Phil Taylor's Blog: The Phil Factor, page 97

The Burden of a Christmas Birthday

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“This is your birthday? I bet your birthday gets forgotten a lot.” Over the course of my life I’ve probably heard that question more often than I’ve heard, “What’s your name?’ There’s a lot of famous birthdays this week. Sir Isaac Newton, Jesus, Jimmy Buffett, and me. The other guys had the good luck of having their birthdays on Christmas. Me? Nope. I missed it by two days. My birthday is today.

The others guys, who may have had their birthdays frequently forgotten in lieu of the Christmas h...

Throwback Thursday! The Gift That Keeps on Giving

It’s the holidays! Time to agonize over whether or not you got your loved one the perfect gift. Guys, if you’re in a relationship, the right or wrong gift could make or break everything. No pressure. With that in mind, as a public service I’m re-running this classic Phil Factor from 2012. (If you want to read more classics, pick up my book Fifty Shades of Phil, available for only 99 cents as an e-book)

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Well? How did you do? Did you get the right gift for your loved one for Christmas or Hannu...

Wordless Wednesday! Happy Holidays!

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I know that it’s Wordless Wednesday, but if there is a word for this picture that my friend Gooby made, the word would be creepy, right? Have a great Wednesday! ~Phil

Tagged: Christmas, Holidays, The Phil Factor, Wordless Wednesday

Top Ten Tuesday! The Ten Best Christmas Movies EVER!

Every holiday season I post this list and it evolves based on readers suggestions and new movies that come out. If you have favorites that didn’t make the list please add them in the comments section and maybe you’ll influence next years list.

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10. Love Actually:(2003) This is the best Christmas movie there is about stodgy British people trying to get it on, but it’s a favorite with the ladies, so it made the list. Around the holidays the ladies get what the ladies want.

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9. Scrooged: (1988)...

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

Tagged: Adele, Carpool karaoke, James Corden, Mariah Carey, Music Monday, The Phil Factor

My Text Fight With Donald Trump

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Me and the Donald are going to have words. Well, maybe not words. Maybe just text abbreviations and emojis. In 2006, Congress passed the Warning, Alert, and Network Response act which allows every cell phone in the United States to get a text message warning of one of three types: A) Amber alerts when a child is missing and/or presumed kidnapped, B) Alerts involving imminent threats to to safety or life. or C) Alerts issued by the President.

Yes, that’s right. The man who once tweeted:

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and...

TBT! The Super Annoying Friends

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Image courtesy DC Comics and Hanna-Barbera

When I was a kid there was a cartoon called The Super Friends. It involved Superman, Batman & Robin, Wonder Woman and Aquaman working together to fight evil. I dreamed of becoming one of the Super Friends one day and maybe casually dating Wonder Woman. As I grew up I realized two things; when I got older, Wonder Woman would also be older and maybe not filling out that low-cut suit quite as well. I also realized that we all have Super Friends too, exc...

Was It Really A Wonderful Life? Ten Things George Bailey Should Have Done Differently

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I wonder if Kanye is on to something? Is it possible that the quintessential, iconic Christmas movieIt’s a Wonderful Lifecould have, should have been better? I say yes, and here are ten things George would have done if he were a morally questionable protagonist.

10. George should have punched Sam Wainwright:The first time that dolt popped up and said “Hee haw!” George should have punched him in the throat. Then he should have done it every other time until Sam learned to shut the hell up.

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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

Tagged: Christmas covers, Christmas music, God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman, Music Monday, Pentatonix, The Phil Factor

Fun With Search Terms: The Holiday Edition

For me, the thrill of holidays and birthdays is not in the gifts I get, but the surprise. There’s nothing I love more than opening a present to find that someone has chosen something I never thought of, but I immediately love it. As a blogger, looking at our list of search terms that brought people to our blog is like that. Like Forrest Gump said, “Search terms are like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get. And The Phil Factor is the best blog ever.” That’s an exact q...