Monkey Dung, $699 Gin and Endangered Rodents

By Patch Staff

1. Need some inspiration? Ponder this timeless graduation speechby author George Saunders, who veers from the dangers of swimming in monkey poop to the difficulty of being kind. 

2. Break out the Listerine, Binaca or Scope. Tuesday is Fresh Breath Day. Come to think of it, maybe every day should be Fresh Breath Day.

3. San Clemente’s Night Out Against Crime takes place from 5-8 p.m. at Vista Hermosa Sports Park, with booths and displays about safety.

4. Pocket Protector: A lecture by Debra Shier on the endangered Pacific Pocket Mouse, a varmint that has played a key role in halting plans to build toll road at Trestles beach, begins at 8 p.m. at the Historic Cottage, San Clemente State Beach Campground. In 1993, researchers discovered three colonies of the critters--previously thought extinct--in the area. Lecture tickets cost $10 online (or $15 at the door) and include admission to a photo exhibit.

5. Patch read of the day: Inside a sleek glass edifice in Aliso Viejo, a Dutch company sells $699 bottles of gin and other spirits to mixologists and tastemakers across the U.S.