The Dread Pirate Brody's Real Name?

My pirate name is:

Mad Bess Flint

Every pirate is a little bit crazy. You, though, are more than just a little bit. Like the rock flint, you're hard and sharp. But, also like flint, you're easily chipped, and sparky. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

So my original pirate name (back in '02 when only the fiercest of us had even heard of TLAP Day) was The Dread Pirate Brody (long story) but I guess Mad Bess Flint has a certain ring to it. Maybe Mad Bess Flint Brody works. Go ahead and take the quiz and let me know your own pirate name!

Happy Pirateering To All And To All A Sword Fight!*

*Yes, I just coined that phrase. Consider it my own personal trademark.

Because It Nev-arrrrgh Gets Old

HAPPY TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY!
http://www.talklikeapirate.com

The Dread Pirate Brody's Official Pirate Day Archives:
2006 (The Best of Movie Pirates)
2003 (Pirate Jokes)
2002 (The DB article that started it all)

I was a pirate before pirates were cool.

Yo, Ho! Yo, Ho! A Pirate's Life For Me!

Ahoy there mateys! It be a wonderful time of year once more! Yarrr today be "Talk Like A Pirate Day" again! So whether ye be a buccaneer, a privateer or just another scurvy deck swab here's a top ten tribute to great pirates of the silver screen!

10, 9 and 8) Name: The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything
Film: Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie
Actors: Larry the Cucumber, Mr. Lunt, Pa Grape
Memorable Pirate Moment: None ...there's a reason they're called The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything
Memorable Pirate Quote: "We are The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything.....and if you ask us, to do anything, we'll just tell you, we don't do anything."
Jolly Roger Rating: 2 - Yarr, they got the right clothes 'n every sailor knows singin' be the key to unity on deck but these salty dogs lose plenty o' points for not doing anything!


7) Name: Blackbeard
Film: Blackbeard's Ghost
Actor: Peter Ustinov
Memorable Pirate Moment: Uhhhh... That would require me having seen this movie in the past decade and a half. Used to watch it a lot as a kid. Yes, my pirate fascination started early.
Memorable Pirate Quote: See Pirate Moment
Jolly Roger Rating: 6.5 - Ahoy! He be a pirate and a ghost and with a name like Blackbeard ye can be bettin' that he's a fiercesome fellow!

6) Name: The Pirate King
Film: The Pirates of Penzance
Actor: Kevin Kline
Memorable Pirate Moments: Swashbuckling, Pillaging, Trickery and of course Singing!
Memorable Pirate Quote: "But I’ll be true to the song I sing, and live and die a Pirate King. For I am a Pirate King! And it is, it is a glorious thing to be a Pirate King!"
Jolly Roger Rating: 7 - Mess with this King and he'll make ye walk the plank!



4) Name: Captain Hook
Films: Peter Pan (several versions) and Hook
Actor: Dustin Hoffman (in Hook), Jason Issacs (in the 2003 Peter Pan)
Memorable Pirate Moment: Any of many sword fights with Peter Pan
Memorable Pirate Quote: "He'll crow. He'll fight. He'll fly. And then... he'll die." (from Hook)
Jolly Roger Rating: 7.5 - Shiver me timbers, Captain Hook be a villianous scab of a pirate if ever there was one!

5) Name: Aragorn
Films: Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Actor: Viggo Mortensen
Memorable Pirate Moment: Some may argue that Aragorn is not technically a pirate but the same way actors can win oscars or emmys for minute long scenes in films (*cough cough Judi Dench cough cough*) I'm adding 'Gorny to the list because of his kick-ass swordplay and also the awesome scene in RoTK where he and the army of the dead commandeer Sauron's ships! Now that's Pirate-style!
Memorable Pirate Quote: "What say you?" (To the army of the dead - with the right accent it's very Pirate-ese)
Jolly Roger Rating: 8 - Avast ye mateys here be a leader fit for the seven seas!


3) Name: The Dread Pirate Roberts
Film: The Princess Bride
Actor: Cary Elwes (and for one scene Andre the Giant)
Memorable Pirate Moment: Climbing the Cliffs of Insanity or Storming the Castle Gates (tie)
Memorable Pirate Quote: "Good night, Westley. Good work. Sleep well. I'll most likely kill you in the morning."
Jolly Roger Rating: 8.5 - Here be the true secret of infamous pirateering: "Roberts had grown so rich, he wanted to retire. He took me to his cabin and he told me his secret. 'I am not the Dread Pirate Roberts' he said. 'My name is Ryan; I inherited the ship from the previous Dread Pirate Roberts, just as you will inherit it from me. The man I inherited it from is not the real Dread Pirate Roberts either. His name was Cummerbund. The real Roberts has been retired 15 years and living like a king in Patagonia.'"

