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July 31, 2003
More "Pirates" on the horizon?
I see more "Pirates" research on my horizon...
After my exhaustive recent study into the Western history of gold dental prosthedontics (first developed in 1907, but described in the 1880's in a medical journal, thus not bloody likely for Captain Sparrow), I now feel ready to tackle some more historic research on the Golden Era of Pirates.
For instance, I've discovered that most pirate ships during the time portrayed in the movie were egalitarian, unlike most politics of the time. The captain was chosen by popular vote. (Sparrow does tell the two nerdy Naval officers early in the movie that he was originally made captain in this way.) If that was the case, why the need for a mutiny by Barbossa? If the crew were that much influenced by the evil Barbossa, they could have just un-elected Sparrow rather than marooning him.
The part in the movie about marooning Sparrow on a tiny island with a pistol that carries one shot is actually taken from historical accounts of how pirates dealt with their own rule-breakers. Some of the less-lucky Pirate rule-breakers were shot or hanged instead of marooned. Some Pirate no-no's included bringing a woman on board ship, making advances to an "honest" woman while on shore, or failing to keep one's Pirate arms (usually cutlass and pistol) in good working order.
Pirates actually had pirate disability insurance! If a pirate lost a limb or an eye in the pursuit of their plunder, they were granted a set amount from the general fund.
I may have to view the movie several more times, just to make sure I'm not missing out on any important information that I need to research...
Posted by Jessica at 02:21 PM | Comments (0)
July 30, 2003
Mysterious "crop circle" appears
A crop circle has mysteriously appeared in a local wheatfield.
This is, so far, the only crop circle to have appeared in our local area that I know of. It isn't very elaborate, so maybe there's a learning curve for crop circle construction and our local boys haven't gotten the hang of it, yet. Whatever the origins of this particular formation, it received the attentions of the local press and TV news crews.
(Get out your tin foil caps, folks! The Visitors may be a comin'!)
Posted by Jessica at 03:13 PM | Comments (0)
Shriner Brass Band
The Shrine Brass Band, with star tuba player Brian!
There is no finer man on this earth than a Mason or a Shriner, and these are some of our finest. These men put their hearts and souls into their performances and their charitable works. That shy young wallflower in the red shirt behind the tuba is the star of my world, Brian aka Coragus the Bold.
Posted by Jessica at 12:32 PM | Comments (0)
July 29, 2003
Julip Ambassador to Breyerfest
Moondance was the unofficial (and only, as far as I could tell) Julip ambassador to Breyerfest in 2003!
Having attended Breyerfest from the very first, I can honestly say that I have seen almost every type of horse-related collectible ever made there...except Julips! I thought that Julips should definitely be represented, so I invited Moondance, a plastic "Horse of the Year" model Julip, to accompany me to Breyerfest 2003. I chose Moondance because he was plastic (and thus able to withstand the heat and humidity of Kentucky better than his latex stable-mates) and because, being white in colour, he really stands out in photographs.
Here we see Moondance sampling some local Kentucky cuisine! He was on his way back to the hotel after a gruelling day of shopping and sightseeing (and greeting future Julip fans) at the Kentucky Horse Park.
Posted by Jessica at 10:05 AM | Comments (0)
July 22, 2003
More pirates today!
I can't seem to get enough of pirates, at least, on-screen ones!
I guess our fruitless search for pirates in Penzance was not for naught, we at last have as many pirates as we could wish for. Or, at least, these two pirates should be enough for any red-blooded daughter of the Goddess! Even one of them would be quite enough...
Posted by Jessica at 09:34 AM | Comments (0)
July 17, 2003
The Weathering Continent
The soon-to-be released DVD, "The Weathering Continent."
I have waited for this DVD to be released for a looong time, and it is set for July 29th. It concerns three travellers who are journeying together across a waste land. I've seen some of the artwork from the anime, it is quite visually stunning.
Posted by Jessica at 02:07 PM | Comments (0)
July 15, 2003
Jolly Rogers
This swashbuckling duo is featured in the same pirate movie as the monkey - except the monkey's on the side of the evil, nasty skeletor pirates.
These two pirates are (mostly) on the heroic side. Well, maybe the Depp one isn't sometimes. But then again, he might be. Or both. Yo yo ho, does even he know? Action, romance, historical costumes galore - I don't need a bottle of rum to figure out that I might be highly entertained by this movie!
