by Phil Houseal | Jan 3, 2019 | All Articles, Education, Philosophy, PR Tips
Jan 2, 2019–My current reading throne book is called Poking a Dead Frog. Now what do you imagine that is about? I’ll wait. Ok, wrong. It’s subtitled “Conversations With Today’s Top Comedy Writers.” Author Mike Sacks conducted in-depth and freewheeling interviews with...
by Phil Houseal | Nov 29, 2018 | All Articles, Education, Music, People of the Hill Country
Nov 28, 2018–It was only a classroom off the Fellowship Hall at Fredericksburg United Methodist Church. But for the students at Living Well Learning Center, a nonprofit program for adults with developmental disabilities, it felt like they were inside a...
by Phil Houseal | Nov 15, 2018 | All Articles, Education, Music, Philosophy
“No baby ever learns to talk from taking a class.” Mike Reiss, writer for The Simpsons 11/14/2018–We try too hard to “teach” rather than let people “learn.” While interviewing a renowned guitarist about how he was going to lead a string workshop, I was...
by Phil Houseal | Nov 7, 2018 | All Articles, Education, Events, History, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy
Nov 7, 2018–My first exposure to “fine art” growing up was the work of Charlie Russell. My dad, who raised horses, loved the way Russell rendered them in his paintings, as well as the unadorned representation of the life of the cowboy that ironically emphasized the...
by Phil Houseal | Oct 25, 2018 | All Articles, Education, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy
Oct 24, 2018–Note: As a treat for the season, here is a story that won a newspaper Halloween writing contest. While written in 1982, it now feels uncomfortably true. It was uncomfortable inside the mask. Though the cool autumn air swirled through George’s thin...
by Phil Houseal | Oct 18, 2018 | All Articles, Education, People of the Hill Country
Oct 17, 2018–When we first moved from town out to the country, one of the joys was taking walks with the kids. My daughter was appalled seeing the trash strewn along the side of the road. “Why do people do that?” she indignantly asked as only a 10-year-old girl...
