Weekly Musings

2015 - Week 8
'We can do whatever we want 'cos we're born young and free'

(Marmozets - Young and Free)

 

I had this week off work, which has been really cool, I've managed to have a couple of little trips away to recharge despite not getting to go abroad as I'd hoped. On Monday I met up with Abi and Tasha for a coffee and then had a chilled evening of yoga, and on Tuesday I drove to Laura and Dickon's in Aldershot near Guildford to see little Ernest for the first time! He's an absolute cutie, and so well behaved considering he's only a month old. We had pancakes for dinner as it was Pancake Day, and then on Wednesday we wandered for a coffee and cake before I headed back home.





On Thursday I had another date with Jason (guy from the last couple of weeks) - I was told to pack an overnight bag and a bikini and be ready for 1.30pm, very exciting/ nervewracking! Turned out we were going to Blackpool to see his friend perform in Saturday Night Fever there, and stayed at the Hilton so had chance to go in the sauna/ pool. Was such an awesome surprise; don't think anyone's ever done anything like that for me before! I guess it was quite intense considering it was our fourth date, but we really get on so it wasn't awkward at all. We went to Bella Italia before the show, where I had a chicken and spinach calzone which was incredible, and afterwards had a few drinks with his friend and a couple of the other cast members (the performance was so good!). Everyone was lovely and I ended up getting quite drunk, the hangover on Friday when we had to leave early wasn't pretty!

 

Yesterday Hana was back from Australia! The girls and I haven't seen her for over six months, some of them longer, so we planned a fun day together. I held a tea party at my flat for us all, and everyone brought food with them and we had some prosecco and caught up with everything. In the evening we all headed into Manchester for some drinks in Spinningfields at Grand Pacific, and then later on Jason joined us and we moved on to Soup Kitchen. So lovely to get everyone together, and despite the break it was like nothing had changed between us all - I'm so lucky to have such a gorgeous group of friends!

 

Today I had a nice lie in and then went to get my eyebrows tattooed! It is something I have considered for a while since I am an eyebrow connoisseur, and I finally decided to take the plunge. It takes two sessions, an initial consultation and first shape, with a followup retouch and final shape four weeks later. I am so happy with them so far, and it wasn't anywhere near as painful as a normal tattoo which I was surprised at considering it is on your face. Afterwards I went for another Bella Italia, this time with Mum and Jasmine (I had a barbecue chicken pizza) and now Jason is on his way 'round for a chilled evening.  

Weekly Musings

2015- Week 7

'Even while your widening smile was shaking in the smoke, your head was full of hope'
(Benjamin Francis Leftwich - Butterfly Culture)

This week has been lovely, I've had dates two and three with the same guy from last week, and introduced him to a couple of my favourite chilled acoustic artists/ bands - one of which was Benjamin Francis Leftwich, the other Fleet Foxes, hence the lyrics above and video below. On Monday for date two, it was my turn to return the favour of planning, so we went for food at Home Sweet Home in the Northern Quarter (I had pulled pork with sweet potato fries, jalapenos, BBQ sauce, salad and pico de gallo!) followed by drinks at Apotheca, which just happened to have an open mic night on which was cool.

I had lamb rump steaks with a gorgeous goats cheese salad at the Country Club on Tuesday, and I went to The Little B in Sale on Wednesday with Kelly for a catch up over a couple of drinks. On Thursday it was date three; though we both weren't feeling great so I invited him over for dinner at mine so it was more chilled. I made lasagne from scratch which seemed to win him over, and he brought me flowers, chocolates and a card for an early Valentines Day present as we're both busy at the weekend - it was such a surprise, noone ever gets me flowers! Major points.

On the 14th I went for a stroll around Entwistle Reservoir near Bolton with Mum and Aunty Sarah, the weather was fine and there were quite a few people milling around. It was good to get out in the fresh air and have a natter. On Sunday after a relaxing yoga session, Mum, Jas and I had a trip to The Trafford Centre, and for once I actually came home with a decent haul! Dinner at Mum's after marked the end to a perfect week!

Weekly Musings

2015- Week 6

'Now my life is sweet like cinnamon, like a fucking dream I'm living in.'
(Lana Del Rey - Radio)

I've been replaying a bit of Lana this week, every now and then I get a real craving for her melancholy tones! This week has been far from melancholy though, despite crashing my car AGAIN on Tuesday, meaning I've gone from seven bump free years to two crashes in the past 12 months! 

