A short week

Hooray for that. Ready for the weekend already?

Friday night: have a few drinks in The Botanist on Deansgate. Good cocktails and live music in a greenhouse-style setting. Socialising in the City will be there, so why not come meet some new people.

And Saturday? Manchester Cool Bars return to new club History. A great venue with impressive visuals. Get involved! We're starting in Impossible on Peter st.

At some point we'll probably check out the new Birdcage, which I understand is having a refurb.

There's also new club Bliss, a little out of town, that we're likely to visit. The weekend of the 8^th is already chocka too, so have a rummage on the Cool Bars page and get a few nights out in the diary!

Bad Scene on Deansgate

Well, shit, if no-one's going to go out on a BANK HOLIDAY, for fuck's sake, then I may as well go do some citizen journalism. I dropped into Manchester after midnight to see what was happening. The answer: carnage.

I got to The Milton Club on Deansgate just before 4am and just after this happened: this man was lying in the road. The officer asks “What's he wearing?” and a clubber replies, “I'll show you now.” It looks like an assault or a fight. I wish the victim a speedy recovery.

Mayweather V McGregor on Saturday Night!

One of the weirdest and most predictable but most exciting boxing events- certainly in my lifetime- takes place this Saturday, when UFC star Conor McGregor trades MMA for boxing and takes up Floyd Mayweather Jr's offer of a match. I can't see it being anything other than a straight win for Mayweather- round 9 after weathering McGregor's shots. The Irishman has put some boxing sparring videos on the internet and his guard is horrendous. If Pacqiao can't beat Mayweather, a wrestler with a small knack for strikes won't stand a chance.

But who knows. Maybe the age difference will work in McGregor's favour (Mayweather is 40, McGregor is 29). Either way, we'll find out.

Manchester Cool Bars are going to watch this in Genting Casino, which has plenty of screens. Come get involved! You will need photo ID. We're meeting at 3am Sunday morning, with the fight due to start at 4. There are undercards, so I may be there earlier still to check them out.

I'll use this post to make a mental note that I've started on ProMax, a protein powder from MaxiMuscle. The strawberry flavour is delicious. My weight's already going up- I hope it's muscle, but I'm probably kidding myself. We'll see how I fare after a month. I'm trying not to take them before bed as the sugar rush is messing up my sleep (which was screwed to begin with.)

Looking forward to Dirty Martini cocktail bar opening at the corner of Peter St and Deansgate, pretty much completing the row of units there.

I'll keep an eye out for an opening night and make a meetup out of it soon. Get involved!

Hospitalisation outside Panacea? Ex on the Beach stuff

Not sure what happened here a week ago on Saturday, but it doesn't look good. Hope the patient made a full recovery. Panacea on John Dalton St didn't get back to me on this and I can't find anything in the MEN.

Other than this it's been a quiet week. A couple of cool moments- Ex on the Beach girl Laura Alicia livestreamed from Ice Clinic Enterprise, up the road from me in Grasscroft, Oldham. She was answering questions whilst receiving shockwave treatment (required after lipo). I asked her the crucial question that celeb gossip email Popbitch are keen to hear answered from as many celebs as possible: who do you think would win in a fight between a baboon and a badger?

Her response: "Matt, that's hilarious. I don't know, but whoever loses should come in and have their bruises treated."

Very diplomatic, Laura. By the way, I'm this guy...

In other reality TV news, Charlotte Dawson blew me a kiss over Twitter after her poem recital on Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side, the reality TV competition's additional talk show (okay, I tweeted first).

😘 https://t.co/eC6QWTku4A

— Charlotte Dawson (@CharlotteDawsx) August 13, 2017

By the way, Charlotte, I'm this guy:

Oh and one last thing, Mexican actor Danny Trejo, of Dusk til Dawn / Desparado / Machete  fame, liked my tweet after I saw him on the Old El Paso advert. What a LEGEND!

Amir Khan was Acting Very Single in History Club

Manchester Cool Bars took a trip to new club History last week, housed behind the Church of Scientology on Deansgate.

History, on Longworth St, has been open a few weeks now and is already considered the new celebrity hotspot. I had asked for guestlist from a girl who claimed to be a promoter for the club. On the door, though, the staff told me they didn't actually know the girl but also mentioned a few people had said they'd asked her for guestlist. Bizarre. It was £20 on the door whether on guestlist or not, and most people were. Considering LIV and Milton Club are £10 and Bijou is £15, I thought £20 for a small club was quite steep. It still filled up after a while, and with about 70% girls too.

