by Phil Houseal | Dec 29, 2023 | All Articles, History, Philosophy
Jan 3, 2024–I was recently making conversation with humans from different generations. They were fondly reminiscing about their “growing up” years, incredibly the obscure past of the 1990s. As they discussed how laughable it was that “today’s kids” were baffled when...
by Phil Houseal | Dec 27, 2023 | All Articles, Education, History, Philosophy
Dec 27, 2023–Memories of our favorite toys are as faulty as the toys were. When we grow up and don the mantle of Santa, we are excited to pass along our favorite toys from childhood. Through cloudy mists of memories, we re-visit those idyllic days, model trains...
by Phil Houseal | Dec 20, 2023 | All Articles, Education, History, Philosophy
Dec 20, 2023–A hobgoblin is a mythical sprite that plays impish tricks at night, stealing keys, hiding utensils, unraveling seams, and generally making you question your sanity. My house is infested with them. In the the past few weeks, many of my precious “tools”–or...
by Phil Houseal | Dec 13, 2023 | All Articles, Education, Philosophy
Dec 13, 2023– “Are you blind!” “She traveled!” “C’mon ref… that was a foul!” Such was my soundtrack while at a high school basketball game. I like to sit on the visitor side, as that is usually where the most open seats are, and it keeps me from having to listen...
by Phil Houseal | Dec 6, 2023 | All Articles, Education, Music, Philosophy
Dec 6, 2023–As I grow wiser, I believe more and more that art and beauty lie within the spaces between. Graphic designers refer to it as “white space.” Given a 3-inch by 4-inch ad border, for example, amateurs tend to cram it with images and copy. Experienced...
by Phil Houseal | Nov 29, 2023 | All Articles, Events
Nov 29, 2023–Gift giving creates such a quandary. What can you possibly buy for someone that they can’t get for themselves? I’m not talking about kids or grandmas, those are easy. For kids, get toys. For grannies, pick up anything from Cracker Barrel. It’s those other...
by Phil Houseal | Nov 15, 2023 | All Articles, Philosophy
Nov 15, 2023–My 8-year-old grand taught me a life lesson on the way to her dental appointment. She couldn’t wait. Like most of you, going to the dentist is right up there with getting tased while standing in a puddle of stagnant water. So I asked her why she was...
by Phil Houseal | Nov 8, 2023 | All Articles, Events, Food, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy, Venue
Nov 8, 2023–For the semi-pro party planners that lurk among us, the holidays are their Olympics, Super Bowl, and Academy Awards, wrapped in a bow with a Christmas carol soundtrack. No group is more motivated to create a memorable event from scraps of paper and...
by Phil Houseal | Nov 3, 2023 | All Articles, Education, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy, Venue
Nov 1, 2023–If you’d told me I would get emotional while picking up a tire, I’d have punctured your sidewall. Believe it or not, I visited a Discount Tire for the first time this summer. It’s like the Buc-cees of tire chain stores. My first clue it was a special place...
by Phil Houseal | Oct 25, 2023 | All Articles, Education, Philosophy
Oct 25, 2023–The next time I sneeze, don’t bless me. That universal reaction to what is essentially an involuntary intimate act disturbs me. Those two simple words–Bless You–while a loving benediction in other contexts, when used after a snot-spraying convulsion...
