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The Friend Zone
Jan. 28th, 2025 12:39 amI flew into the UK on Saturday for my three-week stay which will include Scotiacon and visiting my family. The plan was to go and see Entei-rah on Sunday, but he dropped me a Telegram message on Saturday evening saying that he was unable to see me. This meant I had a free day on Sunday, which was spent at a rather nice Sunday roast place in Swinton followed by a trip to the Hideaway Brewery. This is fox-themed and is on the outskirts of Manchester city centre, with the taproom being in a shipping container in an industrial area. What it lacked in aesthetics, it made up for in quality, although we didn't get chance to try the excellent-looking BBQ food on account of the Sunday roast we'd had. We did get to sample two beers here. I had an overly bitter vanilla and chocolate stout, but the IPA was tropical and pretty strong. It was great catching up with Baloki, Patter and Doveux, with whom I had spent most of Saturday night too.
The flight from Berlin was uneventful, but upon landing in Manchester, the fun began. There were people weaving in and out of the corridors, a man who burped on me in the lift at Piccadilly station and an irate man on the train who was effing and jeffing about not knowing where he was going. He was on the phone to assumedly his partner and was unsure what train he was supposed to be on. You could hear his anger down the whole carriage, which resulted in some interesting reactions from other people. Once I got to Piccadilly station, I was confronted by the huge crowds who had just been disgorged from the Man City match versus Chelsea. Furthermore, I was getting into Platform 13 and had to therefore walk all the way to the main concourse, where I was meeting my friends. I tried to persude them to meet me in Salford, as my train was going through there too, but it made more sense to meet in the centre. I was a little grumpy unfortunately, but thawed out quite quickly, particularly as I ended up getting my second Greggs of the afternoon as my main evening meal (of course I had called off at the Manchester Airport Greggs on my way in). There were six of us in attendance - the aforementioned trio plus Procyon and Psythu - and the plan was to go to some of the local bars in Swinton. This necessitated a ride on the number 36 bus, which was quite a walk from Piccadilly. However, Doveux helped me with my bags while I munched my Greggs and even though the bus was rammed, I managed to esconce myself into the wheelchair space and was largely out of the way.
I had hoped to take my bags back to Doveux's place, where I was staying the night, but it turned out it was quite a way away from where we were going. Therefore, I had to navigate getting into the House of Hops with my bag, guiding it through all of the chairs of people before dumping it in the back room, which turned out to be an actual kitchen. Some people looked up and said 'the band is coming' while I also got chatting to one of the locals who threatened to cut off my penis if I urinated in the sink. It was in a light-hearted way and the staff in the bar were great fun, clearly knowing the locals in Doveux and Patter, and buying into our general vibe. Sadly, the place shut at 10pm (which seemed later as I was still acting on Berlin time) so we tipped out (probably slightly outstaying our welcome) and headed to The Wobbly Stool, which was just around the corner. This bar was bigger, but had a similar vibe, while I met some really friendly locals here too. I got to try some Lancashire Crisps - not as good as the Yorkshire variety as you'd expect - while the beer here was most excellent too. I liked their specially brewed stout. The prices too surprised me, four pints and four bags of crisps at £26 was much less than I was expecting. It was nice doing craft beer bars again rather than hitting the gay scene - I definitely feel much more at home in places with good beer and a more casual cosy vibe. By midnight, we were turfed out of here too and Procyon went back with Baloki for the evening, along with Pysthu, while I went to Doveux's with Patter. Outside Doveux's house, we said goodbye to the fox and I went inside, where we shared vegan sausage rolls, chips and mustard sauce. Everyone else had been drinking since 4pm, with me arriving at 8pm, so they were more worse for wear than I, with me feeling noticably fresher the next morning. That was despite my two-and-a-half hour anxiety spike mid-morning when I needed to get up for a pee.
