Weekend Edition: Happy 30th to the Mac!

Good afternoon from a miserable day in NYC. Yes, folks, we had our first real snowfall of the season and I had a very treacherous walk to the gym this morning. Fortunately, it's above freezing and the snow seems to be melting.

Since football is on hiatus this weekend, so am I. I'll be back with more Super Bowl facts and trivia on Monday. 

Since our business is all about celebrating milestones, I'd like to wish a Happy 30th Anniversary to the Macintosh! I posted the first commercial for this iconic product on Thursday. 

I first started using the Mac in 1989, when I was hired for a desktop publishing job at an academic publisher. I had been intimidated by computers initially because one practically needed an engineering degree to operate one. I couldn't believe how user-friendly the little Mac was. Two years later, we got color Macs in the office. I loved the little warning icons: bomb for a system error, the sad Mac when the machine was beyond repair, a question mark when the disk was missing, etc. Then Microsoft introduced the first version of Windows to compete with the Mac. However, Apple bounced back and evolved into the tech giant we know today, thanks to the iPod, iPad, and iPhone.

Today we also celebrate another major milestone. In 1962, the Beatles signed their first contract with Brian Epstein. There's no need to rehash what's happened since then, but this document changed the course of music history forever. I always wondered what would have happened with the group had Brian Epstein not taken his life. 

Shop update: On February 1, Oscar Night games will be revealed. During the month of February, we will also have freebies for both Valentine's Day and the Academy Awards. as well as party ideas for both. On February 9, I will be attending an event at the Etsy headquarters in Dumbo. The host of the event is a group called HATCH, a monthly meet-up of creative and entrepreneurial women in the NYC area. This could be the networking opportunity I've been looking for. We are also looking to network with event planners in the area.

Now onto Listmania:

Party Idea of the Day: Go beyond football jerseys and jeans with these fun outfits. From hercampus.com, here's what the well-dressed Seahawks fan will wear. The key here is lots of turquoise.

For the Patriots supporters, here are some great outfit ideas. I know these are from a few years ago, but they still work. From hattackblog.

Super Bowl Fun Fact of the Day: 35% of people who attend the game write it off as a corporate expense. 

Today's birthdays: Mischa Barton (29), Justin Baldoni (21), Tatyana Ali (36), Ed Helms (41), Natassja Kinski (56), Jools Holland (57), Yakov Smirnoff (64), Becky Hobbs (65), Neil Diamond (74), Aaron Neville (74), and Ray Stevens (76).

Tomorrow's birthdays: Michael Trevino (30), Alicia Keys (34), Ana Ortiz (44), Dinah Manoff (57), Jennifer Lewis (58), Leigh Taylor-Young (70), and Dean Jones (84).

Today's Holidaze: Take the opportunity to say something positive on National Compliment Day! We are also celebrating National Peanut Butter Day (yum!). I love peanut butter and chocolate, peanut butter cookies, and PB&J sandwiches. Contrary to popular belief, George Washington Carver did not invent peanut butter. Credit goes to Canadian Marcellus Gilmore Edison. Finally, it's Beer Can Appreciation Day, which celebrates the day beer was first sold in cans 70 years ago. 

Tomorrow's Holidaze: Tomorrow is National Opposite Day. Who can ever forget the classic first-season "SpongeBob" episode of the same name? 

Also get warm with some Irish Coffee tomorrow since it's the food/drink honoree of the day.Irish Coffee is a cocktail consisting of hot coffee, Irish whiskey, and sugar (some recipes specify that brown sugar should be used, stirred, and topped with thick cream.

Cheers!

Finally, I want to give a shout out to May and Russell on their baby shower  today! One of my Etsy customers had me create a custom crossword in their honor. Here are the results.

Have a PRINTASTIC weekend!

Kathy