Hello and welcome history friends, patrons all to when diplomacy fails.

This is a state of the podcast address.

If you weren't aware, I use these episodes to make announcements about the show, sometimes

about my life.

And normally, there are some big announcements that I bring to you through this format

because I could post things on social media or whatever, but who has time for that these

days?

Let's be honest, algorithms aren't fantastic about letting us see what we care about.

And if you've been listening to this show for a while, this will not be new to you.

So what announcements do we have for today?

Well, I don't think it's too much of an exaggeration to say that this is the most consequential

state of the podcast address episode

I've ever released. And there's going to be a lot to drop on you here. So I'm just going to get

into it straight away. I've thought of all the different ways to drop this news on you from

years and years ago, how I would make it funny

or historical or nerdy or, you know, to find some creative way to announce it. But I'm just

going to say it right away. Myself and Anna are expecting our first born son in October of this year. Yes, we are going to be adding a new

history baby to the family and we are both so incredibly excited. Anna is doing great. All the

scans look healthy, thank God. So we are really, really excited to grow our family and become

full-blown adults. It's kind of terrifying. As I'm sure any of you who have waited eagerly for the

arrival of your first child will remember, it's just crazy watching the bump grow week on week

and feeling the kicks. I've felt my son kick.

...