For those of you looking for a way to emerge from the doldrums of realizing that summer is almost over, I suggest you circle today, Wed., Sept. 19, on your calendar. No, it isn’t the first day of fall; that is Sept. 22. Sure, the leaves turning brilliant colors, sipping cider, and getting sticky-faced from caramel apples are high points of the fall season, but a more important occasion is here, at least in my warped mind: International Talk Like a Pirate Day.

Now what could be more exciting than that?

For you landlubbers who have been unaware of this holiday, today is the 10th anniversary of Talk Like a Pirate Day, and it’s now considered an international event. If you search the Talk Like a Pirate Day website, you’ll see that pirate wannabes are celebrating this day in Rome, Auckland, New Zealand, Tokyo, and of course, in numerous locations throughout the United States, with costume contests and pirate sailings happening at this very moment.

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