Let me start this post by saying that I feel awful for having neglected this blog for the last couple of years. There's plenty of stuff of Scottish interest that could have been posted, and going forward, I hope to pick up the pace. First up: a post about a very special wedding. Ours!
In nine of the more than four hundred posts I've published to this blog, I've mentioned someone named "Lady Jaye". She and I "met" digitally before I left for Scotland, but didn't meet in person until I came home. In 2016, my dear friends at BBC Radio Orkney helped me to propose to her using their Friday request program(me) and a classic Proclaimers song that was featured in the phenomenal 2013 film Sunshine on Leith...
... and she said "Yes!", and we got married in her hometown in August. The crew at Radio Orkney did a follow-up interview with us the morning after the wedding, which ended up being retooled as a BBC Radio Scotland segment and making the BBC News website. In the words of Ron Burgundy, "That escalated quickly!" You can listen to that radio segment here, and check out the article here. Someone at the University of Aberdeen obviously caught wind of it, because we were also congratulated via the University's alumni relations Facebook page.
We're hoping to get to Scotland at some point in the foreseeable future. In the mean time, we're pretty thrilled to have added a bit of Scottish flair to our otherwise American wedding.
As I've been working on a variety of projects lately (mostly applying for jobs - more on that later), I've been unable to write some of the longer posts that I've been intending. One post that doesn't require much time to write is a plug for Sunshine on Leith, the film that's based on a stage musical that's named after the classic album that is, in turn, named after the title track. Think Mamma Mia, but instead of Abba, the storyline is built around the songs of The Proclaimers. Here's the trailer.
The last time I was in Aberdeen (sheesh, that's pushing a month ago!), I met up with CN Homeboy (who was late) to go see the film. I'd wanted to see it, but it's sort of a Scotland thing, so I hadn't really expected to be able to find it down in England during my close protection course; and since Kirkwall only has one screen at the Pickaquoy Centre, I didn't expect to be able to see it there. So, when I was in town, the perpetually available (and chronically late) Homeboy and I met up to see it. Of course, Mark Kermode got to it before us...
... and we absolutely agreed with him. There are plenty of things wrong with the film, and in the end, none of them matter. I was on the verge of tears, repeatedly. There's a scene early on when two of the ensemble characters arrive home from Afghanistan, and it reminded me of times when I've come home after long absences (to include my time in the Middle East) and surprised my mother. I couldn't figure out where I'd seen George MacKay (I later learned that he was in Defiance, but I'm not sure that I remember him from that), and I eventually figured out that he reminded me of my brother - except that my brother doesn't speak with a Scottish accent. (Yet.) Anyway, as some of you who keep track of these things will know, Homeboy and I don't agree on much, but we agreed throughout the film, and especially when it was over and done with, that we both loved it.
I'm reasonably sure that most of my regular readers are from the States, and I honestly don't know what the availability of this film in the States will be. That said, if there's any way for you to see it, please do. It's a great story, it feels great to watch it whether you're a fan of the Proclaimers or not, and I just can't say enough good things about it. It's worth the effort. Trust me, if you can find a way to see it, you'll be on your way from misery to happiness.
So, I mentioned that I was going to see The Proclaimers in Aberdeen, but for reasons that will become clear in the next few days, I was obligated to be in Edinburgh the night they were playing, plus I sort of missed the boat on getting tickets booked anyway. I'll probably survive, and I'm sure there will be another chance to see them play before I leave Scotland next year.
For now, I'll share another one of their great songs. This one's from their first album, This Is the Story, and I first heard it during the Summer of 2002, on Oregon Highway 126 between Eugene and Florence. Enjoy!
There are a few ways to get from Aberdeen to Orkney. One of the reasons why I chose Aberdeen in the first place is that Northlink Ferries runs a service from Aberdeen to Shetland, and that service also calls at Orkney several times per week. I pre-booked my passage aboard the ship, the MV Hrossey ("Hrossey" being the old Norse word for "Orkney"), and showed up on Thursday afternoon with my 5.11 Rush MOAB 10, a mini duffel bag, and enough stuff to get me through a long weekend.
As we left Aberdeen harbor, I went up on the top observation deck and took some pictures. There was a lot of wind up there, but I was able to get a few decent snaps. For example, the University of Aberdeen's Sir Duncan Rice Library (otherwise known as the "Hideous Glass Cube") was visible from the observation deck. (In point of fact, I've only actually been in the Hideous Glass Cube three or four times since we have a dedicated postgraduate study room.) We also sailed through a flotilla of small ships that I'm assuming are related to the energy industry - Aberdeen is considered the "energy capital of Europe" because of its status as the hub for the North Sea's booming petroleum industry. Here's a picture of one of those ships...
... and the flotilla of its peers off the coast of Aberdeen. After that, I went back to the main deck, set up shop at a table across from the ship's bar, and did some work. Eventually a bloke from Fife by the name of Chick (Chuck) struck up a conversation, so we chatted for most of the rest of the voyage. He had a lot of stories to tell about Scotland and folk music, and was quite impressed that I knew who The Proclaimers were. In order of least to most important, the three things I was explicitly told to look up based upon that conversation were:
Ambergris, which has apparently been found on Orkney beaches; and
the late Michael Marra, who was Chick's favorite singer and who died a few days before our voyage.
Interestingly enough, I actually maintained mobile phone reception for far longer than I did back in 2004, and was able to pull down Internet data until something on the order of halfway through the voyage. Unfortunately, the sea conditions got a lot worse before they got better, so for about a third of the trip, I was desperately fighting the urge to vomit all over the deck of the Hrossey. In the end, I was able to fight that urge - great success! The seas calmed down as we got closer to Orkney, and we finally arrived at the ferry terminal in Hatston, where I was picked up by Gray 1 and Gray 5.
Remember back in July, when I found out that the Proclaimers would be in Orkney? Well, the next best thing to seeing the Proclaimers in Orkney is seeing them in Aberdeen. Unfortunately, I've waited long enough that there aren't really any good seats left, but that won't stop me from plopping down sixty quid on a couple of adequate seats and seeing if I can find someone to go with me.
And for Lady Jaye, who thinks she's never heard of the Proclaimers: yes, you have.
That's their most popular song (in America), but my favorite? From the same album, Sunshine on Leith, it's "Oh Jean". (Fair warning, folks, it's a bit direct.)
Then again, this song from their next album, Hit the Highway, is also quite good.
A couple of days ago, I found out that one of my favorite bands ever, The Proclaimers, will be playing a gig in Orkney in August. Curses! If they had waited until November or December, I could have attended! The band is touring to promote their new album, Like Comedy, so there's a good chance that I'll get another opportunity to see them while I'm in Scotland, but seeing the Proclaimers in Kirkwall would have been a once in a lifetime opportunity! I saw the lads in Portland in April of 2004, with less than a day's notice that they were playing, and it was one of the coolest shows I've ever attended.
