Get Your Meez On

Image credit: abbeyscalia.wordpress.com

I love to cook. I love it because it challenges me to focus and use my creativity and skills to make something delicious. It also allows me to eat, clearly my primary goal. Since my early days of trolling recipes online and teaching myself to execute them (and make a mess) in my mom’s kitchen, I learned a very important lesson about cooking: make a plan.

The only times I really got myself into a pickle (and ordered a pizza in the absence of an edible meal) was when I failed to read the recipe and prep my ingredients, or mise en place. It didn’t occur to me that a successful cooking strategy could directly correlate to my workday as an editor until this Business Insider article reminded me of outspoken celebrity chef and travel host Anthony Bourdain’s 10-minute ritual.

Inspirational Quotes by DMS Editors

It all began with a single quote, encompassed in a routine email that occurred between myself and Betsy Brooks, the Home/Home Decor Editor.

Betsy went above and beyond the call of duty when she immediately got back to me with her completed articles, which in turn eliminated my need to hound her down later in order to retrieve them. I was so impressed by her tenacity to get it done now  vs. later (when it was due) that it inspired me to plaster her words over a serene landscape–as a form of inspiration.

After marveling at Betsy’s and my handiwork, it was clear to me that the only logical next step was to seek out wise words, thoughts of inspiration, and/or general advice from my fellow comrades, and place their wisdom over images.

Behold, the powerful words, advice, and inspiration from DMS’ Editorial Team (and myself). Be sure to click on each image for a FULL SIZE version, that way you can maximize their true potential…or make yourself a new motivational wallpaper for your desktop.

Spotlight on Demand with Rachel Grice

It’s time for another edition of Spotlight on Demand, a feature wherein we ask the tough questions to members of our own team here at Demand Studios. This time around it’s Rachel Grice, the Science and Titling Editor. Let’s find out what makes her smile!

The World Cup: A Global Marketplace

Unless you’ve been in a coma for the past two weeks you’re probably well aware that the globe’s biggest soccer tournament, or football depending on where you’re from or what team you’re rooting for, is under way. The FIFA World Cup, this year hosted by Brazil with games being played in 12 different cities, has the world talking — and not just about penalty kicks. Money as it turns out is one of the biggest players in this year’s games.

There been serious criticism of Brazil’s preparation and spending for this year’s event, which is the most expensive in history. According to NBC news, the country has spent an estimated 11.5 billion dollars gearing up for the tournament. But, as global games go, its not just Brazil’s moolah the world is watching. CNBC.com broke down the overall economic impact of the World Cub in this handy inforgraphic below. Check out more like it here.

Credit: CNBC

Happy Birthday Garfield!

The Odie punting, lasagna lovin’, Monday hatin’, lavishly rotund feline is celebrating his 36th birthday! That’s right, on June 19th, 1978 Jim Davis’ wildly popular comic strip, Garfield, hit publication for the first time. In order to celebrate one of my the World’s favorite cartoon strips, I decided to put together a set of facts you might not have known about…until now.

How will you Splurge?

Today is National SPLURGE Day! Sounds like a joke, right? However, I’m not kidding (nor am I making it up–it’s a real thing, check it out for yourself). I don’t know who declares these wacky Holidays, but who am I to complain? In case you’re like my cube-mate, and you’re sitting there asking yourself who/what/where exactly is this “splurge,” allow me to break it down: a splurge implies to indulge oneself in some luxury or pleasure, especially a costly one. I guess what it ultimately means is you have an excuse to live the life of a Celebrity for a day, but maybe we can skip the “costly” portion…for now.

So, in the spirit of National Splurge day (just typing it makes me giggle a bit), what exactly should one do to take full advantage of this remarkable occasion?

Book Therapy for Writers

Credit: dicaspremiadas.blogspot.com

While your living room might not look like this literary hoarder’s heaven (and frankly, we hope it doesn’t), it’s still important to keep some helpful books on hand. There is a wealth of information on the Internet about perfecting your writing and editing skills. But there are some folks who have, literally, written the book on this subject. Why not take advantage?

We like the practical books about structure and grammar (you know, the ones you grab in those mid-sentence moments of frustration), but we also love hearing from famous authors (like Ray Bradbury and Stephen King) about their literary lives. And, you know, the proverbial moaning about life as a writer is always a good read.

Every self-professed writer should have a copy of The Elements of Style lying around or propping up the desk (kidding, mine is always at my side). But if you want to enrich your resources even more, check out these handy lists:

The 10 Best Books About Writing This list includes sage advice from Ray Bradbury’s Zen in the Art of Writing, as well as the practical advice from Roy Peter Clark’s Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer.

9 Essential Books That Will Transform Your Writing Forever This list has got some interesting picks, like Save the Cat, by Blake Snyder, which breaks down the structure of writing screenplays. And then there’s the title that ate all other titles: CA$HVERTISING: How to Use More than 100 Secrets of Ad-Agency Psychology to Make Big Money Selling Anything to Anyone. Recommended for any writer with aspirations of becoming a full-time blogger.

Picks that show up on both lists (so you really know  you should read them):

On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott

On Writing by Stephen King

Do you have a go-to writing reference when you need some inspiration? Tell us!

It’s All Fun and (Word) Games

Originally it was my intention to log on to Los Angeles Times‘ website in order to read/view the latest comic strips–I’m a fan of Zits, classic Peanuts, and a handful of others. Little did I know that once I started poking around the site that I’d stumble across something even better to waste my time be more productive with! That find? A slew of fun and engaging word games.

