Phil Houtz

typewriter

The Best Short Story Contests for 2018

Aerogramme Studio, a blog dedicated to resources for writers, recently published an extensive list of short story contests for 2018. The list is heavy on established contests and offers with prize money and fellowships for the winners. Why should you consider submitting your work to a writing contest? To get noticed. Why should you think

Kreg rip fence for circular saw

Make Long, Wide Rip Cuts with Your Circular Saw

Let’s say you want to rip-cut some planks and plywood for a chicken coop and you don’t have a table saw. The Kreg Rip-Cut is a stand-alone fence that lets you make long, straight cuts with a circular saw. Yes, many saws come with a rip fence as an accessory, but these accessories usually don’t

Can an Anti-Inflammatory Diet Help Osteoarthritis?

Inflammation is one of the key symptoms of osteoarthritis accompanying pain and joint degeneration. It would make sense, then, that an anti-inflammatory diet would help to relieve some of the pain and discomfort, and possibly slow some deterioration. The problem is that there is no clear evidence that an anti-inflammatory diet will relieve the symptoms

tallest tress in the world

Discover the Most Monumental Trees in the World

If you like trees and love exploring, check out the site Monumental Trees. Here is an archive of some of the biggest, the tallest, the gnarliest and the oldest trees in the world. Monumental Trees catalogs extraordinary trees and provides lots of tree-facts in the process. I’ve written previously about the mysterious Grove of the

how to mark your Bible ascensionpresents.com

How to Mark Up Your Bible

I’ve really tried to love Bible study apps like Youversion but I end up feeling like I’m trying to view the scope of history through a keyhole. Bible study seems to be richer and more effective when I use an old-fashioned paper Bible and mark the pages as I go. Some people take the process

brooke-lark fruits via unsplash

5 Ways to Get a Fresh Start in 2018

Yes here is yet another post in the “X ways to do X that are so simple that you must be a moron if you’re not doing them already” genre. Only these aren’t insights from your typical productivity gurus. Five of my favorite ideas for starting fresh: Opportunities multiply as they are seized. — Sun

thomas fire trail closures

Thomas Fire Trail Closures

NOTE: This post was written in 2018. Some trails have been reopened. Others are closed because of 2023’s high rainfall. To find out more about trail closures in the Los Padres Forest, visit the Los Padres Forest Trail Association’s News link. Along with the loss of life and property caused by 2017’s Thomas Fire, there

just four men rolling a barrel in a park

Writing Goals 2018 – Write with Intention

In 2017 I finished two NaNoWriMo projects that I started (one in 2016) and now have two potential novels. What’s the next step? Chuck Wendig gives a clue – write with intentionality. But in writing this thing, I tried to take it slow, even as I wrote it fast. I tried to pause with scenes

best gingerbread house

Time Lapse Gingerbread House You Could Live In

If you happen to be four inches tall and be named “Hansel” or “Gretel” then this might be the time to start applying for a mortgage. This clever video by Susan Aitken shows every step of making a move-in-ready gingerbread house from initial sketch to final sugar sprinkles. This gingerbread house is based on Marie

Was Christ Really Born on Christmas?

Christ was born on Christmas Day, or so goes the 14th century hymn translated by John Mason Neale. But December 25th hasn’t always been the date when Christ’s birth was celebrated by the church. The questions surrounding the date of Christmas Day are fascinating and involve a great deal more history, tradition and detective work

Starting Over with a Clean Sheet: A Meditation on Wholeness

A clean sheet of paper contains the set of all possibilities. The blank page can become a picture, a story, a poem. Anything that can be imagined can be represented on this blank sheet of paper. Because there are no limits to the possibilities that can be contained on a single sheet of paper, this

How Donald Trump Became More Popular than God

This week journalist Farhad Manjoo attempted a noble experiment – taking a week away from news about Donald Trump. In his weekly New York Times column Manjoo describes an eye-opening discovery he made during the week – Coverage of Mr. Trump may eclipse that of any single human being ever. That’s a pretty bold statement.

15 Ways to Use Public Space to Make a City More Liveable

Business Insider’s title for their urban round-up is a little off – 15 of the most beautiful public spaces in the world, according to urban designers makes you think you’ll be seeing a dozen parks or outdoor malls. In fact what you’re getting is an overview of how insightful urban planning can transform a city