Beggars and Blighters and Ne'er Do-Well Cads

Avast, matey! (According to crosswordese, that means, "Stop, sir!"). Today is the first entry in the Adventure Eli series, as evidenced by the lovely sketch to the right. If you're upset that it's been a while since I posted, blame that drawing. I couldn't get up the energy to draw it, but I didn't want to post this without it. That's supposed to be a toothpick I'm chewing, by the way. I could never quite make it look right.

So why the adventure theme? Well, last Saturday was Mike Funt's annual Pirate Day. We started the day at the homophonically appropriate Point Dume beach in Malibu. It was really a beautiful beach. I floated in the frigid waters longer than I had thought I would, to the point where touching my skin felt like needles. Mike had an inflatable pirate ship which he took to sea until an unforgiving wave sent him flailing down to Davy Jones (if Davy can be said to exist in the shallows). We were prepared to relaunch the vessel, but a laughing lifeguard told us that inflatables were prohibited. It makes sense, I guess, to keep the kiddies safe, but adults who are just goofing around should be allowed to play, says I!

Up next, a treasure hunt. Mike claims to have buried a treasure under an X of seaweed, and plotted a treasure map to find it. Well, we found the X, but we dug down about two feet and there was no treasure to be found. I expect that this will become something of an urban legend on the beach, and children for generations will talk of the Legend of Mike Funt's Gold.

For lunch, we walked to a seafood restaurant about 2 miles down the beach. This was pitched to us as a leisurely stroll through the sand with some slight climbing. What it actually was was a treacherous climb over craggy rocks as the waves crashed around, threatening our very lives. This was true adventure! We all made it to the restaurant in one piece, if a little shaken. Our Captain, Mike, was kind enough to buy a round of drinks because he felt bad about the ordeal. But it just served to make the whole event more exciting or piratey (though, as someone noted, real pirates would have had a ship to sail to lunch).

The evening ended back at Captain's Quarters (ie- Mike and Bailee's apartment complex rec room), where we ate and drank and played piratey games and watched piratey movies (specifically, Hook). It was a fantastic day and a hell of a lot of fun. Can't wait to see what he's cooked up for next year.

I worry looking over this post that my blog has become a "what did I do last weekend" kind of thing. I apologize for that. And to make sure it doesn't happen again, this weekend Melissa and I are seeing Spamalot at the Ahmanson and catching the new Harry Potter. I realized today that several of the smaller blog entries I would like to post have become Twitter posts recently. Next week, I make a conscious effort to spend more time here, commenting on things like crosswords, public transportation, and the many varieties of idiots I see in Los Angeles. I look forward to it. Until we sail again...

Cheers,

Eli