I loved the club's futuristic décor and design. The podium dancers really stood out from the crowd, literally and in terms of other places with dancers too. I personally would have liked to have hears some different music- I thought some of the RnB was a little slow, and a lot of the tunes were the same as what you might hear in LIV, Bijou, Suburbia, Panacea etc. I was hoping a club called 'History' would throw in a few more underplayed retro tunes from the last couple of decades just to differentiate from the rest. Aaliyah's More than a Woman or something. Good to see Dax on Sax adding a little extra melody to the proceedings too.

Geordie Shore's Charlotte Crosby

Charlotte Crosby

Bolton boxer Amir Khan dropped into the club with his entourage, and seemed to be in high spirits considering his split from wife Faryal Makhdoom: He had a booth with a few hot girls who were happy to kiss each other in front of his phone camera. Fair play to the lad.

He was happy to pose with people and seemed pretty cool. On the flipside, some of the customers steadfastly ignored me, but hey, you can't please everyone.

 

I've waited til today to upload this as I wanted it to be part of my #psychologysaturdays themed posts, and to test how my phone helps my memory and my blogging. This is the first proper club night I've been on since getting the new Xperia X, so I wanted to put the smartphone to the test. The pictures came out pretty well, including the ones taken with the Selfie Light. Omninotes, the note taking app, is holding up. The predictive text means I'm not spending more than a few seconds at a time typing,and the layout is clear and easy to use. Text, images, videos and sound can all be collated within one note. The handset's a great mid-price alternative to iPhones and the like.

That said, I forgot to lock my keypad and when I was driving home I had my phone in my lap and butt-dialled / facetimed my mate's mum at 4am. Looks like I'm still getting to grips with the phone.

Manchester Cool Bars are going back to History on Saturday 2^nd September. Get involved!

Things to do before 36

This is getting ridiculous. I've been writing these posts since I turned 29. Is there actually anything new? Well, actually, perhaps.

1. Raise the profile of this blog.

I've got a plan for how to do this. I need content that others haven't found. I'll do this, but if I tell you...

2. Raise my own profile.

I'm going to spend a month applying to loads of TV shows. Quiz shows. Dating shows. Documentaries. I'll look for things happening that might lead to a bit of fame, however bad that sounds.

3. Live my life like a bodybuilder for a month.

For one month, I'll eat very clean and regularly, I'll work out before and after work, I'll go on the protein shakes and I'll stay off the booze and have early nights. The aim is not necessarily to get massive, but to increase strength as much as possible.

4. Cram as much into my life as possible for a month.

What happens when you try to make the most of every second of your month? Do you not sleep? Do you do a fuck ton of drugs? Do you run out of money? Can you blog this successfully, Fear and Loathing style? Let's find out. My plan has 2 parts. The first is to spend a month watching films and reading books about people who have done similar things- think Blow, The Wolf of Wall St, plenty of William Burroughs books. After this, I'll give it a shot myself, whilst attempting to rewrite a film script and practising a little citizen journalism.

5. Be fearless.

I am battling depression and anxiety. I am making massive levels of progress, to the point that most people I speak to don't even notice. Most people. I'm feeling a buzz from these afflictions leaving my brain, and I'm looking forward to getting what I deserve.

I think having five solid goals that are completely attainable would be better than juggling ten and making minimal progress on them all.

A few things to report this week:

Subscribers of gossip email Popbitch will be aware that the writers of said outlet are very keep to find the views of celebrities from all areas of the media. Views, in particular, on one theoretical question: who would win in a fight between a baboon and a badger?

Well, Love Island's Chloe Crowhurst I can confirm is team baboon. 

Well I'd have to say a baboon 😂

— Chloë Crowhurst (@chloecrowhurst_) August 7, 2017

In other vitally important media affairs, does anyone watch Smallville? Me neither, but Uldouz Wallace, who plays Carmen Miranda in the Superman tie-in show, follows me on Twitter. She obviously has great taste.

I also got an RT and Favourite from house music producer Rui Da Silva.

Is that what you meant with 'you'll always be my baby'?

— Matt Tuckey (@matthewtuckey) August 10, 2017

If you don't get it, listen to this:

Another naughties music legend: The Artful Dodger's Mark Hill gave me a follow. Woman Trouble and Moving Too Fast were major songs when I was 18. Loved them. Big up!

Later on the blog: a new bar, a new club, a controversial boxer and a tattoo convention.

I'm 35

Oh. Joy. What the hell have I done with my life?

More particularly, what have I done in the last 12 months? I certainly had plans. Let's take a look at how I did with them.

1. Learn shorthand.

I did some- a month's worth. It got me the basics, which I dabble with in 1-1s in work and at the odd meeting here and there. Generally, I'm not going to many book signings, which would be when I noticed I needed it the most, but the beginnings of teeline are under the belt.

