Today is the 55^th anniversary of the death of James Dean. Coincidentally, the tragic automobile accident that took the young actor’s life occurred in 1955 … while he was behind the wheel of a 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder. And if that isn’t weird enough, it was 55 degrees at 5:55 somewhere today (OK, I’m running out of relevant stuff).

But what I wanted to say is, long before the dangers of texting and driving, there was the danger of driving small cars fast without a seat belt (still dangerous, by the way). So be careful out there. Especially when you’re driving near me.

Although he only made a handful of movies, his legacy lives on 55 years later in a world of James Dean posters. But you have to wonder what would have happened if he hadn’t met such a tragic end. What ever the answer is, I bet there’s a 55 in there somewhere.

RIP Jimmy, we miss you.

For fans of American wine, 2010 is turning into an…uhhh…interesting year (with gamey hints on the finish). This is especially true on the West Coast — and California in particular — where an unseasonably cool summer has left the grapes sour late into the season.

Normally, the vineyards would be busy now as winemakers prepare to harvest the crop. However they’re thinking the grapes need at least another month on the vine to fully-ripen. Which will be fine, as long as hard rains don’t hit and knock the fruit into the mud puddles.

So everyone cross your fingers for dry weather, and toast to Bacchus and a memorable 2010 vintage. I know I will be.

When getting your hands dirty, use a bib friends...

If you like beer and entered our Beer Stein giveaway contest last week, the time has come. Drumroll…and the winner is: Kayla Swanson! We’ll be e-mailing you ASAP Kayla with instructions on claiming your beer-lightful prize!

And now, more tidbits for your palette…

Flattering buns? KFC has reportedly started having female college students across the US advertise for the infamous Double Down sandwich by offering coupons for the sandwich while wearing a pair of sweatpants with the sandwich’s name on their bottoms. So they are promoting a bun-less sandwich on their buns…ironic? I suppose the buns had to come from somewhere to be a complete manwich. I mean sandwich. And for that matter, where is the Skinwich?? (What is the Skinwich, you ask?)

Mad Men had way too many things happen to tell you about in three sentences or less. But it involved Don’s identity being breached once again that coincided with a huge sacrifice from Pete, and two sensitive incidents that are influential to Roger’s future. What was your favorite part of this week’s episode?

Also in the mix, season 5 of Dexter premiered after a hugely unexpected ending to season 4 and too long of a wait until last night. What did you think about the season premiere, and what’s in store for Dex this season?

Have you ever liked a sociopath better than Dexter? For someone who seems so emotionally separated from the world, one feels for him and roots for his potential to regain a sense of the human sentiments he’s seemed to have lost (but still longs for, maybe perhaps?).

Or maybe it’s us doing the longing. Dexter Morgan is possibly the most unlikely protagonist on TV and for four seasons we’ve watched him in work, play, marriage, murder, and the mayhem of having a baby. Deadly at times? Yes. Quirky and calculating? Bingo. Sweet yet sad? Yesm. Has Dexter fought his greatest foe, or is there another greater one on the horizon? With the season four finale ending, can you begin to wonder what’s in store for Dexter in the future, and how he will react?

Who’s been your favorite character over the years? Favorite episode? Favorite thing about Michael C. Hall? If you’re a fan of Dexter as much as we are, you’ll have to tune in this Sunday to test your theories and stay updated on the latest.

Wednesday evening marked the official Autumn Equinox.

From an astrological point of view, this means that the tilt of the Earth’s axis is neither away from nor towards the Sun (Galileo, are you online now? Ping me if you need clarification). In essence, the Sun’s center is on the same plane as the Earth’s equator. Hence, for a brief moment in time we have an equal amount of nighttime and daytime (except for Las Vegas, where the casino bosses have pressured the sun into having 22-hour nights all year long).

This also means that Autumn is here, and the weather is starting its gradual downward spiral to downright cold. While sun worshipers may be disheartened, the good news is the CafePress design community now begins to richen its Fall collection (Anna Wintour should be jealous). More hoodies and coffee mugs rise to the top, as people gear-up for a long winter’s night.

Hopefully we’ll get a few more warm days before the long undies come out of the closet. Keep your fingers crossed (take off your gloves if necessary).

Sam Thompson heard about CafePress in November 2008 from a high school friend who believed in his talents as a graphic designer.

“That December, I made just shy of $3,000 for the 2008 Christmas season. I suppose the rest is history,” Thompson shares. “CafePress has been easy-to-use, navigate, and it allows me to have the best customizing options for my personal shop.”

At a young age, Thompson knew he was an entrepreneur at heart and set create his designs and share them with the world. With fan portal designs for the likes of Dexter, Twilight, The L Word to Legend of the Seeker, (his bestsellers), he can’t hold back from the magic of PhotoShop and his own creativity.

However, you won’t see him slaving away at the computer to pump out X amount of designs per day or per week. His design philosophies are “don’t stress!” and “let the pieces of the puzzle fall where they may.” Like many shopkeepers, Thompson’s interests are vast and varied; he has a full-time job and another online business in addition to his CafePress shop, and also enjoys cooking, writing and music.

