 “I see it! Over there.” Carl pointed to a lighthouse high on a hill camouflaged by tall fir trees. They tied the boat to a fallen timber and the group crept up the large craggy rocks in single file. They’d been chased away by locals on a prior quest not far from here, so stealth was of utmost importance. Risking capture was not an option. They traveled for miles in search of this mysterious cache. On land and water. Finally, good fortune was within their grasp.
As the woman in the padded vest caught up to Carl, she held out her tracking device. “Wait, here’s a clue: ‘Among the trees is a yellow spot, what you seek is piping hot!’” Bringing up the rear was a tall man with silver framed spectacles and khaki sun hat. According to his coordinates what they sought was located precisely at N 37 degrees 9.678’ W 111 degrees 5.892’. The countdown on the GPS quickened as they advanced with each step: four hundred three feet, one hundred forty four feet, plus or minus fifteen. Their hearts raced. Anita’s stomach grumbled. Carl ran behind a small yellow shed and spotted a white downspout crawling down its side. “The pipe!” He peeked up and down and around its sides and saw something shiny strapped near the top. It was too high to reach, but there was a step ladder conveniently laying on its side around the corner. He propped it up and reached his hand over the topside of the gutter as the others watched, mouths open. “I got it!” Secured to the pipe with velcro was a hard metal capsule the size of a pencil pouch. Inside was a log book, a tightly wound paper scroll and a white toy unicorn with the combination to a lock on its tag. The woman unrolled the scroll. “What does it say, Mom?” Carl said. “It’s the clue to the next stage.” “I’m hungry,” Anita said, grabbing her tummy with one hand and an empty granola bar wrapper in the other. “Yes!” Dad said. “We’ll go on to stage two next weekend. Great job everyone!” And so the four explorers kayaked back to the rental shop, hopped into the suburban and dined at their favorite waffle house while giggling at the photos of their latest adventure. Choose Your Own Adventure Looking for a fun way to spend time with your friends or family? Get outside, breathe the fresh air and choose your adventure with the geocache app. Treasure hunts vary from easy to challenging, and distances range from around the corner to miles away. Depending on which you choose, you might encounter puzzles, clues or additional activities waiting for you along the way. Download the app to your phone from www.geocaching.com and join the millions of other urban explorers around the world. Hidden treasures are everywhere! Who knows? You may pass one every day on your way to work, home or school and not even know it. It’s free and fun for the whole family. Happy hunting! ### Client Brief: We are looking for writers to help us craft short or full-length articles and blog posts about various outdoors topics. Topics will require research and are expected to be detailed, quality works that we can use online for educational/promotional purposes. We will teach using images and photography as much as possible so the ability to design or sketch out ideas that our designers can make into quality graphics is important. You will often actually experience the activity being written about, so an interest in the outdoors is important. Excellent grammar, spelling and copy editing skills are required and you must deliver articles on time and communicate all issues, delays or needs.  Meet Alan. Alan is happy, because he just got a call from a prestigious architecture firm in Chicago. “Can you start in three weeks?” “Absolutely!” Alan said, knowing full well what lay ahead. The offer was a full time position as a paid intern and the timing could not be better (his graduation ceremony was just a few days ago). Problem is, he lives in Miami. Aside from living a thousand miles away, Alan has some other not-so-minor obstacles to overcome. For starters, his closet consists of nothing but khaki shorts in every color of the rainbow with matching flip flops. Not exactly the best choice for trudging through a Chicago windstorm in the middle of January. If he was a junior partner the move would be no problem, the office would lend a hand. Until then, he’s on his own.  Meet Maggie. Maggie is an accountant which means she’s good with numbers. That’s how she got escrow to close on her new home across town sooner than expected. Being a math whiz has other benefits too. For the past two weeks, she’s been clipping coupons for diapers and baby food. It’s what you do when you’re expecting.
