Karaoke Update: The Swan Song

The day we never thought would come has come at last.

Alastair and Brock in the centre

Thursday we had to say goodbye to our favorite local hangout and primary singing venue (secondary venues include the streets and Supermacs). Grace had gotten in that day and after a short nap we headed into Blackrock with Brittany and Stacy to get some food before the main event. We went to a cute little pub across the street from The Wicked Wolf and got some traditional Irish food, including cottage pie and beef and Guinness pie.

After eating the four of us headed over to The Wicked Wolf in our finest dresses (we all had gotten a little more dressed up for our lasts night), which looked so different in the daylight and it seems like it is a nice bar to go and have a drink in even when you are not being serenaded by the one and only Brock Jones.

And it was a good night. Brock must have dedicated five songs to us, not to mention everyone else just went with the flow and dedicated their songs to us. Brock even changed some of the lyrics to give shout-outs to Chicago and Melbourne. Grace and I decided to sing "Don't Stop Believin'" and the entire Wolf Pack sang "Save Tonight," which had lyrics that described what we felt with painful accuracy (we also attempted to sing "American Pie" with less success). We got "Home" and "I've Had the Time of My Life" dedicated to us by another patron and Alastair, who is in fact auditioning for the X Factor today, was having a lot of fun serenading us with "You Are Not Alone," "You Raise Me Up," and of course "End of the Road." Laura busted out a solo of "Love Song" which was exceptional. The usual girls also sang their standard "Don't Stop Believin'" (even after Grace and I sang it) and "Don't Stop Me Now." There was also an extreme amount of dancing involved.

Laura and me belting

The one downside to our night was the fact that Mark, the raspy voice Canadian, and Stefan, the usual barkeep, were not there. I had Alastair text Mark to tell him that he had to come and say goodbye but he claimed that he was sick. I think Grace was a little surprised to see that most the friends we had made at the Wicked Wolf were old Irish men.

The X Factor

The End of the Road

And then the music stopped and it was time to bid farewell to the Wicked Wolf. We took a couple group pictures with Alastair and Brock and then said goodbye. We wished Alastair good luck on the X Factor and Brock said he was bad at goodbyes so he just said "until next time." We went up to the bar and talked with Eugene, who told us to be good girls and go home. We're going to miss them all.

And on to Supermacs and our usual worker. We all ordered the chicken tenders and laughed at the three Diet Cokes that Laura bought so that she could pull an all-nighter for her exam the next morning at 9 am.

Karaoke Update

Yes, another Thursday has come (our penultimate in Dublin) and we spent it at the Wicked Wolf singing our hearts out. As always, I need to document the happenings.

• We have successfully infiltrated the local crowd. Brock bought us a round of drinks and Allister came and hugged us. The owner, Eugene, said goodbye to us as we left and encouraged us to come early next week.
• Once seated at our usual table right in the front Brock called us up to the stage to sing. We had planned on singing the classic "Total Eclipse of the Heart" (at this point I have watched the Glee version an embarrassing amount of times) but some guy stole it from us so instead we sang the karaoke standard "Don't Stop Believin'". The crowd didn't get that into it but we sounded very good. Laura and I even added some intentional harmony, unlike the unintentional harmony that usually comes from us being off key. 
• We also sang "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," a suggestion from the barkeep who has befriended us. We did not know his name until tonight. He refused to tell us it so I had to ask Eugene. Its Stefan.
• Mark, the Canadian smoker, sang his usual "Gangster's Paradise" and "Streets of Philadelphia" but added a new twist. He got up on stage, appeared to forget something, went back to his stuff and brought up a pair of sunglasses that he wore for the song. Yes, he wore sunglasses onstage while singing. I think he might have gotten embarrassed though because he took them off after about two verses.*
• Mark starting flirting with this German woman that was there and they both attempted to sing "I Got You Babe" together. It must have been the reggae version and the two of them could not get a hold of it, but that didn't stop Mark from trying to make his move onstage with everyone watching. It was extremely awkward to say the least. 
• More awkward fun came when the German woman left stage after singing with Mark and started dancing with another man.
• Even more awkwardness followed when Allister went up to sing and serenaded the German woman, who was over-served. There has been much discussion between Laura, Brittany, Stacy, and I about what happened to Allister's girlfriend, Sam, because she was here tonight but he was also blatantly flirting with another woman and we think that Sam may have cheated on Allister. This is all speculation of course.
• The girls from BU came and joined us. They also came to Supermac's with us afterwards.
• Supermac's was Supermac's. Laura remarked on how we got four chicken strips this time instead of the usual three.

Next week is our last one. We hope to monopolize the stage and have all our favorites sung by Allister and Brock. Tears will be shed.

