Historiography!

I start by talking about my research on the Oregon Trail! I am playing the game at 4:30 pm pacific time every day on twitch for at least until September!! You can see it here: https://www.twitch.tv/jimstewartallen I then do another, "this yesterday in history" (it has been a while!) we talk about the opening of Disneyland and what impact it had on America! Specifically I get interested in the tiki room, which amplified America's feelings on tiki culture making its way into their culture! Cool stuff!

I have a summer job giving tours of breweries in Tacoma! You have to get on this, it's me and this other girl who knows a ton about beer!! Here is how to get more information: www.tacomahops.com I also have a new twitch channel! I will be playing tonight at 8 pm (Oregon Trail) and will also be playing Wednesday at 7 pm! (Where in the USA is Carmen Sandiego) https://www.twitch.tv/jimstewartallen I also talk a little about the new mobile game craze, Pokemon GO! Wow is it popular right now!! 

First I talk about the 4th of July coming up tomorrow! There is a marathon of this documentary on the History Channel called, "America, The Story of US." I would highly recommend seeing 1 or 2 of these tonight or tomorrow, they are pretty great! Think about why they produced it, and why they picked the specific stories they did! Professional History isn't usually about someone getting it right or wrong, it's more of what they choose to illuminate to illustrate the point they are trying to make. What did the History Channel choose to illuminate, and what story does that tell? Do you agree with the narrative they constructed, or do you think they could have illuminated something else way more, such as the trail of tears or the reconstruction era, to illustrate America in a more negative light. No matter what you think, it's important to respect this documentary for what it adds to the Historiography of our nation. Here is one of the more well done episodes in the series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIQ7leKj

I'm at Seattle University this week living in a single dorm room at Campion Hall! I talk about my Oregon Trail show that I will be playing for High Schoolers! Then I tell a fun story about getting busted for alcohol my Freshman year in the dorms! 

This episode ends up being about music and why I listen to the music I listen to!! Here is the song of the summer for me right now! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8JgwqAx-bU Here is Redneck Yacht Club: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uI7Ghu1FpnQ Here is the Super Bowl Shuffle: https://vimeo.com/135203185 I also tell a story of getting caught for illegally downloading music off of Limewire in college (so bad, I know!)

This is a dense book. This episode is not so much on the story, but more on the themes of capitalism! If you want to understand why we are who we are today, this is a good start!! If you have had 3 meals today then that is not enough! You need Fourth Meal, thank you Taco Bell and thank you capitalism! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2WFcfN1eoU Part 2 will be coming soon!!!

I am at camp right now! I have been teaching science to 5th graders all week as a Naturalist and it has just been so fun!!!! If you'd like to apply for this position check out more details here: http://www.campseymour.org/files/library/fc26fcdfdb6de4cf.pdf YMCA Camp Seymour is a not for profit camp, so a lot of kids can luckily come here who might not be able to otherwise! Please please please think about donating, some children don't find much success at school and all of a sudden they get here and they light up and it is absolutely wonderful!! This is a turning point for many =) Here is the link that will donate directly under the Historiography! Podcast: http://tinyurl.com/HistoriographyCampaignPage And finally, here is the link to the Bill Nye episode we are watching tonight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47yJJrauc9c

Omg, I got my packet for my membership into the Washington State Historical Society! It's exciting! You need to check out the Washington State History Museum as well as the Harmon Brewery!! I did not get payed to say this, my heart is just that big for these places!! (Especially the WSHM) I go on to talk about the Fallout Shelters that were so much apart of American Culture from the 50's into the early 60's. It's incredibly interesting, you can start with this video!!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvtQFlwa_l4 And see what you think of this song!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAsGuWmXLVw What the hell right?! So happy yet so sad!!! Woah! Mind blowing the first few times I listened to it!! Put this onto a mix and have it play during a first date on the car ride home and see how they react!!!! Compare these two sources (and hopefully more!) to Fallout 4 and see what it says about American Culture! Seeya Thursday (the 9th) for my at Camp special and then tune in Sunday for, "The Jungle" book club (the 12th

I'm in beautiful Ellensburg Washington this week, home of the Ellensburg Rodeo, woohoooooo! I talk about Fruitopia, Earth2o and meeting an engineer for the LA Water Department in New Dehli! So cool!! Finally I talk about The Sims Bustin out, which is a Gameboy Advance game! I think it's important to realize how cool the study of history will be in the future, in that we can use really advanced video games (and more) made during the time period, to study how that time period lived, and what they liked! Wow!!!!

One erupted naturally, and the other erupted because of Rose! I talk about Mt. St. Helens this week! It was quite the event in 1980! This is a cool PNW story that if you don't know anything about the Pacific Northwest other than Russell Wilson and Richard Sherman, this is worth a closer look! Here is the live ABC News Coverage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5izisUIqO2s Make sure you then watch more local coverage too!! Here is a good one from a station based in the Portland area!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqkrl4hZ-7Y  Then compare the two in how they present the story and figure out for yourself what Mt. St. Helens was about!! Oh, and here is the NOVA Program produced 11 years after it erupted!! So cool! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0uD4ldBjmQ We then talk about sex on the Titanic, more specifically in the cargo hold, and what car it was in, and why it wasn't a Model T, which was pretty much the only car you could buy other than some super weird custom made off-brands back then. Who knows, but p

This is a catch up episode on my busy busy week!!! I talk about shows coming up which include: May 16th: Blue Moon, Seattle WA: Hosting May 18th: Le Voyeur, Olympia WA: End of the Trail Ceremony May 20th: Featuring at Eagle Creek Saloon, Lilliwaup WA June 3rd: Le Voyeur, Olympia WA: Oregon Trail Live!  August 18th: Oregon Trail Live: Highlarious Comedy Festival I also talk some more about my current research project which is on the space race in the 50's and 60's!! 

