Cap'n Pete Straw

I will be there... But in spirit only. To everyone who is going... please, raise yer tankard in a toast in recognition of my absence -- I will do the same to honor all of you from here. Gads, I wish I could be there this year... Two down but, as they say, "Three's a Charm." Next year, Compadres, next year.

As you can seem I can write volumes about Malta. We need to stay away from each other.

If you have the chance to go, then do so. You can get there relatively inexpensively, but it will take work to be cheap while you are there. I will post more... I promise. There is an awful lot of cool stuff packed into a very small area.

I recall addressing this in another topic thread... oh well... I learned fencing & got rather good at it. I was somehow labeled the Guy To Beat. Once you are stuck with that label, you have to get good real fast. Sadly, since moving out to the 'burbs several years ago I have not found a class out here... so I am rusty at it. Still have all the equipment and knowledge, just need the practice.

Regarding Slush/Foam latex... Patrick, I stand corrected -- your terminology is correct. The thicker (i.e. Superior) foreheads are the foaming latex ones -- not "slush" latex.

Damn, that was a long post. Sorry.

I will add her to my prayers.

Yay! Finally a technology that permits my on-line pics! The photo I posted on the map (currently, I'm the closest to Lake Michigan -- aim for Chicago) is me on a 100-foot wooden gullet on the Mediterranean. My wife says I look a bit "hunchy" in the photo. Sorry... was a bit relaxed, I guess. Merrydeath still seems to be the geographically closest to me. Where are all you Wisconsin pirates?

This happens to me all the time ... probably too often to begin listing here -- but my wife almost always beats me in identifying Where We Saw Them Before. It's fun watching Hagrid in old 007 movies, however. Boromir, too.

"Use it or lose it," yes, that is the problem. That's how I lost my knowledge of Russian, as I was only there a week... but I did fine while there. It does not really explain my command of the Klingon language, however, as I rarely need to use it when, for instance, Christmas Shopping.

In God We Trust

Glad to hear ye found yer QuchDu' (false forehead -- but that was from memory, adn I may have spelled it incorrectly). Was yours a thin latex one, or foamed (thick slush) latex? I have not seen ANY of the latter on eBay. I have two -- one I use for "everyday" Klingon work, the other is still original & untouched... I am saving it for my Klingon priest get-up (for which I need to make a new robe -- although the old one will suffice in case of an emergency Klingon-disruptor wedding). I just spent a half hour trying to find the web photo of me in Klingon garb... alas, it seems to have been removed along with our ship's homepage.

My oldest son (actually my ex-wife's from a previous marriage, which makes him my ex-step-son... I think) is now Over There, in Kuwait on his way to Iraq. Just that.. nothing more to add.

(1) English (2) American Sign Language (3) Spanish (4) Klingon (no, seriously) (5) Russian -- learned much but, by not keeping it up with it I have lost almost all of it, and must re-learn everything. When I drink heavily, my ability to speak Spanish increases... odd. ASL has become my Second Language, as I think in it. It is second nature, and seems more natural and easier to use than English... odder.

