Justin Germino Ramblings

My friends I have read numerous posts lately about bloggers having to shut down their blogs due to their blog work interfering with their home life or work life.  Seriously people get so addicted to blogging that they spend hours at night blogging instead of spending time with the family.  I find myself in a similar situation where my blogging time is shrinking due to my work load at my day job getting much larger, and my home life needing more of my attention.  As a result I find that I have to cut my blogging time a little bit.

I am still doing the best I can to manage and update my blogs with 1 new post per day where I can, but I no longer have the 2 hours per day to devote to Entrecard drops that I did previously.  I have decided to reduce my EC dropping because keeping up with my blog posting and content is more important than dropping.  Though I will see a hit to my blogs visits per day, I am sure updating your blog more frequently is more important than the extra 30-50 visits per day.

As a word of advice, never prioritize work over your family if you can avoid it.  Family is always more important, your partner who is at your side and needs equal commitment from you.  Your kids who only are this age once and you will kick yourself if you don’t spend every minute you can with them, because they will grow up and those opportunities will not come back.  Think “Cat and the Cradle” my friends, don’t miss out on your family’s lives just because you trap yourself on your computer all day long.

Balance is key, find a nice work/home balance.  If blogging is your hobby carve out 1 hour per night to do it when the kids are in bed, and make sure your partner has time with you first or you both do something close together.  If you can’t get what you need done in an hour, then put it off or re-prioritize.

-Justin Germino

So I was doing some trivia hunting and found some of the most unusual Job titles and descriptions for what the job is, it is amazing what types of positions and titles are out there. Be glad you are doing your job because you could be one of the following: I found this information from the following 2 sites: JobMob.co.il and VitaminQ.blogspot.com

Skull Grinder – is a person who cleans ear and nose passages of brained pig heads

Mother Repairer – is someone who improves metal phonograph record matrices

Chick Sexer – someone who inserts illuminating tool into baby birds to determine gender

Okay my favorite job title that I have found is someone who is a PHP Ninja.

There are thousands of job titles and some of them are more obscure than one called a Fandemonium director in my opinion.

What Funny job titles have you heard of or found?

Mother Repairer – is someone who improves metal phonograph record matrices

Chick Sexer – someone who inserts illuminating tool into baby birds to determine gender

Okay my favorite job title that I have found is someone who is a PHP Ninja.

There are thousands of job titles and some of them are more obscure than one called a Fandemonium director in my opinion.

What Funny job titles have you heard of or found?

My friends I really need your vote, if you enjoy my poetry please take a moment of your time to follow this link over to BlogNetAwards and Vote For My Poetry Blog. Just register on the right and click on the # of stars to vote.
Example: Click on 4th star on the right to vote 4 stars, 5th star for 5 stars…etc
I need your support to help promote my poetry.

Vote For Wanderer Thoughts on Blog Net Awards for Best Poetry Blog.

Anyone who registers and signs in and votes is entered in drawing and can win up to $150 Canadian in a monthly drawing, if that is some encouragement. I need your support.

Thank You.

-Dragon Blogger

When we bought our semi custom home three years ago it came with a default choice range of commercial landscaping but we chose to customize and upgrade to better make our house more visually appealing and add some style.

I can personally tell you when we paid to have artificial grass put in our backyard it was worth the money, you don’t ever have to mow it, you just sweep it with a broom and vacuum it with a shop vac and it always stays beautiful looking. My kids play on it every day and it really makes the yard look nicer. For those of you who like to practice golfing at home you can even put in synthetic putting greens which allow you to play and practice anytime without ever having to mow the yard.

I have even seen artificial playground turf which is textured and provides varied grass sizes for different sports. I have seen some people have really nicely manicured backyards with taller grass on the outskirts and shorter grass in the middle it provides a quite realistic look.

