I’ve written previously about my admiration for Dr. Travis Taylor, the astrophysicist who was brought in to consult on all the weirdness taking place at Skinwalker Ranch for the History Channel TV series THE SECRET OF SKINWALKER RANCH. Because he’s from Alabama and defies in every way the stereotype of people from Alabama. He’s crazy smart, not inbred, not racist, takes baths, etc. I’ve argued that this is a good representation of the other half of Alabama, the half that seldom gets highlighted. The half that is educated, not inbred, not racist, takes baths (*cough* doesn’t support Trump *cough*) etc.
I recently discovered that Dr. Taylor and I went to high school together. It was a large school with a large student body and we didn’t know each other, but he was a senior the year that I was a freshman. We would have passed each other in the halls. Small world, huh? Also, he and I come from the same neck of the woods. We literally could have been neighbors. We even, I discovered, have some friends in common. I am thus one degree removed from everyone—and everything—at Skinwalker Ranch! If only they’d invite me out to take part in the investigation, too. I can’t imagine them having much use for a weird artsy type, though, terrified of words like “algebra” and “trigonometry.” But I could keep everybody entertained, dammit! Hey, Travis, holla at ya boy!