Well, it was inevitable—after dedicating an extremely popular edition of Supporting Friends Friday to the irreplaceable Audre Myers, I had to dedicate one to the man and the website that gave her an outlet: Neo and Nebraska Energy Observer.
I’m not sure how I discovered Nebraska Energy Observer, but I suspect it involved Neo leaving a comment on one of my posts a couple of years ago. I’m generally suspicious of unknown commenters, as the Internet is full of trolls interested in harassing right-wing bloggers, but I quickly figured out that Neo was one of the good guys.
My initial perception was that Neo was obsessed with English history, and I figured his blog was largely dedicated to the “special relationship” between the United States and our erstwhile mother country. That relationship is, indeed, an important focus of Nebraska Energy Observer (though you’d never guess it from the title), but the blog covers a wide range of topics (including, of course, reflections on the life of an electrical lineman in Nebraska).
Not only does Neo host Audre’s writing; he also began featuring multi-part and standalone fiction last October. Jessica Hoff‘s fifteen-part (!) Rowan’s Way, about a female Church of England vicar awkwardly (and dangerously!) navigating the dating scene, is a well-plotted and nuanced story that I hope Ms. Hoff will consider publishing as part of a collection of stories.
From what I can gather, Neo has been posting daily—with the help of the aforementioned author friends, and others—for nearly a decade. That means his blog is a treasure-trove of history, both recent and medieval. It would be curious to go back through the archives (it appears he’s been blogging at Nebraska Energy Observer since July 2011) to see how his perspective has changed over the years—or how it’s been fortified after a decade of craziness.
It’s thanks to Nebraska Energy Observer that I’ve come to find a little place in the blogosphere. Neo has championed my writing in the past, and graciously wrote a short review of my book. It tickles me to no end that he included the review as a preamble to a post celebrating the life of the then-recently deceased Prince Phillip, who I’d like to think would have appreciated the absurdist humor of this chubby colonial.
As far as I can tell, there is no way to donate to Neo to support Nebraska Energy Observer, but if I am mistaken, I’m sure Neo will provide the necessary PayPal link in the comments. I hope he does—he deserves your support.
If nothing else, give his blog a read. You’ll be glad you did.