That evening I ventured out on another date, but luckily this one didn't have the disastrous result of last time, in fact, it was pretty bloody good as first dates go! I was a little late due to unreliable trains, but we met at Deansgate and went to a place called Evuna for tapas - always a good cuisine option for striking up conversation and sharing food. Slight miscommunication meant we ended up with rose wine (I said it was the only type I wasn't fond of, he thought I'd said it was the only one I liked!) but I didn't have the heart to embarrass him, and fortunately it was actually decent tasting. Conversation was easy, we both had similar passions and taste in music, which is always a winner with me! He was genuinely interesting and had a great smile, dressed smart and it felt very relaxed - he got the bill as well which always helps!

Afterwards we moved on to Cloud 23 in the Hilton, quite a statement for a first meeting, but it didn't seem like it was done to show off, and I was actually really excited to go as I hadn't ever been. I had a gin and cherry cocktail and then moved on to just gin and lemonades, and we left after I realised I had missed my train and would have to get the metro home - definitely the sign of a successful date! I don't really know what I was expecting from it, but I think after last week it was reassuring to have met a normal guy who I wouldn't mind seeing again, and he was a cracking kisser too!

The following day I met Abi at Cafe Gourmand and of course filled her in on the gossip, and in the evening I went to watch Aum perform as Kaa the snake in his Jungle Book production, which was fantastic! MGS clearly pull out all the stops when it comes to school shows - the boys had amazing costumes, full hair and makeup, impressive lighting effects and microphones attached like popstars!


On Thursday I went to watch a band called Liu Bei at The Eagle Inn in Salford (great little venue) and have had a fairly quiet weekend: I babysat last night and went for a few drinks with family friends on Friday night, then have just had Mum, Dad and Jas round for Sunday dinner. I am now off to watch Interpol at the Albert Hall!

Weekly Musings

2015- Week 5
'There's more to living than being alive'
(Anberlin - Alexithymia)

This lyric is from one of my all time favourite bands, who I always seem to return to on my iPod, and has been relevant this week as I feel that I have taken a few chances, which I think is important to do now and again.

After a double whammy of Country Club food on Tuesday, the first instance of taking my chances was a date I went on on Wednesday. The man in question (who will remain unnamed) stopped me in the street whilst I was on my way to the gym. After the initial shock of being asked out whilst makeup-less, frizzy haired and in gym gear had worn off, I had a decent conversation with him, and agreed to meet up with him. I don't make a habit of accepting date offers from random men, but thought I'd give him a chance bearing in mind he'd had the balls to flag me down in public. Two weeks later I met him in a bar called Embrace in Altrincham.

There were, however, warning signs. Firstly, I need to point out that on the morning of the arranged date, he had messaged asking if I wanted to go to his for dinner instead of a bar due to the awful weather. I politely declined as thought that pretty inappropriate for a first date, and gave him the benefit of the doubt. But then, on the night, though conversation was flowing and it seemed to be going well, he had a habit of touching my leg whilst we were sat down. Now I am far from being a prude, but fondling on a first date when I barely knew the guy is a little OTT. When I pointed this out, he agreed that it was forward, yet didn't apologise or remove his hand. Awkward. 

At the end of the night I made a point of seeming disinterested, and didn't send a followup text, yet the following afternoon I received a (very much unwanted) sext, causing me to reply with sarcasm and delete the guy's number. From this experience I have reached the conclusion that people who stop you for dates in the street aren't so blown away by your good looks that they HAVE to pluck up the courage to ask you out, but are in fact probably just stark raving bonkers. At least I gave it a go!

The second (much more successful) instance of me pushing my boundaries was on Thursday, when I went to Common in the Northern Quarter to meet with all the people I have been working with through Matter of Sound that I have previously only spoken to via email. I am by no means shy, but going to a bar I had never heard of, alone, to meet a bunch of people I didn't know was still slightly daunting. However, we got cider and Mexican food and had a good chat and it was all lovely (which is probably a good thing as I'm not sure I would continue leaving my comfort zone having two bad encounters in a row!).

 

After present shopping and a nice meal at Tampopo in the Trafford Centre on Friday with Tasha, and an awesome night out last night for Abi and Dave's birthdays, today I ventured out for my third and final try at something new - a roller derby. I watched groups of hotpant-clad ladies skate around in circles, jostling and fighting each other to stay on their feet for a couple of hours at Manchester Academy with my mate Amanda. Not your typical hangover cure, but enlightening. Two out of three ain't bad.