Category: Random Musings
-
My Personal History: The War At Home – Requiem
When I originally wrote, “The War at Home,” I was in a strange place. It began as a way of putting my thoughts on paper. I had many conversations where these three themes kept coming up. As anyone who sits in a therapist’s office will tell you, writing down your thoughts always comes up as…
-
My Personal History: The War at Home
I’m a combat veteran and one of the things I did when I got home was try to put the feelings of coming home to paper. It was strange rereading it and seeing how much has changed and how much hasn’t since 2008 when I wrote it. I reprinted the article below and will give…
-
Random Musing: Serial Killers
What’s this musing about: The cult of the serial killer. When I interviewed one of my favorite authors, Mike Dash, he said something really profound. He mentioned he does not like true crime books and shows because they often obsess about the killer at the expense of the victims. The victims usually end up being…
-
Random Musing: On Drinking
What’s this musing about: Humans have been getting drunk for a really long time. I’m writing this on a Sunday after a lot of football and maybe more than one Sam Adams Octoberfests (buzzed writing is pretty sweet). As is my wont, I began thinking about a history nugget I had read recently. It mentioned…
-
Rant: People Who Need to Read a Damn Book
What’s this about: Here are the following groups of people who drive me nuts and need to go read a damn book about the subject they claim to understand: People who compare things to how Nazi Germany started. This is never an apt comparison. Conversely, racists. You suck. People who say the electoral college is…
-
Wolves at the Door
And now for something completely different. Yes, I wrote a poem. Skip this article if that bothers you. I was inspired by Stalingrad written by Antony Beevor. Towards the end, you start to feel the helplessness of the German soldiers as they know the inevitable red crush is coming. I turned that feeling into an…
-
Rant: No Politics
What’s this rant about: Why I don’t deal with current politics on this site. Many people asked me (just kidding, not enough people read the site to be considered “many”) whether or not I will cover current politics on History Nerds United. After all, we are currently making history every day. Also, today’s politics will…
-
Random Musing: Disaster Books and Guilt
What’s this musing about: Am I messed up in the head for liking disaster books so much? I love disaster books. They are all my cup of tea from blizzards and firestorms to shipwrecks (personal fav) and Arctic survival. There is something about the desperation, the heroism, and the adrenaline rush or reading about real…
-
Random Musing: Why are Magazines Still a Thing?
What’s this musing about: Why do people publish magazines anymore? I intended to do a review of Smithsonian Magazine. I would give it the insightful and serious review I do the books I read. While reading my third month of the magazine, it dawned on me. What’s the point here? The first thing I did…