I apologize for not updating my site over the last few weeks. I have been extremely busy and cannot believe that November is almost over at that magical month of December is just around the corner. As you will have been aware, I had my work placement assignment to work over the weekend of November 16th and 17th. The following weekend was of course, my 21st birthday so I didn’t really have the opportunity to add anything substantial to my site. The answer to the question, is 21 doesn’t feel any more different from 20. Like a colleague noted my my birthday card, “You can get a lorry driving license now!” My birthday came around so quickly and I suppose when you look forward to your birthday, you have certain expectations. However, my birthday was to be far from the ideals I had in my mind, a year before. We shouldn’t let such minor details affect our day, should we? Is your birthday, the closest you come to being invincible? Even if only for 24 hours? Perhaps, but for the other 364 days, we are but mere mortals.
The past fortnight has, as all weeks do, had its ups and downs. The low points are insignificant, lets just hope those whom make decisions that affect us, live to regret their decisions and forever think, “What If?” Decency is perhaps a word omitted from their vocabulary. Time will only tell. The highlights have been profoundly substantial. My birthday and my placement tutor’s, visit to my workplace. Further details to be available on my Placement Website.
It was on Tuesday 26th, that I had an experience, that would affect me for the rest of the working week. I was in a discussion with a colleague at work, Teresa, based at the Stevenage office. While requesting her songs for a Christmas album, she mentioned, The Pogues – “Fairytale of New York”. The next person I mentioned during the conversation was the late Kirsty MacColl and her magnificent song, “A New England”. Teresa was quick to point out that it was a song written by Billy Bragg, and recalled some of the lines from the track. From that point on, the chorus would not leave my head and I had to hear it again. I had seen the video on VH1, on Sunday 6th October and it was perhaps only the second or third time I had heard the song. The following day, I obtained the song lyrics and mailed them to Teresa’s PC. She replied and explained how the song brought back memories, of driving home and the song being in the charts. Indeed, it reached Number 7, in the UK charts back in 1985.
On Thursday 28th, I was driving home from work, just driving out of Aylesbury and into Great Kimble. I usually listen to Late Drive with Dave Pearce on BBC Radio 1. However, I was taking the time to scan around the other local and region radio stations. For some unknown reason to me, I tuned into Mix FM on 96.2. A song was coming to an end, and I was just about to switch to another station, when suddenly an over familiar song intro, filled my car. Then those words sung by such a distinctive voice, “I was 21 years when I wrote this song…..”
What is all the importance of all this? I am not too sure myself, but it is strange how things in your day-to-day life can also be touched my the outside world. The radio playing a song that had been on my mind for the past three days…
I don’t want to change the world… I’m not looking for New England….