2) Name: One-Eyed Willie
Film: The Goonies
Actor: Senor Skeleton?
Memorable Pirate Moment: He set all those awesome boowy twaps! (You mean booby traps? That's what I said, those awesome boowy twaps!)
Memorable Pirate Quote: Okay so he never actually talks in the film but as Mikey Walsh says, "You know something, Willie? You're the first Goonie."
Jolly Roger Rating: 9.5 - Crack open a chest of dubloons cause Willy here be a pirate of the highest caliberrr.

And who could be a more obvious choice to sail to the number one slot than the master of two great pirate films - soon to grant us the treasure of a third - harr harr, the winner of me pirate movie tribute be non other than....

1) Name: Jack Sparrow
Films: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Dead Man's Chest and coming soon At World's End
Actor: Johnny Depp
Memorable Pirate Moment: Too many to count!
Memorable Pirate Quote: "Captain... Captain Jack Sparrow."
Jolly Roger Rating: 10 - Yo, Ho! Yo, Ho! A Pirate's Life For Me! Drink up me hearties yo, ho!

LoL#44: Happy New Monkey Year!

Before I say anything, it's time for some shoutouts!!!! First to Chriskapher and Skirv Dog - I figure I'd go ahead and add y'all to my list of monthly lisa updates (LoL = Lisa on Life or Life of Lisa or Lisa Online or something like that). Be warned that it's as random as I am but if you like what you read check out the archive - ****edit: http://bloggerarrow.blogspot.com ***** - and see what you missed. On the other hand, if you find this to be an annoyance to your daily life and consider it to be one more piece of meaningless spam, let me know that too and you can get off the list. Next shoutouts go to the January birthday people and while I'm at it I'll go ahead and mention the Feb's too so that if I've forgotten anyone (and I'm sure I have - DOH!) you can let me know and you'll get a s.o. in February. So let's see that's James L, Igor K, Heidi E, Katie B, Danny S, and my sweetie Tony G (who'll be blushing now that I called him "my sweetie" - hee hee).

So......Happy New Year because this is the first LoL of 2004 (yes it really is already 2004!!) and Happy New Monkey Year because a week ago was Chinese New Year and it's the Year of the Monkey!! Like many of you other soon to be 24-year olds I was born in 1980 also a Year of the Monkey and supposedly it's a good luck thing to be born under that sign. Am I lucky? Sure. Am I any luckier than the myriad of people I know also born in that same year? Nah. But I figure monkeys usually sybolize fun, silly, clever creativty so let's just say heck with any horoscope superstitions and we can all just have a Monkey kind of year. Besides, my year was off to a rather chaotic start (got mono, missed two weeks of work, my dog got killed by a hit and run driver...) so hopefully now that it's the New MONKEY Year things will be a little more "normal".

But back to the subject of the new year, I was looking back at last January and I realized that I actually was fairly successful at all three of my New Year's Resolutions. I figured that after a year like that I deserved a break so I immediately resolved not to make any New Year's resolutions and then got mad at myself for failing already. But seriously, what is it about the new year that makes people so anxious for change? Is it the whole "turning over a new leaf" deal? I cringe everytime I hear people invoke that analogy. There's something inherently foolish about believing that a new day week or year can simply erase the previous. The difference between 2003 and 2004 is a simple case of 24 hours. There really is no magic in the ball dropping over Times Square (although there is something decidedly suspicious about Mr Fountain of Youth, Dick Clark...). Perhaps the whole resolution mess can be attributed to the curse of saying "there's always next year". Aside from the Cubs fans that still want a price on Steve Bartman's head, is this really something anyone should say? Don't try again next year, do something NOW! Life's too short. Maybe the audition, the game, the test, is next year, but ask yourself, what can I do for it now? New Year's Resolutions have to be about an attitude change and you'd better believe that the dead of winter could be one of the most challenging times to initiate changes within ourselves. Why not have Mid-Year resolutions? The summer sun would be a much more encouraging time to decide to start a new hobby and what better motivator for breaking a bad habit than the increasing hours of daylight in May and June?

As for me, I'm not really resolving to change anything about myself right now. Yeah I could go down the same list as everyone - healthier food, more excercise, less caffeine, saner thinking - but with the exception of actually eliminating my entire caffeine consumption (which, trust me, AIN'T gonna happen!), none of these goals can ever be actualized. There will always be a healthier diet, there will always be a few more pounds to shed, there will always be saner thoughts than those that I think. Is it all fruitless? Meaningless? Nah. Goals have purpose but they're so much easier to grasp daily or even weekly. Monthly, maybe, if you're really ambitious - but a yearly thing? Are we in that much of hurry to get through life???

So, you ask, what IS lisa looking for this year??

