Justin Germino Ramblings

So the new commentluv plugin is available and I checked my wordpress plug-ins and found that 1/2 of my plug-ins had new versions, so I went through and automatically upgraded all of them.  I should check them more often.  My CForms plug-in required some table changes and therefore recommended a database backup which I did just in case.

One of my favorite plugins known as the HeFo (Header / Footer) plug-in which is where I plug my Google Analytics tracking code into, it easily inserts the stuff on all pages, and most of the code I put in this plugin is hidden so doesn’t display any images or such.

-Justin Germino

Okay, it took way more time to have my hair taken care of than I expected.  I had to work this evening to make up the difference in the amount of time I took off.  I finally got my mini makover, bleached highlights in the top of my head, much shorter cut, the unkempt but on purpose look I was going for.  Toni&Guy Salon’s are all my wife goes to, so I went to her hair stylist and he really is very talented.  He did my five year olds hair and my five year old has highlights, I liked it so much I wanted to try it myself.

I lost much of my time driving, I live almost one hour each way to the Valley, so two hours was lost in drive time, the other two and a half hours were at my hair appointment, then another hour to eat at Manuel’s for Lunch.  This is one of our favorite Mexican Restaurants in Arizona, and it is a local Arizona chain.  You won’t find them outside the state.  They have THE BEST Green Corn Tamales I have ever tasted, but they also have a great Pollo Especial, as a Libra I never can decide which of the two dishes to get there.  They also have better salsa than all the other major chains “Macayo’s, Chili’s, Chevy’s, Garcia’s” You name it, Manuel’s has better tasting salsa in my opinion.

I will post before and after pics of my hair style once I get somebody to take a picture of my new hair style.

-Justin Germino

I have had the same haircut type for the past 15 years and today I go to a hair stylist to try a new look for myself.  My son who is 5 has his hair highlighted and so does my wife, I really like the way my sons hair came out.  I am going to have a new cut/style and probably highlights put in my hair just to see how I look in it.

I did recently start growing a Goatee to see how one looks on me as well.  I am experimenting to see what fits me as my old style doesn’t seem to fit my new image I am going for.  Also my hair is thinning in the front and brushing it back is bringing too much notice to it, I need to find a style that kind of de-emphasizes my shrinking hairline.

Curse these genetics

-Justin Germino

I have two small boys one who turns 5 years old on Saturday and another who turns 2 years old in November.  I have to say that one thing every parent should find time to do is Role Play with your children.  This can be traditional like Kid Versions of Dungeons and Dragons, or it can be live action where you pretend to be characters much like acting in a movie.

This allows a child to explore scenarios in a safe and fun environment, predict outcomes and events and if you do play table top RPG, I actually have my five year old roll 20 sided dice, 12 sided dice…etc and count and add so it helps him build math skills as well as being able to recognize numbers much faster.

Fantasy Role Playing where your child can act out his imagination is particularly useful, nothing builds a better bond in play.  Since it is Halloween, I get all sorts of fake props and we use them in role playing, running around the yard or the nearest playground pretending to duel beasts, monsters and find treasure.  The activity alone beats sitting in front of a computer or game console, and it builds play, creativity and exercise all mixed in.

Nothing is more fun about being a father to me than being able to be a kid again and play with my children and get down on their level and see through their eyes.

If you haven’t tried it, give it a whirl.  I am sure your kid wants to pretend to be Harry Potter and cast spells, or Legolas, or any number of movie characters.  Buy a Harry Potter Wand and cloak from Walmart or Target, and encourage your child to act out and play instead of just wearing a costume on Halloween.

They only get to be kids for so long, make it as enjoyable as possible.

-Justin Germino