Support the Marin & Novato Y This Saturday

As you’re probably aware, the Marin YMCA is a pillar of our community. From child care, to group exercise, to swim lessons, personal training, and more, there’s so much that the Marin and Novato Y offers to our community.

That being said, this weekend will be your chance to give back or contribute. The Marin and Novato Y’s Crab Feed and Silent Auction is one of their most popular annual events.

The 6th annual event will be held this Saturday Feb. 1, from 5 pm to 9pm at the San Rafael Community Center at 618 B. Street. All proceeds from this event will go towards building a stronger community.

Tickets are $50—and with a ticket, you’ll enjoy unlimited crab, salad, bread, jambalaya, desert, and an open bar. Cocktail hour will be from 5 pm to 6pm, and dinner will be served at 6pm.

And feel free to bring the whole family! There are also Youth Zone tickets available, which includes pizza, snacks, crafts, and movie for all kids 3 years of age and older. Youth Zone tickets are $10 for the first child, and $5 for each additional child.

Click here to learn more about this event!

Tax Season Tips for 2014

It’s that time of year, again! Well, maybe you have a few months left before the tax filing deadline on Tuesday, April 15. But that doesn’t mean it’s too early to start thinking about your taxes.

But before you get started, we’d like to let our residents know that Mill Valley police have been reporting identity theft, fraud, and phone scams. California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris has asked Californians to be vigilant regarding tax-related identity theft as tax season begins. Tax related identity theft typically happens when:

Thieves use stolen personal information to file tax returns in someone else’s name in order to obtain a refund.

• Thieves use a stolen Social Security number (SSN) for employment, which may complicate state and federal income tax obligations for the victim.
• Thieves send phishing emails that look like they are from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or the Franchise Tax Board (FTB) that ask for personal information or include links to official-looking web sites.
• You may have a tax identity theft problem if you receive a letter from the IRS or FTB stating that:
• you filed more than one tax return,
• someone has already filed using your information,
• you have a balance due, refund offset or have had collection actions taken against you for a year in which you did not file a return, or
• you received wages from an employer for whom you have not worked.

For more information about tax-related identity theft in California, click here.

Small Business “Anti-Resolutions” for 2014

The Bay Area is one of the nation’s hotbeds for small business, and no doubt, we’ve got some business owners in our community at 33 North. While 2014 opens up lots of opportunities for personal resolutions, don’t forget to set some goals for your business as well!

Do you vow do improve your professional life in the coming year? Forbes.com published a great guide for small business owners in 2014, offering some potential pitfalls to avoid. We love to see our residents doing well, so we couldn’t help but pass some of these tips along:

1. Focusing too much on social media: Yes, you read that right. After years of every blog and news story telling you how much social media matters to every small business, it has now become necessary to temper our focus on the online world. It’s not that social media is any less essential to a well-rounded marketing and customer service strategy, it’s just that more traditional tactics are also still crucial, and are increasingly being neglected.

2. Not using paid social media marketing: Speaking of advice that has changed: ignore whatever you read two years ago about how you should never pay for advertising or sponsored content on Facebook, Twitter or elsewhere. You probably should at this point. What’s changed? In short, everything. Both Facebook and Twitter have completely overhauled the methods by which they deliver content to their users, and without getting into too many mind-numbing specifics, the bottom line is that paying to promote your content is actually more worthwhile than it’s ever been.

3. Being chained to your computer: In some ways, it’s fantastic how rarely a small business owner feels a need to leave their computer to do business. Tasks that used to mean travel (whether it’s just to the next room or across the world) now can happen without ever having to get up from your desk. That is undeniably pretty cool. But at this point, maybe it’s time to stop being amazed at the coolness and convenience of modern business technology, and start actually examining which old-school methods are worth holding onto.

To read the full article on small business mistakes to avoid in 2014, click here.

Dry Winter Skin? Take Fewer Showers (Really!)

33 North features amazingly beautiful Italian tiled walk-in showers, so we can certainly understand if you take every opportunity to use them. But did you know that during the winter months, with the cooler temperatures in Marin, that showering too much can dry out your skin?

It’s true! According to the New York Times, showering too often during the winter can result in dry skin, and can also wash away beneficial bacteria that protects your skin. And by cutting back on your showering frequency, you just might be better off in the cooler months:

Resist the urge to recoil at this swath of society: They may be on to something. Of late, researchers have discovered that just as the gut contains good bacteria that help it run more efficiently, so does our skin brim with beneficial germs that we might not want to wash down the drain. “Good bacteria are educating your own skin cells to make your ownantibiotics,” said Dr. Richard Gallo, chief of the dermatology division at the University of California, San Diego, and “they produce their own antibiotics that kills off bad bacteria.”

Some people have long complained that showering too much makes their skin drier or more prone to flare-ups of, say, eczema, and Dr. Gallo said that scientists are just beginning to understand why. “It’s not just removing the lipids and oils on your skin that’s drying it out,” he said. It could be “removing some of the good bacteria that help maintain a healthy balance of skin.”

To read the full New York Times article, click here.

How to Maintain Kitchen Countertops

Here at 33 North, all of our units are equipped with beautiful Caesarstone countertops, in addition to custom hardwood cabinets and chef-quality appliances. But with all the wear and tear that your countertop has likely seen this holiday season, you may be in need of some tips for keeping that countertop in tip-top shape.

We found a great rundown at WikiHow on how to clean your countertop for regular maintanence, and on how to protect protect your beautiful countertop from blemishes and stains. And chances are, you won’t even need to buy any extra supplies:

How to Clean Your Countertop
1. Clean routinely with a soft rag and mild detergent. Make sure this detergent is non-bleach and non-abrasive.
2. Wipe up liquids as soon as possible. Quartz resists stains from fruit juices, tea and coffee for at least a short period of time. The amount of stain resistance may depend on the brand of quartz countertop you own.
3. Use a glass or surface cleaner and a non-abrasive sponge to clean up dried or heavy stains. You can use sponges that are made for non-stick pans.

For deep cleaning, spray a generous amount of the surface cleaner over your counters and leave for 10 minutes. Wipe away with a non-scratch sponge.

4. Scrape away gum, grease or paint with a plastic putty knife.
5. Use a degreasing cleanser to clean off grease. Rinse immediately after cleaning.
6. Remove ink or permanent markers with an oil-based cleaner, like Goo Gone. Rinse with warm water immediately after the stain is removed.

How to Protect Your Countertop
1. Place a trivet or hot pad below hot pans, crock pots and electric skillets. Although quartz can resist temperatures up to 300 degrees Fahrenheit (150 Celsius), it can be damaged by quick changes in temperature, known as "thermal shock."
2. Avoid using knives directly on the quartz surface. Quartz countertops are highly scratch resistant, but they are not scratch-proof and can be damaged when forcefully hit with sharp objects. Use a cutting board placed on top of the countertop to avoid damage.
3. Avoid cleaning with highly acidic or alkaline cleaners, such as nail polish remover, turpentine, oven cleaner, bleach, drain cleaners, dish washer rinsing agents, trichloroethane or methylene chloride. Clean immediately with a mild detergent and rinse, if they are spilled.
4. Avoid pressure or force on your countertop, as it can chip the stone.

For the full article at WikiHow.com, click here.