Posted by Jessica at 10:34 AM | Comments (0)
July 14, 2003
"Monkeys are funny!"
According to Brian, nothing is funnier than a monkey!
Except, maybe, a monkey wearing a little fez! Unfortunately, this little monkey isn't a Shriner, he's a pirate! Still, I'm sure it's quite an amusing little monkey. I haven't seen the movie, yet, but I saw the monkey's costume was being sold on eBay last week. (Monkey not included.)
Posted by Jessica at 02:23 PM | Comments (0)
July 09, 2003
Romantic Wedding
Isn't this the most romantic setting for a lovely wedding kiss?
This was truly the most wonderful wedding and the reception was the most beautiful I have ever attended. The groom was quite a catch - but, so am I, so we're both lucky!
Posted by Jessica at 01:35 PM | Comments (0)
July 08, 2003
Dartmoor Ponies
Dartmoor Ponies
We saw a few Dartmoor Ponies as we travelled through the moor. I wondered why there were so many pinto-colored ones. I had always thought that Dartmoor Ponies would be bay, brown or black - at least, they are supposed to be. Most of the ponies we saw were pinto, we saw some greys and duns, too. Almost none of them had the "native pony" look, they were very clean-limbed.
Upon doing some research, I discovered that the Dartmoor Ponies are considered monetarily almost worthless by the farmers who breed them. The "native pony" types, the bays, browns and blacks with the hairy legs and chins just don't sell well. In fact, they were, in recent years, often sold at auction for "four for a guinea." That's about fifty or sixty cents apiece! Recently, the minimum auction price was set at 8 pounds per head, but this is still ridiculously low.
Over the past winter, the local government has found some severely malnourished ponies that had to be rescued from their owners and nursed back to care. Also recently, the local government has had permission to shoot excess free-roaming ponies because no homes can be found for them!
By all accounts, the Dartmoor Ponies are friendly and tractable, with excellent dispositions which make them suitable as a child's riding pony or a driving pony, or even just a best "pony friend!"
According to a website set up to promote the Dartmoor Ponies, many farmers have found that they can get better prices for the "coloured" (pinto) ponies than the solid-colored ones. Therefore, they are breeding their mares to pinto stallions. This is why we saw so many piebalds and skewbalds on our visit.
Visit the website www.dartmoorhillpony.com to find out more about how you can help the ponies of the moor.
Posted by Jessica at 04:06 PM | Comments (1)
July 07, 2003
Tintagel
The mythological site of the conception of the fabled King Arthur...
We didn't find any knights, but did see a number of people engaged in quests of their own. This is a spectacular site, from the "island" it seems very remote from mundane reality. One can explore Roman ruins, monastic ruins, fortifications, and the remains of a chapel. The wind is quite blustery, and small ground-covering flowers dot the landscape in May. The effect is quite beautiful and evokes a sense of the ancient world that is tangible, yet fleeting.
Posted by Jessica at 10:32 AM | Comments (0)
July 03, 2003
Pirates Found in Penzance
Finally...some honest-to-goodness actual pirates!
Try as we might, we could never locate an actual pirate during our visit to Penzance, though we scoured the city for hours, searching. The closest we ever came to a real pirate was a mural on the side of a restaurant. We left without catching a glimpse of even one hearty matey. Well, here they are at last! I discovered them enjoying a game of rugby on one of their days off from pillaging the countryside. They look like fairly nice chaps, too. Yo, ho ho!
Posted by Jessica at 11:36 AM | Comments (0)
July 02, 2003
Narsus thinking
Narsus, the great wit and wisdom of the Parsian Realm, sits thinking up a new plan to install Arslan on the throne, while saving the Known World in the process.
Despite his unorthodox appearance, Narsus has never seemed to want to draw attention to himself. Upon being fired from his position, he retreated to a secluded house in the woods in order to paint still lifes.
Posted by Jessica at 10:31 AM | Comments (0)
July 01, 2003
Lizards Invade Penzance
A gigantic serpent, as well as the lizard pictured here, invaded Penzance over the Midsummer Golowan holiday.
The festivities of Mazey Day found this lizard enjoying some holiday amusement in Penzance. It was accompanied by an equally gigantic double-headed green serpent. Over 70,000 people were witnesses to this historic event. It was not noted at press time whether the Malfoys were in attendance.
Posted by Jessica at 10:42 AM | Comments (0)