*I read this entry aloud to Laura and she hypothesizes that he could not see the lyrics on the prompter and that is why he took his glasses off. I would not be surprised if that is the case. Considering he sings this song every week and no doubt practices throughout the week, he should really start to memorize those lyrics and it is bizarre that they are not memorized already. He just must not be cut out for the fast paced nature of show business.

Rome- Day 3: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

After a pleasant lunch we decided to walk down the Tiber for a little while. It was a pleasant stroll and we eventually came across a small market that we strolled through. I stopped at one stall and tried on a ring, because what girl can't use more accessories. The vendor told me that this sterling silver ring was 25 euro, a little out of my price range. I tried to walk away and he literally would not let me go, standing in front of me whenever I tried to leave. He asked how much I would pay for the ring and I said ten euro, hoping that it was too low and price and I could just be on my way. Turns out he eventually sold it to me for ten euro; a good deal but I could have lived without the ring. Oh well, in the end I have a nice souvenir from Rome.

We continued on our way to the Colosseum, where we were going to get a tour of the Palatine Hill and the Forum, passing the Castel Sant'Angelo, which served as the papal castle for 1000 years. We also got gelato on our way (we ate a lot of gelato).

Castel Sant'Angelo

With our tour of the Colosseum the previous day we also got a tour of the Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum. Our guide, an Australian man, described the Palatine as the Beverly Hills of Rome. This hilltop was were the emperors and elite lived in marble palaces. Domitian, one of the emperors of Rome, built the palace up here in AD 81 and the marble was so polished that you could see your reflection in it. The purpose of this was so that Domitian could see if anyone was coming up behind him to assassinate him. Turn out his wife ended up killing him. Our guide also told us the story of Romulus and Remus and other stories from Ancient Rome, including the Rape of the Sabine Women, which is apparently where we get the tradition of carrying the bride over the threshold. When the Roman men were abducting the women they would carry them over the threshold. Lovely.

At the base of the columns you can see some of the last remaining marble on the palace. It was once all covered with marble but the Vatican came in a "borrowed" all of it.

Original tiles in the palace. The red marble on the left was exhausted, meaning that there is no more to be quarried in the world. One kg (2.2 lbs) of the marble is worth 80,000 euro! The Vatican owns 92% of it...and they charge tourists 14 euro to go in the Vatican museum.

Up next we got a bird's eye view of the Forum. We could see the House of the Vestal Virgins and the site where Caesar was cremated, where fresh flowers are still laid to this day. One thing I loved about Rome is that you would just be walking down the street and see ruins; they are everywhere and fairly well preserved.

This building still has the original door, locks, and key.

We were extremely tired after our long day and took a very crowded subway back to the hostel to rest up before going out that night. I got into my bed and immediately fell asleep, until the other girls woke me up to get the key to the room because they were going down for the nightly free pizza at 8:30. We went downstairs for the pizza and then got ready to go out for dinner. We talked to our other roommate, Will, who had also been woken up last night by Nick's antics and laughed about that together.

We hit the town late that night and found the Trattoria della Torre Argentina to have dinner at. I was just going to get something small but they had homemade pasta so I had to get that (I wrote this sentence many times in my journal; the pasta is just irresistible). I had the Napoli pasta and Britt and Stacy both had pizza.

Stacy had a friend studying in Rome so after finishing dinner we went to Scholar's Lounge Irish Pub to meet him there. Yes, you heard correctly, I went to a an Irish pub in Rome. Dennis was just getting back from Amsterdam so we waited for him while flipping through the selection for karaoke because it was karaoke night. At the end of the night we ended up singing "Galway Girl," a salute to our Irish home.

And that was Day 3! Here is Day 4!

Karaoke Update

Thursday night means only one thing- karaoke at the Wicked Wolf. We were very disappointed last week because it was cancelled but today was a good time as always. Here are the highlights.

• Greeted by Canadian Mark and his rasping voice. He later sang “Gangsters’ Paradise” and “Streets of Philadelphia,” as he does every week. I think he has been practicing “Gangster Paradise” because it was better this week. I still only catch about 1/3 of “Streets of Philadelphia” but maybe he’ll get it eventually.
• Brittany and I sang “Love Shack.” Naturally it was amazing.
• “Don’t Stop Believin’” came on it I danced like crazy because it is one of my favorites and always puts a smile on my face.
• I almost started crying when “I Want to Go Home” came on. Instead I just settled for fake crying.
• At the end of the night Brock Jones and Allister dedicated “End of the Road” to “the four Americans and one Australian” which was very nice; they know we love it. However, there were only four of us, not five.
• We had a sing along with Allister, resident X-Factor contestant, at the end of the night outside the bar which included “Total Eclipse of the Heart” and “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me.” He later joined us at Supermacs, our favorite Irish fast food restaurant. Stacy, however, did not order the chicken tenders meal and therefore did not give me her drink. Laura did though.
• We had another great conversation with our cabbie. Stacy always sits in front and shares all about our night.

