Inkblot Comic Festival This Saturday

Horror movie convention For the Love of Horror is this weekend. The line-up had nobody who grabbed me until the last minute when they announced Linda Blair, Reagan from The Exorcist. By the time I got around to phoning (the website never works for me) the event had sold out. Never mind. There’s more going on. 

I seem to have blown something in the back of my left knee, so running is out of the question. Pump classes seem fine, though, which involves weight movements with planted feet like deadlifts and squats. I’m skipping circuit which involves a lot of jumping around. Keep forgetting I’m 43. Will I be fixed for the Santa Dash at the start of December? Who knows. I guess I’m going to have to phone the doctors. 

It’s the last week of this reading project I’m doing. Expect a review soon. 

Saturday daytime: comic convention Inkblot promises ‘a day packed with comics, creativity and good vibes.’ Sugden Sports Centre, right down Oxford Rd, from 12pm. There’s a meetup with Manc Mates if you want to say hi to a few people. 

 

House Music with Hype/Drive

Got pub food with the family Friday night. Good evening.

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Shot over to Hoppy Daze in Ashton Saturday night for my mate’s house music night. Hype Drive returned to Tameside for a night of electronica with a bit of funk thrown in too. Good team. 

 

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Hype/Drive run events sporadically but they’re great friendly evenings, usually not too late either. We’re not kids. We need sleep.

Rigatoni

2/10/25 

This week was the first time, to my knowledge, I’ve tasted artichokes – the unopened bud of a thistle plant. But that is what Rukmini Iyer – author of The Roasting Tin – asks for in Rigatoni Al Forno with Pancetta, Artichokes, Creme Fraiche and Parmesan. 

I couldn’t find panko breadcrumbs in the 3 supermarkets I went to, so blended a couple of slices of brown bread. The pasta needed a little longer to boil than directed. No biggie. But other than that, the instructions were straightforward and the dish was ready to serve in 1hr 20 mins including baking time. (Should have been 50 mins. I take a little longer.) Artichokes weren’t too bad, largely, I expect, because they were covered in a creamy, meaty, almost carbonara-like sauce.

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House Music with Hype/Drive in Hoppy Daze Saturday

 

House music fans unite Saturday, only not in Manchester Centre. Ashton’s Hoppy Daze holds host to DJ collective Hype/Drive, featuring underground house and a friendly bunch of people. There’s a meetup if you fancy joining. I can introduce you.

Cocktails and Geopolitical Debate with Zio Nutter

Steadily chugging through this reading project. 

Other than that, I‘ve picked u a huge pile of DVDs and Blu-Rays from a college friend who moved abroad. A very generous donation! Now all I need Is a Blu-Ray player… not to mention a new PC as this one is on its arse. 

Ran a meetup last night to the Northern Quarter. Last night of drinking before dedicating myself to this Santa Dash fitness project.

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The event had been up all week but the RSVPs only rolled in in the last couple of days. I ended up with 15 supposed attendees. 4 of us showed on the night. Me, 2 regulars and 1 guy who’d been to 1 before. He turned up in Flok already steaming, and tried to engage us in a political debate in which he completely misunderstood the Israel Palestine situation and exposed himself as a batshit Zionist. His arguments completely fell apart under questioning. We went to Dusk til Pawn, then moved on to Eastern Bloc. Then he just disappeared. He seemingly walked out of the bar. 

I’ve booted him from the group. It can be tiring running meetups and dealing with, on occasion, the inept who use the site as a crux. But as Daniel Plainview would say…

Santa Dash 2025

 

It’s 2 months to the 2025 Saddleworth Santa Dash, an annual race in which a thousand locals dress as Father Christmases and dart 5k across Oldham’s countryside to raise funds for the Round Table, a local charity organisation. It’s great fun. Saturday, 6th December sees the High Street of Uppermill awash with a sea of red and white outfits, with lots of serious runners but mostly people who just want a fun run with family and friends. 

The race usually has a local DJ or public figure at the meeting point, hyping everyone up before the starting banner is held up and the whistle blown. At the end, there’s music, stalls, food, drink and games. 

I currently weigh 82.1kg, an entire 10kg more than I need to if I want to fit into my suit trousers, one of my tasks for this year. I also want to beat the 31 minute run time I got in both 2018 and 2024. I’ve got a local 5.4km running route that I’ve done in just over 36 mins. It’d be great to beat that. Currently, running is sluggish and gym classes are getting harder. I just had a chicken burger meal last night, and I’m getting drunk in the Northern Quarter tonight, but after that… militant health kick. Lots of soup. Lots of recipes. Adonis figure pending.

What's Happening Thursday Nights Manchester?

Watched Saw III. It was drivel, but I tagged Dina Meyer - Dt. Allison Kerry - in a couple of Insta stories and she liked them. 

Saw X, another in the series that surfaced on Netflix, was equally forgettable. 

House of Guinness has landed on Netflix last week currently sitting at no.1 in the series chart. Back in October the filming took place in Manchester. I got these shots. 

This coming week: 

Tuesday night chicken anyone? Bird of Prey, a new fried chicken joint out at Circle Square, hosts Tender Tuesdays, offering 50% off chicken tenders. Fancy taking a look with some other people? Manchester Nightlife has you. 

I’m off work Friday so thought it would be good to do something on Thursday night, but I haven’t actually found anything happening. Club LIV used to have a Thursday night thing, but the club is now Runway and is closed Thursdays. I uploaded this meetup but I still have no idea what to do on a Thursday. Nothing seems to be open. 

Saturday night, however, should be much more successful with a bar crawl around Stevenson Square. Loads of good quirky bars, a range of music including some house, cocktails aplenty and rarely any entry fees. If the weather’s shit, all the bars are right next to each other. Meet me in Flok, 9pm.