I did feel a little on edge that I was being too loud and obnoxious, but I think I made everyone laugh so it was probably fine. This feeling persisted throughout Sunday, including my visit to the new Victoria Tap at the station. Baloki had driven me there en route to Beareoke, and I appreciated the lift. These emotions were soon quashed though as soon as I got back to Pudsey as once I got back home, I noticed the lock on the door was missing. I initially thought it may have been blown off in the storm, but seeing wet footprints on the kitchen floor was proof that we had been broken into. Fortunately, they seemed to have gotten to the hallway, seen the alarm, and left without taking anything although my father's tidying prior to him moving out last month means I cannot be certain. There isn't much to steal here though, but it does add further doubt about us remaining in Germany as I worry about this place so much. I think the main issue was the front curtains had been left open and this advertised the house was empty. I rang the police, who came pretty quickly, and although I knew there was little they could do, I thought it would at least be worth recording this in case there are future burglary attempts in the area. The police also put me in touch with an emergency locksmith, who was done before midnight, and although this will be a mite spendy, I am glad that it was at least sorted. This morning, the forensics team came in to do some routine checks, but as I say, I will be surprised if they catch anyone. The police says it seems opportunistic and it's unlikely they'll be back, although this is a very real fear that's preying on my mind. Despite this, I did sleep reasonably well, so that was something. How I feel when we go back to Germany in a few weeks I don't know, but for now, I am just glad I am staying in the area a while. I also informed the neighbours, who told me they hadn't seen anything, but they did say they'd help by visiting the house more often. Furthermore, we are looking at installing some more security measures such as an alarm box outside, a sticker warning people that CCTV is in operation, and some Ring doorbells too. I don't trust the latter, particularly as they are an Amazon product, but it's piece of mind I suppose. I am happy at least that the alarm, even though it wasn't quite working due to a power cut, and the camera, which wasn't even plugged in, seemed to do their job and act as the deterrant needed. The only frustration aside from the mental health stuff is that fixing the lock will cost nearly £300 and this new stuff will probably be about the same, at a time when I am really trying to save money. Still, security is important I guess so it will just have to be spent.
It's fair to say my heart wants to stay in Germany but my head is saying move back. Circumstances and fate seem to be drawing us back too, so we'll see how things go. I spoke with Wolfie the other day and we've agreed to stick it out in Germany for another month as by the end of February, a few unknowns should at least be known. Certainly, the result of the German election will be, while how the US acts towards the EU and UK may be clearer too. Same with my company opportunties here, while I still don't fully know my tax liability in Germany too. Consequently, I think another month to try and get this information to help us make a more informed decision would be wise. Ultimately though, I think we'll move back.
On Tuesday, we did go out in Berlin following my visit to the sexual health clinic. I always go in January as I'm usually at a convention in February and this year was no exception. I do feel very faint when my blood is removed these days, while I don't like the penis scraping swab either. This left me quite nausceous and I almost fainted, although I just about held it together. I much prefer the urine samples they do in the UK. As there were seven guys ahead of me, this took longer than anticipated and I didn't get chance to meet up with Wolfie until 8:30pm. We had agreed to go for a few drinks as we'd been living the hermit life, but first we needed food. I wanted to go to the Angry Korean Chicken Wing place but it closed at 9pm so we were too late. This meant Goldies just down the road. I went there for my birthday in November and they were just serving chicken, but this time, they had their excellent smashed beef burgers on the menu. This is what we went for, as well as one portion of fries to share, having learned our lesson from last time. We got a pot of cheese dipping sauce too, which I think was responsible for screwing Wolfie's foot up the day after.
After food, we headed to BKK, the Schoppe Brau taproom which we were shocked to discover was a Raucherlokal. It was quite quiet too, so it wasn't overly smoky, while the beer was nice. It was quite dark and moody, and when the only other couple in the place got up to leave, we took their cue. We decided to go back to Brauerei and I am very glad we did, as here we enjoyed only our third-ever 5 rated beer on Untappd in Berlin. Tellingly, all three haven't been from German breweries, with this one a pastry stout from Pennsylvania. It was the most exquisite beer of the evening, but some of the others were top quality too. It's amazing that we have forgone this place for so long, it's probably the best bar in the city aside from maybe Muted Horn. Expensive though. The last beer was a quadruple which was maybe a late-night extravagance but we still left before midnight, meaning we got back earlier enough. For some reason, while buying snacks, Wolfie bought a Berliner Kindl from the Spati (something he regretted the next morning) but aside from that it was a pleasant evening. Should we move back, I will miss Berlin, it's a great place but I guess we'll see how it goes.
On Monday, I popped down to get food shopping, needing to call at Marks & Spencer's too to pick up some pants and socks. I was a little hesitant to leave the house unattended, but it was only an hour and this was stuff I needed. In the end, I got chatting to one of the ladies behind the checkout for about ten minutes on Berlin and general other stuff. Casual conversation is something else I have really missed in Berlin and I wonder whether my lack of confidence is partly linked to it, as not speaking fluent German is a source of difficulty for me. The other aspects of the shopping experience were less good, although a nice lady in ASDA said I should wait a few minutes before buying my baguette, knocking it down from 80p to 24p. I also grabbed some cheese and a pork pie, so I've eaten pretty slovenly today. No wonder my stomach hurts, although I am finding it is in a lot more pain when I get back to the UK. It may be the water or the milk or something. It's been agony for most of the day.
