These old DVDs are SAVED

7 years ago I showed off this massive film collection that I’ve been accruing since 1997. 

A lot of these films were recorded from TV in the 90s, onto Long Play VHS, then transferred to DVD in around 2006-7. The DVD recorder seemed a little faulty, though, and I didn’t seem to be able to play the discs properly after recording and finalising (almost like ‘locking the door’ on a DVD to stop any more content being recorded onto it, and to allow it to be played on other devices). Hence, most of these discs stayed in storage under my bed, as they had done for 20 years. 

In December ’25 my PC pretty much conked out, so I had to splurge on a new one. Along with presents for family and meals out, I figured I may as well invest more. I’m a tight bastard most of the year, so why not shell out more on a Blu-Ray player? They’re under £100 these days. Not to mention, an old college mate of mine had moved abroad and had left a load of DVDs and Blu-Rays at his dad’s. He kindly donated them to me. I needed something to watch them on.

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So, that month I made a purchase; my dad and I wired everything up and I tried out one of the donated Blu-Rays. Brilliant picture quality. Everything worked fine. But what about the DVD+Rs storing all those VHS films? 

Turns out, they play too. They even fast forward, rewind and pause, something my old DVD+R recorder didn’t seem to be able to do, to my frustration. I’ve enjoyed revisiting some grainy, low-quality versions of some classic movies. I’ve watched the likes of Videodrome and Psycho, both recorded from TV on Long Play (VHS tape recorded at half speed, meaning you could fit double the video time onto the tape). I find, these days, I understand the plots much more than I did in my late teens and early 20s. 

I’ve got a list of old films to revisit and I’ve tapped through a few of them. I have more to watch and am looking forward to immersing myself in some brilliant (and usually little-known) cinema.

Try the New Sticks 'n' Sushi in Spinningfields

 

Looking forward this week: 

TV and movie convention For the Love of Retro takes place this weekend in Telford, which is a little too far for me. An incredible line-up though. I could easily have spent £400 if I could be arsed with a long drive and more money on a hotel room, which I can’t. 

New bar and restaurant Sticks ‘n’ Sushi opened in Spinningfields, a Japanese / Scandinavian chain. Manchester Nightlife are headed there on Saturday for cocktails and mocktails, plus to look around a few other bars. Glamorous decor, chilled background beats, possibly the odd celeb knocking about. Come join the Meetup group. See the newest parts of the city. 4 of us so far. Will be more by the weekend.

3 Million Hits

This blog passed the 3 million hit mark yesterday. I’ve been running it since 2008. I hit 1 million in April ‘23 and 2 million in April this year. Either people are suddenly interested in my random nights out and amateur psychological musings, or there’s a whole lot of bot traffic out there. I suspect the latter. 

I annoyed Sabre from Gladiators with my grammar pedantry. 

Peter Cullen died, yet another person I could have met at one convention or another, but didn’t. I'm sure he was booked to attend at something local. He voiced the titular Predator, Eeyore the donkey from Whinnie the Pooh and Optimus Prime in the 1984 animated Transformers: The Movie. 

It’s a bank holiday tomorrow and I predictably have put up a last minute meetup for tonight: drinks on Deansgate, if that floats your boat. I always forget when it’s a bank holiday, and no other organiser on Meetup seems to put much up either. There’s a women’s cinema trip, a live music acoustic set in a pub, a bouldering session and a 70s disco night – great if that’s your thing – but not much else. I guess it’s down to me. 9pm, Slug and Lettuce Deansgate, 9pm.

 

This Machinist Diet is starting to get painful.

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2 weeks ago I started this Machinist Diet: an attempt to eat like Christian Bale did in preparation for his role as an anorexic insomniac. My goal isn't to look like him - it's to hit 72.2kg. 

