RedJessi

Having been to all three places with Mission last year, I can say they are all quite fine. And he is dead on about the hog snapper at Cafe Sole - INCREDIBLY good. And I love me some seafood, so I've tried all sorts of kinds. I was also impressed by the fact that Rum Barrel could make a Dirty Hoe - as very few bars stock both framboise and hoegaarden. I think Mission was less impressed with that particular beverage, though. heheh

Mission, I may be the only person who knows what you mean when you say you are a "J". Perhaps because I am a "P"? Michael....um... HOOOOORRRRRRAAAAYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!! *Crazy monkey dance* ALSO NOTE: I will be trying to keep the first post in the thread updated with things that are needed/being offered - to save people from needed to read through the whole thread if it gets too long.

Thanks for pointing out that thread Sterling - appreciated. Oi, good to know Michael! I was feeling woefully behind. And I actually do recall that 150 limit now, as I think I spoke to you or Jess about it through messenger one night when ye both assured me I was safe and on ye old list of campers with the Mercury crew. BECAUSE YOU ARE BOTH AWESOME. BTW, much aggrieved am I to miss the second Santa Maria event. I really must remember to win the lottery soon so I can do all the things I want...

Ye really must do somethin' about this Delorean obsession ye have lad. Piratin' is nae about goin' back to the future! I already did something about my Delorean obsession. (It was an expensive lesson that I prefer not to repeat.) The cabinets or the car?

Ooooo - neat! *starts plotting*

How many folks are going to Cafe Sole?! Heeee! Sterling, Believe me, I know. The past few months have been SO Crazy that I am playing big time catch up. Mickey and Kate have done an excellent job of keeping me in the loop, I must say. But I am clueless about a wedding and what this 150 limit is. *goes back to reading old threads*

Mission is an expert on places to eat in Key West, I can vouch for that. Plans with BACK UP plans 79 days in advance is serious business!

Ha! Puppies and rainbows! Perfect! Now all we need are the sacrifices.... Mission, this is purely a diagnostic procedure, alas - to make sure the problem isn't far more serious than I want it to be. They want to do an MRI, but want to wait a few more months until the titanium I had implanted a few months back (in my jaw) isn't a risk factor. In the meantime, I will be back in physical therapy by the end of the month, and I have a script for lidocaine patches for the pain since I have refused to take painkillers until absolutely necessary. I may take pictures though.....hehehe

Just for me own clarification - cards supposed to be depicting the other pirates participating, aye?

Utensils?? Wot, you mean a knife? what other utensils are there?

This is in addition to Bucky and Becky? Or is this actually Bucky's full nom de plume? Buckminster is a separate entity unto himself. Bucky is currently at the fort, where he resides. Becky is at Michael's house in the extra bedroom, where she scares guests. Buckminster is my sole remaining skeleton. BTW, I am just goofing around with those posts. (I don't really have a reason why.) Iron John asked me if I am trying to sell my last skeleton, which I am not. So I will stop being a pest in here. Is his last name Myer? OK, I will stop egging you on.

1. I can certainly come in with some fresh supplies Friday night when I arrive. I'll e in touch with a few pyrates via phone, so if anything is needed last minute, I can likely cover it. 2. Food will certainly be a part of what I'm bringing - and I'll look into what I can do to transport extra water. 3. WEDDING?! Who's gettin' hitched? What did I miss???

Sorry I missed it, but I hope it was grand!

To Offer a bit more on Grace O'Malley, her clan had been known to sail the west coast of Ireland for about 3 centuries prior to her taking the helm. The family's reputation was "InvincibLe on land and sea". When her father, Owen Ui Maile, died, he had no son of age so Grainne took over the whole fleet. This is might be why there is some confusion as to whether or not she was aboard a ship, since she couldn't be aboard more than one at a time. She was married to Donal O'Flaherty when she was 15, and had 2 sons and 1 daughter by him before he died. She then married her first husband's nephew (Richard de Burgh - whom she later divorced), allowing her to remain a princess of the O'Flaherty clan. She had a son by him and of her children, I believe 3 are said to have been born at sea. She was known for plundering Spanish ships around Clare Island and for collecting tolls from every vessel that passed within 30 miles of the coast of Connaught (where she lived in Carrickhooley Castle, where it was rumored the that her ships were moored at the edge of the penninsula the castle was built upon, with cables that ran from each ship's bow through a window in her bedroom so no movement could be made on her fleet that she wasn't aware of)- including french smugglers. There are accounts that say it was the availability to French brandy and regular pay matched with her foul mouth and colorful threats that kept her crew loyal. Cheng I Sao (Ching Yih Saou) in my book is named as Shi Xianggu. The pirate fleet she commanded began under the leadership of Zheng Yi, her husband - and once they were married they each commanded the fleet as equals. Which is where Zheng Yi Sao comes from, as it translates into "Wife of Zheng Yi". They not only controlled the South China Sea, but also the Guangdong economy. There are also rumors that there was a third person romantically linked to their marriage - a boy named Zhang Baou who became her second husband after the death of the first. Anyway, this is around the time they helped band several fleets together (seven different pirate leaders were involved) to create the confederation. Further, from what I've read, women at sea was not unusual in the lower classes in china in the late 1700's/early 1800's. In 1809, Xianggu's fleet captured Richard Glasspoole, an officer from tan East India Company ship - the Maquis of Ely - and held him and 7 other crew members for ransom from September to December. Glasspoole kept a diary of his time as captive and described the conditions on the junks as "filthy" with rats bred for food along with a diet of rice and caterpillars. Pirates were only allowed to have women on board if they were married to them - but some of the men has as many as 5 wives.

