by Phil Houseal | Aug 25, 2022 | All Articles, Education, Philosophy
Aug 24, 2022–Every bar is an empty stage. You are the show. Think about it. Evening after evening, the regulars gather early as if they were members of the Algonquin Round Table. They find their front row seats, as much to be seen as to see. Drinks are served, and...
by Phil Houseal | Aug 17, 2022 | All Articles, History, Philosophy
Aug 17, 2022–When and where I grew up, every kid acquired a nickname shortly after entering elementary school. None of us ever knew where it came from, or how it was selected, or who christened us. One day you were “Phil;” the next day you were “Bernardo.” In 5th...
by Phil Houseal | Aug 10, 2022 | All Articles, Education, History, Philosophy
August 10, 2022–This morning I woke up as a cow. Rising from rest, hind end first, I immediately started searching for something to eat. There… there was a nice patch of grass. I cropped the green greedily, with no attempt at chewing. My only concern was getting...
by Phil Houseal | Aug 3, 2022 | All Articles, Events
Aug 3, 2022 Schlemiel! Schlimazel! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated! Anyone with even a passing familiarity with American pop culture will recognize that ditty from LaVerne & Shirley, the iconic 1970s TV sitcom featuring the day-to-day drama of two working girls in a...
by Phil Houseal | Jul 27, 2022 | All Articles, Events, History, People of the Hill Country, Venue
July 27, 2022–On a hot night in July something happened to me that hasn’t happened in at least a decade–I went to a dance and recognized a dozen people. More accurately, they recognized me. I couldn’t cross the dance floor without being stopped three times to shake a...
by Phil Houseal | Jul 20, 2022 | All Articles, Education, History, Philosophy
July 20, 2022–I’ve stumbled on a diversion called Today I Learned That, which I acronym as TILT. Unable to resist exploring my own ignorance, I followed where it led, purposefully seeking holes in my knowledge base. There are many. Today I Learned That: Winnie the...
by Phil Houseal | Jul 13, 2022 | All Articles, History, Philosophy
July 13, 2022–Back when I was involved in committees and boards and other collections of people with disparate backgrounds sitting around conference tables making motions and debating by-laws, one of the annoying mixer games we endured at retreats was “guess who this...
by Phil Houseal | Jul 6, 2022 | All Articles, Philosophy
July 6, 2022–Why are we moved by the blues? Or a bird trill in nature? Or the lilt of a violin? Why is there renewed interest in vinyl records? In “This Is The Voice,” author John Colapinto presents research conducted in the 1920s that shows humans are attracted to...
by Phil Houseal | Jul 2, 2022 | All Articles, History, Philosophy
June 29, 2022–If you want to ponder how all common knowledge is probably not true–and by everything, I mean everything told to you by advertisers, the government, scientists, well-meaning aunts, scriptwriters, and neighbors–spend some time listening to 1930s and 1940s...
by Phil Houseal | Jun 22, 2022 | All Articles, History, Philosophy
June 22, 2022–One thing that recent lockdowns, winter storms, shortages of essential products, and economic fluctuations have taught me is this: I am grateful I know how to be poor. Not poor like our parent’s and grandparent’s Depression-era poor, but poor as in “only...