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!!! Right after I finished the episode I realized I didn't say anything about it at all! I'm sorry Mom's!!! You are wonderful =) I discuss our first book club book ever book ever, Theodore Taylor's, "The Cay." I hope you guys loved the book and I hope your brain's are screaming, "thaaaaaaaaaaank youuuuuuuuuu for the fodder!!!!!!!!" And pssssssst, word on the street is that it's a made for television movie as well!!!!! I haven't seen it yet but I'm about to!! Here it is ya dorks! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-310Sc8bg0 Here is Louis CK's bit I was telling you about in the episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akiVi1sR2rM The next Book Club will be, "The Jungle." What does this book say about the late 1800's going on into the 1900's, and does this book still need to be read?? You guys have a month!!!!

I learned a lot preparing for this one, I hope you guys do to, and send me ways you connected with Mexican culture! (that aren't racist, but do I even need to say that?) I talk about a Julio Cesar Chavez fight against Greg Haugen (who said Chavez had been fighting cab drivers who his Mom could beat) that resonated a lot in Mexican culture. Listen to the, "Mexico!" chants and cheer Julio on to victory here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdtiqU_3EY8 Plot twist, Greg is from Seattle Washington and was born in Auburn! The quote I read at the end is written by Dr. Jose M. Alamillo from the book, "Celebrate Cinco De Mayo: With Fiestas, Music, and Dance." I hope everyone has a fantastic Cinco De Mayo, be responsible, and be not racist! EDIT: I say Battle of Pueblo the first time I talk about it, it is the Battle of Puebla. I try so hard not to screw these things up!!!!  

YOU HAVE ONE WEEK LEFT TO READ THE CAY!!  I started watching the first season of, "The Real World," which was the reality show that really jolted reality TV into what it became by 2008. I have only seen the first few episodes once, so I do not have full grasp on everything going down, but I will!! Oh I will!! =) I talk a little bit about the 2005 classic, "Cinderella Man" (Paul Giamatti is soooooooo good!!) as well as this great used bookstore in Tacoma, "The Tacoma Book Center." If you are in Tacoma it's very much worth your time! http://www.tacomabookcenter.com If you would like me to come to your living room or bar or theater or classroom and play Oregon Trail and talk about it, or do stand up, or talk about the Revolutionary War please let me know, I can make it happen! Jim@JimStewartAllen.Com Tune in this Thursday for a special Cinco De Mayo episode of Historiography!

I'm all over the place this week =) I start by talking about boxing and how I get into it and my area of expertise (1987-2009) Cinco De Mayo is coming up! And we should celebrate something else if we don't connect with Cinco De Mayo's history. If you don't (I'm looking at you most of America) stop wearing sombreros and start celebrating the date in which the confederate government disbanded (May 5th!!!!!!) And also totally watch this 2007 HBO Pay Per View boxing match where Floyd Mayweather walks in with a sombrero on Cinco De Mayo. What the fuck right?! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KhBzF6UX_0 So I have this weird ringing in my ear and it started a book club! I'm gonna make the book club episode in 2 weeks (I know I said one but we should all have a bit more time to reflect) It's called, "The Cay" and was written for kids, by an American in 1969 talking about a white kid and a black man trapped on an island in I believe 1911 or so. A historical goldmine basically! Buy it on Amazon or just go to a library,

I was gonna spend 5 minutes on it, and it became the entire episode! That's the magic, the power, the intrigue of Oregon Trail! It has been a great week, I got to play Oregon Trail on Hyper RPG with Aaron Kirby and it was fantastic! Here is the link to see it! https://www.twitch.tv/hyperrpg/v/60007415 Here is where to play the game! https://archive.org/details/msdos_Oregon_Trail_The_1990 Please learn everything you can on one random moment this week! I randomly said gymnastics from 1983, and low and behold, they had 3 or 4 selections available! Here is one! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5otq6gxiHU

WATCH ME PLAY OREGON TRAIL ON 4/11/2016 AT 3 PM WITH AARON KIRBY!!!!!!! Here is where to find it!!! Twitch.tv/hyperrpg Also listen to my Dork Forest episode about the Oregon Trail here: http://tdf.libsyn.com/tdf-336-jim-stewart-allen This episode is fun! I talk about my experience today (and it was an experience) playing Oregon Trail II!!! I go on the Mormon Trail which you can do in Oregon Trail II and talk about my journey to Salt Lake City! I'd describe it more but just listen!

Big shout outs to Chase Roper, Tony Lewis, Erin Elizabeth, and Khadija Hassan for being fantastic openers in my Historiography! Live show!! I start by talking about my week, which included a fantastic excursion to Lilliwaup Washington to visit my friends Erin and Tony! I'm hoping to drink an Atomic Coctail (popular in the 50's) at the Eagle Creek Saloon soon!! (no pressure!!!) Please check out this place though, they make a fantastic burger: http://www.yelp.com/biz/eagle-creek-saloon-lilliwaup I then talk about the show, "Wishbone," specifically an episode called, "Bark to the Future." It's a great show, and it will hopefully start getting me back into novels!!! Watch the episode I talk about, right here! Make sure to also check out H.G. Wells book, "The Time Machine." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAs7sH2d_6I I finish by talking about my two sexual awakenings I had around the age of 7 or 8! They are weird, interesting and I think important to discuss! One of them involves a gym rope and one involves Angeli