Avast!

Unlike many of ye scoundrels. me and the lads have been a'celebrating "Talk Like A Pirate Day" for three years now.  But what do I gain from it?

Hard to tell.  But this day celebrates one of my favorite characters and seems intent on teaching the language of the "traditional" pirate, not the more celebrated pirates with British accents and gentlemanly ways.

Worst pirate accents?  A list will follow, but my heart belongs to the one and only "real" pirate from Disney's Treasure Island - none other than Long John Silver,  He could drop his H's (remember Jim "Awkins?) like a limey without sounding pretentious or sophisticated.

Now for a few so-so and nasty pirate accents from the movies:

1. Jack Sparrow- sorry ladies, but the slurred drunken speech is probably accurate, but he has more the mannerisms of a circus carnie than a true pirate.
2. Dread Pirate Roberts- cool accent for the movie Princess Bride - and easier to understand, but the runt never had a cutlass nor a blunderbuss.  Didn't he cry for his Mommy when tortured?
3. Errol Flynn - Captain Black.  Can we say "finishing school?"
4. Captain Hook - Mr Mumbles with a prosthetic hand.  Intimidating as a bag of marshmallows.
5. Jean LaFitte- The Buccaneer.  Yul Brynner was very cad-like, but he even helped Andrew Jackson win the Battle of New Orleans during the second War of Independence - the War of 1812.  Bah!
6. Sinbad the Sailor- Douglas Fairbanks.  Scary in a "don't make me come up there" kind of way.  Great athlete, however.
7. The Crimson Pirate - Burt Lancaster.  Can't obey a skipper who smiles like a toothpaste commercial.  Boo!
8. Pirate Movie - Gena Davisis the baddie.  Considered one of seafaring's worst movies.  Davey Jones is rolling over in his watery grave.
9. Captain Feathersword of the Wiggles - scarier than the above lot as he dances AND tickles.  A multi-tasker if there ever was one.
10. The Pirates of Penzance - well, this wasn't meant to be terrifying, but Kevin Kline and his band sure had a way with the colonial ladies, and any pirate alive (or dead) would have to respect that.

That's it - I'm at a loss for more.  Throw me a few of yours and we'll compare - have a "hearty" day

From Ike-Watch Central

Sebastian, Florida

YAHOO was SO excited about the scoop!  They called their friends from all over, including the Freddie family, both Freddie Mac AND Freddie Mae. 

Yup, good ole FREDDIE MAE.  But what has happened to Fannie?  Could it be both Fannie and Freddie have been the same person all along?!?  Well, since the US Govt will be taking over the operations of these flailing mortgage giants, might as well be.  It won't be long until they are one and the same, probably with a name like Uncle Sammie Mae or Bushie Mae  or even DIS-MAE.

Oddly enough, my wife - whose name is Lottie Mae - didn't get a mention.  Guess she's from the wrong side of the family. 

Great story about a couple of soon-to-be-unemployed CEOs and the future of the mortgage industry ensues.  Read it below and here:  http://www.yahoo.com/?r36=1220668157

A little detail in crude yellow highlights:

We all make mistakes, but Yahoo?!?:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080123/sc_nm/mexico_sacrifice_dc

Ancient Maya scarified boys not virgin girls: study

But nobody caught "scarified" when they meant "sacrificed?!"  I had to search an online dictionary just to be certain.  You can be scarified, but I don't think that's what those ancient Mayas were doing.  And if they were being scarified, it was apparently for a very short duration.  Gruesome article.

My mind is now sacred for life - I mean - "scarred"  for life.  (Maybe it is "sacred" and scarred - at least my knees are scarred.  Whatever...)

Theresa Gail Lussier of TBR and BHB and AR fame has a birthday today!  Wish her well.

OK Guys, Let's light the rest of Teri's candles now...

This is the year you've been waiting for - make it happen. 

Happy 2008!

Sebastian, Florida

Ahhh, the fauna of Florida...

The headline read:

16-foot python bushwhacked by roadside mower in Vero Beach

The above article appeared on the website TCPalm on December 11th.  The incident occurred on a road I drive almost daily - along a two-lane highly traveled north-south route between Sebastian and Vero Beach, Florida.  Seems they ran over yet another large boa as they were maintaining the grass between the canal and highway.

As mentioned above - this was the second 16-footer found along this road in two years.  Between that and the wild boars I think indoor pets are a good idea.

I just can't imagine walking along and seeing something that big snake slithering through the underbrush. Now I understand why there are so few speeders in that stretch of roadway - no one wants to end up off the road in that canal!  I measured it off in my dining room through my kitchen - that was a lot of snake!

Just thought I'd share this bit of what I hope is unusual news.  While you're shoveling snow up north we're fighting for our place near the top of the food chain down here. 

Florida.  This is an interesting place - ya gotta love it!.

Art Blanchet

Image provided by Christopher Montero and David Norman (Copyright 2005-2006) from their website Tropical Trivia 

Sebastian, Florida and Madison, Wisconsin

It's been said there's no such thing a bad publicity.  I don't know, but I found a scenario from Publicity Hound founder and author Joan Stewart that certainly gives every one of us the opportunity to test that postulation ourselves.

Joan sends me an emailed tip sheet and maintains an informative blog.  In both this week she included a link to an Investigating Reporter's report of nasty housekeeping practices in several major hotels that needed to be addressed.  Even when shoved in their faces, it was mostly ignored by the guilty parties and left out there dangling in a very ugly breeze of bad publicity.

Joan decided to ask for comments as to what any of us would do to address the issue if WE were approached with such damning evidence.  She even made a contest out of it.

I have included the video AND added my response as the first comment to this blog.  What I want you to do is consider something like this happened to a business you owned or managed.  A real estate-related business, perhaps?  What would you say to the press? 

Can you see how sometimes an ant (in this case, the housekeeping staff) can drag down an elephant (the hotel chain) if left unchecked.  In life,  love, and business, the little things are indeed the big things.

Art Blanchet

Bill Quigley

Your Home-Your Money

Green Bay, Wisconsin and points south

Only four quarterbacks in 54 years have been named Sports Illustrated "Sportsman of the Year" - this year it's Brett Favre of the Green Bay Packers.  Catch the story at SI here.

The story is not all about Brett Favre winning football games, it's about his leadership and teamwork.  It's about making those around you better through example.  Through study.  Through hard work. Through praising everyone when things go well - and blaming no one when they don't. 

And other things...Here's a quote from the article, so articulately composed by Alan Shipnuck:

"It is for his perseverance and his passion that SI honors Favre with the 54th Sportsman of the Year award. But there is more to his story than on-field heroics. On game day the whole of Green Bay may live and die on Favre's rocket right arm, but his greatest legacy lies in how many people he has touched between Sundays."

How many people do we touch between Sundays?  What do I do?

Congratulations to Brett Favre and to the lucky recipients of his commitment to excellence and character - the Green Bay Packers and their millions of fans. 

This has been a tough year in the real estate industry - our industry - and fingers are still being pointed as to where to place the blame.  We're searching for a scapegoat.  We need to stop it, stand up, and focus our gaze inwardly.  I think we could all be better at what we do and how we live  - even just a little - if we plug ourselves in and lengthen our stride. 

You work on you, I'll work on me.

Art Blanchet

Your Home-Your Money