Matt Tuckey is a writer from Oldham, England. He covers celebrities, night life, Manchester, fitness, creative writing, social media, psychology and events. Some of this may, in some way, help others. Or maybe it'll just entertain you for a while.
My
phone contract expires tomorrow and I haven't got my next
phone...FUCCKKK. After two years of pissing and moaning, now that I
need to get organised and move on from this ridiculous handset and
contract I haven't done. Anyway.
Come
out on Friday night! Yes, I know you'll be tired but you'll wake up
when you get out to Mambos.
It's a good chilled out start place with good music, and the perfect
launch pad before Flirt at nearby
Birdcage. It's a bit of a random shout- a little different to
Spinningfields or the likes of LIV or
Panacea- but the last time we went it
was a good fun night. Nine of us in Cool Bars
are going. Join us!
The
previous posts have any notable info on the start of the week, so I'm
going to dive in with the Thursday just gone.
I
read Star Wars: Rebel Heist, a
four-part comic I bought at Oldham Comic Con back in May. Each part
signed by the author Matt Kindt,
the story tells of a rebel fighter coming face-to-face with the
legendary Han Solo, some time between A New Hope and The Empire
Strikes Back. It's darker, grittier and more evocative than the
films- the story hints at the smells and gut feelings of the
characters, with less cartoonish characters and more storm troopers
chasing the familiar main characters down darkened city alleys. Each
part focusses on a different main Star Wars character: Solo in the
first, then Leia, then Chewbacca and finally Skywalker. Star Wars
nerds would lap up the intermediary story that enriches, but never
treads on, the original movies.
A
few of us met in Be Impossible Manchester,
the new bar occupying the unit on Peter St that formerly housed Bar
38 and, briefly, Purity. No Twitter yet.
Trendy
upbeat bar on the ground floor, alpine lodge with fur-draped couches
on the upper. Unique and slightly weird, but appreciatively so. A new
outfit for the unit, which has been empty for around half a decade,
has been long overdue, so to see it finally open is a great
improvement to the street. Existing outfits like
Sakana will see some competition, and
nights out in The Albert Hall and
LIV have a new starting place. I bumped
into the Socialite staff before I headed over there, so I'm not the only one with that
idea. I wasn't drinking but Impossible seemed to have a decent
cocktail menu and back bar. Keep your eyes peeled on
Meetup for
a trip there in the near future.
Saturday:
I dropped in on Heart for Art in Sale and got my
first tattoo at their fundraiser. The Manchester Tattoo Appeal
is still going strong, raising money for the families of those who
died in the recent Manchester terror attack.
I
got there early and beat the majority of the queue, and chatted to an
Australian girl while a live band played outside. We were given a
colour and number, and before long my number was called and I got
this straight on the shin:
Not
as painful as I expected, although years of Muay Thai deadening my
nerves may have been a factor. I still nearly bit through the wooden
spoon I brought with me though. Great work for a brilliant cause. I'm
really happy with it. Advice from the staff: let it breathe, but keep
it out of the sun for a week.
A month ago I started a THIRD attempt to give up chocolate. Well, I managed. No
chocolate bars, no hot chocolate drink, no chocolate-covered food or
cake, and very little of any other junk food. I started the project
at 76.6kg.
Guess
what? I put weight on. After skipping in the sun all day yesterday,
then ending with a gym session, I was 80kg (12'8). I've been exactly
this weight a couple of times before, but never above 80.1kg I think.
I've not binged on fruit, I've eaten more nuts, more veg and only 2
takeaways all month, that I can remember. I've done numerous skipping
sessions outside (resulting in shocking sunburn despite lotion), I've
done an endurance project at the gym which took 7+1/2 hours, and yet I'm STILL a fat bastard. This makes no sense.
To
my credit, I did get down to 76.2kg, and I beat a few PBs here and
there.
20/5-20/6
Dips-
65 (5 more)
Leg
press- 170kg (10kg more)
10
min row- 2263m (74m more)
I
may as well go back to eating chocolate again, or try fasting.
One
is an American politician and attorney from
Maine, currently sitting on the
Senate Intelligence Committee, and at present sitting on the ongoing
Sessions Hearing. The other is a British TV entertainer with decades of media
work under his belt. But which?!
I've
been making a list of ideas for #psychologysaturday blog posts,
something I'm committing to doing every week. One idea is to share
with you a few resources that may help if you're looking into
learning more in that area. Here are seven examples of information
and advice relating to psychology. Share others in the comments!
The
lastest psychology findings with reports on experiments happening
across the globe. Fascinating stuff. Has a search function and
categories for the different areas of psychology study. Has recently
removed their comment function, so I removed it from my blog's
blogroll.
A
similar outlet with more of an assistive slant. The site has links to
help you find a therapist (in America) and to help you get help (see
their top bar). Has a comment function but does not allow you to link
back to another website.
If
you've read Neil Strauss' bestseller The Game, you'll have heard of
David DeAngelo, the Robert DeNiro lookalike who was somewhat of an
antagonist in the book. His techniques were the first that I found
when I started researching advice on women in 2007. I subscribed to
his emails, and a lot of his advice related to psychology- how we can
change our mentalities and behaviours to develop ourselves. It took a
few months but it certainly pushed me on a few steps. Dare I say it:
I was a virgin until I read his info.
The
Psychology Book
A
Dorling Kindersley book which traces the major psychological findings
throughout history. Will probably answer a few questions about your
own mind that you've been wondering for a while.
Teach
Yourself Psychology
A
much smaller but still highly revealing book about the science of the
mind, and how it affects the major areas of our lives (psychology in
the workplace, child psychology, etc.). My mum has had my copy for
many years. Keep meaning to get it back!
Men's
Sexual Health
Metz
and McCarthy's short guide is more than a description of STIs- it's
about being healthy, both physically and mentally, in order to have a
good sex life. Fascinating and reassuring.
The
New Male Sexuality
Bernie
Zibergeld's guide to sex, for men, is a must-read for all adult
males. A bold statement, perhaps, but the detail that goes into the
book revealing the major problems men have with sex and how to combat
them- mostly by deciding on a change in mentality- is incredibly
detailed and simple to understand. Again, hugely reassuring.
Club LIV has outdone Alchemist with their crazy unique cocktails.
Book
off Friday immediately! Manchester Cool Bars
are headed to Socialite, Club LIV's Thursday night party. Hot young people,
hip hop and the odd reality TV star, probably. Drinks deals and cheap
entry. Very popular. It's also the only decent night I've found on a
Thursday, so we might as well.
ALSO:
I've just received this Facebook message for party organisers
Taboo:
PLEASE
READ
Taboo will no longer running at Tiger Tiger on Tuesday's
(sic) as we've found a new home.
Stay tuned for more
announcements
They're
keeping schtump for the moment. Is it too early to be at
History?
Probably, considering the venue isn't even built yet. As soon as I
know, you will too.
