Rambling On My Mind

After staying up to watch the results of the American presidential election I managed to sleep late on Wednesday morning. I got up in time to watch the Daily Politics on the BBC, which included various opinions on the task ahead for Obama. It seems to me that people are already expecting miracles from the man, but as there is such a long transition time between the handover from one president to the next, perhaps reality will have time to mute the euphoria. His success certainly has changed history and there was a feeling that people were suddenly aware that they were part of that history making. Usually history passes without me personally being awake to the fact, so I suppose I must be getting wiser in my old age. (I still can’t remember what I was doing when John Kennedy was shot, but I‘m sure that it wasn‘t me).

I went to the jam at the Inn on the Green in the evening and was not surprised to hear someone mention Obama in one of their songs. Talk about being quick off the mark! The jam continues to function well and I even forgot to mention my gig on the following Sunday, but houseband leader Tony did the honours. On the Thursday night, like most people, I didn’t stay up to watch the result of the Glenrothes by-election, but given that it was expected to be touch and go whether Labour or the SNP would get the seat, I can’t say that I was disinterested. The fact that Labour won it by a much bigger margin than was expected just shows that a week is indeed a long time in politics.

As it happens, a week is also a long time in the banking system these days. Perhaps banks will get around to trying a more moral approach to business but I won’t hold my breath. They’d probably charge me for doing that, anyway. It’s crazy that they should want to see their business and mortgage-borrowing customers go to the wall. I understand that they need to build up their reserves before lending at a reasonable rate, but they need to temper that with the idea that business, even banking business, fares better when goodwill is the first order of the day. I detect a certain amount of rambling in this post, it must be the stress of the recession. Personally I am not at all worried about the doom and gloom. The sun will still come up tomorrow, though it may be hidden by clouds. Isn’t this what the blues is also about?
 

Sunday’s gig at the Inn was busier than usual which was encouraging. We did have to play in the bar as there was another music promotion going on in the back room, but it didn’t give us any problems and we again had a few people dancing, which, so far as I’m concerned, is what it’s all about. We did two sets and got T-Bone Taylor up for the final numbers, freeing Chris Youlden from his guitar to strut his stuff as the front man, which he did with his usual flair. We were even persuaded to do an encore and though I suspected this was a ploy to keep me away from the bar until last orders had been called, it didn’t turn out that way so the night ended well. The following Wednesday Jam introduced yet another woman singer though I didn’t get her name. I’m off there now but I have no doubt the England/Germany friendly (if that’s what it turns out to be) will take up some of my attention. Until next time…