international talk like a pirate day

yeah, ok, so this doesn't really have a lot to do with triathlon (although it does, in a way, but just bear with me here for a moment).

for those of you living in a cage, today (September 19) holds the rather auspicious and increasingly famous moniker of International Talk Like a Pirate Day.

info about Talk Like a Pirate Day can be found on the Wikipedia entry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Talk_Like_a_Pirate_Day). to summarize the entry, the holiday is an informal celebration of humor started in 1995 by 2 (very bored) friends. it exploded into popular consciousness when it was publicized by syndicated columnist Dave Barry in 2002, at which point it expanded into international celebrations held in locations around the world (hence the addition of the word "international" to the title). check out a sampling:

• US
• UK
• Australia
• Netherlands
  

you can get a feel for the growing scale of the movement by referencing the current Yahoo! news story: Tomorrow You'll Pay a Buccaneer for Corn

basically, on International Talk Like a Pirate Day, people celebrate in an air of whimsy by talking like a pirate (costumes, weaponry, and brigrand behavior purely optional). in terms of what constitutes pirate lingo, i compiled the following list of websites:

• Slate: http://www.slate.com/id/2167567
• Pirate Game: http://www.io.com/~sj/PirateTalk.html
• Pirate's Realm: http://www.thepiratesrealm.com/pirate%20talk.html
• Brethren of the Coast: http://www.geocities.com/captcutlass/Nau.html
• A Pirate's Lexicon: http://hegewisch.net/blindkat/pirates/nautical_lexicon.html
  

and if you want to learn how to be a pirate, there's always the romantic image shown in cinema--just look up classics like Captain Blood, The Sea Hawk, Treasure Island, or even the modern Pirates of the Caribbean. personally, my favorite is Errol Flynn's Captain Blood, but Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow is a very close second; speaking of which, there is a very educational You Tube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdUo4e1_eI8


i know, i know, not much to do with triathlon.

here's my response to that:

• um, fun. yeah, you know, fun. as in just chilling out, relaxing, and relishing life for awhile. check out my post on this: playlist: the joy of race day morning
  
• triathletes, in a way, sort of are the pirates of the athletic world. i mean, seriously, just think about how hard it is to get the requisite training and equipment. for that matter, recall all the machinations and surreptitious activities involved in getting them. conniving for extra race day entries, competing against fellow cohorts for the treasure of equipment deals, dealing with the scurvy dogs of abominable drivers/boaters/pedestrians, sucking bilgewater on the swim, avoiding the shiver of timbers on the bike, doing everything to not be a landlubber on the run, some would say the behavior demanded of the sport borders on piratical.
  

ok yeah, yeah, it's a stretch.

whatever. enjoy the day. arrrrrrrrrr, matey!