Olde Tyme Pyrate Pics and Other Misspelled Activites

One Ring and I were talking yesterday about how, no matter what tourist trap we go to, we always seem to find those photo shops that dress you up in antique looking clothes and then take your picture. Thing is, these places are always set up in a wild west theme. It doesn't matter where you are - we were in Virginia Beach last month, for example - or how far away from the "wild west" you are, there are going to be photo studios that do that style of picture.

But try to find one that will dress you up as a pirate. Is that possible? Oh, heck no! Unless you live near one of the two studios I found on the internet (I think both are in California - yeah, there was a pirate hotspot!), your choices are cowboy, cowgirl, or ahem, lady of the evening.

Until now.

And of course, it's Disney World that's taking the issue head on!

Eye-liner not necessarily included ...











Here's the news from All Ears Net:

The Pirate League opens in the Magic Kingdom's Adventureland on June 29, 2009. The new location will be the spot for aspiring buccaneers to acquire special costumes and accessories, as well as an official pirate name. Guests can chose from three daily pirate packages:

-- First Mate Package: Includes bandanna; choice of facial effects (scars, tattoos, fake teeth, earring and eye patch); sword and sheath; pirate coin necklace; one 5x7 inch photo and personalized pirate oath for $49.95 plus tax.

-- Empress Package: Includes bandanna; shimmering makeup (face gem, tattoos, nail polish, earring and eye patch); sword and sheath; pirate coin necklace; one 5x7 inch photo and personalized pirate oath for $49.95 plus tax.

-- Captain's Package: Includes choice of costume/outfit from selection: choice of facial effects (scars, tattoos, fake teeth, earring and eye patch); sword and sheath; pirate coin necklace; three 5x7 inch photos and personalized pirate oath for $124.95 plus tax.

For reservations (for boys, girls and adults), call 407-WDW-CREW beginning May 11.

One Ring has already said that she's forking over the cash and getting me photographed the next time we head down there (July 18th!). You can bet that the picture is going to show up on facebook and this blog. The big question is: Will she make me a Captain, or a lowly swab? Leave your comments, and I will forward them on to her. Piracy was a democratic enterprise, you know. So let's put this to a vote!

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Old Pirates, New Pirates

There was an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal regarding the recent increase in news coverage of the Somali pirates. The author asked Cap'n Slappy, one of the founders of International Talk Like a Pirate Day, whether he thought that the modern pirates would detract from the popularity of pirate festivals, reenactments, and general fun with rum.

Good article, and well worth the read. Here's the link.

More later.

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Guitar Pedal Blues

For some reason, I have a habit of becoming interested in things long after they go out of style. Books go out of print, movies that I had on VHS are unavailable on DVD, and cars that were hot years ago are no longer made when I finally have enough cash to buy one (Honda Civic del Sol, where are you????). Now my interest, and of course unavailable object, is in a particular type of guitar pedal. Namely, one that makes a guitar sound like a sitar.

Why a sitar, you ask (I'm assuming you're asking, because I'm about to tell you anyway!)? Well, the first song I asked my guitar teacher to show me was "Don't Come Around Here No More" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. I've talked about that before. Sure enough, there's a sitar in there. There's also a sitar or sitar-like sound in "Paint it Black, by The Rolling Stones, "Norwegian Wood" by The Beatles, and even "Wherever I May Roam" by Metallica. Since I love those songs, and want to play them, I want the pedal.

Trouble is, there isn't one for sale right now. Oh, sure, there used to be. Danelectro made the Swami, Digitech made The Weapon (Dan Donegan's signature pedal), and there were a few others, like the Maharishi. The only place you can get these pedals, though, are on Ebay or some other third party site. The prices are absurdly high, due to the limited quanitity, and they usually come minus a few parts (like power cables or instructions).

So now I'm down to my last desparate choice. Make my own. Mind you, I've never soldered anything, but I'm about to order the circuit board and parts to make the Jawari, which was originally designed by Tim Escobar and is now sold by (at least the circuit board is sold by) General Guitar Gadgets. The parts I'm going to have to order through Small Bear Electronics, as my local radio shack was sadly lacking in anything resembling electronic supplies. Remember the days when Radio Shack had everything you needed to build everything from a radio to a computer? Yeah, those days are long gone, apparently.

