what's your pirate name? in Altered States

Many a year ago (six or seven, I think) I joined some good friends of mine for Mardi Gras on Galveston Island. The Island takes its Mardi Gras celebration seriously… parades throughout the week complete with floats and dancers and high school bands and local fire and police departments. It’s like a gay pride parade but with straight people.

Mardi Gras being in late Feb, early March, you never know what the weather is going to decide to do. That particular year is was rainy and chilly. We opted to spend the day in a bar called the Drunken Monkey, which was along the main parade route. Sometime that evening (we were still very drunk patrons at the Drunken Monkey) they had a Pirate Party. An official, legit, bona-fide pirate club (think Society of Creative Anachronism, or a cosplay group) came to the bar dressed in their finest pirate regalia. Pantaloons, boots, and cleavage abounded. There was a live band that played a mix of 80’s dance music and 70’s rock. Pirates were everywhere, playing pool, drinking blue Jack Sparrow punch, dancing.

Needless to say, I was in heaven. I perched near the cash register at the bar where every pirate in the joint came up to order beverages. I spoke with many pirates that night but I always asked them “So what’s your pirate name?” Some of them were funny, some were fierce, some were silly. (No, I do not remember any of them… I barely remembered my own name that night). They’d inevitably ask what my pirate name was, even though I wasn’t dressed as a pirate. Never could figure it out.

Until today. Six or seven years later, out of the blue, my pirate name came to me.

I dub thee… uh, me.... Mightychest O’Malley!

Once less thing to keep me up at night. Happy Friday-eve everyone. :-)