A Pirates Life for these four dudes

So, Gawker has turned me on to these guys:

Now will you look at this, what a thing, four fellas have decided to sail around the world, being pirates, on a boat called "Your Mom," and it will all be a big adventure if nothing else, amirite? The only thing they didn't consider: while they're making "booty" by selling t-shirts and also, who knows, maybe by literally manufacturing booty from a shipboard matter fabricator, they're sailing right into the hands of the REAL pirates, who are mighty pissed off right now.

They definitely get a post because of their mission statement, from The Pirates Life:

Many have asked "Are for real? Do you really plan to leave?" I feel I needed to answer. If you have any other questions please use the contact form and ask.

Our intentions are to cast off from the docks to circumnavigate the globe on our sailboat named "Your Mom". You do want to watch as we board "Your Mom" and ride her all around the world don't you? We have no preconceived notions of breaking records like some do. We give the people that challenge those records the up most respect for being complete badasses but in all seriousness we're just too lazy for that. Our plan will be much the opposite. Living as sailing nomads that float from one adventure to the next without being constrained by schedules and time like we're so accustomed to here in the United States.

We're simply trying to do something that we've always wanted to do - to see places in the world that we have dreamed of instead of working everyday just to maintain our status in a society that tells us what to think, how to act, and that we will never have enough. Each of us have our own reasons personally for deciding to make the voyage - reasons you can learn about by looking through our personal logs or by reading more on the crew. We hope that you get to know us by visiting the website often. You'll be able to read our logs, look at videos, pictures, send us mail, and even keep track of us by watching our satellite tracker on the map.

In the Booty section you can help to support the adventure by purchasing our T-shirts. I'm positive you'll find them to your liking. Humorous they are...

Remember, we've put up this website because we realize that many people wish they could take on this adventure themselves, but for one reason or another they aren't able to. Consider this venue your spot aboard "Your Mom". Your way to be apart of every adventure, ridiculous idea, screw up, and every awesome time we will have. We hope that you'll get involved and send us messages. From time to time we will have contests that allow some of our "Fans" to join us on the boat for a week at a time. Wouldn't you dig flying into a random incredible place to meet us at the docks? So please share our dream with as many as possible, pillage our booty, and become our friends.

- Chris

I will keep you posted, dear readers, as more develops...

Pirates on Social Media- If 1ml people join....

Yesterday, October 31, 2009, this group showed up on my Facebook feed, in the hour that I had joined it, it had not only gone from 900,000 to 1 million, but well over the limit set to ensure that the group's owner's girlfriend would accept in order to allow him to turn their residence into a pirate ship. As of the time I'm writing this some 16 hours later the group has well over 1,100,000 members, and has unmistakably, gone viral.

Here's the description:

The first photo was uploaded on March 13, 2007, and represents blueprints for the "pirate ship house" and obviously over the ensuing two years it has gained some presence, 61 pages of photos, and 306 discussion topics.

Frankly, I want to see what this guys house looks like as a pirate ship, obviously, I'm not alone.

Wife Swap, Professional Organizer vs. Pirate Family

The Baur Pirate Clan takes on the Fine family in last September's season premiere of Wife Swap.
I know, I SHOULD have known this, but life is not always perfect, and I'm making up for it now.

I'm amazed the full episode is on google video, but there it is, linked for your enjoyment.

I'm glad that this show was on, because it truly faces the stereotype that pirates can't be organized, successful pirates are totally organized.

While pirate mom Tori is surprisingly judgemental and Organizer Lisa is flipped out about the fleas that everyone at the pirate house has caught from the dog (yeah, I'm with her, that's where commitment to a period and just plain no starts for me), lives are changed, lessons are learned and we're all a little better for having forced these two groups to intermingle.

The best comments came from the kids (don't they always?):

"Not many of my friends dads get to buy swords and write it off on their taxes... not many of my friends' dads buy swords"

and

"I'm only sassing you 'cause I hate you"

Pirate Fashion: Bazaar

Shot by Douglas Friedman, Bazaar, September 2008.

Pirate DIY at its best

The photos in fashion mags recently, are in my opinion, directly influenced by the Swimming Cities of Switchback Sea and the Miss Rockaway Armada, though certainly I'm not suggesting that magazines borrow other people's ideas intentionally, no, I suggest that they unabashedly steal from whatever seems most hip at the moment.

The Swimming Cities flowed down the Hudson River from Troy, NY to New York City in Late August. Check them out in the New York Times and again here, also here (Miss Rockaway).

Of course, that's just my suggestion.

Anyone who likes what they see here should also check out this interview with Tod Seelie about the Armada Experience on the Mississippi River.