Justin Germino Ramblings

A few days ago while Dish Network was out repairing the damaged lines from the rain storms the television in my family room went haywire. Permanent garbled letters and numbers were spewed across the screen and the TV no longer responded to the power button, channel buttons or remote. You unplug the TV and it goes off, you plug it back in and it immediately powers on in its stuck haywire mode. This was a 27″ Duramax cheap TV that was bought from Walmart several years ago and I had known it was now at the end of its life.

We went to Walmart and I can’t tell you how amazed at how much LCD TV prices have come down over the years, we were able to replace our 27″ Duramax CRT TV with a Sony Bravia 32″ LCD TV and it cost less than $400 for a 32″ LCD TV. It is 720P not 1080p, but this was a secondary TV for the family room where the kids watch and I only use it to play the Wii which doesn’t support 1080p anyway. It was a great deal and I had earned enough blogging money in January to pay the TV off in full come end of February when all my blogging money pays out (Most blogging programs pay you 30 days after you do the post, so have to wait a month to actually be paid).

Still nice to know I was able to get an entire 32″ LCD Sony Bravia and pay for the whole thing with blog earnings. Feels pretty sweet!

The kids enjoy their new TV as well.

-Justin Germino

Often most people choose a WordPress theme based on the cosmetic appearance of the theme during free demo, at least this is how I search and choose WordPress themes. This theme I am using for JustinGermino.com had the feel I was looking for at the time, but it is a beast of a theme to use as some annoying problems with the CSS prevent me from getting formatting the way I want. I had done several CSS tweaks to get the sidebars to look at least halfway decent, but my posts still have problems with images.

The theme wants to left align all images, and even when you center them it forces text to wrap around the images. I tried every WordPress CSS trick I can think of and am not able to fix it other than wrapping the image inside a table just to get it to separate from the text and center. This slows down post writing a bit and makes it more cumbersome to insert images and work on other things.

I really want to purchase the Thesis wordpress theme, which so many professional bloggers do. I plan on saving up some of my blog earnings to purchase the Thesis theme and use it for JustinGermino.com, with the possibility of changing DragonBlogger.com over to it later. For now though I have done so much work on the DragonBlogger.com theme it holds up fairly well and I like the look and feel of it.

How about my readers, how did you choose your blog theme? Do you like it? Do you want to change and just haven’t gotten around to it?

-Justin Germino

My three year old has perfected the three minute nap and I am totally jealous.  The other night we were driving home from Olive Garden at about six in the evening, and he hadn’t had a nap all day.  He starts nodding off in the car and I keep abruptly waking him to say wait until we get home to fall asleep.  I forget to challenge him and he manages to nod off for about three minutes, so we get home and he is still tired and groggy.  I change him for bed, brush his teeth but by the time I insert his feet into the bed he has popped back up like it was morning and he had a full nights rest.

Three hours go by and he has no signs of being tired or fatigued, in fact he is more hyper than he was at ten in the morning.  A three minute nap and he mine as well be the worlds fastest rechargeable human battery.  It took six attempts to get him to go to bed with constantly walking him back into his room.  Meanwhile I myself need to learn this little trick, imagine if all we had to do was take a 3 minute nap three or four times a day and have that much energy.  I swear I used to drink four red bulls a day and never saw that kind of rush.

I have been trying to perfect napping for a while, on rare occasions I can plop down on the sofa on the weekend and fall asleep for 10-15 minutes (that is about as much alone time I can get without the kids waking me for something that they need) and I feel fairly refreshed.  Most of the time I nap and feel worse and more tired when waking up and regretting that I tried to nap in the first place.   I want a sleeping chamber that can amplify the benefits of napping, like beam recharging waves into your brain and body.  You sleep in the chamber for 5 minutes and gain the benefit of 5 hours of sleep.  That is what science should be focusing on.

-Justin Germino

So we were at Walmart on the weekend where I saw the book Sir Fartsalot Hunts the Booger and my kids noticed the book as well. My wife and I decided to pick up the book and I will start reading a chapter each night to my kids as their bedtime routine. My kids love sword and sorcery genre things and the book appears to have just the right mix of fantasy, silliness and we look forward to it as an activity together.

I will let you know what I think of the book after we finish reading it together. It is a pretty meaty book, too much for my six year old to read by himself but probably ideal for eight and older. I will be reading it aloud to my six and three year old boys. (Hopefully the three year old will sit still long enough to listen to a chapter, he gets to be pretty wild at bed time).

-Justin Germino

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of HealthyTuna.com. All opinions are 100% mine.

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Fish oils which contain Omega 3 Fatty Acids are among the most beneficial nutrients you can take in for your body, numerous studies show how healthy fish oils can help boost brain function (critical for the developing brain of newborns and infants) and can help slow down aging, fight heart disease and even improve and combat depression.

