by Phil Houseal | Jul 27, 2022 | All Articles, Events, History, People of the Hill Country, Venue
July 27, 2022–On a hot night in July something happened to me that hasn’t happened in at least a decade–I went to a dance and recognized a dozen people. More accurately, they recognized me. I couldn’t cross the dance floor without being stopped three times to shake a...
by Phil Houseal | Jul 20, 2022 | All Articles, Education, History, Philosophy
July 20, 2022–I’ve stumbled on a diversion called Today I Learned That, which I acronym as TILT. Unable to resist exploring my own ignorance, I followed where it led, purposefully seeking holes in my knowledge base. There are many. Today I Learned That: Winnie the...
by Phil Houseal | Jul 13, 2022 | All Articles, History, Philosophy
July 13, 2022–Back when I was involved in committees and boards and other collections of people with disparate backgrounds sitting around conference tables making motions and debating by-laws, one of the annoying mixer games we endured at retreats was “guess who this...
by Phil Houseal | Jul 6, 2022 | All Articles, Philosophy
July 6, 2022–Why are we moved by the blues? Or a bird trill in nature? Or the lilt of a violin? Why is there renewed interest in vinyl records? In “This Is The Voice,” author John Colapinto presents research conducted in the 1920s that shows humans are attracted to...
by Phil Houseal | Jul 2, 2022 | All Articles, History, Philosophy
June 29, 2022–If you want to ponder how all common knowledge is probably not true–and by everything, I mean everything told to you by advertisers, the government, scientists, well-meaning aunts, scriptwriters, and neighbors–spend some time listening to 1930s and 1940s...
by Phil Houseal | Jun 22, 2022 | All Articles, History, Philosophy
June 22, 2022–One thing that recent lockdowns, winter storms, shortages of essential products, and economic fluctuations have taught me is this: I am grateful I know how to be poor. Not poor like our parent’s and grandparent’s Depression-era poor, but poor as in “only...