Question is, how does an accountant/mommy-to-be pack up and move her family from Culver City to San Dimas when tax season is just around the corner? Needing to set up her home office, she’ll have more important things to think about than how much bubble wrap she needs for her dishware. To help these two, we put together a list of just a few things Alan and Maggie can start on right away to help make their moves go more smoothly: Things to Do Before the Move
Making the Move As you can see, Alan and Maggie have enough on their to-do lists before settling in to their new homes. They’d be wise to get professionals to help with the actual packing and moving. And that starts with scheduling a simple survey. With a one-time home visit, our surveyors will note the number of rooms, number of boxes needed, box sizes, number of pads, miles to be traveled, truck size, dates of pickup and arrival, whether packing is needed, and all the supplies they’ll need if packing themselves (tape, plastic sofa/mattress covers, boxes, dolly). Using our comprehensive quantity and cost estimate, they’ll know exactly what they’re paying for and what’s included. Whether we’re just providing the supplies or handling the entire move from door to door, our goal is for Alan to focus on his new job and expand his wardrobe (there must be a pastel-colored parka somewhere). And for Maggie, we might suggest that there’s a better birthday present than a mini toy abacus, but we’ll stick to what we know. Call our number below for our limited time offer and receive 10% off all moving supplies with your free home survey. It's the best move you'll make all year. ### Client Brief: Writing needed for a moving company’s website. Need to build content for a number of pages for SEO optimization. Web Pages include: Local Moving, Interstate Moving, Packing, Storage, Prices, About Us, Contact Us.  Old Farmer Brady had the best eggs in the County. Little did anyone know his secret was teaching the hens how to text each other by phone. Instead of the constant din of clucks and cackles heard from inside other chicken coops, Old Farmer Brady’s hen house was quiet.
The hens spent their days gossiping about the other farm animals through group messaging, under the soothing warm glow of their phones. It was an ideal setting for laying the perfect eggs. Atop a nearby hill was a fox hole where a sly fox tracked all their conversations from his underground computer lab. Determined to steal the grain from inside the barn, he intercepted one of their conversations. Woop. An email popped up on Henrietta Hen’s phone. The subject line read “Congratulations! You won!” Henrietta opened the email. “Today is your lucky day! To claim your prize, insert the combination lock to the barn here.” Henrietta was thrilled. She’d never won anything before, and she knew the combination to the barn, because Old Farmer Brady used to walk the chickens back there to feed. So, she quickly typed the combination numbers and hit ‘send.’ “Thank you, your prize is on its way.” Henrietta’s feathers stood on end with anticipation. What could the prize be? she wondered. By the next morning, there was still no prize. The chickens woke up to Old Farmer Brady hollering from inside the barn. “Someone stole my grain! Who stole my grain?” Days passed and the thief was never captured. Old Farmer Brady replaced the grain and life eventually returned to normal. The hens exchanged hilarious memes featuring silly dogs in costumes and squirrels on bicycles. The mood was light and cheerful, producing some of the best and biggest eggs of the season. Again, a text appeared on Henrietta’s phone. “Hey, it’s me Rooster. We’re having a party at the barn tonight. All the farm animals will be there. What time can you all come over?” Henrietta sent a group message to everyone in the chicken coop to figure out a time. She sent Rooster a reply and all the hens were giddy with excitement. At 8:00 pm the hens filed out of the hen house. They had no idea Fox was spying on them from behind a nearby oak tree. Once they were out of sight he tip-toed into the hen house, filled his sack with eggs and lugged it all the way up to his den. Meanwhile, the chickens waddled up to the barn. It was dark and quiet and nobody else was there. They peeked through a crack in the door and saw there was no party. Confused and disappointed, they returned to the hen house only to discover all their eggs were gone! The next several days were filled with false accusations and denials. The whole farm was up in tail feathers over what transpired and the crime remained unsolved. Fox was delighted and continued to eavesdrop on their conversations. Grain and eggs were only the appetizers. Now, it was time to feast. “Tomorrow I dine like a King,” Fox said, popping the final egg in to his mouth, just before