OK, I have to level with you. I liked Pirates of the Caribbean a *lot*. But my wife liked it so much, she not only saw it roughly 20 times in the theaters, it has become the new basis of her lifestyle. She actually dresses more piratically now. She'd talk like a pirate except that she already talks like a Hungarian.

Anyway, there has basically been a complete and utter inundation of all things piratical in this household since we returned to America and saw what has become The Movie. We quote it incessantly. This has become such a completely overpowering influence that, I kid you not, I left the theater after seeing Return of the King with the distinct impression that what it most lacked was pirates.

I'm hoping this effect will wear off at some point. I really like movies, and if I'm going to be mildly disappointed by every other movie that it wasn't Pirates of the Caribbean, that will blow.

So, just in case you actually haven't seen Pirates of the Caribbean, at least one reviewer thinks you definitely should.

Now that my wife has finished her doctorate in theoretical physics, our next plan is to build a brigantine and embark on a life of piracy, or at least treasure hunting. My own plan is a twin-hulled brigantine: the additional stability of the twin-hull catamaran design, plus the ineffable coolness of a tall ship. I'm there.