In a word, ADVENTURE!!!! Not adventure as in lisa's life as a Jerry Bruckheimer film (although Pirates of the Carribbean would be cool... YARR!!), I mean adventure as in new experiences. I'm not planning any world traveling. I'm not even planning any in the country traveling. But there resides inside me a desperate fear of the static and mundane. In my book "routine" should be a four letter word! I'm looking back at 2003 and the year held a lot of firsts. Meeting new people, doing new things, learning new skills, reading new books, hearing new bands, trying new foods, going new places - a whole hodgepodge of experiences that I had previously never experienced! Some of you may read this and be further convinced of my mental instability. You see nothing pleasurable about The New and The Different and may attribute this whole rant to the fact that I've been cooped up with mono for too long. But I'm the kind who never orders the same menu item twice (unless it's coconut shrimp....) - I thrive on the chaos of unpredicability. I'm hoping that 2004 will be as thrilling as 03 and I fully intend to do everything in my power to make it so!

Here's hoping that this year's adventures will include you and if not, may you have plenty of your own!


Adventurefully Yours,

lisa :)


p.s. To S.P. who's right there with me - and encouraging me - to try anything once!! You really are the kind of friend that makes life more fun!!

LoL#40: Avast Ye LoL-readers!

Yarrr!!

I don't be havin much time to say as much as I'd like, but I was needin to let all you scurrvy dawgs know that today be a very special holiday! Shiver me timbers! September 19th be Talk Like A Pirate Day!!!

http://www.talklikeapirate.com

As a special Talk Like A Pirate Day treat I give you Pirate Riddles from the amazing Captain No Beard:

QUESTIONS (answers below):


10. Why couldn’t the little pirate get into the pirate movie?

9. What is a pirate’s least favorite physical condition?

8. What former LA Lakers star was the pirates’ all-time favorite?

7. Of the ghosts that appear to Ebenezer Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol," which do pirates prefer?

6. How does a pirate quit smoking?

5. Which Star Wars character do pirates love?

4. Where do pirates store their gym clothes?

3. Where is the favorite destination for pirates to dock their ships?

2. Which young pirate enjoyed skipping his classes all of the time?

1. Where on a ship can you find the place where pirates use the restroom?



ANSWERS:

10. The film was rated ARRRR!

9. A sunken chest.

8. Kareem Abdul-JabARRRR.

7. Jacob MARRRley.

6. He uses the patch.

5. ARRR-2D2

4. In Davey Jones’ locker.

3. ARRRgentina

2. Captain Hooky

1. The poop deck.



Piratefully Yours,

The Dread Pirate Brody :)

LoL #6: Over and Out Day

Happy Over and Out Day!!

In the tradition of pointless, frivilous, unofficial holidays (I hope everyone had some fun on "Talk like a Pirate Day") I want to let you all know that today is officially Over and Out Day!! I don't know who first claimed it as an official unofficial holiday (?) but I first heard about it from my super spiffy former roomie Lauren. See it's Over and Out Day because it's October 4th....10/4...get it?? Ten Four Over and Out????

Okay so it's lame but it's also fun and kind of amusing. In fact just for the insanity of it everyone should talk on a walkie talkie at some time today. Or since that's a bit challenging just make a cell phone call and pretend you're on a walkie talkie (throw in a few alpha bravo charlie's and you'll sound really cool).

Now unfortunately Over and Out Day might be the most amusing part of this e-mail (sorry, Karrie the Oktoberfest hilarity and the Boxer Boogie just can't be described in words) cause with a couple exceptions I've had a rather mellow week. But before I go into all that it's shoutout time:

First a shoutout to the super spiffy Mike B who turns 23 tomorrow!! And Happy Birthday wishes also go out to the way cool Heather M whose birthday is sometime in the first couple weeks of October (my apologies for not remembering the exact day!). And also a super spiffy random shoutout to the wonderfully sunshiney Jacklyn D! And one more shoutout to anyone who likes Chuay Ghan better than Sook Jai or even knows what the heck Chuay Ghan and Sook Jai are.

DUDE - the coolest song just came on the radio. It's "Shiny Happy People" by REM. One of those songs that you just can't help smile at. :) Random fact is that I actually listed this as my most favorite song when I was in 6th grade. I have no idea why I remember that but it's a way fun song from back when REM was a fun pop bubblegum style band and before they got freaky and Michael Stipe lost all his hair. Just Kidding. I still like REM. Always have and probably always will. But yeah 6th grade....LONG TIME AGO. 1991 or 92....dude I feel old now. The weird thing too is that this gives me the perfect transition to what I really wanted the whole point of this e-mail to be. I think I'm turning back into a 22-year old version of my junior high self.