Though you may read about Tuna and some other fish containing high levels of mercury and being relatively unsafe for pregnant women, you can find many varieties of healthy tuna that provide so many benefits it greatly outweighs the minor risks.

Salman and Tuna are vital sources of healthy fish oils and should be consumed on a regular basis and a study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association in October 2006 by Dariush Mozaffarian and Eric Rimm showed the the benefits of increasing your dietary intake with fish, even fish with slightly higher levels of mercury far outweighed the risks. This included the benefits for pregnant women and fetuses, and in a later study by Emily Oken from Harvard Medical School of 25,000 Danish women showed that babies whose mothers consumed the highest amount of fish had a 30% increase in development milestone scores in comparison to moms who had the lowest fish intake.

CNN has news stories all the time and you read about it in the news and medical journals constantly. Fish is not only healthy and tastes good, but is beneficial for life and aging well.

I loved anything grilled, and the recipe for Grilled Albacore Tuna Steak on the website looks fantastic and is quite healthy for you, here is a reprint of the recipe:

Ingredients & Instructions
1 1/3 pounds skinless Pacific albacore, cut into 3/4 inch thick loin cuts
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons olive oil
6 tablespoons lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon oregano, crushed
dash of cayenne
Sautéed Red Peppers (see below)
2 French rolls, split lengthwise
1/4 cup chopped basil
Sautéed Red Peppers
1 red pepper, roasted, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch strips
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 medium onion, sliced into thin half-rings

Instructions
Rinse albacore with cold water; pat dry with paper towels. Set aside. Make vinaigrette by combining oil, lemon juice, pepper, salt, oregano and cayenne; mix well. Divide in half. Marinate albacore in one-half of the vinaigrette for 30 minutes, turning once. While fish is marinating make Sautéed Red Peppers (see recipe below). Drain albacore reserving marinade. Place on greased grate, 4-5 inches from hot coals. Cook 5-6 minutes, turning once and basting frequently. Do not overcook! Albacore should be pink in center when removed from the heat. Toast rolls lightly on grill. Brush toasted sides with remaining vinaigrette. Make four open-faced sandwiches by topping with albacore, Sautéed Red Peppers and fresh basil. Serve immediately.

Sautéed Red Peppers

In non-stick pan, sauté garlic and onion in oil until onion is translucent. Stir in red peppers and remove from heat. Set aside.

Source: Oregon Albacore Commission

• Bottom Line:

You should be adding more fish to your diet and Tuna is a very inexpensive, delicious and versatile fish that provides many health benefits.

One of the worst storms in decades to hit California and Arizona has caused so much rainfall that Casa Grande which is around fifty miles south of Phoenix has common area’s flooded and my own backyard overlooks a temporary stream that is nearly 4′ deep. For one week until the water dries I have a flowing stream of water in my yard and it gives the appearance that I live on a Riverfront property.

Some parts of Northern Arizona received over 4′ of snow in a single day and there will be massive runoff when the snow melts soon. Sedona itself has had its river reach twenty seven feet which is the highest water level on record in history.

Meanwhile, the state could use the rain to help replenish our reservoirs as the state is constantly in a drought.

-Justin Germino

I have done a review showcasing the Magicjack which talks about the benefits and advantages that the MagicJack offers to users who want to save money by using this USB device that allows you to make calls through your home computer and the Internet from your home phone.

This post will talk about some of the limitations with the MagicJack and little annoyances that can occur, though these are not showstoppers and I still think that the MagicJack is a great money saving product.

#1 – The MagicJack seems to drop calls at the exact 2 hour mark

I have been on many conference calls in several weeks where I have been on calls for hours and hours at a time. In 100% of the cases and on every single day the MagicJack loses connection at exactly 2 hours. My phone logs the length of time of the call and I see it happen every time, no exceptions. There is something in either the MagicJack software or system that must terminate connections at the two hour mark. This is annoying and they should fix this.

I opened a support request to see if there was any official word or answer about this from MagicJack, but the representative just gave vague information about calls being free but not unlimited. They did mention that the stability of the Internet and ISP are a factor and that some people drop calls in 1 hour or less. Their recommendation, just redial back in.

#2 – Periodically the MagicJack has a voice stuttering issue

One out of every four or five calls I make with the MagicJack my users complain that my voice breaks up while speaking, while this could be related to the usage of RAM/CPU on the server, my computer is idle most of the time I am on the phone with MagicJack. I think this is some sort of connection problem issue, but it goes away by hanging up and redialing most of the time and happens occasionally. The other thing to note here is that the more USB devices I have plugged into my PC at the same time, the more likely my MagicJack is to have some sort of staggering or lag on voice. This is especially true if I leave my USB Mic plugged into the PC while trying to use the MagicJack, even if not “recording” an active mic reads in input and utilizes USB bandwidth and memory/cpu which interferes with the MagicJack.

