by Phil Houseal | Jun 4, 2025 | All Articles, History, Philosophy
June 4, 2025–I’ll probably get teased for saying this, but manly men love our leather bags. My addiction began in 7th grade when I received a briefcase for Christmas. It was a black plastic briefcase that snapped open to reveal pockets under the lid for pens, slide...
by Phil Houseal | May 28, 2025 | All Articles, History, Music, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy
May 28, 2025–In high school I read the novel Bridge of San Luis Rey, and I revisit it at each stage of life. The story starts with the collapse of a rope bridge over a river in Peru, resulting in the perishing of assorted travelers who were crossing it. Through the...
by Phil Houseal | May 14, 2025 | All Articles, Education, Philosophy
May 14, 2025–What value do you bring? I’ve posited before that the key to success is maximizing your energy level. That is, recognize when during the day you feel the most energy; consume the food that creates the most energy, and discard relationships and activities...
by Phil Houseal | May 7, 2025 | All Articles, Philosophy
May 7, 2025–Don’t you hate when columnists write lists of disjointed observations? Me too. So you can skip this one. Still here? Okay, here we go… If your town or state is named “New” something, it is derivative and therefore gives you less reason to be proud....
by Phil Houseal | Apr 30, 2025 | All Articles, Education, Philosophy
April 30, 2025–Are you a shusher or a susser? An ongoing debate has revived about the best way to teach kids. The battle lines are drawn as: 1) Sitting kids in desks lined up facing the front of the classroom. Back to basics, rote and repeat, teacher lecturing. This...
by Phil Houseal | Apr 23, 2025 | All Articles, Education, History, Music, Philosophy
April 23, 2025–Was telling some youngsters about how my Music Theory final was to score out the melody to Jingle Bells without using an instrument. I don’t think I did very well. We used our knowledge of intervals to sing it in our heads. I could do it now with my...
