Leaving Westminster

”So Cain went out from the LORD's presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.” (Genesis 4)

DID YOU KNOW THAT I’ve actually been east of Eden? There’s a spot in Iraq where the Tigris, the Euphrates and the Shatt Al Arab converge, and it’s that spot which is evidently where it all started. I’ve got a photograph of myself standing among land mines and unexploded shells, checking my compass to confirm that, yes, Eden is just to my west. I’ve even got the place saved as a waypoint in my GPS. I wonder how many other people can tell you how many miles from the Garden of Eden they are right now.

Well. For those of you who don’t know, the land of Nod is what the Hebrews referred to as “wandering”. The idea is that ever since we turned our backs on the grace of God, we’ve been wandering ever since. But it’s part of what makes us human. The urge a teenager feels to rebel against his parents is just nature’s way of telling him to build his own nest. The urge that made man first walk out of Africa is the same urge to achieve that took us to the moon and will one day take us as far as we can see. Why should I be any different?

When people here ask me where I’m going, I just say, “up north”. Then they ask me what I’m going to do when I get there, and I tell them I’m going to look for a job. You can see the puzzlement on their faces. “How can he possibly be leaving this job when he doesn’t have another to go to?” it’s a fair question. It must seem to the outsider that I’m leaving the safety and security of Westminster to go off into the wilderness. It must look like lunacy to turn down a perfectly good wage and head off into potential poverty just when things are looking up for me.

Maybe I just don’t like being tied down? Maybe I enjoy the adventure? Maybe I’m a bit of a drifter?

But that’s not it at all. It’s just that I’ve tried wandering and I didn’t like it.

I’m tired and it’s time to come home.

Thanks for being there for me, world, but if it’s all the same to you I think I might just settle down with this good hearted partner of mine and maybe even put down some roots. I’m sure there’s a lot to be said for a life in the wilderness. I’m sure the sunrises would be striking, and the thrill of turning new corners would be worth the trek, but I’m also sure the nights would be long and cold.

What I really want to do now is be able to wake up and see Karen. What I’d like to be able to do is say goodnight rather than send it as a text message. With any luck I’ll find another job that will pay just-about-enough and all will be well.

Perhaps I might stand more of a chance if I tell the truth on my next application:
”Reason for leaving you last employment:” LOVE.

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ALBUM REVIEW - Franz Ferdinand (Domino)

I almost didn’t bother with this CD because I mixed the band’s name up with Rio Ferdinand. I just thought: “Typical! He gets booted out of Manchester united for taking drugs and then some clown sticks a microphone in his hand.”
Now that I’ve established my credentials as a complete idiot, let’s talk about the album.



I was a bit of a fan of this band without even knowing it. A couple of X-FM CDs featured tracks by them (Darts of Pleasure and Take Me Out) and I played them to death in Iraq without bothering to find out more about them. So it was great when I actually played the CD and found these tracks waiting for me like old friends. This is energetic, thumping music, with some great guitar playing. I’d like to say that it’s ground breaking, or that it’s the future of British music (as so many other critics have done) but I can’t. At times during the CD the band sound more like Big Country than I’m comfortable with, and I’ve wondered more than once whether they’re just a bit naff. Perhaps it’s just the Scottish connection, but I can’t help but wonder if I wouldn’t have been better off listening to The Damned..
Having said that, there’s a lyrical quality here that is a real joy. I don’t hold a lot of store by lyrics normally. (If you want poetry you should buy a book.) But there’s a balance here that manages to combine good old fashioned blur-esque brit/punk pop with the sort of clever commentry that you’d expect from Morrissey or The Divine Comedy.
This is a short (under 40 minutes) CD, with plenty of little gems on it. I’ve played it a lot more than most of my others this month, and it's still in the walkman now. Whether I’m still playing it in six months time remains to be seen.

Buy it here

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