I have real grass in the front yard and I always have to maintain this small patch mowing it weekly, it dies every six months, but my artificial turf in the yard is three years old and looks as good as new when I vacuum it and brush it. I live in Arizona so even the one hundred and fifteen degree summers don’t fade or damage my artificial turf, though it does get very hot in the summer time and you can’t step on it with bare feet.

I would recommend Artificial Turf to anyone hands down and even some friends and coworkers have bought it for their homes after seeing it in my own, I have been to Las Vegas recently and many of the hotels are using Synthetic Grass now on their properties.

EasyTurf’s website is easy to use and allows you to find a local showcase in your area.  They have a nice photo gallery, FAQ and information about artificial turf and links to any type of product that you are looking for.  I encourage you to check it out and inquire within.

-Justin Germino

Mira over at Random Thoughts is holding one of the largest Blog Prize Contests I have ever seen this month I have decided to enter the contest with as many entries as possible, you can enter with each blog post on a unique blog as well as by subscribing to RSS feeds and hosting Mira’s 125×125 ads on your blog.  See Random Thoughts blog for all instructions on how to enter and some people have offered some amazing prizes.  I was hoping to sponsor but looks like I didn’t get on the sponsor list quick enough.

1st PRIZE

$25 – c/o Random Thoughts

Customized Blog Layout (blogger platform) c/o My Web-Blog Designs

1 Swarovsky Bracelet c/o Yen’s Handmades [Click here to see the ITEM]

$20 + 2000 EC credits c/o Windmill on the Hill

$10 + 500 EC credits c/o My Life’s Journey to Success

$10 + 500 EC credits c/o Things I Did Not Know Before

$10 + 500 EC credits c/o Unique Ideas For Your Beach Weddings

2000 – EC credits + 1 month 125×125 ad space c/o Night Clicks

1000 – EC credits + 1 month 125×125 ad space c/o NetFreeSource

3000 – EC credits c/o Random Thoughts

1 month 125×125 ad space c/o Dashing Beauty

1 month 125×125 ad space c/o Tales of a Pinay Single Mommy

1 Photo Pop Art Make-over c/o Sweety Tots

2nd PRIZE

$20 – c/o Mira’s Web Journal

2500 – EC credits c/o Mira’s Web Journal

2000 – EC credits c/o A Moment to Exhale

20GB Web Hosting c/o http://angelic-melody.net + 500EC credits

1000 – EC credits + 1 month 125×125 ad space c/o My Countryhome

1000 – EC credits + 1 month 125×125 ad space c/o Live Love Pink

1000 – EC credits + 1 month 125×125 ad space c/o Samantha’s Own

1 month 125×125 ad space c/o 1716 South

1 month 125×125 ad space c/o Garage Sale

1 Photo Pop Art Make-over c/o Sweety Tots

3rd PRIZE

$15 – c/o A Moment to Exhale

3000 – EC credits c/o Big Boys Have Toys Too

2000 – EC credits c/o A Taste of Both Worlds

1000 – EC credits + 1 month 125×125 ad space c/o Kharlota dot Com

1000 – EC credits + 1 month 125×125 ad space c/o A Girl for All Status

1000 – EC credits + 1 month 125×125 ad space c/o A Fil-Am Journey

1 year text link ad c/o http://glamorous-heart.info

1 month 125×125 ad space c/o Symphony of Love

1 month 125×125 ad space c/o Sweepstakes Girl

1 Photo Pop Art Make-over c/o Sweet…Pretty…Naughty

4th PRIZE

$10 – c/o My Barefoot Journey

2000 – EC credits c/o Mommy’s Little Corner

2000 – EC credits c/o My Online Paradise

2000 – EC credits c/o Kinda Life of Mine

1000 – EC credits + 1 month 125×125 ad space c/o Just About Anything

1 month text link ad Thomas Travel Tales

1 month text link ad Great Finds and Deals

5th PRIZE

2000 – EC credits c/o Wife of a Warrior

3000 – EC credits c/o Life’s Sweets and Spices

1000 – EC credits + 1 month 125×125 ad space c/o Simply Irresistible

1000 – EC credits + 1 month 125×125 ad space c/o My Sweet Haven