falling asleep. Morning came. Fox grabbed his pillow and raced over to the pig pen where he took large handfuls of slop and covered himself in mud from head to tail. He licked his lips at the thought of plump juicy, chickens in his belly as he slapped pillow feathers all over his body. He eased his way toward the pecking chickens and struck up a conversation with Henrietta who had ventured her way a little farther out than the rest of them. “Oh! Hello,” said Fox, bumping into her. Henrietta did not recognize this strange-looking chicken, so Fox introduced himself. He told her he belonged to the farm next door, but had fallen off the truck when it hit a bump. He didn’t mean to impose, but he was very hungry and felt the need to lay eggs. He had nowhere to go. “Oh, dear,” said Henrietta. “I’m sure we have some room. Why don’t you come with me and meet the girls?” Fox blended among the group as Old Farmer Brady led everyone back into the hen house. The other hens made space for him at the opposite end of the coop, where they let him alone to lay his eggs. Fox knew that he had to be patient and gain their trust. So day after day, as the others comfortably laid their eggs for Old Farmer Brady, Fox texted them stories and jokes, while planning his next move. A week went by and Fox was tired of pecking at grain, so he decided that today would be the day. Make yourselves nice and fat, girls, Fox thought. All the more for me! Once the last hen stepped back inside, Old Farmer Brady closed the gate and with basket in hand, walked over to the opposite side of the coop. By now, Fox knew the routine, so he raised his rump, careful not to reveal his tail. Coming up empty yet again, Old Farmer Brady let out a disappointed grunt and he plucked Fox from his nest box. The other hens gasped and bade him farewell, for they knew his destiny, as Old Farmer Brady marched over to the chopping block. Fox struggled to release himself from the Old Farmer’s grasp, cracking the dried mud in the process. His feathers fell off and his bushy tail swiped at the Old Farmer’s leg. Startled, the Old Farmer released his grip and the other hens watched in horror as Fox bounced onto the ground and scampered up the hill. Henrietta felt guilty for letting herself be fooled by the sly fox. But what could she have done differently to avoid putting herself and her family at risk? For starters, she shouldn’t have strayed from where she normally goes. Anybody can be a Henrietta. Even people. The internet is like a big farm with lots to do and see. It’s easy to get distracted and let your guard down. When someone is pretending to be something he’s not on the internet, it’s called “phishing” and those “foxes” come in the form of emails, phone texts, or pop up windows saying “Click Here!” or “Congratulations, you won! Just type your username and password.” Or birthday, or address. You think you can trust them, but they really just want your personal information. You might be playing a video game or chatting with friends on your iPad or Facebook when a link or button catches your eye. You click on it and now that little “fox” is taking you down some other path. It could be an urgent message, like your mom is in trouble and needs money, or please confirm your spot on the school field trip. You think you’re on your school’s website, but it’s actually a fake. You enter your name and password and now the bad guys have your private information. The way to protect yourself is not to open pop-up windows, or email attachments, or click on links you don’t know, and never type your username or password on any site you didn’t intend to go to. By keeping your private information to yourself, your computer is less likely to catch a virus and get sick, your parent’s piggy bank will be safe and you’ll still get your allowance. Best of all, the baddies can’t steal your stuff, while you spread your wings and fly. ### Client Brief: Cybersecurity is one of the biggest problems of our times. However, the education on this topic is severely limited. There is a lot of content on Cybersecurity on the web but it is hard to understand and is mostly written to sell products. The goal of this project is to write various topics on cybersecurity in way a 5th grader can understand it. We are looking for someone who can write technical articles in simple fashion. Must use great storytelling, content should be humorous, easy to understand and should be written like a book chapter for 5th graders.  There was a time in human history when the cure for migraine headaches was quite literally shocking. The thought was that whatever was squeezing your head from the inside needed to be let out and the best way to do that was by filling a tub with bathwater, having you sit inside, throwing in a couple of electric eels and let them do their thing.