It’s taking a lot longer than I thought, although it’s really starting to hurt now. Yesterday I just had tuna and apple for lunch, with no other meal all day. Then I blasted through circuit class as best as I could. This morning I did pump, sauna and steam. I’m about to eat again now. I’m still 82.4kg, a very minor reduction considering how little I’ve eaten and how much exercise I’ve done. Both my skipping ropes snapped on Thursday, so I bought 2 more, much sturdier this time. 

One thing I’ve noticed on The Machinist Diet – you don’t have to clean the kitchen anywhere near as much. Hardly any food prep or consumption happens in it. I still have a load of soup to eat, plus stuff in my freezer. I’m out of milk, protein drinks, cheese and eggs. 

Oh, also, I watched all the (very interesting) extras on The Machinist DVD. 

Let’s see what happens next...

Bank Holiday Breakfast

I was at a family gathering yesterday where a family member was raving about Dishoom’s breakfasts. Dishoom serves up great Indian delicacies and lassi milkshakes. I’ve been for lunch a year ago, but I kept meaning to try their other menus. Here’s their breakfast menu. 

Hence, I’ve set up a meetup with Manc Mates for food, 10am, Sunday morning. Come join. 

I predictably have no plans for Sunday night, when we have a Bank Holiday on the Monday. I’m all ears...

Up! at Six Trees: Afternoon House Music

Love a good house music stomp. Thankfully promoters Up! Supplied an afternoon on the terrace of Six Trees in Trafford yesterday afternoon. Great music from Grace Sands and others including my friend Paul Smith. 

I set up a meetup with Manchester Nightlife and got a group together - some regulars, some new people - we met in Impossible then got a taxi down there. Great music and atmos. Weather held up too, thankfully, as the sun went down.

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Machinist Diet Update

Last Saturday I described this insane diet basted on Christian Bale’s efforts to prepare for his role in The Machinist. 

The problem with a diet like this is that we all have food in our cupboards, fridges and freezers, and there’s no point it going off. So you might as well eat it. And that’s what I’ve been doing: with one meal per day, munching through the eggs, bread and other perishables. I also had made a huge pan of vegetable soup. I had some ingredients for a recipe, so I bought the remaining goods and cooked that too. I’ve actually got loads of non-tuna-and-pineapple stuff still to go. Furthermore, my mum – who doesn’t yet know I’m doing this project – invited me round for a curry. This absolutely stuffed me. When you're only eating one meal a day, it takes a long time to use up. 

Soon, though, it will be just a can of tuna and an apple as a daily meal - as confirmed by the director below...

I watched The Machinist, and understood it a lot better this time. I’ve also watched the commentary track, in which director Brad Anderson clears up a few of the more confusing plot points. I totally forgot Michael Ironside and Jennifer Jason Leigh were in this. 

I started this at 86.2, went down to 83.2 and am currently back up at 85.9. Teething problems. I’m steadily skipping it off. Watch what happens this next week.

 

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House Music at Up this Saturday

Afternoon sessions are rising in popularity rapidly, and with good reason: no late night taxis, no disrupted sleep, more daylight and people are more likely to be available. That’s probably why a few DJs – including a friend of mine – have put together Up, an afternoon of house music in Six Trees out in Trafford. There’s a meetup with Manchester Nightlife that you should join. At the time of writing we’re planning where to meet – probably Impossible in the city centre first. 

 

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Delusions of Grandeur

Discussed Magic Eye pictures with Aisha Katya. I’d swear that is a chicken. Bill Duke – Mac in Predator - liked my photo of us. Saw the solar eclipse on Wednesday, from Hartshead Pike. If you missed it, there’s another in 12 months. 

 

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Went out for a few birthday drinks in Freemount Northern Quarter last night. Behind Closed Doors turned me away because I was in shorts. You’d think a bar with S&M befitted mannequins wouldn’t have that strict a dress code in 2026, but here we are. Moved to Voyuer, a new edgy bar with risque-sounding cocktails (mine was called ‘Delusions of Grandeur,’ so make of that what you will), where a trans waiter served us Baby Godfather shots, a caramel liqueur. Turned out BCD and Voyuer are part of the same company. We finished the night off in Guilty By Association. I managed to get the bus back. Good night in all.

