Hello, It's Me I'm the Problem

Greetings from Prague

Good morning to all of you waking from turkey-induced comas. Hoping your Thanksgiving went well and that you enter the late fall with sort of optimism that only Mariah Carey can bring.

You may know that I’m out of the country right now (I assume you read the subtitle). I’m in Prague, which to a guy who grew up poor in a collection of trailers in Kentucky and Louisiana sounds like something only rich people would say. (I also remember thinking as a kid that only rich people could afford Nintendos, but Mom and Dad made sure that my brother and I got one. We played so much Contra.¹

I’ve been on a bit of a quest this fall, visiting a ton of places. My friends Eric Leonard and Chris Barr invited me to hike a mountain in Texas. I had no idea they existed. But Guadalupe Mountains National Park is spellbinding. And hiked it we did. I also took maybe my favorite picture ever there, which you’ll see below.

I also visited Maine, hiked Acadia National Park, and got to visit with another dear friend, even though we agree on almost nothing soda related. Next was Kentucky for the wedding of one of my oldest friends.

And now Prague. But why Prague of all places? I’d thought about traveling to England, to see the lands of my ancestors in Lancashire, but it was too damn expensive. But Prague seemed just right. It had actually always been in my head, at least since 1988 when an impressionable young boy saw a video by INXS that stuck with him forever.

Yes, an Australian band sent a kid from Kentucky to the Czech Republic. You’ve heard weirder things.

The big question of course, is why am I traveling at all? What’s pushing this wanderlust? I hinted at this in the first substack I wrote. The reality is that I’ve been searching for an epiphany. An awakening. A grand thought. And today at breakfast, I had one. I even typed it in my iphone so I wouldn’t forget: I’m gonna do what I want.

Shit.

What the fuck do I want?

This is an interesting time for me. In some ways I know what I want. My main goal is simple. I’d love to have a family. I don’t actually need to become distinguished professor of this or that or write a bunch of books or anything along those lines. Just the love of another person, a happy life together, maybe some dancing in the kitchen, and grow old. Of course, all that is out of my control.

Career wise, I’m prepping to send out my first book proposal, though I’ve had a few thoughts lately about reframing the book. One of the things I’ve learned about my scholarship is that I’m not good at talking about it. For me, history is just something you do. Have a question, answer it as best you can, and hope that people like the work. I don’t speak like a historian. Probably don’t think like one either. Maybe that’s a strength though.

All of that brings me to Prague. This is a beautiful city with thousands of years of history behind it. The shadow of Soviet control during the Cold War looms large here. I cannot understand the oppression these folks faced. But my god what a city and people. It’s been lovely in my first couple days to see the town. And I’m headed off adventuring in a few minutes. I’ll have a recap later I’m sure.

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WHAT I’M READING

I’ve been working throught this for a while but I’m almost finished with the Audible of Dave Grohl’s Autobiography, The Storyteller. I wanted to listen to him instead of read it because I felt his voice may provide inflections that I wouldn’t pick up on otherwise. I think I’m right. I’ve been a fan of his for years and I think Grohl may be the coolest man on the planet.

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HATM

This week I’m still away so follow my friend and historian Jamie Goodall to watch MUPPET TREASURE ISLAND on Disney+ Sunday night at 8pm eastern. Jamie is a historian of piracy so she’ll have a lot to share will all of you. Plue I know there’s a drinking game being crafted as I type this. Stay tuned on that front

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That said, the battery in this laptop is dying and I’m terrified of learning how European chargers work. So take care of yourselves. Podcast coming on December 7th. Stay tuned.

1. https://contra.fandom.com/wiki/Konami_Code