Thankfully, modern medicine has come a long way since then. Or has it? Today, when people suffer from migraines, most medical doctors (MD’s) prescribe some medication in one of two forms, either pain-relieving or preventive, both of which require the ongoing dependency on drugs, sometimes come with unwanted side effects and most importantly do nothing for improving your lifestyle. If you think about it, the approach is basically the same as it was two centuries ago: wait for the symptoms to arise, then treat them. Once treated, the pain will go away – until it comes back. Then, repeat the process again and again. In other words, the problem is never solved, because the cause is not determined. Relieving the symptoms is only half the cure. The key to successful treatment should involve figuring out the cause of the condition and making the necessary adjustments, not just alleviating the symptoms. Unfortunately, this is not typically part of today’s practice with MD’s. Walk into your doctor’s office and tell her you have severe headaches and she will likely diagnose your migraine based on your medical history, symptoms, and a neurological examination. While that’s a good start, it’s far from complete and leaves the door wide open for a potential misdiagnosis. In fact, over twelve million Americans seeking outpatient medical care are misdiagnosed for various illnesses every year. Cases of patients diagnosed as having “sinus headaches,” when the issue is actually caused by musculoskeletal problems stemming from poor posture, repetitive movements, or prolonged immobilization do exist. The DO Mentality For a thorough diagnosis, you may want to consider seeking the help of a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO). A DO degree in the United States is equivalent to the Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree with the full rights to practice medicine and surgery in all 50 states, but DOs focus on prevention, not just treating your symptoms, by gaining a deeper understanding of your lifestyle and environment. Osteopathic medicine’s holistic approach to treatment places emphasis on the fact that a person is ultimately responsible for his or her own health and well-being and that he or she is a unit of mind, body and spirit. When all three are balanced, the body is capable of self-regulation, self healing, and health maintenance. Imagine opening up a clock and seeing its many metallic gears, mechanisms, springs, and shafts slip and turn as the seconds tick, tick, tick. Each shiny piece is vital to the whole working precisely as intended. The moment just one part malfunctions, the whole thing shuts down. When it comes to your health, it works the same way. The mechanisms at play are all the day to day social and environmental factors that affect you psychologically, emotionally, spiritually and physically. As such, your migraine headache could be caused by your diet, sleep habits, stress, personal problems, where you live, or any other myriad of possibilities. It’s only by taking the time to get to know you as a person that a doctor can suggest the best course of action. This is what a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine does. Then she might prescribe medication for relief, but will also recommend lifestyle modifications to help prevent the headaches from recurring. Treatments Quite simply, a DO takes the time to educate a patient on self-care which may include diet, exercise, psychotherapy, relationship counseling, spiritual counseling, massage therapy, and more. The key is to choose a doctor who will spend enough time with you so that she can gain a full understanding of your needs. At our medical center, we are committed to finding a healthcare provider whose views align most closely with yours, so you can receive the very best treatment for whatever ails you. Take the first step toward living a better life by calling the number below for a free consultation. We’d love to get to know you. ### Client Brief: Looking for a writer to create an entertaining story for an osteopathic/holistic medical clinic. The story will introduce the holistic approach to good health through Osteopathic Medicine and be utilized on the web.  “Mmm...see you soon!” Donna said, sliding the pan into the oven.
Donna’s Chunky Monkey Cheesecake Brownies were such a hit last year, she was unanimously chosen to lead this year’s bake sale. Everything will be perfect, she thought. She checked the temperature and set the clock. Thirty five minutes - just enough time to pick Susie up from soccer practice and Ryan from the skate park. She licked the batter off her fingers, hopped into her SUV and punched the gas. Bopping down the highway to her favorite tune, Donna didn’t even notice the blue smoke billowing from her tailpipe. But a local patrol officer did. And just like that, Donna’s plans came to a screeching halt. After several minutes of negotiation, a threat to have her car towed and a ticket for driving an unsafe vehicle, Donna’s mission to have the most successful fundraiser in the school’s history was not to be. So what went wrong? Well, imagine if Donna forgot to put eggs and butter in her brownie recipe. Instead of turning out rich and moist, they’d be brittle and dry. Same with her engine. Except instead of eggs and butter, her engine needs oil. Each time Donna drops her kids off at school or drives to work, her engine is hard at work too. Under the hood, there are lots of parts moving at a high rate of speed. All that friction causes them to get hot. Really hot. And oil is what keeps them moving freely. Over time though, dirt particles turn the oil into sludge, making it more difficult for the parts to move. It’s like putting rotten eggs into a batch of baked goodies. Gross, right? That’s why every so often, you need to change the “sludgy” oil for a fresh batch. How often? Depends on how much you drive, but every four months is a good time frame. What happens if you don’t? Well, remember that blue smoke Donna saw spewing out of her tailpipe? That’s like the fire alarm going off in your kitchen. By the time it happens, it’s too late. Your car, and brownies are toast. The good news is, fifteen minutes is all it takes to keep you running worry-free. Yep, the same amount of time it takes to bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies. So stop by any participating shop and get $10 off an oil change all month long. And if you mention “bake sale,” we’ll throw in a coupon to Dunkin’ Donuts. Go ahead, sell 'em at your next bake sale. We won’t tell. ### Client Brief: We work in the auto repair industry and need articles that explain things people don't understand or don't care about because they are boring, like auto repair and car maintenance. Articles and blog posts must be high quality, easily readable and understandable. Not technical. Looking for 350-600 word articles. Some of the articles will be used for blogs, and some for service pages on their website.  After fourteen years together, Daniel and Kathryn are weeks away from ending their marriage. They just don't know it yet. A couple more steps are yet to climb before they reach the point where they’d rather jump off the matrimonial cliff than turn back around, because the pain will be too much to bear.
