Andrew Pielage

Photos: First Major Haboob of 2012 Swallows Up the Valley

Bemoan the sweltering heat, requisite sunburns, and incessantly blazing sunshine all you want. There's plenty to love about Arizona in the summertime. The season officially arrives Friday, June 21, and here are 11 reasons we love it.

Monsoons
As the mid-summer clouds begin to form and the winds kick up, Phoenix's signature storm season means some mild relief from the heat. The fantastic lightning shows are a photographer's dream, and we're partial to the random torrential downpours that would be a bummer in most other climates. Leave it to desert dwellers to get psyched about rain. After a couple months of 100-plus temps, monsoon season is nature's cure for summer burnout. So soak it in; you've earned it.

See also:
8 Tips for Summer Hiking in Arizona
15 Must-Attend Summer Events in Arizona
50 Reasons Why Arizona is the Best State in the Country

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Chapman Baehler

Father's Day is Sunday, and because we at Jackalope Ranch can think of nothing sexier than a man willing to change a diaper, see the Wiggles, and sing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider," we've compiled a list of our five favorite FILFs; fathers we'd like to... y'know.

The Rocker: Josh Homme
Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme has all the makings of a rocker FILF: sexy serenading vocals, multi-instrumental skills, and of course kids, Camille and Orrin (bonus points for giving his offspring names that are hip without being totally hipster).

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Le Slip Français Presents Indomitable, a New Line of Scented Men's Underwear
Top Five Reasons Why Butt-Wipes for Men Will Never Catch On; Dollar Shave Club Marketing Peppermint-Scented Wipes in Viral Video

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Sarah Hurwitz

Dig up your dauber and get ready for a game of chance.

Jackalope Ranch is excited to announce our first-ever bingo night at 7 p.m. on Monday, June 17, in the Lounge at Crescent Ballroom.

See also:
Marshall Shore's Phoenix Wish List for 2013
Big Brain 2011 Finalist: Sarah Hurwitz
Fried: Chow Bella Writers Turn Up the Heat at Crescent Ballroom in Phoenix June 13

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SkyMall

Travel season is nearly upon us. Whether that means lazy beaches, bustling cities, or serene forests, there's one thing we know we can count on to get us through the transit: SkyMall. No use denying -- we know you read the Phoenix-headquartered publication, too.

Yes, there are approximately one million better uses of time on a flight (reading a book, talking to your neighbor, staring at the ceiling), but somehow this catalog always makes its way to our laps before we've touched down at our destination. And when a passenger on the plane doesn't have a copy of SkyMall in the seat pocket in front of them, shit goes down.

So consider this an ode to our guiltiest pleasure of the summer months. Because the worst of SkyMall is what keeps us coming back for more.

See Also:
- We're Doomed: Pilotless Flights May Be the Future of Air Travel
- Loyal to the Soil: Founders of Bunky Boutique, Merzproject Architects, and Skymall Aim to Connect Arizona Business
- Seven Pool Toys We Dare You to Take to the River

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Images courtesy of Nasty Gal and American Apparel

Oh, come on.

Sadder than a bangs-less Zooey Deschanel, here are the five worst fashion trends you'll see this summer.

Overalls & Shortalls
Blossom Russo and Dorothy Jane Torkelson are allowed to be your fashion icons only if you are younger than 14 and the year is 1992. Got it?

See also:
Target Announces 3.1 Phillip Lim Collection
The Shirt by Rochelle Behrens Is Here to Banish Sideboob

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Jamie Peachey

Every stoner's favorite holiday is almost here, so stock up on munchies now before your couch swallows you whole after that mega bong rip.

It might seem 4/20 is a poor excuse to smoke up. Why just smoke on one day a year, right? But the pot holiday seemingly has risen from the ashes of our high school pot-smoking days.

Just look at all the 4/20 parties happening around Phoenix this weekend. Obviously, there's a renaissance going on in the world of weed. In celebration of this fine holiday, we've compiled a list of some of our favorite stoner movie scenes. What's your favorite?

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Frances Hearts Summer Vol. 1

Despite ongoing exclamations of the death of print, some of us, including the folks over at Frances Vintage, remain hopeful.

This summer, Frances owner Georganne Bryant is putting out a printed style guide: Frances Hearts Summer Vol. 1.

"It is kind of crazy making a magazine that will be in print when the trend is digital and much less expensive, but as everyone knows I am very old school," says Bryant.

See Also:
- EMMA Magazine: Phoenix's Sarah Hubbell Launches DIY Publication for Young Creatives
- Frances Vintage to Open a New Location at Biltmore Fashion Park

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http://pinterest.com/pin/56787645273724224/; http://pinterest.com/pin/323625923192889401/; http://pinterest.com/pin/525865693959641457/

With gardening season getting into full swing, Pinterest has exploded with ideas on how to personalize your very own modern provincial urban organic Tuscan-inspired garden (oof). Pinners seem to the think the best way to achieve this is to fill the garden with extraneous weird shit under the guise of decorating.

You know what looks nice in a garden? Plants. Let's try to stick with that in the future. In the meantime, here's a list of some of the worst trends we've seen this season.

"Sculptures"
Pieces of scrap metal you found in the alleyway are not sculptures, and unless that bath tub is functional, we really have no idea what it's doing in your garden.

See Also:
The Five Worst Wedding Trends on Pinterest
The Five Worst Pregnancy Trends on Pinterest

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http://www.cholafied.com/

Oh, Tumblr, you do so much for us. You make us laugh, you make us smile, and most importantly you get us through the work day. Honestly, procrastination just wouldn't be the same without you, which is why we're giving a shout-out to the 10 funniest Tumblrs right now (because let's face it, the Tumblr lifespan is a short one).

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- 15 Life Lessons Learned from Lena Dunham's Girls (in GIFs, of Course)
- 10 Awesome Aziz Ansari GIFS

10. Cholafied

Ever wondered what Steve Urkel might look like with penciled eyebrows and lip liner? What about Clint Eastwood? No? Doesn't matter. This Tumblr is a beautiful Photoshop train wreck that you just can't look away from -- hilarious images of chola-fied celebrities and a couple that are just downright terrifying.

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Is your hair/past full of secrets? Do you wish it/both were? Guess what, wannabe. Nobody cares.

What they do care about, however, is the ultra-fetch new Tumblr Mean Mad Men. It's that thing where the best quotes from Tina Fey's high school comedy Mean Girls are applied to images of AMC's Mad Men crew. The result? Total hilarity.

As if you needed another excuse to stop making out with that hot dog, crisp up some Toaster Strudel, and get amped for Mad Men's season six premiere on April 7, here are the five best plastics-approved mash-ups from MMM, you grotsky little byotch. (For funsies, we'll toss in five Mean Girls lines that are just begging for the Mad Men treatment.)

See also:
- An Ode to Liz Lemon: The 30 Greatest Lines from 30 Rock
- 10 Awesome Aziz Ansari GIFS
- 15 Life Lessons Learned from Lena Dunham's Girls (in GIFs, of Course)

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