6th grade Lisa:
favorite movie: The Goonies
favorite band: REM
favorite food: Mexican or Italian
favorite fast food: Taco Bell
favorite free time activities: reading, running, rollerskating, hanging out with friends
favorite subject: science
life's ambition: become a doctor

So maybe REM's not topping the charts as my favorite anymore but everything else is the same and over the past month I've decided that I've returned to my junior high ambition and do want to go to med school. I think I only quasi know what I'm getting into (this goes with the decisions I mentioned in the last e-mail) cause it's gonna be a pretty major commitment that's gonna affect all my life circumstances for the next 5-10 years or so (time, money, relationships, work situation, living arrangements, etc.). But yeah, it's been a long time coming and it's time for me to just admit that it's what I should be doing and not panic about how it's gonna happen or if it's even feasible. First step - MCAT in April. Six months away.

Anywho, I guess it's time for me to make good on the promise too that I said this would be a shorter e-mail. And I know it's really not THAT short, but I could ramble on much longer here and to prove that this is shorter than it could be I won't include a p.s.

10-4,

lisa :)
(a.k.a. lola igloo simon alpha)





p.s. I lied. It just didn't seem right signing without one. Love to all y'all!!

LoL#4: Dave Barry, The Clubs, & Red Fusion

Another week another crazy mass e-mail from me! I've once again updated my address book which means that there are new people added to this list who have no clue what they're getting into.

[To recap: LoL = "Life of Lisa" or "Lisa on Life" and it's my crazy once a week or so update consisting of random quasi-pointless rambling on anything, everything or nothing that's going on in my life (or lack thereof). "Subscriptions" (?) can be added or canceled at anytime by simply e-mailing me with the request of "Attempt to Amuse Me" or "Please stop inundating me with your insanity".]

That's what you're getting (or have unwillingly gotten yourself) into. Here's this week's insanity:

So I was reading a Dave Barry article in the Chicago Tribune Magazine the other day (my new favorite part of the Sunday paper) and it was one of the funniest Dave Barry's I've read in a long time. First of all Dave Barry just cracks me up. Maybe that's why I started this whole rambling insanity thing in the first place - an ultimate attempt to find amusement in the overly ordinary. :) But anyway the article centered around the fact that two guys invented a holiday for September 19th. Seeing as how this day is tomorrow, I just had to share with you all wishes for a very happy "Talk Like A Pirate Day". Here's a link to the story if anyone wants to read it.

http://www1.dailycamera.com/bdc/community/article/0,1713,BDC_2404_1401011,00.html

And you probably have to cut and paste that cause I don't know if the link came through. It's really funny though...or else I just need more sleep and less coffee. Actually I'm on a pretty major sugar high today. It was a Journal Club Day. Journal Club is when every other week a bunch of the people on our floor (aka the Cancer Center) get together to hear one of the doctors or PHD students give a presentation on a recent medical journal article relating to cancer research. I definitely won't bore y'all with the details but it really is pretty fascinating stuff. Plus the presenters bring in cookies. (hence the sugar high tie in...that really wasn't a totally unrelated topic jump). Anywho, today one of the women I normally eat lunch with did her presentation (a really cool grad student named Kulsoom) on prostate and breast cancer and a study involving a protein called "trastuzumab". (pronounced: tras-TOO-zoo-mab) Isn't that the coolest word ever?? It's so fun to say!! Your challenge is now to use it in a sentence and you get bonus cool points if you use it on Talk like a Pirate Day. (Avast ye matey I be learnin about trastuzumab today!...or...not.)

Even better than Journal Club though is Dessert Club. Every thursday someone in our lunch group brings dessert for our entire table. Requirements are that it can be hommade or storebought but t has to be moderatly to sickeningly sweet and chocolate is always a plus! And you people wonder why I love my job... ;)

The only other thing I can think to rant about that sort of goes with my sugar high theme is that I finally tried Dr. Pepper Red Fusion. It's....interesting. And by interesting I mean it tastes sort of like someone got a case of Robitussin and exploded it (napalm style?) in a Dr. Pepper factory. But that's just my opinion. If anyone's a die hard Dr. P fan please try it for yourselves and let me know what you think.

There's a ton more I could say right now cause I had a wonderfully insane weekend and have a bunch more silly stories to share (like why my sister now has a pet turtle named Steve) but I'm gonna cut myself off here and save the rest for another edition which if I'm bored enough might come out later this week. ;)
Til then take care and have a Happy Talk Like A Pirate Day tomorrow!


trastuzumabfully yours,

lisa :)

P.S. DOH!! I forgot the shoutouts!!! Last minute shoutouts to the super spiffy Erika, Colleen, and Maria for sending extra spiffy replys to my last e-mail. You ladies rock!!! And a shoutout to Natalie U too cause I think your long lost twin works in my building - I did a major double take in the cafeteria!