Treasure Chest

I have heard that Sept. 17 is Citizen’s day, but now I read that Wednesday is International Talk like a Pirate Day. Arrr! Just because it is popular to do that here in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, I guess they want to make it INTERnational, even tho it’s not even a national pastime! They are enamored with pirates here in Florida, and take every opportunity to dress up or talk like pirates. It’s an interesting phenomenon. I have a tape from Disney many years ago showing the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. It shows (male) pirates chasing women, drinking and having drunken confrontations (a great idea for a children’s ride)! I think the ride in Orlando has been updated to resemble the pirates found in the current popular movies with Johnny Depp. Where the men can wear makeup and the women can be pirates, too! In the movies the ribaldry and drinking have been toned down, though the violence emphasized and magic and supernatural elements have been introduced. But here in Tampa, although women can be pirates, they do have to wear push up bras and expose as much of their chests as possible. And drinking is more essential than the violence. But they do go together, don’t they?

I love Halloween, so I understand this childish need to play make believe. But they do it here all the time!

And substandard English is rampant here. So it’s hard to notice if someone is trying to talk like a pirate. I guess you just have to say, Hello me hearties! Aye, Aye! And Arrr! A lot.