We're in Texas for a week. I like it down here. Sometimes the US feels like such an enormous country that I feel a bit lost, so I enjoy our stops up in Canada (which is much more like home) and Texas (where they love their state so much it feels like a separate country!

Over the weekend we were in Lubbock, which was good as I'd been there before. Because I've only done this job for 3 years or so, there aren't many places in the US that I've returned too, but here was awesome as there were people in the audience I knew, and we managed to get out for a drink afterwards. Lubbock is apparently the second most conservative city in the US (behind Salt Lake City or Boise, I forget which) and definitely a "brown bag" city, but the young people of Texas Tech know how to have fun, and there's a fantastic bar which has over 50 different types of beer on tap, including some of my favourite English bitters. Now, they don't taste quite the same, but I managed to close my eyes and it was like drinking a little bit of England. I didn't go overboard - we hardly ever drink anything on tour anyhow, but it was a great way to end the day.

Which made me think: alcohol doesn't have to be evil. I think there's a greater danger if you fear something than if you learn about it and respect it. Cigarettes are far more dangerous; even one can damage your health and anyone else in the same room, but there are no states where it's illegal to smoke.... although bans in public places are thankfully coming in.

There are loads of instances where alcohol can actually help people, most especially in the case of red wine helping to thin blood and consequently keeping the heart more healthy. In hospitals in the UK and France doctors actually started prescribing red wine to certain patients, although I'm not sure if it's caught on.

I think if people are taught not to fear something, then they have no need to rebel and end up with potential problems; I think this is the case with alcohol - a little of what you like does you good, as they say.....

Whatever personal views are, it does make me sad when pre-conceived ideas lead to judgement calls on other people. It's a fact that if I were to be seen coming out of a bar in many southern cities, certain people would make automatic judgements about me, my morals, my religion, and even about my family! This I find strange; it seems to be a fear thing, which leads me back to the earlier argument.

It's the whole judgement thing; when is it ever right to judge people's behaviour definitively unless you are placed in an objective position of authority over them? So I suppose my message would be that it's best to take things easy when it comes to processing other people's actions and, if they're not harming themselves or other people, worry a bit more about your own life and a little less about judging them.

Splinters and motes.