Tag: Musings
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Mailbag #1
I asked and then you asked! Here are the questions I got from my loyal readers. Some were good, some were bad, and some were quite profane. You people need a therapist or Jesus. Not sure which one. I did some editing to the questions for clarity, space, and again, because some were filthy. I…
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Musing: Why No Politics
I have been asked why I don’t delve into current politics. The world, and especially the U.S., seem to be filled with people taking very strong stances on literally everything. I can affirm this by looking at my Facebook feed. My response is simple: history does it all for me. Case in point, here’s the…
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My Personal History: Empire of Pain – My Coda
I recently finished Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe. (Spoiler: I loved it.) It touches on the reasons for the opioid epidemic in the United States and how it came to be. The book is extremely powerful, enraging, and for me deeply personal. You see, from about 2005 to 2007, I was taking Percocet,…
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Merry Christmas!
Hello, nerds and Merry Christmas (Eve)! Here is my list of “must watch” Christmas movies: A Christmas Story. Duh. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Die Hard. Any suggestion it is not a Christmas movie is both wrong and unamerican. A Charlie Brown Christmas. Elf. Mickey’s Christmas Carol. Or, you know, read something. I think I’ve given…
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Timely History: Smallpox
With Thanksgiving in the rear-view mirror, there was plenty of mentions about American Indians and how they were treated in the creation of this country. Then, we are also in the midst of a pandemic. I had the brilliant idea of writing about smallpox. (Actually, someone suggested it, but she’s an egomaniac and I refuse…
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Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving, nerds! 400 years ago, the Pilgrims landed on our shores and proceeded to find opportunity and success. Just kidding, they found an absolute sh*tshow. Famine. Disease. A native population that vacillated between wanting to kill them and wanting to help them. A little bit more precarious than the times we find ourselves in…
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History Nerd United’s First Birthday!
Happy 4th of July, nerds! Also, it’s been one year since I launched the site. It would be a massive understatement to say it’s been an interesting 365 days. I’ve been able to meet and talk with awesome people. I’ve also been able to bore tons of people with pleas to visit the damn thing.…
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Timely History: Gruinard Island
Quarantine is important. It allows us to safely flatten the curve and not spread disease at an exponential rate. Quarantining is not a new idea and even mentioned in the Bible to stop the spread of disease. Oh, it’s also been used because the British government contaminated an entire island in Scotland to see how…
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Musing: Staying Sane in Quarantine
Quarantine can be challenging. Locked into our homes with little ability to go out and enjoy the company of others can drive anyone batty. There are numerous templates from history for how to fight off insanity, but I’d like to look at two of the most successful under extreme circumstances. Say hello to the Greely…