Week in Review

While I have been writing about my adventures in Paris other Dublin adventures have been happening without recognition. I need to change that.

Monday- My favorite Canadian decided to host a Easter dinner for the Study Abroad Family. After arriving back to Dublin that afternoon we went over to Stacy and Jen's apartment. I brought deviled eggs because what is Easter without eggs? Jen was going to make a whole ham but when she found out that it was 81 euro she opted to just make fettucini with ham and peas. Yum! And as if the pasta did not satisfy my palette enough Jen's French roomies made crepes. Yum squared! Good discussion, good friends, good food, and excellent Easter dinner away from home.

Tuesday-  JMatch's birthday! My favorite Canadian turned 21 (still a big deal for a Canadian) on Tuesday and that was cause for celebration. Brittany and Stevie came over to our apartment. When Jen arrived we put the candles in the cake that Laura bought and sang "Happy Birthday." After sharing some cake we get ready to go out. It was kinda like getting ready for the dance in eighth grade because we just all sat around the kitchen table painting nails, doing makeup, and chatting. I was meeting a friend from high school downtown and wanted to look nice because this boy had not seen me in three years so the girls helped me look my best. I wore my new blue polka dotted dress and Tom said I wore it well.

First the girls (Britt, Stevie, the Birthday Girl, and me) went to O'Neill's to get Jen's favorite, Irish stew. We chatted, took in the music, and enjoyed each other's company. After spending time there we went to The Quays in Temple Bar to meet up with Tom. It was so nice to see him after three years and catch up with a friend from LT. While we chatted the girls went upstairs for dessert and whiskey. I actually tried some whiskey myself because I had been waiting for someone to try whiskey with since arriving in Ireland and Tom seemed like the guy. Now I can say that I have had Irish whiskey in Ireland and celebrated JMatch's 21st birthday with her.

Wednesday- My big day of classes. I had a debate in Cross-Cultural Management about diversity in the workplace and I felt like such a mean person arguing against it, especially when my debate group consisted of another American, two French boys, and a boy from Singapore. I had a couple more classes and after Irish History Brittany came over for some fried potatoes.

Thursday- Didn't do too much during the day besides take a three hour nap (which I'm guessing I needed). After bumming around most the day, Brittany and Stacy came over for some tacos that me and Laura were making. We needed to book hostels for our trip to Italy at the end of our semester so Stacy, Brittany, and I got on that and we officially have a place to stay in Rome, Florence, and Venice.

Thursday night means one thing- karaoke at the Wicked Wolf! Just when you think the good ol' Wicked Wolf can't get any better we go last night and have the best time. Highlights include:

• Singing both "Say a Little Prayer" and "Oops, I Did It Again" 
• Meeting a new friend named Dean who taught us his dance move called "Feed the Chickens"
• Dancing like crazy to "Don't Stop Belivin'" with my pal Deano
• Getting numerous songs dedicated to us, including "End of the Road" and "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (Brock Jones, karaoke DJ, knows us quite well)
• Throwing up the X when Allister, local star and X-Factor contestant, sings
• Being asked by the locals to go to another bar with them once the Wicked Wolf closed
• Late night snacks at Super Mac's where Brittany got the Milky Moo Shake and I mooed when it arrived. Stacy also gave me her soda like she does every week.

Friday- Today I decided to go into town and take pictures of the colourful Dublin doors. I also treating myself to a little shopping which consisted of trying on shoes and buying a pair of 3 euro sunglasses and another pair of 1.50 euro sunglasses (I'm on a tight budget.) I also found a going out of business sale at Yankee Candle so I treated myself to two candles which smell like lilac and "sun and sand" (smells like sunscreen).

What a nice week in Dublin!

Music and Dancing

I took a small break from the blog Wednesday because nothing too noteworthy happened. Here is Wednesday in two bullet points:

-In Irish History we learned about Robert Emmet, Irish patriot. I don’t know if I was just in a romantic mood or it was the soft spot in my heart for revolutionaries (except those pesky Russian ones) but I actually paid attention and found it interesting. He basically led what was supposed to be an uprising, but things didn’t work out well and he had to flee Dublin. He came back about a month later so he could be by his love, Sarah Curran, which a mistake because they found him and hanged him. He did give one of those very moving speeches during his trial that sealed his future as Irish hero. I tell you, you can’t beat a moving speech about the freedom of your country; gets me every time.

-I went to a “Valentines Ball” with Brittany and Laura at Sin Nightclub (real classy) that was sponsored by the International Student Society. It was ok. We got our dance on and it was fun.

