The Junk Drawer

English/Cowboy/Pirate/Mobster Translator by fleur_de_lis

Note: English is listed first. It is assumed that this is everyone's preferred language of communication. English Cowboy Pirate Mobster dead / pushing up daisies / Davy Jones locker / sleep with the fishes manner of death / hanging tree / walk the plank / concrete overshoes insult / yammerin' paleface / filthy, mangy cur / dirty rat another insult / lily livered blowhard / scurvy scallawag / little snitch it's over / caught red-handed / hoist by his own petard / the jig is up toast / belly up to the bar / drink up, me hearties / down the hatch expression / yeehaw / yo ho ho / badda boom, badda bing leader / trail boss / Cap'n / capo jail / hoosegow / brig / slammer liquor / pizen / grog / hooch girl / little lady / buxom miss / main squeeze weapon / six shooter / cutlass / machine gun leave quickly / skedaddle / step lively / move it favorite actor / John Wayne / Johnny Depp / John Travolta (had to keep the John's going) surrender / wave the white flag / strike your colors / put your hands...

Favorite POTC Quotes 2 by fleur_de_lis

Elizabeth: So that's it then? That's the secret, grand adventure of the infamous Jack Sparrow? You spent 3 days lying on a beach drinking rum? Jack: Welcome to the Caribbean, love.

The Raft of the Medusa by fleur_de_lis

The Raft of the Medusa--Theodore Gericault Social Criticism is a loose category used by artists throughout the ages to communicate their outrage over the injustices of their times. This kind of art carries a powerful message and story and my favorite painting of all is Theodore Gericault's Raft of the Medusa, which he painted in 1818. Gericault was a French artist in the Romantic style. No, this style definitely does not deal with themes of love--it comes from the French word roman which means tale, and the Romantic artists told stories of noble deeds, dramatic events, and large scale tragedies. As the story goes, in 1818 the transport ship Medusa sank off the African coast. The officers abandonned the ship in a lifeboat and left the crew of more than 100 to fend as best they could on a raft. For a few days, the officers towed the raft but then cast it adrift. Weeks later, when most of the crew had died of thirst or madness, a passing vessel sighted the raft and brought it into port with...

Swashbuckling for Dummies--Chapters 3-7--and a Recipe by fleur_de_lis

SWASHBUCKLING FOR DUMMIES By Edward Bloodystump Chapter 3- Weapons/Prosthetic Care Sharpen your swords, knives blah, blah, blah...keep your powder dry yadda, yadda, yadda...check chocks on cannons...and on and on.....redo knots on cat o' nine tails fer maximum effect...zzzz...Apply Armor All to peg-leg to avoid warpin' and splittin' etc., etc., stock in spare brass caps for peg-leg......ya knows what to do, do it! Chapter 4- Parroting 1. Provide yer wee beastie with a proper home and a perch topside. 2.Teach yer bird proper piratical talk starting with simple greetings such as ahoy and avast and working up to more complicated insults and catcalls. 3. Once the wee green one has mastered a variety of insults and catcalls it be ready for a song. Me favorite be Chum chuminee, chum chuminee, chum chum chiroo, but there be plenty o' others to choose from. 4. Feed and water 5. Be firm yet affectionate and yer companion will be loyal and true Chapter 5- Crew Selection Ye be a pirate! Yer crew...

8 Days and Counting--Update 5 by fleur_de_lis

Our daughter leaves a week from Sunday. Lots to do between now and then to tie up loose ends-- move out of her house, rearrange her boys' lives, say goodbye to everyone. She will be in state for a couple of weeks and be able to spend Memorial Day with us, but will fly out for Ft. Bragg the next day, and then on to Iraq a couple months later. Something you might not know about long term deployments is that prior to separation from their families soldiers go through a distancing process. They become remote, uncommunicative, and tend to push their families and loved ones away. This is not because they don't love their families and won't miss them terribly--it's a mental process that prepares them for their mission and makes it possible for them to cope with their upcoming separation and focus on the months to come. But even understanding what is going on doesn't make it any easier to see. Pray for our brave men and women in the armed services.

Bird's Eye, Worm's Eye by fleur_de_lis

What do Japanese woodcuts and styrofoam peanuts have in common? They were/are both used as packing materials! The western world first became acquainted with Japanese woodcuts in the 1860's when some of them were discovered in packing crates containing items from Japan, which had just opened it's ports to trade. Western artists became fascinated with not only the world these artists portrayed but also their unique perspective. Some typical examples of Japanese perspective include unusual viewpoints such as a worm's eye view or bird's eye view, tight cropping filled with only a portion of the subject, floating, hazy landscapes, and an angled perspective (like looking from the side of your eye at something). Here are a few great examples of this type of viewpoint: An Eagle Flying Over the Hundred-Thousand Plain--Hiroshige--Birds Eye View Rear View of a Horse--Hiroshige--Worm's Eye View Koshu-Mishima--Hiroshige--Cropping Surugacho--Hiroshige--Floating Suijin Grove, the Uchi river and Sekiya...

Swashbuckling for Dummies--Chapter 2 by fleur_de_lis

SWASHBUCKLING FOR DUMMIES Chapter 2--Piratical Beauty Secrets 1. Expose yerself to salt spray and sun whenever possible to enhance yer weathered complexion . Brown n' leathery be the way to go. 2. Douse your locks with grog twice weekly for that crusty look. 3. Throw those sunglasses overboard! You be needin' to practice your squint anyways! 4. There be no such word as toothbrush! You be needing that yellowed, toothless smile fer the proper fright factor. Hint: Fold a piece o' tinfoil around one o' yer teeth to give yer grin a sparkle. 5. Facial hair--pine tar be holdin' that perfect curl in yer mustache. Flea infested beards be not my choice, but I have several friends who enjoy them. I prefer a slightly scruffy Ryan Seacrest look. 6,Scar care--while ye be rubbin' a little oil on yer cat o' nine tails n' peg-leg, rub a little into yer scars, too. It be a timesaver. 7. Bathin' be fer the prissy n' dandified! Once a year if ye must! In me next chapter I be discussin' proper weapons/prosthetic...

Swashbuckling For Dummies--Chapter 1 by fleur_de_lis

SWASHBUCKLING FOR DUMMIES by EDWARD BLOODYSTUMP Forward Aargh me maties, here be me thoughts and advice on all things piratical from me very own point o' view. I be hopin' this primer be a small help to all pirate wannabes sailin' the choppy waters o' the POTC world in all it's many manifestations. CHAPTER ONE--APPEARANCE It be of prime importance to present the proper piratical appearance. Here be what to wear: 1. Shirt--dirty white, with grimy lace at collar and cuffs. Remember, you be no dandy. Swashbucklin' ain't fer the prissy sort. 2. Jacket/Long Vest (leather)--A burgundy color be nice, a few stains be better. Wine splotches, gravy drips, even a couple o' splatters o' parrot doo-doo be givin' you the proper look. 3. Hat--It be a tricorn o' course in a dark color with a wee bit o' gold braid trim--slightly tarnished. A few salt water stains be givin' it that well-traveled appearance. In a pinch, a kerchief may be worn and knotted...

(A very quick) Update 4--Scrambling by fleur_de_lis

We are scrambling, no longer in limbo, what used to be in the distant future is now only days away. Our daughter got word that she will report for duty on May 20, much sooner than we thought. They will be cutting their training short and possibly be on their way to Iraq in June. Pray for our brave men and women in the armed services.