How-to Rental: 5 Questions NOT to Ask when Checking Out a Rental Property

By Cindy Lynn
In: Business and Finance
Tags: Renting, renters, rental application, how to rental



Do you know what questions NOT to ask about an apartment/home rental property? Are some questions liable to incur a denial of your rental request? This list of 5 questions NOT to ask when checking out a rental property may help you obtain that rental....

Click here to find out more in this article from Cindy Lynn at Associated Content.

5 Job Interview Mistakes to Avoid when Applying for a Position

By Cindy Lynn
Tags:
job interview, interview tips, how to interview, hiring



Being a small business owner/landlord has given me an extensive opportunity to talk with other managers, to interview people about their qualifications, and to learn of the mistakes made in job interviews. It's safe to say that most job seekers usually know enough about the interviewing process to learn information about the company, show up on time for the job interview, and come prepared with a résumé, but there are a few other tricks of the trade....

Click here to read more.


Spring Poems: A Haiku Poem About a Lily and a Butterfly

By Cindy Lynn
Tags:
poetry, poems, haiku, haiku poems

Oh my gosh, I can't believe how long it's been since I posted here. Time flies like an arrow ... and fruit flies like a banana!

So, as penance for not posting more frequently, here's a short haiku poem about lilies and a butterfly for you to enjoy. (A haiku is Japanese poetry of three lines with 5 syllables in the first and third line, and 7 syllables in the second line.)




In the Desert Sun

Sego lilies white
Nodding in the desert sun
A butterfly whispers by


(Author's note: For another fun haiku, read "Summer Poetry: A Haiku About Fireflies.")


And now, if you're looking for poems, love stories, current articles, recipes, or how-to articles, take a gander at my Associated Content page to see my latest writings.


Free Poems; Poems About Life: A Rhyming Poem About the Color Blue

Excerpts from Cindy Lynn's Articles at Associated Content from Yahoo!



Do you enjoy rhyming poems? They're one of the first things learned in life (think of "Jack Be Nimble") and even people who claim they don't love poetry can recall favorite rhyming poems, as well as poems about life that touched their hearts.

This poem (below) is one that came to me when given an assignment to write about a color. Since blue is my favorite, it was easy to come up with a poem about life that tied the color blue to all five senses.

Shades of Blue

Blue looks like the ocean
At morning's first light
Or the dark, dusky sky,
Tucked in for the night.

Blue smells like an iris
On warm, summer days
Or the sweet scent of clover
That's made into hay.

Blue tastes like a grape
That's tender and sweet
Or like juicy, tart berries
The birds love to eat....

(Click here to continue.)
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If you want to read the rest of the poem, pop on over to my Associated Content page and when you're done reading, leave a comment and tell me which of the 5 senses was your favorite!


Giveaway: Coupon for Free Food and Green Giant Review




What's more exciting than a giveaway with cool prizes? Face it, the chance to win something in a giveaway is always a good time, especially if it's easy and doesn't require something complicated running all around the Internet and leaving comments in ten different places while howling at the moon at midnight.

Today I'm posting a review for Green Giant ® Broccoli & Cheese Sauce along with a link for an easy giveaway that runs from Feb 22-March 14, 2011.
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Review: What Green Giant Says About Their Boxed Vegetables
Green Giant Boxed Vegetables can help you stay on track to achieve your weight management goals in 2011. Twenty-nine delicious varieties are now endorsed by Weight Watchers®, and most have only a 1 or 2 PointsPlus® value per serving! Packed with flavor and ready in minutes, Green Giant Boxed Vegetables are available in a wide variety of flavors, many featuring mouthwatering sauces and seasonings. They're a terrific addition to any meal and a delicious way to achieve better health in 2011.

Don't forget to visit Green Giant on Facebook and Green Giant on Twitter and "Like" or "Follow" the brand to keep up with their latest and greatest products! For more information and great recipe ideas visit http://greengiant.com/.