1 month text link ad Work At Home Jobs

1 month text link ad Erlinda‘s Wandering Thoughts

6th PRIZE

2000 – EC credit c/o The Solitairy Love

1500 – EC credit c/o My Barefoot Journey

1000 – EC credits c/o My Kitchen Table

1000 – EC credits + 1 month 125×125 ad space c/o Kalidadis

1000 – EC credits + 1 month 125×125 ad space c/o Cooking is Fun

1 month text link ad CompTechGadgets.com

1 month text link ad Healthy Living and Lifestyle

7th PRIZE

1000 – EC credits + 1 month 125×125 ad space c/o Simplement Belles

1000 – EC credits + 1 month 125×125 ad space c/o Moi et mon univers!

1000 – EC credit c/o Scrappy Mommy

1000 – EC credits c/o Dashing Smiles

1000 – EC credits c/o Everything Plus the Kitchen Sink

1000 – EC credits c/o One at a Time

1 month text link ad Thomas Web Links

1 month text link ad Bohol Paradise

8th PRIZE

1000 EC + 1 month 125×125 ad space from My Daily Sunset

1000 – EC credits c/o My Kitchen

1000 – EC credits c/o My Life and Family Journey

1000 – EC credits c/o My Whole New World

1000 – EC credits c/o Definitely Maybe

500 – EC credits c/o I Thought So

1 month text link ad Batuananons

9th PRIZE

1000 EC + 1 month 125×125 ad space from Lovely Pink

1000 – EC credits c/o Small Side Bits

1000 – EC credits c/o In His Steps

1000 – EC credits c/o Moments of My Life

1000 – EC credits c/o My Crossroads

1 month text link ad Filipino Online Community

10th PRIZE

1000 EC + 1 month 125×125 ad space from Hobby and Such by Carlota

1000 – EC credits c/o My Life’s Adventure

1000 – EC credits c/o Wonderful Things In Life

1000 – EC credits c/o The Joy of Life Forever

500 – EC credits c/o Life’s Journey

1 month text link ad from Nita’s Random Thoughts

11th PRIZE

1000 – EC credits c/o Medan Daily

1000 – EC credits c/o Wiehanne Lounge

1000 – EC credits c/o Simply WP

1000 – EC credits c/o Everything Under the Sun

1 month text link ad from Nita’s Corner

12th PRIZE

1500 – EC credits c/o A Moment to Exhale

1000 – EC credits c/o My Barefoot Journey

1000 – EC credits c/o EastCoastLife

-Dragon Blogger

Boy I have had a difficult Saturday and so here is my moral for this weekend “Never let a toddler out of your sight for five minutes”, I learned this the hard way when I had to work from home on Friday and was watching my two year old at the same time.  I had to take a quick conference call so I set him up with a movie, snack and drink figuring he would be good for about 1/2 hour by himself.  Little did I realize that while I was working he had gotten into our natural cleaner (Water/Vinegar spray bottle) and sprayed it over various surfaces in the house (Fridge, TV, Floor…etc).

The next day I hadn’t realized he had sprayed our 48″ rear projection TV and I saw horrid dark streak stains covering 70% of the TV Screen, the spray had gotten between the various layers of screens and films for the rear projection TV and there was no way to clean it from the outside.  I had no choice but to dismantle the Mitsubishi WS-48313 manually and clean all 3 screens manually with distilled alcohol, I had called a service place but they wanted between $400 and $500 to do the service job and repair the parts.

It took me almost 2 hours to clean and reverse engineer the TV to put it all back together but I managed to do it and it works as good as it did prior to the spraying incident.  Leaving my two year old to watch TV by himself for a little while almost cost me a $500 TV repair job or worse maybe a new TV.  I wasn’t worried about much else, we have covers on all the outlets, all doors to bathrooms closed (he can’t open them yet) but one little bottle under a sink.  We don’t keep any chemical cleaners under sinks, but water/vinegar was pretty safe, I just didn’t realize it could do so much damage.

