by Phil Houseal | Dec 17, 2025 | All Articles, Education, Philosophy
Dec 17, 2025–Do you name your bread machine? I have just been made aware that there is a whole sub-section of humanity that names objects in their lives. It is not an affliction; it is a life hack. In a previous column I posited how we dehumanize our opponents in...
by Phil Houseal | Dec 10, 2025 | All Articles, Education, History, Philosophy
Dec 10, 2025–I was attending a political rally when a high school basketball game broke out. Not really, but the two are connected. As a lifelong fan of roundball, I occasionally drop in on a random high school game just to enjoy the level of play and skills of the...
by Phil Houseal | Nov 12, 2025 | All Articles, Education, Events, History, People of the Hill Country, Venue
In 2019, Lee Ann Whatley set off on a scavenger hunt to track down all the original paintings done by her grandfather, Lee Ethel. Like every good treasure hunter, she uncovered more than she originally sought. Lee Ethel was a successful graphic designer in Dallas for...
by Phil Houseal | Oct 22, 2025 | All Articles, Education, History, Philosophy
Oct 22, 2025–What single-purpose tools facilitate your daily living? That is, what is a tool that does only one thing, but does it extremely well. So well, that you couldn’t function without it. You probably don’t even notice them. But here are some examples I came up...
by Phil Houseal | Oct 8, 2025 | All Articles, Education, History, Philosophy
Oct 8, 2025–“The productivity of any office is inversely proportional to the number of hand-lettered signs on the walls.” I once was hired to lead a public education program. The first thing I noticed upon entering the building was the number of signs. There was a...
by Phil Houseal | Oct 1, 2025 | All Articles, Education, Philosophy
Oct 1, 2025–The more I read, the more I struggle finding stuff I want to read. I’ve covered all the classics like Catcher in the Rye, assigned by earnest 11th-grade English teachers. I’ve consumed all the “flavor of the day” non-fiction, even almost making it through...
