If you were female I would suggest jewelry but you’re not.
If you like books, Amazon has a lot of used books for four bucks. I do online surveys and get about $100 of Amazon gift certificates each month. That’s usually what I do with it: buy books I can’t find in my local library.
Buy a musical instrument and as many private lessons as you can. I recommend the saxophone. 
Open up a Scottrade account and invest it in a biotech mutual fund.
Your suggestion meets the “without the wife’s approval” requirement. 
On page 2, they have an Air Shark which reminded me of a certain blimp…I’m buying it!
To Hawaii too, I think. We checked into it a couple years ago and thought about flying to Hawaii from New York (ended up not doing it though), and we saw some airfares about that low. But we would have then returned to Thailand from there, so that may have been just a one-way price. Still, the OP could move there.
Take half of it and put it towards future surprises. Take the other half and go down to your local college and hand it out to poor students in $50 sums. They will be ever so grateful.
I was the recipient of this in college and never forgot it. I now try to help others whenever I can because a student in need can make great use of a small amount of cash.
If you like the wife, take her on a weekend getaway. Hotel, one or two good meals, gas will eat that right up. Although it sounds like you might already have a budget for that sort of thing. If you truly have everything…
kiva.org - You can play around with investing and give back at the same time.
Kickstarter projects - Throw money at the arts
For me, I’d use it to buy a lens for my camera, some fly fishing gear, a trip to spring training, or I’d use it to go to NYC to catch the Nats play the Mets on opening day.
Book a trip to Ireland for the summer.
Another vote for hookers and blow. Seriously.
A day at the spa. Deep tissue massage, the whole works!
Seriously, why should women get to have all the fun? And if you’ve never had a professional massage, you’re missing out in life. A good massage will make one feel 20 years younger.
It’s fun to spend other people’s money. How about a luxury item you wouldn’t normally consider? Maybe high thread count sheets and nice new pillows, or a new ipad.
You mention video games and alcohol in your post… maybe you could treat yourself to one of the latest game consoles and a $100 bottle of scotch or something along those lines, and have some left over for a really nice dinner for your family.
You could go to kiva.org and loan small sums of money to people all over the world. For example, you can help someone to buy a cow which will increase her earning potential, and you get paid back. You can loan as little as $25 per campaign, so $1000 can help a lot of people climb from poverty.
Save it!! I am a natural saver, too, but then I rarely have $1000 sitting around and nothing to do with it. (Save half of it, anyway.)
But if you are asking me to spend your money… I like the idea of spending it on your wife, just because. I like the idea of investing in stocks, because it would excite me to see what happened. I like the idea of giving it to poor college students.
Hmm, what else …when I was a child, we adopted a dog from a local shelter. She immediately ate the bowl of food we set down for her. Two hours later, we gave her another, smaller bowl, and she wolfed that down, too. Mom said not to feed her again that night, since her stomach might not take it. I ate an apple and threw the core in a trash can. That poor dog got in the trash, and ate the core!! We didn’t want a trash-digging dog, or a dog with food issues. She settled down after a few days, and Mom explained to me that shelters are often so busy trying to pay other expenses, they might have to stint on the food budget a bit.
If I ever have “spare money,” I would probably buy a couple hundred dollars-worth of cat/dog food, and donate it.
Or, you could buy notebooks/filler paper/pens/pencils and donate it to a local school. The thought of a child wanting to learn, and not having the paper to take notes or do homework is just awful. Drop them off at the office, they’ll know which students need them.
(But save half of it.)
This… http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001KY08CU/ref=dra_a_cs_lb_hn_it_P1400_1000?tag=dradisplay-20
Nobody needs one. Everyone can use it. It is too big to fit in a room without being noticed. Everyone who visits will want one but nobody’s wife will let them get one. The perfect thing… and it will teach your wife to not approve your purchases again.
Buy yourself a custom Doper title, and fund a couple of memberships.
I note that you’re about a seven hour drive from Disney World. About $560 will get you and your wife a pair of 3-day passes to the theme parks. If a long weekend shows up where you’re not offered any OT, you could treat yourselves to the jaunt.
I had an extra 1k and built a screened in porch.
just sayin’ 
I’d spend it on a night out (hookers and blow) or perhaps a Michelin restaurant with the Mrs.
I’ll check this out. It would be good to feel like I’m 9 again.
Ooh, I like this thinking; 8 hours, 1/3 of your life, you should have a great bed and sheet, blackout (electric?) curtains, sound insulation, sex swing…