The Machinist Diet

 

In 2004 Actor Christian Bale took up the titular role of The Machinist, a factory worker with insomnia whose interactions – possibly hallucinations – with other people drive him to the brink of insanity. I saw it in probably 2006. I enjoyed it but didn’t understand it. I made a plan to watch it again, but then life got in the way. 

20 years later, I’ve managed to get my hands on the DVD and bargain basement price, and it includes some extras. At the time I watched it I was probably in the best physical shape of my life, doing Muay Thai and weights, and eating my mum’s excellent cooking. There was definitely no need to lose any weight. In 2010, however, I moved out, and under the lacklustre care of social services, I spiralled. I had no idea how to cook, shop for food or budget. The abs went within weeks, and never came back. At the time I moved out I was 68kg. Over the years, I spiralled up to 90kg. I managed to diet down to 72 a couple of times, but I’m currently 86.2. 

So. I need to lose exactly 14 kilos. 72.2kg is the weight I know I need to be to fit into my 30” suit trousers. The fastest way I can imagine doing this is this what I understand Christian Bale did to achieve that gaunt physique. 

Pretty simple really: a can of tuna and an apple every day. This might be a terrible idea, but the reality is a working kitchen usually is already stocked with a load of food. If you try these diets, you risk letting the food go off, even if it’s in the freezer. These projects can take longer than you might expect. So, for the moment, I’ll alternate between eating a full meal a day, and eating a can of tuna and an apple a day. I’ll do this until the rest of the food runs out. But essentially, cans of tuna and bags of apples will be all I’ll be buying until I hit the target weight. In the meantime, I’ll watch the whole of the DVD, plus other media, and use a skipping rope until the weight comes off. I’ll try to keep up with gym classes, but I expect I’m going to have to reduce the weights a bit. Fighting the cravings and sticking to the plan is the tie-in to psychology. The mental task of committing to the diet is probably harder than the physical effort of moving when incredibly hungry. 

I’m getting drunk tonight, but after that… it begins.

Before 45

 

I’ve been writing these annual targets since I turned 29. I remember writing some kind of bucket list as a uni student, however post uni life included abject poverty for many years, which kyboshed my plans. These days the plans are more or less the same every year. I’d like to travel more, but… with whom? Who has the finances? This time, it’s... 

1) Reading Month 

I have a humongous To Be Read pile. Hammering through a few short books should make a dent on it. As many as possible in a month. 

2) Psychology Month 

I love psychology. The specific scientific field has answered a few questions that I’ve had my whole life. I’ve got a load of psychology books that I’ve tried to tap through, plus it’d be great to do something with this Psychology Social Group I set up. I’d just like to meet more people who have an interest in that field, and do something social that doesn’t involve alcohol or junk food. If I could learn any more, I will. 

3) Netflix and Press-ups 

Once again blending fitness and TV, this time I’m planning to watch a season of something on my phone, and do press-ups throughout. I’ll have to wait for something to pique my interest. 

4) The Machinist Diet

 

 

In 2004 Christian Bale starred as Trevor Reznick in The Machinist, a twisty crime drama about a factory worker with insomnia and apparent anorexia. I saw it years ago and enjoyed it, but didn’t understand it. I meant to revisit it. Hmm. It’d be good to figure it out after all these years. I saw it in maybe ‘06. In preparation for the film Bale went on an extreme diet that is thoroughly ill-advised. I’d try it anyway, to hit a target weight, but not to be as skeletal as he was. I just want to get back into my 30” suit trousers AGAIN. I expect the newly-bought (second hand) DVD extras would tell us all about how he achieved the physique. It’d probably explain the film, too.

So yeah, just the 4 this year.

Journal Club This Week

 

Journal Club returns to Hinterland Northern Quarter on Wednesday. Enjoy a night of writing prompts, vegan food and alcohol-free beverages. There’s a meetup with Manc Mates. 