Thursday was a great day! I woke up and it was beautiful outside; not a cloud in the sky. Like last Thursday I decided to venture into the city centre without much of a plan. I walked through St. Stephens green in the Dublin sunlight then wandered around Grafton Street. There were some human statues there, as well as a string quintet that was playing beautiful music. I got some groceries and then headed back to campus.

The groceries don’t give you bags with you purchases so I bring bags with me but I didn’t have enough room for my cornflakes so I had to carry the box. It sure makes you feel like a local when you are walking down Grafton Street with tourists rolling suitcases and you are carrying a box of cornflakes.

After a nap I headed to the Irish House Party hosted by the Study Abroad office at a hotel downtown. It consisted of a band of Irish musicians talking a little about Irish music and dance and performing for us. I had a great time. Here are some videos from the night.

We hung around with some friends from Boston University during the house party and went to The Wicked Wolf afterwards for karaoke night. Brittany and I, along with Bridget and Amy from BU, sang “Man, I Feel Like a Woman” which I like to think was a big hit. The songs from karaoke, like "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" or "Total Eclipse of the Heart" have become a soundtrack for our study abroad oddessey.

The best part of the night was when Stacy told Brittany and me that Bridget had told her that she and Lauren were Deltasigs at BU. So I went up to Lauren, who had no idea that I knew or that I was one, and said the secret phrase. Her face went puzzled and then she realized what was going on and said the other half back to me. We then both screamed “Brother!” and hugged. I am not making this up. It was exactly like the skits we see at initiation but instead of meeting a brother at an interview I met one at a karaoke bar in Dublin. I will never forget that.

After karaoke we went to Supermacs, which is like an Irish McDonald’s, and got some grub before heading back to UCD. Good night.

Karaoke Update

I'm sure you're panting with anticipation with what I sang for karaoke. Brittany and I did duets of both "I Will Survive" and "Oops, I Did It Again." We chose "I Will Survive" and we did such a great job that the DJ put on some Britney for us.

We took a taxi back from the Wicked Wolf and remained in the car about twenty minutes after arriving at Roebuck Hall because the Iraqi taxi driver would not stop talking about how much he loved George Bush. He was talking about religion and George H. W. Bush and Hussein and how everything is not perfect in Iraq, but at least they have a democracy. He also said that he was a descendant of Muhammed, and we asked if that was a big deal, and he said "Well look at me. I'm driving an Irish taxi." He is the rebel of the family because he drinks and is not religious. He also studied robotics (I think that's what he said) POLITICS (which make a lot more sense than robotics) at UCD and helped the Americans in Iraq and was on TV. As you can see this was a very in depth conversation. If he celebrated Christmas I would be on his Christmas card list.

After talking with our friend we attempted to find some pizza, but places close early here and we were unable to locate any. Instead I ate grapes and cheese.

Star Trek and Karaoke

Because I have no class on Thursday I decided to go to a production of A Lesson in Love from Captain Picard which was put on by the UCD drama society. It appeared to play into my interest in theatre and Star Trek but it turns out it had very little to do with exploring space. And if you ever doubted my love of Star Trek here is me for Halloween when I was 8:

Captain Janeway of the Star Trek Voyager

I had expected a cute show about love with various witty Trekky jokes peppered throughout but it seemed to be just an excuse to indulge the playwright’s desire to use flowery expressions when talking about love (is this too harsh?).

The premise is that a boy falls in love with a girl after she almost hits him with her bike. He then goes into great detail when talking about how this love makes him feel to his life-sized cut-out of Captain Picard. He decides that he has to meet her again so he waits on the corner for 47 days before running into her again (more like she runs into him…on her bike.) They meet again and he finds out about her boyfriend, and also the fact that after they met the first time he passed out and she tried to revive him with mouth to mouth, which I’m pretty sure you are not supposed to use unless the victim is not breathing. And if he is not breathing it is probably your best bet to call an ambulance and find him a hospital instead of leaving him in the park, like she did. Anyway, she leaves with her boyfriend and he calls after her, "You kissed me!” (because of the mouth to mouth) causing her to crash. And that’s the end.

Where are the Star Trek allusions? Nowhere. It was just filled with every metaphor imaginable about romance. There were some insightful ones and a few chuckles so it was worth the two euro. It was a good enough show with good enough acting, and it was only 40 minutes long which was a good length, but I was lured in by the bald, shiny head of Captain Picard and even talked to another kid outside the theatre about his love for the television series. I left slightly disappointed and that is my rant for the day. (And the lighting was really bad. Ok, now I’m done.)

Tonight Jen, Stacy, Brittany, and I went to The Wicked Wolf for karaoke night. It was quite fun, especially when Stacy and Jen belted out “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” They were crowd favorites. Unfortunately, the bar closed at midnight, but Brittany and I are coming back next Thursday to sing “Lady Marmalade.” I’ve already started practicing my facial expressions and dance moves in the mirror.

Jen and Stacy rocking out