Category Archives: Monday Blogs

Are Your Feet Electric Enough?

Photo from iStock

Do you “ground” your feet enough? There are whole bunch of people out there that walk barefoot because they want to connect with the Earth and receive some sort of electric charge. It is also called “Earthing.” What I want to know is, can I charge my phone that way? Could I just leave it on the ground and get a charge?

Whoever’s feet these are, they need to see a dermatologist

You know me. I’m open enough that I’m willing to consider all kinds of paranormal stuff, so why not grounding? My first instinct was that this is all nonsense. So, I did a little research.

First I wanted to know if the Earth’s surface carries an electrical charge. Guess what? According to AI “the surface of the Earth is negatively charged relative to the upper atmosphere which carries a positive charge.”  

The barefooted gentleman above is Mack Hollins, a wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills American football team. (GO BILLS!). This past summer he made waves after joining the Bills because, unless he’s on the football field, where his feet could get crushed by some very large men wearing cleats, he goes au naturel. If he’s not playing football, he walks barefooted because he believes in grounding. Mack and the Bills are having a good season, so Mack, feel free to go barefoot anywhere you want. If you are familiar with Buffalo Bills fans, this is our kind of “grounding”.

But I digress. This is supposed to be all about getting our toes muddy.

Just because they made this little diagram, it doesn’t mean it’s true.

I’m sure it feels nice walking in the grass, but I remember getting stung by a bee when I was grounding as a kid. I was way ahead of my time and that bee sting hurt quite a bit. So, have I convinced you to walk barefoot and fancy-free? What is fancy free? I don’t think I’ve ever felt anything that I would describe as fancy free.

Apparently it must be true because there is a movie about it. That’s not true. There are plenty of movies that are complete and utter rubbish. In fact, I think most movies are completely made up. But if you want to know more about the real benefits of grounding/Earthing, HERE is an article from WebMd. If some real doctors endorse grounding, then it must be beneficial just like all those drugs doctors endorse in TV commercials. I’m not a doctor, but I play one on the internet.

I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on grounding/Earthing in the comments.

Have a great weekend and thanks for reading! ~Phil

Music Monday: The Wrecks

I love this song. It’s got a very different, fun, frenetic sound. The Wrecks three song debut EP dropped last April and once radio stations heard it, this song started getting airplay. The Wrecks have only been a band for a little over a year, but based on that little three song debut they’ve already opened on a major tour with Nothing But Thieves. Enjoy the song and have a great Monday! ~Phil

 

Music Monday! Green Day is Still Breathing

Yes, after thirty years together, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band Green Day is still breathing and still making good music. The elder statesmen of modern punk rock are one of my favorites and I’ll be seeing them again in about two months, so I thought I’d share their current hit single with you. You know they’ve become mainstream when they’re on the Ellen DeGeneres show. I’d love to interview them for #ThePhilFactor, so if anyone has any connections that could make that happen, let me know.

Have a great Monday! ~Phil

Music Monday! You Know I Talk Too Much

Welcome to the new year! Although the title of this song by the Nashville based band Coin is pretty appropriate for me, it is not about me, but it is really catchy and hard to get out of your head once you’ve heard it. This song has been high on the alternative rock charts for most of the last six months. Enjoy!

Have a great Monday and a great start to the new year! ~Phil

Music Monday! Adam Sandler & The Hanukkah Song

I’m not Jewish but I still love this song. Happy Hannukah to all my friends who are lighting candles this week, and Happy Monday to everyone else. ~Phil

Music Monday! Christmas Carpool Karaoke with James Corden and…

As always, hilarious and there’s a few surprises if you haven’t seen it. Have a great Monday! ~Phil

Music Monday! A Christmas Song by Pentatonix?

Prior to today, I had never heard of Pentatonix, but in researching modern pop covers of Christmas classics, this a capella group from Arligton, Texas was unavoidable, so I gave them a listen. I think you’ll enjoy them. Have a great Monday! ~Phil

Music Monday! A Christmas Cover by Weezer

Oh Holy Night by Weezer

Have a great Monday! ~Phil

Music Monday! Then and Now

I’m going to do something new with my Music Mondays. Rather than highlight a song I like, I’m going to feature an old popular song and the new modern remake by a contemporary band. Here we go….Then…1979…

And now..kind of…The Limousines from 2010. It’s not exactly a word for word cover, but an updated version of the same idea. A very cool song.

Have a great Monday! ~Phil

Music Monday! Wild Belle

Wild Belle is from Chicago and is composed of a brother and sister, Elliott and Natalie Bergman. You may not have heard of them, but you’ve no doubt heard them. They’ve been on Conan and had songs on the movie soundtracks of The Way, Way Back and Pitch Perfect.

The siblings collaboration came about unintentionally. From Wikipedia: “NOMO‘s Elliot Bergman had spent the better part of the summer building and recording electric kalimbas in Brooklyn, when label-mate, producer/multi-instrumentalist Shawn Lee asked him to send over a kalimba track for his new album. Lee, based in London, added some funky drums, bass and a smattering of steel drums, and sent it back to Bergman. When Bergman’s sister, Natalie, heard the instrumental track destined for Shawn’s album, she decided that she had to add some vocals. She stayed up all night writing the tune and recorded the vocals in Garage Band. The happy result is a great groove called “Upside Down”, and NOMO’s first vocal tune in ages. Elliott and Natalie decided to branch off with their own project and chose the name, Wild Belle.

Have a great Monday! ~Phil