I’m doing stuff with friends on Friday, so no meetup. Need a break from that scene, tbh. There’s another for the week after if you like house music. 

On the blog: another of the 48 Laws of Power, plus some plans for the next year, and a bizarre movie diet challenge.

Birthday Drinks, Meetup Drama, T Shirt Win

I mentioned on Friday that one of my Meetup attendees came out to Joshua Brooks then sacked us off to White Hotel, some competitor house music club. I’ve met up with him again last night, along with many other Meetup folk. I wanted to do some birthday drinks, and Meetup people are literally the ONLY people available to come out. So I put up an event with Manchester Nightlife (which, by the way, has now passed 1000 members. Only taken 2 years). 

8 people RSVPd. Most of them showed up in meeting spot Flok, including White Castle Guy. (Turns out he’d left JB’s last week because he’d had a run-in with a member of staff.) Some other people I knew from previous events attended, and some new folk. From Flok we moved to Lost in Tokyo, Japanese themed cocktail bar, then to Soup. For some reason I was absurdly overdressed for a warm summer’s night in hipstery Northern Quarter, wearing the blue 3-piece suit I got for a recent wedding. Soup’s doormen said they had a ‘no suit policy,’ that it wasn’t that vibe, but when they found out it was my birthday they made an exception. Fair play. 

People dropped off as the night went on, until it was just myself, White Castle Guy and a Chinese Guy who’s English was so rudimentary he was getting by with Google Translate on his phone. It was before midnight when the 3 of us were stood on the street and White Castle Guy started ranting about COVID conspiracies, vaccines and Fauci (who doesn’t even have any authority in this country). 

One thing you should know about me. I worked in social care during the pandemic as an essential worker. Loads of my clients died. I have clinically vulnerable relatives who were fortunate to make it through those years. I have no patience for anti-vaxx bullshit. 

Furthermore, at the end of the night, I had no energy to argue. I just went home. This morning I blocked White Castle Guy. Hmm. Of course he’s got a bible verse on his Insta. 

In slightly more positive news, I won the monthly photo competition from Last Exit to Nowhere again, and won 3 t shirts again! That photo was taken at the recent Comic Con Manchester.

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Getting High on Caraway at the Manchester Day Parade

What is caraway? It’s ‘the fruit of a flowering green shrub, one of the oldest cultivated spices in history.’ So says Dan Nestor in his book Get High Now Without Drugs. Julius Caesar was a fan, as were many other Romans and Greeks. Used for digestion and glowing skin, caraway can also be used as a mild sedative. 

I’ve tried a few supermarket herbs listed in GHNWD, and so far I’ve felt nothing. But I wanted to give caraway a shot. Third time’s a charm and all that. I found a pot in a supermarket and waited for the right opportunity. 

The opportunity arose Sunday 26th July, with the return of the annual Manchester Day Parade, a celebration of Manchester’s diverse cultures and social groups. Visit Manchester says ‘This year's celebrations feature a special Catalan twist, celebrating Manchester's cultural links with Barcelona, alongside the National Year of Reading. Visitors can enjoy live music, dance, street theatre, pop-up performances and interactive activities throughout the day.’ 

 

 

 

 

As you can see from the pictures, there was a heavy Spanish theme to the day’s proceedings, which started around 1pm in St Peter’s Square near the Central Library. Giant papier maché models of people and animals, dancers of several disciplines, a guy dressed as a fish staring into my very soul and several big fuck-off inflatable dragons contributed to the cavalcade of weirdness, which was made weirder when I started to casually chug down this Tesco pot of caraway seeds. 

I swallowed maybe a teaspoon’s worth at a time, over a couple of hours. I’d maybe swallowed half the 40g pot. By around 2pm I started to feel slightly dizzy, then a bit sick. But at least I felt something. 

I’ve still got half the pot, so perhaps I’ll try again at another fittingly bizarre event, maybe a Bongo’s Bingo night or some kind of celebrity meet.