Anyway, today I found a company that custom made a Jawari for one of their clients. Woohoo! thought I. No need to worry about soldering or screwing up over $50 worth of stuff. So I fired off an email to see how much it would cost. And I discovered two problems.

The first is that they're based in Germany. Shipping charges would be a nightmare. the second problem is that the dollar continues to be worthless against the Euro. So the price they quoted me (100 Euros) would become $135 (at least) not including shipping and handling. And they wouldn't even paint the box!

So now I'm back to square one: teach myself how to solder and then build the box on my own. Kind of exciting, but I've never worked with electronics or electricity, so I'm feeling a tad nervous about the whole endeavor.

Anybody out there ever do something like this before?

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Is It Wrong ...

... to want to build a house that looks like this?

Yes, it's my dream. Will it come true? Doubtful. But there's something about the Haunted Mansion in Disney World that would make for an awesome home! : )

By the way, there is a pirate connection to this house - or at least the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland. According to one of the backstories, Master Gracey, the owner of the Haunted Mansion, was a pirate who attempted to buy his way into New Orleans society by marrying the daughter of a noble. While Capt. Gracey was out to sea, apparently "financing" the wedding, the father of the bride informed her that her fiance had died in a shipwreck. Distraught, the bride raced through the bayou to the Captain's mansion, where she locked herself in the attic. She died there of a broken heart and became the "Bride in the Attic" ghost (of course, the current Disney World bride in the attic is a "black widow" serial killer).

Captain Gracey, upon his return, hung himself from the entryway rafters, and became the "Ghost Host" that we all know and love.

You can find this story under the heading, "Portrait #2" here. You can also find a dramatic audio reading of this story at the Doombuggies site. Look on the left hand site for the "Nuptual Doom" picture and link. It's really good, and I listen to it every Halloween for fun.
Going to lunch. Back sometime today.

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Those Other Pirates

Can you say appeals galore?

Last week, four administrators from The Pirate Bay, one of the world's largest file-sharing (and illegal downloading) sites, were found guilty of violating copyright / intellectual property laws and sentenced to a year in prison and $3 million in punitive damages. It appeared to be a slam dunk case, and the end of one of the major players in internet piracy.

Except that the judge failed to mention that he had a teeny, tiny conflict of interest. Turns out he belongs to two copyright protection groups. So now the motions for appeal and retrials are flying. 22 million users of the site are watching and waiting.

Here's the full story.

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We do more before 9 AM ...

... something, something, something.

Just got my coffee. I drink two (big) cups a day - one to get me to work, and the other to keep me there. Today is going to be a long, boring one. The doctor is out, nothing is scheduled, and Annoying Coworker is already starting stuff. On top of that, Drink Man is working on a conspiracy theory regarding his personal life that is making my brain hurt.

Should have treated myself to a latte!

Met a woman outside the coffee shop today. She had two purebred beagles that she rescued from a shelter. They were so cute. Made me wish I lived on a large bit of land (or had a huge house), so we could have a larger canine family. Then I drank my coffee and came to my senses.

I'll write more when I wake up.

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Let the Trial Begin!

So the surviving pirate from the Maersk Alabama drama was captured and taken into custody after U.S. Navy Seal sniper teams killed his cohorts. His trial, as I'm sure you've heard on the news, is bound to be interesting, as prosecutors want to try the 15-year-old (if you believe his father; 18 if you believe the FBI) Somali as an adult with life in prison as the harshest penalty.

This may not be the trial of the century, but it's been a long time since pirates went before the court in these here United States. When was the last time?

Well, according to the US Naval Institute blog, that would be 1861, when the Savannah, out of Charleston, SC, made the huge error of mistaking the brig USS Perry for a merchant vessel. The Savannah was captured and the crew put on trial. Ultimately the whole case hinged on whether or not the ship and her crew were pirates or privateers. A privateer receives permission (a Letter of Marque) to raid shipping and confiscate goods from a sovereign nation, while pirates do the same thing without any nation's approval. Did the Confederate States of America have the right to send out privateers, or were these sailors simply pirates? The jury couldn't decide, so a mistrial was declared. Of course, the issue would become moot in a couple of years, when the Civil War decided this and other issues once and for all.

There's a really neat article on the Savannah in an 1861 issue of Harper's Weekly, which can be seen here. The link goes to a picture of the Savannah. Once there, click the link under the drawing to get to the article.

148 years later, and we're back to the same problem. This is going to be a very interesting trial.

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