2. Do some citizen journalism.

I did a month of this. I came across a few bits of info here and there, but didn't make the waves I was hoping to. I'll be doing a similar project in a couple of month's time as I really enjoyed it.

3. Get this blog to be more than what it is.

Fail. I've not had an increase in hits, I've not got people to link to the site, I've not found particularly amazing content aside from a few bits here and there... but stay tuned.

4. Rewrite the screenplay.

I've not even looked at it. I will though.

5. Move jobs.

I've moved positions within my job and I'm a lot happier... we will see how things might change as time goes on.

6. Get my abs back.

This has not happened. I've jammed in more veg than usual, and my weight has yo-yo'ed all over the place, but there's no sign of the six pack.

7. Become more confident.

I've been on Sertraline for about 6 months now and it's having a decent effect on me. I'm making more approaches and am doing okay... but talking to women is still a challenge. I will not be ashamed of this.

8. Stop renting

I am still renting. I didn't want to move on this until I knew what the deal was with Disability Living Allowance moving over to Personal Independence Payment, another thing I'm in two minds about discussing. But the crossover has been made, so perhaps I should look into this soon.

9. Travel

I'm not going to do this alone, and I don't want to disappear for months, so short excursions are what I had in mind. I need travel buddies who don't have family commitments and do have money to spare... tumbleweeds. Berlin had its moments, though. As did Newcastle.

10. A list of bars and clubs

Back in 2015 I wrote this list of places I fancied dropping into. The vast majority of these I have visited and really enjoyed, as Manchester's nightlife scene goes from strength to strength. I few turned out to be shite, and a handful have shut down. Opus One is the only bar I've not been in, and I gather that's just for hotel guests. As for the restaurants, Handmade Burger Company has shut down, Fazenda is stupidly dear and the rest I've just not got around to... but keep your eye on Manchester Cool Bars and Clubs as I'm planning to do a few restaurant nights soon.

5 out of 10 ain't bad.

Come to History in the Future

Let's try again to visit new Manchester club History, tucked away behind Deansgate. Manchester Cool Bars will be headed there this Saturday. YOU WILL NEED PHOTO ID.

The club looks astounding with great light-up visuals and stunning clientele. Let's find out. We're meeting in Impossible on Peter St at 10pm.

Bring ID Out With You, FFS

You might not be a teenager any more, and you may not have been asked to prove your age for a decade or so now when you hit the bars and clubs. But there's a reason you need to bring photo ID out with you EVERY time you go out. EVERY FUCKING TIME.

Manchester is a city like many others. There are a lot of good, well-intentioned people who can go out and enjoy themselves, and behave themselves. There are also a lot of utter tools trying to prove themselves and getting themselves into trouble. We are in the former.

The staff at any licensed venue don't know this, though, so they indiscriminately ID EVERYONE that come through their doors- this includes The Milton Club, The Birdcage, Genting Casino, LIV, Tiger Tiger and a raft of others that I can't think of right now. All of these are places that Manchester Cool Bars visit on our organised nights out.

To this list we can also add History, the new venue on Longworth St behind Milton Club. I tried to go here last night with the Cool Bars group. As you can see, I wrote that ID would be essential.

Typically, attendees didn't actually scroll to the bottom of the text to read it all, and didn't bring said ID. So we went to Be At One instead. It was full of kids and played shit pop music, but they gave us free bottles of water on the way out.

Oh, one other thing, Chet Johnson from Ex on the Beach follows me on Twitter. Please contain your jealousy.

Omninotes: for your note taking needs

As mentioned last week I needed a new note taking system for Android that allowed me to keep records, lists, and multimedia in the same place. I seem to have found this in Omninotes, a free app designed by Federico Iosue.

I find that prompts are helpful when they come in different formats- sometimes text, sometimes pictures sometimes video, sometimes sound. OmniNotes allows you to incorporate all or any of these into the same note, And then categorise them with a coloured tab so you can distinguish them.

Notes can be ordered in a number of ways. 'Last modification date' is the setting I've chosen. This means when you add a new note, this is moved to the top of the pile, as in ColorNotes (sadly lacking in OneNote). Also if you update an older note, the same happens (Also like ColorNotes and not OneNote). Other options are 'Title,' 'Creation date' and 'Reminder date.' If you lose track of something in your notes, there is a text search function. There's also a speech search function, but I haven't got this to work yet.

I've been dabbling with this for the last few days, but I have yet to put it to any serious tests to see how it fares when memory difficulties become an issue. I've also not tested it at any events, times when I would be collecting notes and multimedia that I would subsequently be using to create a blog post. (I'm going to new Manchester club History tonight and you can come too.)