Culture: Friday night lights and my downtown

In the old days before blogging, one (and I did so) could take pen and paper and write bad poetry to get things out of your system. Now, with the internet, one can do so on the computer and have the whole world read it on a blog! 8-)

And so a bit of relentless navel gazing with tangential angst ridden blogging prose; the cyberspace equivalent of bad but cathartic poetry.

Last night went to see a basketball game.

I left there feeling happy again.

Seeing the parents and friends and students cheer for every basket whether it was made by a star like Stepheson or one of the far-end bench-warmers sent in to finish a blowout game was a good feeling after a long week in the life of a solitary lab rat.

I'm of a certain age and one of the songs I know is the old Petula Clark hit, Downtown:

When you're alone
And life is making you lonely,
You can always go downtown
When you've got worries,
All the noise and the hurry
Seems to help, I know, downtown
Just listen to the music of the traffic in the city
Linger on the sidewalk where the neon signs are pretty
How can you lose?
The lights are much brighter there
You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares and go
Downtown, things'll be great when you're
Downtown, no finer place for sure,
Downtown, everything's waiting for you

I like the peppy tune (I bought it off iTunes and it sits in my iPod and its playing as a write) and the sentiment of the song.

I suppose because I live in Los Angeles, Downtown of LA doesn't hold a lot of appeal. And I suppose also, my personality type doesn't make the song's Downtown world that appealing in terms of actually heading Clark's advice.

However, I find a certain solace in a sporting event. It could be top level professionals or it could be a high school game; the feeling is the same.

So with apologies to Petula ...

Don't hang around
And let your problems surround you
There are sporting contests
Maybe you know
Some little places to go to
Where they never will be famous
Just listen to the rhythm of the chanting student section
You'll be cheering with 'em, too, before the night is over
Happy again
The lights are much brighter there
You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares and go ...