The stage at which they fired sarcastic shots at one another, both privately and publicly is now behind them. Though the comments have long faded, the sting lingers. Soon they will enter the phase when neither person can say anything without sending the other into a fit of rage. Hateful, regrettable things will be said here but the screaming won’t end until their voices are hoarse. Nature's way of telling them it's time to be quiet. The silence will be sullen, long and mournful. The two will continue to exist under the same roof, but they will live as ghosts, passing each other in the hallway, neither one acknowledging the other. Six inches may as well be six thousand miles. He will go quietly about his business. And she will do the same. Plans will be made toward putting an end to their misery as one will take the steps needed to move out. The other will quietly bite his or her tongue, yearning for that fateful day to arrive. When being alone is less lonely. In their final days together, all communication will be limited to posting little yellow notes on the front door when the other is away. How did they get here? After the Honeymoon The decline began many years ago, beginning with a pile of unwashed dishes. Then someone forgot to put gas in the car. As the years went on, these seemingly simple annoyances added up, and both Daniel and Kathryn were ill-equipped to handle them. As a result, any veiled attempts to repair the damage were doomed from the start. They had hoped that by ignoring their issues they’d simply go away. They didn’t. Instead, the most trivial matters, like leaving a carton of milk on the kitchen counter overnight, escalated into fierce quarrels that ended with slamming doors and streams of tears. Eventually, the strain was so great, the marriage collapsed, and it was a race to the bottom. What happened to Daniel and Kathryn can happen to anyone. And it does. Nearly fifty percent of all first marriages end in divorce or separation in the United States. The rate increases with second and third marriages at sixty percent and seventy three percent, respectively. How can something that seems so right, end up so wrong? Saying ‘I Will’ Perhaps it’s that we treat marriage like a spectator sport, when it actually requires active participation. Symptoms of a union in trouble can sneak up on you if you’re not paying attention. Here are some preventive measures you can take right away to put out those glowing embers before they flare up.
Crossing the Threshold Most of us have no clue how much work is required for a marriage to succeed. Many adult men and women, despite their innate intelligence and professional status, struggle with all kinds of personal problems that impact a marriage directly: depression; anxiety, perfectionism, substance abuse, eating disorders, low self-esteem, imposter syndrome, past trauma. How can you be expected to recognize, let alone address such matters, if at best, you were given a handful of pamphlets in high school and a pat on the back for good luck. It’s only natural to lean on those who have dedicated their lives to learning and understanding these complex issues. Our aim is to help you understand your struggles and find customized solutions based on your unique situation, goals, and personality. And to provide you with the tools you and your partner need to attain your full potentials in your relationship and careers. It takes two people to make a marriage work, but it starts with you. For a safe environment where you can speak freely, call our office for a free introductory one-on-one meeting with one of our licensed professionals. We'd be happy to get you started on the right path. ### Client Brief: Content Copywriter needed for psychotherapy/marital counseling website. We need a copywriter with innovative, engaging, conversational writing skills to create excitement and optimism about going to therapy, coaching, or couples/marital counseling. The first article will cover couples who are emotionally disengaged, in constant conflict, and unable to communicate. Their family issues are inhibiting their ability to reach their full potential.  Tax season is peering its greedy little head around the corner. Are you ready?