Review: My Opinion
I love broccoli, especially when it's covered in cheese, and so I was excited about the prospect of trying out Green Giant's Broccoli & Cheese Sauce. One thing I loved right off the bat was that I could microwave the pouch, and it only took about 5 minutes to cook. There was plenty of cheese sauce for my liking and the broccoli tasted like it was fresh when they froze it. I intended to eat half the veggies for my lunch and save the rest for my hubby's supper. However, (bad, bad, me) I liked it so much that I ate the whole thing.

(I'm sorry, Sweetie, but on the upside ... I did have two servings of vegetables for lunch. And you do want me eating my daily requirement of veggies, right? :)


The Giveaway Rules
Leave a comment at the blog, Write Up My Alley, between now and midnight, MST, March 14, 2011. If you can't think of anything to say, you can always mention whom you like best—Green Giant or Little Sprout. Or tell your favorite way to prepare Green Giant boxed vegetables. And you might want to leave contact information so you can be notified if you're chosen as the winner. (Per the info at Write Up My Alley, if for some reason there is no winner, or the winner can not be contacted, there will either be a redrawing or the prize will be given to charity.)

The Prize



The winner will receive a free VIP coupon good for one frozen sample of Green Giant boxed vegetables, an insulated tote bag, serving bowl, spoon, and pedometer.

(The giveaway is sponsored by Green Giant and MyBlogSpark®. All information, plus the compensation I received in the form of a sample pack of broccoli & cheese, as well as a gift pack similar to the prize pack, came from Green Giant through MyBlogSpark. However, my opinions of the companies involved, and the quality of the products mentioned are my own. )

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True Story for Valentine's Day ... by Cindy Lynn

A Valentine's Day Story to Warm Your Heart

Don't you love a true story that has a happy ending? Almost everyone loves a true story that ends well, especially when it involves a beginning romance that takes place for Valentine's Day.

Here's an excerpt of one that I just posted at Associated Content:




"Sherlock Holmes Never Met Sir Galahad"

By Cindy Lynn

Like most teenage girls, I envisioned the love of my life as a shining knight who would ride up on a white charger, sweep me into his arms and we'd ride off into the sunset. Barring the white horse, romance could still flourish if my beloved rode up in a 1967 candy-apple-red Ford Mustang, swept me into the passenger's seat, and we drove off into the sunset of the California beaches.

In my sophomore year at an all girls' Catholic school, the nuns scheduled a movie for Valentine's Day, and invited the young men from the nearest boys' Catholic school. The sisters planned a kiss killer—a movie based on an Edgar Allen Poe story.

I went alone. Glancing around the room, I realized there weren't any Sir Galahads present, just normal teenage boys. That was fine by me because who wanted to say they met their erstwhile knight at a horror movie?

Following the film, I chatted in the hallway with my friend, Celeste.* She turned to me and said. "Let's go to the cafeteria for cookies."

I glanced further down the hall. Were there any good-looking hunks there? Nope, just a pair of freshmen with shirttails hanging out—pushing each other and belching.

Boys. Why couldn't they act suave, instead of resembling mountain goats with gas?
(Click here to continue.)
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If you want to know what happened next, pop on over to my Associated Content article and when you're done reading, leave a comment and tell me about something wonderful that happened to you on Valentine's Day.

Photo Slide Show 2: Fall Pictures and Autumn Leaves ... by Cindy Lynn


Photo © Cindy Lynn


You can't beat autumn leaves and fall pictures for a great photo slide show. I've posted a colorful slide show at Associated Content that includes a fall scarecrow, autumn leaves, a late hatch of ducklings and fall soccer games. Check out Photo Slide Show 2: Fall Pictures and Autumn Leaves for a fast and easy fall feast of photos.

And while you're there, drop off a comment and tell me which photo is your favorite fall picture. It's hard to pick just one, so my favorites are the scarecrow, the feet in the hammock, and the little soccer player under an umbrella.