by Phil Houseal | Jun 10, 2026 | All Articles, Food, History, Philosophy
June 10, 2026–My online shopping strategy is to haphazardly drop individual items into my shopping cart over a matter of weeks until I have enough to qualify for free shipping from this huge site named after a South American river. I am never in a hurry to buy more...
by Phil Houseal | Jun 3, 2026 | All Articles, Education, Philosophy
May 27, 2026–You live life on a continuum. Imagine a giant control panel with sliders. Each slider is a track, representing one facet of your life. For example, in the control room of your existence, there would be separate sliders for athleticism, musicality,...
by Phil Houseal | May 27, 2026 | All Articles, Philosophy
May 27, 2026–Why do we derive such satisfaction from being offended? I’ve come to believe some people find their value in being perpetually, terminally upset. Like when they get only two pickles on their Super Clown Smashburger instead of the advertised three. But it...
by Phil Houseal | May 20, 2026 | All Articles, Education, Philosophy, PR Tips
May 20, 2026–“The private car stood alone on a railroad siding bathed in the hot red blood of a desert sunset.” That is the first line of a novel. In 19 words, it sets the scene–the geography (desert), the time (sunset), the location (railroad siding), the status of...
by Phil Houseal | May 13, 2026 | All Articles, Education, History, Philosophy
May 13, 2026–I need potatoes. I’m grilling steaks. The meal requires a traditional side dish that is delicious with gravy. You have potatoes. Piles of potatoes. You grow them in your garden, and you have dug up more than your family can eat in a reasonable amount of...
by Phil Houseal | May 6, 2026 | All Articles, Philosophy
May 6, 2026–The most effective leader is not who you think it is. Many of us buy into the idea of “servant leadership.” As I understand it, the concept means that in order to lead an organization effectively, you need to perform all the tasks you ask your minions to...
by Phil Houseal | Apr 29, 2026 | All Articles, Education, History, Philosophy
April 29, 2026–I had dropped off my tax forms at the post office and, as I am oft accused of doing, abruptly headed out the door. The clerk called out to remind me to take my receipt as proof of mailing. I must have appeared impatient, as she good-naturedly explained...
by Phil Houseal | Apr 22, 2026 | All Articles, History, Philosophy
April 22, 2026–Have you ever made a terrible faux pas in public and wished you could just disappear? Good news! You’re already gone! There was a psychology experiment back in 2000 that tested something called the “invisible guest theory.” Student guinea...
by Phil Houseal | Apr 15, 2026 | All Articles, Education, History, Philosophy
April 15, 2026–Have you ever wanted to call yourself an “award winning” whatever-it-is-you-do? Maybe it’s an award-winning plumber. Or an award-winning wedding cake baker. Or an award-winning human resources manager. Or dog walker. Or seat filler. I always wanted to...
by Phil Houseal | Apr 8, 2026 | All Articles, History, Philosophy
April 8, 2026–Have you heard that people are now setting up religions worshipping Artificial Intelligence? This should not be unexpected. After all, the various manifestations of AI present themselves as all-knowing, all-seeing entities that provide every answer to...
