In Praise of Playmobil

First off, I need to silently swear at Britt for making me think the word "totes". I am struggling to keep it from creeping into my vernacular because I do not understand its etymology and feel I am too old to start adding things that totes don't make sense to me. I'll stick to my tried (tired) and true "dude", thanks.

So. Dude. I got this Playmobil pirate ship for Sullivan for Christmas. This thing is so lipsmacking awesome. It has tons of little pieces and the cleanest, happiest pirates that you will ever encounter. For the last two nights I've been playing with it while Sullivan sleeps. Last night was a drunken mise en scene with all the pirates laughing and toasting one another. Tonight the same jolly pirates are still drunk but with an air of paranoia about the ship. The captain is in his quarters, drinking and fondling his pistol while he counts his cash by candlelight. Upstairs a barefoot pirate is keeled over the wheel having just drank himself stupid. Another pirate rushes up the ladder with a sword and a gun. Presumably to murder the drunken pirate at the wheel. Yet another pirate peers out onto the murky waters holding a gun and a lantern, unaware of the pirate sneaking up behind him with an axe. The sweet faced cabin boy sits next to a chest of weaponry quietly whistling to himself and clutching the keys to the weapons chest. Unfortunately, this child is currently unarmed and apparently stupid considering he could be armed if he chose to be. Another pirate is scaling the mast to look out for the unknown and last, but not least, is the skeletal remains of a fellow sailor crumpled over a chest of gold in the hold.

Tomorrow night, the mood on Blackbeard's Pirate Ship will be even darker. The cabin boy won't be takin' any more shit. I distinctly heard him quoting Groucho Marx, "I'm gonna lay you out pretty!". Pretty indeed, cabin boy, pretty indeed.

Man, Playmobil kicks ass!