I must apologize for being negligent in posting more information. (Rummy PM'd me with a polite reminder kick to the ribs). 'Twould appear a career change is in the winds, and life has rarely been more stressful since I returned from the Mediterranean -- thus my recent lengthy absence. I'll try to make some amends here and now, but I promise there will be more to come. If I start talking about Malta (alas, my wife will likely leave me if I try to carry out my plan to retire there), I will have a hard time stopping. Two trips to Malta, each a week long, two years apart. Sadly, they were business trips involving 16+ hour working days. Thus, the amount of free time available was almost nil. However, I took advantage of every opportunity -- and I succeeded in seeing an awful lot. Both times I stayed in the Malta Hilton, located in Portomaso, St. Julians. This is on the north coast of Malta, roughly 1/3 of the way from its easternmost side. A quick primer to bring the more geographically-challenged up to speed... If you have a 5 Euro note, pull it out and follow along using the map on the back side ...if you do not have a 5 Euro note, well, what kind of modern-day pirate are you?. Italy, as we all know, is a great giant knee-length pirate boot. That Great Giant Pirate Boot is kicking a triangular football (which we call Sicily), and the Sicilian Football is arcing directly over a small pebble -- and that pebble we affectionately call Malta. The country of Malta is made up of five islands -- the largest two are Malta (17 miles long) and Gozo (9 miles across). 33 people live on the small island of Comino, and the other two are uninhabited. I can tell you so much more (I have actually written a book on the subject), but if you are really interested, there is a ton of info available on the web, for instance, the map on this page. But this is not the place. Of great historical note, open your Bible to the Book of Acts, Chapter 28. In the year AD 60, the Apostle Paul, while en route to stand trial in Rome as a political rebel, was shipwrecked on an island. Lightning, storm, high waves, horrible doom, yet Paul calmed the crew, telling them that they were in the hands of God, when their ship was dashed to pieces upon the rocks... Wait... Luke tells it much better: "And when they were escaped, then they knew that the island was called Melita." Melita is the ancient name for Malta -- meaning "island of honey" because of the abundant golden limestone. This limestone is the common building material used for virtuallyall the construction on the island. Almost everything is built out of the same golden blocks. Again... I must master the ability to post photos... Oh, back to the Bible. Paul's preaching the Gospel to the "Barbarians" of Malta (as well as to its Roman Governor Publius... Homework for today: say the name "Publius" out loud and try not to giggle) resulted in Malta being the first country to turn to Christianity. Enough of history for now... Bilgemunkey -- you were in Malta? Damn -- I wish I knew that when we met, I would have loved to talk more about it with you. [Off the subject -- I have a GREAT photo of you and Skorjorfordborston from Oshkosh... PM me and I will send you a copy]. Speaking of bars (Bilgemunkey brought up the subject), Paceville is immediately adjacent to the Malta Hilton hotel, and on weekend nights, thousands (I exaggerate not) of teens and young adults pack the streets and the innumerable local bars for drinking, carousing, partying and making out... and publicly urinating. Think Mardi Gras without the beads and boob flashing (at least none that I saw), and remove everyone older than 30. That's a weekend night in Paceville. As far as "special drinks" are concerned, the prickly pear cactus grows wild all over the island. Interestingly, this plant is not native to the Mediterranean, but rather was imported from the Americas. (Yes -- I hear you: "What has this to do with drinking, Cap'n Straw? Gads, ye do so ramble on, and thou doest tax our patience anon..." My point: there is a soft drink called Kinnie which is made partially from the prickly pear fruit. It is rather bitter... think weak Pepsi, with some tonic water, and a hint of citrus. Horrid stuff when you first arrive (immediately you think of using it as a mixer in a stronger drink), but by the end of a week you are ordering it with every meal. ... But real drinkers will order Cisk. This is the native bottled lager. To me, however, yellow beer is yellow beer -- thus, I was not rather fond of it. And as British influences remain throughout the island (they ruled Malta for 100 years), Guinness is on tap in virtually every bar. Can ye guess what I drank? Even the 24-hour internet cafe/arcade in Paceville served Guinness until midnight (until 1 AM on Saturday nights!), and there is another al fresco bar that serves it 24 hours. There are also a variety of Maltese wines, which are prized by conoisseurs. But I gave up trying to be pretentious years ago, and stuck to the Guinness. If I go back, I will try to drink a lot more so as to provide you all with a better Guide to Getting Drunk in Malta. So... I have a gadjillion anecdotes, and over 500 pictures. Over half the pictures are work crap (it was actually a Middle East Peace Conference). If not earlier, my tech-whiz son (he is 14, so he has bionic computer implants like every teenager these days) will assist me in uploading some pics over the Xmas break. I did NOT see the Mosta Dome (in fact, I had to Google it to remember what you are talking about)... But I saw two of the five world's oldest buildings: the Hagar Qim and Mnajdra temples. I attended two private concerts in the glorious Manoel Theatre; visited the Maritime Museum; visited the Armoury (museum of ancient armor and weapons -- once perhaps the richest collection of its type, until someone named "Napoleon" got sticky fingers and much of its treasures suspiciously disappeared); visited the Inquisitor's Palace; Ate dinner in the Grand Hall of the Old Knight's Hospital in Valletta; toured St. John's Co-cathedral; drank beer with the locals while watching football (i.e. soccer) in several small pubs; saw the island's abundant fortifications from the sea (an opportunity not to be missed); sailed past the impressive gigantic drydocks; saw the yellow buses, the luzzus (local fishing boats) and gondolas.... Really, there is little left that I did not do. Except visit Malta a third time. I did not do that yet. But, on a return trip, I must see the Blue Grotto; Popeye Village (the Robin Williams movie set that is maintained to this day); a ferry ride and day trip to Gozo; the Tarxien and Ggantija temple complexes (oldest structures known to mankind) ... and several of the other museums that pepper the island. There is also a commercial "Pirate Tour" aboard a wooden ship (Captain Morgan Boat Tours), where you fill yourself with beer while costumed pirates fight to the death in the middle of the Mediterranean -- must do, must do. That's enough for now, folks. I must finish preparing for tonight's Thanksgiving feast, as well as collect my Malta photos to share with my family. If I am counting correctly, this is my post # 1001. Cool.

