by Phil Houseal | Dec 2, 2020 | All Articles, Philosophy
Dec 2, 2020–Using the time I’ve freed up from not obsessing over social media, I’ve been reading “classics” I missed before. Here’s my first question: What in tarnation is the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe about? Kids in closets, ice lady, lion statues, talking...
by Phil Houseal | Nov 26, 2020 | All Articles, Philosophy, PR Tips
Nov 25, 2020–For someone who makes a living writing and posting online, it has been a slap in the face to spend the past few weeks avoiding social media. It’s like being in a 12-step program. With the runup to the elections, emotions were high. Throw in the...
by Phil Houseal | Nov 18, 2020 | All Articles, Philosophy, PR Tips
Nov 18, 2020–I have a shameful secret. Over the years I’ve dabbled in “the marketing arts.” This is a field filled with exuberant claims, arcane metrics, and secret phrases whose sole function is to persuade unsuspecting marks to buy your pricey chotchkes, attend your...
by Phil Houseal | Nov 11, 2020 | All Articles, Philosophy
Nov 11, 2020–While attending a meeting during a recent cold snap, I looked around and realized everyone was wearing flannel. As I wasn’t paying attention to the agenda anyway, I started wondering what is flannel? What a strange design for a garment. If I were the one...
by Phil Houseal | Nov 4, 2020 | All Articles, Philosophy
Nov 4, 2020–I could be a nudist if it weren’t for not having pockets. There is some vestigial relationship between boys and pockets. From the day we found our first shiny stone or dead lizard, boys have needed a place to put them. The pocket soon became home for...
by Phil Houseal | Oct 28, 2020 | All Articles, Philosophy
Oct 28, 2020–I tried to give some co-workers a dozen eggs last week, but they didn’t want them. Turns out they all had hens of their own, and were scrambling to give away eggs as well. There is no clearer illustration of how chicken ranching has swept the nation…...
by Phil Houseal | Oct 21, 2020 | All Articles, Philosophy
Oct 22, 2020–For boys growing up in the early days of television, all our favorite heroes were single men. The Lone Ranger. Gene Autry. Batman. Zorro. And most TV families were led by single fathers: Bonanza, Andy Griffith, My 3 Sons, The Rifleman, Jed Clampett. The...
by Phil Houseal | Oct 14, 2020 | All Articles, Education, History, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy
Oct 14, 2020–As a marketing gimmick, I once tried to come up with a clever mascot for a university’s fictional athletic program. I couldn’t do it. I brainstormed the most insignificant or annoying animals and plants that would make a tongue-in-cheek T-shirt that...
by Phil Houseal | Oct 7, 2020 | All Articles, Education, Philosophy
Oct 7, 2020–Every four years as we approach the elections, I ask the same question: Is anyone “undecided?” Because 90% of everyone who is paying attention to politics fall one way or the other on these binary choices: either Republican or Democrat, Liberal or...
by Phil Houseal | Sep 30, 2020 | All Articles, Music, Philosophy
Sept 30, 2020–With several readers commenting that I’m coming across “curmudgeonly” in my writing lately, I decided to lighten up on the topic choice. So, for your column-reading pleasure, here is a list of favorite musician jokes I’ve heard uttered backstage...