Don't be jealous Team Edward fans.

And he hasn’t forgotten what got him interested in CafePress in the first place – to further his knowledge and career in graphic design. With help from his shop, Thompson can save up for college courses and still indulge in goodies for his car (maybe a customized license plate frame?).

Thompson’s proudest moment was when he realized he was creating designs that people were buying with their hard-earned cash, and enjoying. “I feel that instead of having a story behind my shop, that perhaps one day my shop will be the story behind my success.”

Closing in on two years as a Shopkeeper…you go Sam!

Interested in being featured in the Member Spotlight? Please request a form by sending an email to spotlight@cafepress.com

The date is September 22^nd, 2004. Oceanic flight 815 from Sydney, Australia to Los Angeles disappears over the Pacific Ocean. And over the course of the next six years, we were hooked on the explanation of Dharma Initiative hatches, a smoke monster, and an elusive figure named Jacob (not to mention the very handsome Jack Shepard and Sawyer, as well as the lovable Hugo “Hurley” Reyes. OK, maybe Kate too.) as LOST played out.

To “celebrate” the most infamous plane crash, we’re having a one-day sale on all* LOST t-shirts and products. Use the coupon code OCEANIC815 to receive 15% off your order. (Almost 16.)

We hope you enjoy as much as eating 23 yummy candy bars. Even if their expiration dates are from 1942. Were candy bars invented back then? Well, if on the island, we could jump back in time and see now, couldn’t we?

* Save 15% off your total order, excluding shipping charges, gift-wrap charges and applicable sales tax. Excludes Gift Certificates, Flip Minos, SIGG bottles, CafePress Groups purchases and bulk orders. Coupon code OCEANIC815 must be entered at check out. Promotion starts on September 22, 2010, at 12:00 a.m. (PST) and ends on September 22, 2010, at 11:59 p.m. (PST). All orders can be from the CafePress Marketplace or http://abctvstore.cafepress.com/Lost. Offer valid online only, cannot be combined with any other coupons or promotions and may change, be modified or cancelled at anytime without notice.

Whew. What do you think? Hard to process it all, eh? With the well-worn drapes of our voting booths finally shutting on the 2010 primaries, we now have a brief respite before the elections begin again in earnest for the November 2 blowout.

If you’re keeping score at home, there were lots of upsets, lots of upstarts, and lots of one-up-manship. The Tea Party is probably the biggest story, as its momentum seems to be gaining (albeit with a wobbly wheel like you might find at the grocery store). The GOP is trying to figure what this all means (and how to make the most of it), while the Democrats are building trenches to protect they turf they’ve won over the past few years.

It looks like the “big ticket” campaigns are getting ready to go into high gear now. So brace yourself for lots of stumping and political posturing. Remember not to let the rhetoric get to you, and try to separate the fact from fiction. It’s a great time to be a voter, so make your vote count.

I'm going to be thirsty just looking at them.

Doesn’t Dancing with the Stars just want to make you grab a sexy, hip-swiveling Latino partner, some glitter makeup and slip on those dancing shoes? DWTS is back this season, with 12 new stars and their amazing dancing partners to tango the floors off of their competitors and blow the judges and us away (hopefully?) in the process.

This year’s stars, which include David Hasselhoff, Bristol Palin and Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, all came up with team names. Like Team Schmurgles. And Fox-C. And Florky. While I can’t help but chuckle at some of these team names, each dancer and their partner have created their own “Team Tee.” The cool part – their designed t-shirts will be for sale for you to snatch up to show off your favorites. The even cooler part – ABC and CafePress are donating $1 of each t-shirt sale to the charity Stand Up To Cancer. If the word Schmurgles doesn’t put a smile on your face, you can always smile and feel good knowing that you’re donating to a great cause (and getting a fun DWTS t-shirt out of it too).

So which team do you want to see as king and queen of the mountain and take home the sparkly trophy? Whatever the outcome, we’ll be at home watching, voting, cheering and shopping. And maybe bring that hip-swiveling Latino over for some popcorn.

Beer is king, as they say. And what better way to help you embrace the beginning of Oktoberfest then for us to host a giveaway for a beer stein of your choice? Click here for the rules and send an e-mail to blog@cafepress.com with your name and contact information to be entered for the contest, which ends on next Friday, September 24^th, when we will announce a winner!

Munich, home to the original Oktoberfest, is getting ready for the tents, the sausages, the lederhosen and a jolly good time of celebrations, singing, dancing, burping and happy-go-lucky beer faire for the next 16 days. Jealous? There are rides too. (I am.)

As far back as 10,000 years ago, ancient civilizations stumbled upon beer (no pun intended). Egyptians, Romans and Babylonians included beer as part of their religious rituals, in their artwork, and in written stories. I wonder how many “I Love Beer” poems were written over the years. Even the first recipe ever written down was for beer, etched into a clay tablet by ancient Mesopotamians.

Today, I’d say beer is pretty photogenic when it comes to creating beer t-shirt designs, except when you have your beer goggles on. Then maybe things are a little blurry.