So all is good now, I will not let my two year old out of my sight again for sure.

-Justin Germino

So for decades now I have been living with irritable bowel syndrome which mostly is triggered by eating almost any type of food. It is messed up that I can’t eat a normal meal without suffering pain for hours afterward. I have also developed lactose intolerance over the years which means Ice Cream and milk I have never tasted in many years. Cheese which is one of my favorite indulgences is something that is causing more and more grief as I get older.

I am going to have to research new foods that are high in elemental calcium as calcium carbonate which is added to many foods is not as nutritious and absorbed as well. In the meantime I try to limit myself to blander lean foods where I can to limit the amount of pain I endure most of the time.

Seems like Salmon, Chicken and lean grilled beef cause me the least amount of trouble. Plain rice and pasta’s aren’t so bad, but adding tomato sauce always sets off my stomach acids. Meanwhile, I had already tried over the years every type of prescription or over the counter antacid or stomach pill, even lactaid does nothing to help my lactose issues. I tried natural carrot juice and almonds too for my stomach which helps very little but is good for you.

-Justin Germino

Vayden one of our favorite local Arizona Rock Bands is playing at Club Red tonight in Tempe, they are very fun to see live and have a ton of energy on stage.  We have seen them about a half dozen times in the past six months and I always enjoy seeing them rock a show.  Their music is heard on local Arizona rock station 98 KUPD and Sirius / XM Octane radio.

I encourage everyone who likes rock music to check them out, they are more unique and distinctive than the typical rock/pop rehashed stuff that plays on the radio nowadays, they have a unique style and vocals that stands out from the traditional stuff.

-Justin Germino

This is a new series I am creating to help spur readers who are interested in science as it is one of my favorite subjects and hobbies.  I always wondered what was the smallest organ in the human body, and after doing some research I finally received the answer to this question.

The Pineal Gland is the smallest organ in the human body, it is a small gland in the brain that produces melatonin the hormone that regulates your sleeping patterns.  This gland is a small cone shaped organ only 8mm in diameter and can be seen on a regular X-ray.    In animals and to some degree people the Pineal Gland in addition to controlling sleeping patterns the gland also has an effect on seasonal changes, hibernation, puberty and seasonal breeding.

That is my science fact for the day.

-Justin Germino

Several years ago I had wanted to buy a cardio device to help me on my fitness goal and had pursued research on both treadmills and ellipticals. I did wind up buying an elliptical that was a factory refurbished and returned one for a good price, and I used it often at first.

The thing was extremely large and bulky for my office, I had no other space in the house for it and it started squeaking and didn’t provide enough impact for my intention which was to build muscle. However, I do believe that ellipticals are better as you can adjust the setting to get a much greater impact for your leg muscles than you can with just a treadmill. The smooth motion doesn’t cause the knee problems that can be associated with a stair machine, which does the greatest muscle impact, but can be hard on your knee’s if you bend them at too much of an angle.

In the end I donated my elliptical and traded it for a weight bench that can do both arms, chest and 2 types of leg curls. Now I just run up and down the stairs holding weights in my hands for my aerobic exercise. For my house there just wasn’t enough space in my office for both a weight bench and an elliptical and I found a weight bench was better suited toward what I was looking to achieve (upper body strength increase and muscle growth).

For women I imagine that ellipticals are probably much more likely to be used than a weight bench and would think it is a good choice for women looking to work out. Choose one of the newer ones that have stair like movements. The one I had previously was one where the sides would circle and the elliptical would extend the poles out in front and behind as you used it. The ones that look more like stair machines are better in my opinion and are closer to stair machines for growing your leg muscles.

Remember the key to losing weight, the more muscle you gain the faster you lose weight and firm up. Cardio is great for building fitness and endurance, but if you are looking to tone and drop pounds fast, building muscle is more efficient and will give you faster results.

-Justin Germino