Posted by
Tom "Papa" Bryant on Monday, March 05, 2007 11:50:20 AM
It seems I've been tagged (I had a hard time explaining to my wife what was attached to my ear - and the radio collar was even worse).
Ok. I'll play.
The rules are as follows:
People who get tagged need to write a blog stating 6 weird things about themselves as well as state this rule clearly. In the end of the post, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names and links. Don't forget to leave a comment that says you are tagged in their comments and tell them to read your blog.
I don't have anything weird that I can talk about in a family post, so here are...
SIX INTERESTING THINGS ABOUT TOM "PAPA" BRYANT
1. As a single man, I was always attracted to brunettes. However, brunettes never seemed to be interested in me. It seemed that blondes found me attractive (as a younger man, right now I have a face like seven miles of bad road and have a hard time attracting flies, much less women).
So what color is my wife’s hair?
Red.
2. My father has been doing some genealogical work recently and my family has some interesting members.
Starting with my grandfather and working back:
Frank “Speedy” Bryant, a WWII Army medic in the Pacific theatre
Moses Bryant, who sat out the War of Northern Aggression, and fathered children into his 80’s.
William Smith Bryan, the first and only “king” of Ireland, who was deposed by Cromwell, who is reputed to have been the first Englishman to bring horses to the New World
Francis Bryan II, the “Vicar from Hell” (in the words of Cromwell)
Francis Bryan, a confidant of King Henry VIII, who “spoke to the king in plain language”
Jean Count de Brienne, Latin Emperor of Constantinople and King of Jerusalem, a Crusader King who petitioned the Pope to start the Fifth Crusade, and was the architect of the victory at the first battle of Damietta. He has been called by a few scholars “the most Noble Crusader in medieval history”. He arranged for his daughter Yolanda to marry Fredrick II of the Holy Roman Empire. Big mistake; Fredrick simply wanted the title of King of Jerusalem and cheated on Yolanda within a month of their marriage. When Jean learned of this, he marched into Fredrick’s audience hall and in front of Fredrick’s own guards grabbed him by the throat, stuck his sword in Fredrick’s mouth, and said “Were it not for fear of sin I’d run you through right NOW!” He was 80 years old!
Charlemagne
Pepin II
Charles Martel (I don’t need to say anything about these three – they’re pretty well known)
In addition, the wives of Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett, and Sgt. Alvin York are all Bryant/Bryan/de Brienne’s. And we are tracing down the connection to Bear Bryant (since relatives went on the Trail of Tears through Fordyce, Arkansas where he was born).
3. I wrote a screenplay, The Penance of Michael Stonebreaker, which was a semifinalist in the 1998 Austin Heart of Film festival screenplay competition. I landed an agent based on that script (the agent went out of business six months later – so much for Hollywood!), and have been read by Lauren and Richard Donner (Superman movies, Lethal Weapon Movies) – who liked it, but didn’t think it was suited for a Tales from the Crypt movie. I later directed industrial training films.
4. I am a three time National Dean’s List honoree. The NDL is run by Who’s Who (so there is book sales involved) but is by recommendation only. Only .05% of all American college students make the NDL once in their academic career.
5. I’m from Florida and I can’t speak Spanish.
6. I have nothing else to say.
As for the six victims…err, taggies, they are:
http://bamapachyderm.townhall.com/
http://christophobia.townhall.com/
http://jewishpride.townhall.com/
http://lawdawg.townhall.com/
http://arandomguy.townhall.com/
http://coulternation.townhall.com/
Pass it on folks – it just drives your readership up!!