Did you know that you can play the daily crossword puzzle online, minus the hassle of holding a pencil (what is this, 1999?) Believe it or not, you can. And it’s free and relatively easy. All you need to do is click here; although you’ll be subjected to a brief 15-30 second commercial, and you might have to update your flash player. However these are trivial obstacles once you start pumping out some serious verbiage via the latest crossword puzzle! Oh, and here’s a pro tip: black letters are correct whereas the red letters are incorrect–technically you could utilize a trial and error until you get it right (cheaters). Get your game on!

Not only are word games “fun” (I use that term loosely because not everyone is going to rave about ’em), they’re great for the brain, too. The benefits you get from engaging in word games are: increased vocabulary, improved spelling, and best of all, banishing boredom. — SourceLATimes.com is host to many other games, aside from the Sunday and Daily Crossword puzzles. One of my favorite word games is a take on Boggle, which they’ve dubbed “Spellbound.” Here you simply try to beat the clock and come up with as many words as possible using the available letters. Best of all the game’s interface is intuitive, you can use your keyboard to enter words, and press enter rather than clicking with the mouse. I urge you to try Spellbound, it’s pretty spectacular.

Spotlight on Demand with the lovable Tim Edmundson

Timothy Edmundson: resident funny man, overall good guy, and hardest working stiff I know finally took some time to help produce our ongoing Editorial Feature: Spotlight on Demand, where we interview our very own in-house team and ask them funny/embarrassing/important questions. Let’s get to know Tim a little better, shall we?

Where’d you go to School? Cal State Long Beach
Degree? Creative Writing
Years at studio: 3? 4?
Sections: Fitness, Nutrition, Sports & Recreation (coming soon), Hobbies & Games (coming soon)

Alright, Tim first test: Your fantastical life summarized in a Tweet (140 characters):

With 86 characters to spare, nonetheless. You DO like to rock and roll, and/or party every day. Thrasher!

Speaking of Rock’n’Roll, you recently got back from vacationing in Sin City. How much money did you lose? I don’t see it so much as losing as it is donating to the fine community of Las Vegas.

No judgment…What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Who is your favorite Super Hero from the Marvel Universe? I saw a trailer for a Marvel film with a talking raccoon. My favorite Marvel super hero is that talking raccoon.

That would be Rocket Raccoon, who is voiced by Bradley Cooper. Oh, and the movie/comic is Guardians of the Galaxy. So, what would your Super Hero powers be if you were one? Talking to animals would be pretty cool. “Hey dog, what’s up!” “Nothing, Tim!” Great stuff!

Also looking forward to Guardians. By the way, what’s your favorite ‘Dude/Bro’ movie from the 80’s or 90’s? Platoon, but I don’t think it really fits the classic mold for “Dude/Bro” movie so I’ll go with Predator, which is like Platoon but with an alien.

Fair enough. What’s the “best” meal of the day? Breakfast food is the best, because you can also eat it for dinner. It’s got it all!

Hey nutritional expert, is gluten-free a myth? I have a friend who has a medical issue with gluten and have seen first-hand what it can do to someone with her condition. It’s not a lot of fun! Everyone else, though, just eat the gluten…it’s not going to kill you.

What’s your caffeine intake like? Too much caffeine – two cups of coffee and a red bull a day is pretty normal for me. I’ve recently decided to cut back though so I don’t die.

Tim, please don’t overdose…

Favorite team-based sport? Tottenham Hotspur – they’re an English soccer team with a funny name and I love them to death.
Favorite solo sport? I played golf once; I was terrible but I also had a lot of fun.

Last video you watched on YouTube? The last thing I watched was a compilation of Russian dash cam footage. Russia is an insane place.

OK, because this is a blog about Writing, what software taught you to type?  Computer games taught me how to type – Everquest to be specific. It was a high action multiplayer game that required a lot of teamwork, and the only way to communicate was to type messages to other players. I learned to type quick and concise out of necessity. Who says video games don’t teach you anything?

The part you struggle most when writing/editing? I’ll type and retype a sentence until I get it just the right way – I want anything I write to flow.

As always, let’s finish with This or That — *Tim’s answers are the bold picks.
• Garfield or Odie?
• Bagels or Donuts?
• Disneyland or California Adventure?
• Sony or Microsoft?
• Whiskey or Vodka?
• Birthday or Christmas?
• Reading or Writing?

Funny Ladies

Female comedians are everywhere: On television, on the big screen and even on bookshelves — or your tablet should you be enlightened to this era’s technological devices.

Familiar funny lady figures Tina Fey, Chelsea Handler, Kelly Oxford, Ellen DeGeneres and Mindy Kaling have already put hilarious memoirs and musings into the world with uniquely female and furiously funny voices — all of which landed on the best-sellers list for at least a month. This October, Amy Poehler and Lenah Dunham are set to join them with releases of their very own.

Amy Poehler’s memoir called, “Yes Please,” chronicles the SNL alum and Parks and Recreation star’s life and includes anecdotes on  friendship, love and parenting — but done in a really funny way, of course. Want to see the book’s reveal? Check this out.

In true millenial fashion, Lena Dunham revealed the title, cover and release date of her forthcoming memoir, “Not That Kind of Girl,” via Instagram. Little is known about what wisdom Dunham shares in the pages of her literary debut, but I’ll admit I can’t wait to find out.

Can’t wait until October to get your funny lady fix? Check these out:

Everything is Perfect When You’re a Liar, Kelly Oxford

We Killed: The Rise of Women in American Comedy, Yael Kohen

I Was Told There’d Be Cake, Sloane Crosley

Bossypants, Tina Fey

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? Mindy Kaling