Awful Monkey

As I write this I continue upon my harrowing adventure upon the turbulent high seas. The waves are frothily crashing around me as the ship rolls and tosses its tired crew about. The white capped swells careen against our tiny ship while ironically we ring in the New Year. What keeps up the spirits of this crew above the seas that try to swallow us? Camaraderie? A warming pride in their sense of duty to their country and crew? A yearning for a job well done so they may return home to loved ones? I sincerely wish I had an uplifting message about what binds us together during these trying times, or some deep message to get across to my reader, but I don’t. I’m writing out of shear boredom and didn’t really have a concluding argument to my opening. I’m tired of playing video games and watching DVDs. This patrol has drug on well past its necessity and usefulness and is now simply a waste of time. I’m ready to come home.

We recently visited Victoria, BC; an area I had heard of quite frequently, but had never actually visited myself. This quaint little township was actually one of the best port calls I’ve had in a long time. The heavy European influence, from the British Isles in particular, was actually very interesting. The shops touting wares from England, Ireland, and Scotland were fun to shop in, though very overpriced, and I was able to purchase some very memorable souvenirs.

I think the most notable thing about Victoria was the people. Those were some of the friendliest individuals I’ve ever met. Typically this is a huge aversion to me, and I find it quite intrusive, but the manner in which these people treated outsiders was actually very refreshing. The greetings and smiles you received as you walked down the street. The small talk and genuine interest they showed in what you had to say showed an overall congeniality from these people. I know I’ve said in the past that I’d rather be ignored by the people I’m around, and just treated with a regular indifference, but I actually found their cordiality to be endearing. I would very much like to visit there again, on my own terms, and not have the restrictions of the ship, and the ever looming patrol on the back of my mind.

Aside from shopping and socializing with the locals, I spent my evenings in a very nice Irish pub called The Irish Times. I have a few photos in the gallery of this particular stop, but the most notable occurrence I wasn’t able to capture fully. And that was my invitation to sing with the Celtic band that was playing. I had merely gone up to purchase a CD and ask if they new the song “Bog Down in the Valley O’”, and Paul O’Brien(guitar player, and singer)said they were familiar with it, but were unsure of all the words. Next he inquired if I knew the words, which I did, and he asked me to sing a few bars. I sang a simple verse, he looked to his accompaniment Calvin, and said “F major”, and they quickly began playing and said to jump in after the intro. I was very surprised, but did not cower from the opportunity to sing a song I’ve practiced in private for a very long time. As I had already imbibed quite a few spirits, I made some minor mistakes, but many of the other patrons were in the same state I was, so they didn’t even notice. Not to toot my own horn, but I did very well, and the place erupted in cheers and dance. The band complemented me on my abilities, and I received praise for my “accent and singing” from many of the patrons, including many of my shipmates. It was an experience to remember.

After a bit of morning recovery from the previous night’s events, and taking a very long walkabout tour of downtown Victoria, I retired to the same place of the previous night’s singing. I went in to simply have a pint and relax, not wanting to make too much of the night since the previous had been a bit rough on my system. I got my pint and sat down, hoping to catch a few Celtic tunes. A few moments later, the band walked by, and Paul roared out “Bill is back! He’s going to sing for us again tonight, aren’t you? I hope you have a few more songs for us this evening!” I was flattered, and also a little more reluctant in taking the stage again(I’ll just say I hadn’t had the same amount of liquid courage as I had the night before). Much of the crew was back in the pub tonight, and I was strongly urged, prodded, and pushed back onto the stage. A little shaky at first, I sang “Bog Down in the Valley O’” again, and went on to sing “Rocky Road to Dublin.” Feeling I had done well and needed to sit down, someone shouted out a request for “Danny Boy.” Paul asked if I knew the words, and I reluctantly said yes, as I had always struggled with the high notes of this song. I sang a few bars, and Paul and Calvin found the note and quickly began to play. I always love singing “Danny Boy” and I must say I did quite good that night. After I was done, and the cheering and dancing had died down(it was a much more lively crowd than the night before), Paul took back the mic and said “Those are some of the hardest Celtic songs to sing, and this young man just nailed them, everyone give Bill a round of applause.” The place erupted, I shyly took a small bow and exited the stage. After receiving several free pints of Guinness, and getting many pats on the back and words of praise, I went and found Paul and Calvin. I thanked them for allowing me the opportunity to sing with them and for the great memories I now had of my trip to Victoria. They welcomed me to sing with them any time I’m back and we spoke for a while until I decided to retire back to my hotel room.

The best shot I could find of my night on the mic at Irish Times

I wrote so long about this particular event, because it was very important to me. I’ve practiced and sung along to those songs for years in my car. Privately trying to perfect my ability to sing them, and the opportunity finally arose, and I took it. I had a great time singing with them, and would gladly go back and do it again. This was definitely the highlight of my trip.

Parliament in Victoria	Enjoying a hot Cider at Starbucks	Cathedral 1
Train Station	School in China Town	China Town
Jewish Owned BBQ Joint	Cathedral 2	Library Sculpture
Cathedral 3	Another shot of Cathedral 3	Cathedral 4
Cathedral 5	Cathedral 6	Cathedral 7
Irish Times Pub	Empress Hotel(I didn't stay there)	Capt. James Cook
Daytime shot of Parliament	Petrified Dookie!	He was charging right at me!
Attacked me in the restroom	Badger Badger Badger!	Uhhhh rodent
Where's my club?!	They fought back!	Kickass uniform
Old Timey Pharmacy for Maria	Queen Victoria	Badass Bagpiper

As for Juneau, there really isn’t much to say. I had been there before, and wasn’t very impressed, and it hadn’t changed much since I had left. When I had been there previously it had at least been during the summer time, and there were cruise ships in. So, everything was open, and there were people milling about. Juneau being the tourist trap that it is; it pretty much shuts down during the winter time. So we didn’t have much to do other than get food at several of the many pizzerias, and hop from bar to bar. The only goal I had in Juneau was to get a nice Russian hat I had seen there on my previous trip, and I was satisfied with that mission accomplished.

My new Russian hat!

Fresh air on the fantail	On my way to Juneau	The inside passage
Playing with my new camera	More mountains!	Some rough seas!