I also assume faster systems and hardware would experience less spottiness, so I am not saying this is a MagicJack issue, but that this is something noticed when using the MagicJack. My computer is pushing on 4 years old now and these issues would probably alleviate with faster motherboard/cpu/ram.

• Summary:

I have been using the MagicJack for almost two years now, and I can honestly say I have made hundreds of calls with it ranging from 17 hour long conference calls (having to reconnect every 2 hours when the drop occurs) to five to ten minute calls. The device works well overall and at a cost of $19.99 is well worth having and doing the majority of your phone calls over when you are in the home. Better than eating minutes on your Cell phone, or paying over $20 per month for a basic land line.

-Justin Germino

Disclaimer: This was a sponsored post . I was provided a copy of the eBOOK Pro SEO Blueprint for free, and compensated to write my opinions of the product. The words and opinions are mine and mine alone.

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I had read the entire 40 page eBook  Pro SEO Blueprint from Kevin Chong and really thing the guy has a good set of information in this eBook.  He offers valuable advice that took me months to learn by scouring the internet and through trial and error.  Advice that ranges from how to keyword tag your website and blog posts for best rankings in Google search results to promoting your blog or website and building backlinks.

There is also some decent affiliate programs where you get a huge percentage of the affiliate sales for selling the Pro SEO Blueprint on Clickback or through the PRO SEO Blueprint direct website.

I did honestly think that the product has valuable information and will provide value to bloggers or web site owners who are just starting out and have little to no experience with SEO right now.  You can gain a four to six week boost of information just by reading the book which saves you valuable time and in the end will reward you with knowledge and the ability to optimize your site’s SEO.

So pick up a copy of the PRO SEO Blueprint if you are looking to get a jumpstart on learning SEO and how to get better traffic and backlinks to your website, or join the affiliate program and make some money promoting this valuable eBook.

My wife had read an article in the latest Glamor magazine about a healthy 1 week Detox plan that was to help clean your digestive tract out and increase your energy and overall health. The plan claimed you can lose up to five pounds in a week, but my wife doesn’t need to lose any weight. We both eat plenty of vegetables like salads with almost every meal and eat tons of fruit, but we both also eat relatively unhealthy by consuming far to much fast food and processed foods.

This diet involves eating “closer to the Earth” meaning as fresh as possible, and she bought a huge tub of Greek Yogurt (I am going on this diet even though I have lactose intolerance) as well as twelve different types of vegetables and six different types of fruits and berries. Only having oatmeal, granola, fruit or yogurt for breakfast, followed by healthy starches and grains for lunch and a dinner than can consist of lean poultry or seafood like salmon and shrimp, but no red meat for a week.

This diet also includes a detox tea every day that is supposed to improve liver function with licorice, fennel and other herbs to help digestive function.

I can stand to lose a little weight as I had packed on about ten pounds over the last year, I am up to 170 when my lowest was 159 but this diet can be a good thing and one rule about changing your eating habits is that having a partner truly increases your odds for success.

Last night we had the following for dinner:

• Broiled Salmon with herb butter
• a whole sweet potato with spices on the side (olive oil drizzled on top)
• Lima beans and corn mixture
• Desert was Raspberries, Blueberries, Orange slices and apple slices on a little bit of Greek yogurt.

I have to be honest, this is the best tasting diet I have ever been on so far.

It helps having a wife who is a Le Cordon Bleu certified chef, she can make the worst diets among the most pleasurable of experiences. She also runs one of the best cooking blogs on the web if you didn’t know. Check out The Chef’s Cookbook for my wife’s original recipes and articles to help anyone learn to cook French cuisine or get creative cooking ideas.

-Justin Germino

This week marked a huge milestone for my personal blog. I was able to see <1000 RealRank for the first time ever as my personal blog is starting to approach 80 unique visits per day on average. This is still 1/5 as much traffic as my flagship blog, but I do ZERO promotion for my personal blog other than twitter updates and rarely submits to BlogEngage.  So this is almost 80 unique visits per day by just keyword and mostly from Google Searches, I also do some very specific Arizona articles which captures some local searches.

The reason why I am so excited about this milestone is that to qualify for many opps on SocialSpark being under the 2k, and then under the 1k mark give you access to making some decent money from your blog. Also, in addition to this milestone, my blog is now listed as the #7 out of top 100 blogs in the “Men’s Interest” category on Izearanks.

One of the reasons I started 3 blogs at the same time a year and a half ago was to help cover more topics if interest and it I am glad that my personal blog has picked up quite a reader base considering I don’t promote it often. Now that this blog is banned from PayU2Blog it comes as good timing to get some decent rankings so I can start earning some extra money from it. My next goal is to see if justingermino.com can break the 100k Alexa mark.

-Justin Germino