Ye really must do somethin' about this Delorean obsession ye have lad. Piratin' is nae about goin' back to the future!

This is in addition to Bucky and Becky? Or is this actually Bucky's full nom de plume?

If anyone has supplies that can wait until Friday, they can ship them to me in West Palm and I could bring them when I drive in. I am trying to figure out how to get there as early as I can, but coming off a 2+ week vacation that very same week, I can't push my luck.

I'll join!

Generally, I keep these things to myself, because - let's face it - is there any topic more unrelentingly BORING than one's health problems? Not really. All the same, I am having some tests this week which sound rather like medieval torture (involving needles stuck in muscles and electrical currents. WTH? Am I trapped in the movie TAKEN!?) called an electromyogram and a set of nerve conduction studies and I made the mistake of looking at what they use these tests to diagnose and there are some pretty serious things on the list and I don't want anything to do with any of them. So, whatever good thoughts you can send, prayers, spells, animal sacrifices (but don't sacrifice Animal, he's a pretty keen guy), I would appreciate it. Danke!

I recall there being a thread last year - attached to Silkie's hide I believe - where we could all post about what extras we could bring to help out. I looked, but didn't see the same for this year, so I figured I would make one as a catch all for people to post about items needed or that could be provided to help out with the encampment. As I did last year, I can provide the large cooler/truck for ice as well as the wooden trash bin for the tables. I can also possibly provide an assortment of baskets - willow branch and hand woven - if I can pry them away form my mother's protective gaze. Beyond that, I leaned how to roll charges at the Santa Maria event and can help with that this year! UPDATES: 9-15-09 If ye need Garb - Michael Bagley and Rene La Gaffe may be able to help. Foodstuffs needed for the Hide: Breads Muffins Dried Fruit Hard boiled eggs Cheese(s) Nuts Fruits

Use what you know. I always recommend that you model who you are after your true self as you would be 300 years in the past. Many of the pieces of history that make up William Brand are grafted directly from real life events, people and places of my own life. They are of course altered and even exaggerated against a large backdrop of sea and bloodshed, but they still stem from real turning points in my life. It's easier to reference the timeline of your imagined self when referencing memory as much as imagination. Given that GOAP predates Freud, I think I will need to make some more significant changes. heee! I am going to try to do more reading on the subject in the coming weeks, and hopefully I can craft something....at some point. lol

Why I oughta..... *grumble* Coming from you, that feels like quite the insult!

I am driving again this year, but much like last year my time is woefully limited. Last time around, it was because I had to defend my thesis on the day I arrived. Which was actually great fun in a strange sense. I spent the first half of the day as a nervous wreck, waiting to stand before the board including the dean and department chair to defend my research...and then spent the evening driving to key west utterly exhilarated to be OFFICIALLY DONE with my masters degree. YAY! This time around, totally different story. I haven't taken a vacation that last more than a long weekend since 2002. I was lucky enough to get hired directly from grad school by the agency I did my last clinical rotation with - and in an effort to avoid burnout, they let those in my profession accrue vacation time right away. So, November 11 - 28, I shall be IN IRELAND! Which will be incredible and I will be driving all over the emerald isle all by myself and I CANNOT WAIT! Alas, this also means that I will be sucking dry all my accrued vacation time and will have non left over for PiP, which is the very next weekend. So, once again, I will be driving down Friday evening and leaving Sunday afternoon. I wish I could spend more time with you fair folks and next year I plan on having a few free days so that I can spend about a week down there in the Keys with everyone! Now, I just need to get ahold of some Ron Atlantico private cask....

I'm another who has no real character - open to idears.

Ok, so, my travel dates are firmed up and this is what it's looking like. As I will be in Ireland from Nov 11 until the 28th - using up all my vacation time - I will likely only be at PiP from the evening of the 4th until the afternoon of the 6th. Alas, terrible that it is a short time, but at least I will get to see ya'all for a little bit!