by Phil Houseal | Oct 15, 2025 | All Articles, Philosophy
Oct 15, 2025–After spending an hour on the phone with an unnamed governmental agency, I came to a conclusion: bureaucracy’s only purpose is to preserve itself. Our task this day was to let a certain state agency know that our retail business had closed years ago and...
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...
by Phil Houseal | Sep 17, 2025 | All Articles, Education, Food, History, Philosophy
Sept 17, 2025–When you make any transaction, what are you really paying for? Someone complained about paying $20 for a fast-food sandwich (future archivists–$20 is a LOT to pay for a basic sandwich in 2025–although that is changing daily). Another someone pointed...
by Phil Houseal | Sep 3, 2025 | All Articles, History, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy
Sept 3, 2025–How many connections to “important” people do you have because they were neighbors? I am curious about how connected we are to well-known/accomplished/famous/key people simply due to randomness. Many times, when I am looking for a favor or trying to find...
by Phil Houseal | Aug 27, 2025 | All Articles, Education, History, Philosophy, PR Tips
August 27, 2025–I must take a pause here to acknowledge hitting a milestone: This month marks the 20th anniversary of writing these Full House columns. For those counting, that is 1040 original columns with never a missed week. Even during a 10-day stay in ICU,...
