MAVENS OF THE MATEY: If you want to speak like a historical or fictional or famous movie character, you're often required to say several sentences, or at least several words, before the listener begins to grok at what you're getting at. This is definitely not so with pirate-ese, a language subset that boasts many iconic phrases and even sounds and gutteral utterances. So rather than voicing an entire page of dialogue or paragraph before your rapt audience, all you need to do is say "arrrr" or "matey" and people get what you're getting at: You're a pirate. This ease of expression has led to "Talk Like a Pirate Day," a September observance which actually kind of gets observed, like, a whole heck of a lot. We may not stop to pay homage to Ham Sandwich Day or Nectarine Tart Day as much as we should, but we'll wager a very large number of people attempt an "avast" or two during the pirate-themed holiday. If this is you, and you own a tri-cornered hat, and maybe a handsome pair of breeches and tights and buckled shoes, then best adjust your mast and set sail for San Diego and Seaport Village. Saturday, Sept. 19 is the day for all the "arrr"-ing you want to fit in for the year, and the water-snug spot is the place.
LANDLUBBERS DAY... is the name of the gathering, and the dramatic to-dos shall be plentiful, from a "Talk Like a Pirate" contest to pirate-themed music (best brush up on your shanty-singing) to a "Bitty Buccaneers" arts and crafts station. Can you buy beverages and food in the area? Aye, you can, though we'll suspect they're not the sort of pirate-y vittles you might have enjoyed after four months at sea. Shall there be buskers about, including the sword-swalling Murragan the Mystic? Aye again; the street-wow acts are what give a nautical confab much of its character. Is it free to attend? So many ayes -- it is. But check this, landlubbies: If you wear a costume and pull your proverbial boat into port on the early side, you could nab a ten-buck gift certificate to Seaport Village. The first 50 pirates in full regalia will. So now is absolutely the moment to purchase that tri-cornered hat you've been pondering. Arrrr you going to buy it?
