A depiction of Brân crossing the Irish Sea (generated by ChatGPT) When I look at the William Blethyn Pedigree Roll, I often think about those ancestors who blur the line between history and legend—people who are part of old records but also live on in stories. One of the best examples is Brân the Blessed(Brân Fendigaid … Continue reading Brân the Blessed: A Giant King Between Myth and Memory
Is a Degree Worth It? Part III
In this third installment, I want to take a look at the decade that has passed and the events in my life that have refined my view. When I wrote the first piece in this series, I was reflecting on my own long, winding journey through higher education — working full-time while finishing my Bachelor … Continue reading Is a Degree Worth It? Part III
Facebook doesn’t care about your community: why local newspapers still matter
If you live in a small town like I do, you probably know exactly when the weekly paper arrives. In my case it comes once a week in the mail: the Northwest Alabamian. By the time it arrives, much of the information in it is technically “old news.” The same stories have often already appeared in … Continue reading Facebook doesn’t care about your community: why local newspapers still matter
The Intergalactic Presence of the Blevins Clan
Often on my commute I listen to audio books. I bounce between books on history and religion, but occasionally I'll listen to fiction. The fiction book I am currently listening to is Star Wars: Aftermath. I'm not here to write a book review, but to notice one passing reference that 99.999% of the world will … Continue reading The Intergalactic Presence of the Blevins Clan
The allure of fake orders of chivalry
Caveat Emptor: This is solely my opinion; take it with a grain of salt. Supposedly, the world we live in is full of equal people; surely we can see this when we look around. When I look around, unfortunately, this is not what I see. I see a world that is more akin to what we … Continue reading The allure of fake orders of chivalry
Nothing New Under the Sun
[N.B. I originally posted this article on the Society of Southern Gentlemen blog. I don't plan to maintain that site, so I am merging all the posts there onto this site, but keeping the original timestamps.] That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there … Continue reading Nothing New Under the Sun
Sovereign Magistral Order of the Temple of Solomon
Sometime back I wrote about the curious case of the king of Mann, and it has been brought to my attention that "prince David, king of Mann, is involved with another quasi-monarchic entity. Apparently now there also exists the Sovereign Magistral Order of the Temple of Solomon, which claims to be the true, for real, … Continue reading Sovereign Magistral Order of the Temple of Solomon