Let's be honest. April 15 is about as welcome as a groundhog's shadow in February. And if you work freelance, tax day is scarier than Halloween. As with most things, our fear stems from what we don't know. In this ever-changing Gig economy, that unknown just happens to be the single most influential factor in determining how much you have left in the bank. Your hourly rate. Sure, opportunities for work abound. Some good, some bad. But, how do you know which windows to open and which to keep nailed shut? Well, consider the fact that unlike a full-time employee, a freelancer gets taxed more. Much more. Let me explain. First, you're taxed on your earnings, just like everyone else. Depending on how much you earn, that tax could be between 10% and 37%. But unlike a regular employee, a freelancer (also known as an independent contractor), also gets taxed an additional 15% Self-employment tax to cover Social Security and Medicare. Not so if you're an employee. Why? Because the employer makes this contribution for you. In plain English that means that a freelancer earning $50 per hour is really only earning the equivalent of about $31 per hour after taxes. And you thought you had money to burn. But wait! One advantage freelancers have is writing off all those expenses, right? Um, yes, but if you're single and your expenses are less than the standard deduction of $12,200, all those receipts are nothing more than little paper airplanes nose diving right into your wastebasket. So what's the solution? Figure out how much it costs to run your business and how much you need to thrive and not just survive. Which leads me to the reason I wrote this article in the first place. I recently discovered this online calculator that touches on some of the many factors a freelancer needs to consider when setting a price. It could be a good place to start. If nothing else, it's fun just to play with the numbers and see what you get: https://bit.ly/2T0aaAT I'm not an accountant and I don't claim to know everything about taxes, but I do know that when Uncle Sam comes to town, it's better to be prepared than not. And for me that starts with knowing what I'm worth. ## Client Brief: 300-500 word blog posts offering financial tips to busy executives in preparation for tax season. The purpose of this article is to share an online calculator to freelancers. Finance is a heavy topic, so the articles must be delivered in a light, easy-to-digest way. Make the reader feel good about having learned something.  Congratulations! After weeks of window shopping an assortment of dating sites, swiping left until your thumb is numb and composing profiles so witty Chelsea Handler would glow with pride, the big day is finally here. Your first date.
Sure, you’ve cringed at your friend’s personal horror stories of dates that ended in disaster, or never got off the ground. But this guy is different. You’ve exchanged a fair number of inquisitive text messages, all delivered in a breezy manner and concluded that he’s not a weirdo. His grammar was impeccable and his response time was within reason. More importantly, when you googled his name he didn’t appear to be wanted by the FBI. So with the click of a button, you accepted his offer. You set the phone down, gazed at the passing couple outside your window and promptly opened his profile to contrast it with your checklist. Nice smile? Check. His texts made you laugh? Check. Said he has a job? Check. My goodness, looks like you found the one bright peacock in a farm full of turkeys. So, why are you now having second thoughts just hours before the meetup? It’s just coffee, after all. No big deal, right? Interestingly, only 66% of those who visit dating sites regularly, actually follow through with setting up a first date. Why is that? What is it about dating later in life that turns perfectly sensible adults into squeamish teenagers? Turns out, it could be any number of things. Growing Up is Hard to Do
Everybody’s Doing It Know you’re not alone. With an estimated 2,500 dating sites operating today, there’s clearly a demand for meeting new people. Statistics show that nearly half of all Americans know someone who has tried online dating and in the past six years, the number of 55-64 year olds dating online has doubled, with younger groups tripling over that same period. Which means you're in good company. So here you are. Hours away from getting back in the game. What should you do? For starter’s take a deep breath. Literally, take two. Then, look around the room and remember that the same person who is about to go on this date has built a life for herself. She plays a significant role at her job, pays a mortgage, has raised children, has family and friends who adore her. The key is to take it slow. Approach tonight’s date as the first of many to come. And not necessarily with the same person. You should in fact, date several people. Enjoy your newfound freedom. You know how people say “if only I knew back then, what I know now?” Well, here’s your chance to go on all the dates you missed out on as an awkward teen, armed with the wisdom and experience that comes with being a full grown adult. Going on a first date is not a lifetime commitment. It’s just coffee. If it doesn’t go as well as you'd hoped, fine. At the very least you now have a story to share with your friends. And if it does go well, same thing. But remember, it’s still just coffee. Or Latte. Or Mocha. Oh, what the heck, live a little. Treat yourself to a Chocolate Covered Raspberry Frappuccino with Java chip sprinkles. After all, this is going to be a night to remember. ### Client Brief: We're a lifestyle publication geared toward women ages 25-49. Our attitude is spirited, playful and irreverent. Looking for 500-1,000 word articles on work, play, social issues, fitness and relationships. |