My Spade (er... what Hooters pictures??)

I just returned from a week (my second trip) to Malta. I was there for a week two years ago. The trip was a deeply emotional one, and I left part of my soul there. I cannot recommend highly enough spending time there, but be warned: it is not cheap. There is so much to say, I do not know where to begin. I wanted to start this new thread to post some of my anecdotes, stories, experiences, pirate/corsair information, etc. The highlights of this recent trip were visits to the oldest man-made standing structures on the planet (1,000 years older than the pyramids!), a cruise on the Mediterranean aboard a 100-foot wooden gullet, a tour through the Inquisitor's Palace... and more. Updates and (I hope!) pictures to come... watch this space...

Disneyland or Disney World? As outlined elsewhere (in a very lengthy post) I was stuck in the PotC ride in Disney World the day it opened. However, I was stuck for well over an hour, but I was (also) on the last boat they pulled all the way through (the ones behind us were pulled out backward). I am only now getting past the horror of hearing "Yo Ho Yo Ho A Pirate's Life For Me" a billion times. However, this happend to me in Florida, and you in California (your profile does not hint at your age, and you would have to be quite older than me). What a small world it would be for both of us to have been in the same boat!

Mrs. Straw got me one fer me birthday (last October)

I was about to start a new forum regarding Malta, but wanted to see if someone else had discussed it first. I searched for "Malta," and the search engine brought me to this thread, but I could not find it in the posts... Having said that, and apropos to this discussion thread, the only place on this planet that even comes close to my short list of places to go is Malta. Give me a week of renewed perspective, and I might come up with a list of more than one location, but having just returned from a week in Malta (the second trip in three years), mateys, I cannot begin to imagine traveling to any other counry again. I have been to Scotland, England, Russia, Canada, South Africa, and all over the U.S. -- but my heart and soul belong in Malta. When the wheels of our plane left the runway, I lost control and cried in deep regret and loss to leave behind something so beloved (although I will carry with me to my grave a physical reminder of Malta). Just an hour ago I got my one-hour photo processing back (batch one: 12 rolls) and cannot believe some of the shots I got of this most beautiful country. ... Sorry, perhaps this all belongs in my other thread (yet to be started) on Malta, but for now my short list has only one location. Oh! I have another one -- Gozo! The second largest of Malta's five islands!

Looking forward to the cherries at the bottom o' me Strawberry Chocolate Mojo martini. That would be: Chill a martini glass in the freezer for 10 minutes, then drizzle with Hershey's chocolate syrup. 2 parts Gordon Vodka 1 part banana liqueur 1 part Godiva chocolate liqueur 3 parts Jumex strawberry nectar Shake over ice, strain, and pour into chocolate-drizzled martini glass. Toss in three cherries. Enjoy. If you write that one down, credit me, as it is my recipe. Helps tide ye over when there's no Guinness in the fridge.

Jumping into the middle of another lyrics quote (sorrry).... "Jesus blows up balloons all day... Sits on the porch swing watching them fly..." I was listening to this on the radio today, and HAD to post it. Some may find this one easy, but out of context, it's bewildering, IMHO.

Without re-reading this whole thread, I presume this movie has been quoted to death, and this particular line is a no-brainer giveaway, but... "Tina! Come get some dinner, you fat lard!"

A very nice table, indeed. I have made a series of 2'x2' wargaming boards, all of which have (land) terrain features and can be put together in a number of ways to create a different playing field each time. In addition, I have a number of (moveable) hills and other terrain quite similar to your islands. But these are for dry land gaming... I had been toying with the idea of making something along these same lines for the PotSM game (i.e., aquatic boards) -- and your posts gave me the inspiration I need (after all, I already have the islands!!). ...Thanks! Now, to the DIY store...

It's all girl-on-girl. Ahhh, I remember the Golden Age of Piracy when roaming bands of lesbian buccaneers sailed the high seas looking for booty. I'll reserve judgement until it's released.