Ahoy, Mateys!

Grab yer chum bucket and meet me on the poop deck

Published: Monday, September 17, 2012 - 12:13

For those of you looking for a way to emerge from the doldrums of realizing that summer is almost over, I suggest you circle today, Wed., Sept. 19, on your calendar. No, it isn’t the first day of fall; that is Sept. 22. Sure, the leaves turning brilliant colors, sipping cider, and getting sticky-faced from caramel apples are high points of the fall season, but a more important occasion is here, at least in my warped mind: International Talk Like a Pirate Day.

Now what could be more exciting than that?

For you landlubbers who have been unaware of this holiday, today is the 10th anniversary of Talk Like a Pirate Day, and it’s now considered an international event. If you search the Talk Like a Pirate Day website, you’ll see that pirate wannabes are celebrating this day in Rome, Auckland, New Zealand, Tokyo, and of course, in numerous locations throughout the United States, with costume contests and pirate sailings happening at this very moment.

Before we get sidetracked concluding that pirates are evil, Talk Like a Pirate Day is dedicated to the friendly pirates found in most children’s movies. Film flicks such as Muppet Treasure Island, or Scooby-Doo in Pirates Ahoy, or any of the Pirates of the Caribbean adventures present the friendly side of these seagoers. Having said that, let’s return to what makes this day so special.

First of all it gives us pirate wannabes an opportunity to inject some swagger in our conversations. Who can resist greeting friends either on the phone or in person with words such as “ahoy,” “avast,” or “arrr?” If your pirate-speak is a little rusty, the website features pirate pick-up lines, pirate advice from Cap’n Slappy, and of course, an opportunity to subscribe to the Poopdeck newsletter.

So, all you swashbucklers out there, don an eye patch and assume a new identity today. With all the confusion in our troubled world, isn’t a little silliness welcome? I sure think so.

I’m off for a swig of grog along with a pirate’s favorite cookie, Chips Ahoy, then back to scraping the barnacles off the rudder of my skiff. And just for the record, I am almost 98-percent chum free. So shiver me timbers! Arrr!

About The Author

Bill Kalmar

William J. Kalmar has extensive business experience, including service with a Fortune 500 bank and the Michigan Quality Council, of which he served as director from 1993 through 2003. He served on the Board of Overseers of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program and has been a Baldrige examiner. He was also named quality professional of the year by the ASQ Detroit chapter. Now semiretired, Kalmar does freelance writing for several publications. He is a member of the USA Today Vacation Panel, a mystery shopper for several companies, and a frequent presenter and lecturer.