wise and hired new designers for both the exterior and interior. Sadly, they've integrated their much-maligned iDrive into the car, which means they should supply each new owner with a bottle of aspirin for the headaches they're about to receive. But we can look past that based on the beauty of the car alone. True, it's still a convertible and it's hard to look manly in a convertible, but when you're on the open road with the top down, it really won't matter much.