The flight from Berlin was uneventful, but upon landing in Manchester, the fun began. There were people weaving in and out of the corridors, a man who burped on me in the lift at Piccadilly station and an irate man on the train who was effing and jeffing about not knowing where he was going. He was on the phone to assumedly his partner and was unsure what train he was supposed to be on. You could hear his anger down the whole carriage, which resulted in some interesting reactions from other people. Once I got to Piccadilly station, I was confronted by the huge crowds who had just been disgorged from the Man City match versus Chelsea. Furthermore, I was getting into Platform 13 and had to therefore walk all the way to the main concourse, where I was meeting my friends. I tried to persude them to meet me in Salford, as my train was going through there too, but it made more sense to meet in the centre. I was a little grumpy unfortunately, but thawed out quite quickly, particularly as I ended up getting my second Greggs of the afternoon as my main evening meal (of course I had called off at the Manchester Airport Greggs on my way in). There were six of us in attendance - the aforementioned trio plus Procyon and Psythu - and the plan was to go to some of the local bars in Swinton. This necessitated a ride on the number 36 bus, which was quite a walk from Piccadilly. However, Doveux helped me with my bags while I munched my Greggs and even though the bus was rammed, I managed to esconce myself into the wheelchair space and was largely out of the way.
I had hoped to take my bags back to Doveux's place, where I was staying the night, but it turned out it was quite a way away from where we were going. Therefore, I had to navigate getting into the House of Hops with my bag, guiding it through all of the chairs of people before dumping it in the back room, which turned out to be an actual kitchen. Some people looked up and said 'the band is coming' while I also got chatting to one of the locals who threatened to cut off my penis if I urinated in the sink. It was in a light-hearted way and the staff in the bar were great fun, clearly knowing the locals in Doveux and Patter, and buying into our general vibe. Sadly, the place shut at 10pm (which seemed later as I was still acting on Berlin time) so we tipped out (probably slightly outstaying our welcome) and headed to The Wobbly Stool, which was just around the corner. This bar was bigger, but had a similar vibe, while I met some really friendly locals here too. I got to try some Lancashire Crisps - not as good as the Yorkshire variety as you'd expect - while the beer here was most excellent too. I liked their specially brewed stout. The prices too surprised me, four pints and four bags of crisps at £26 was much less than I was expecting. It was nice doing craft beer bars again rather than hitting the gay scene - I definitely feel much more at home in places with good beer and a more casual cosy vibe. By midnight, we were turfed out of here too and Procyon went back with Baloki for the evening, along with Pysthu, while I went to Doveux's with Patter. Outside Doveux's house, we said goodbye to the fox and I went inside, where we shared vegan sausage rolls, chips and mustard sauce. Everyone else had been drinking since 4pm, with me arriving at 8pm, so they were more worse for wear than I, with me feeling noticably fresher the next morning. That was despite my two-and-a-half hour anxiety spike mid-morning when I needed to get up for a pee.
I did feel a little on edge that I was being too loud and obnoxious, but I think I made everyone laugh so it was probably fine. This feeling persisted throughout Sunday, including my visit to the new Victoria Tap at the station. Baloki had driven me there en route to Beareoke, and I appreciated the lift. These emotions were soon quashed though as soon as I got back to Pudsey as once I got back home, I noticed the lock on the door was missing. I initially thought it may have been blown off in the storm, but seeing wet footprints on the kitchen floor was proof that we had been broken into. Fortunately, they seemed to have gotten to the hallway, seen the alarm, and left without taking anything although my father's tidying prior to him moving out last month means I cannot be certain. There isn't much to steal here though, but it does add further doubt about us remaining in Germany as I worry about this place so much. I think the main issue was the front curtains had been left open and this advertised the house was empty. I rang the police, who came pretty quickly, and although I knew there was little they could do, I thought it would at least be worth recording this in case there are future burglary attempts in the area. The police also put me in touch with an emergency locksmith, who was done before midnight, and although this will be a mite spendy, I am glad that it was at least sorted. This morning, the forensics team came in to do some routine checks, but as I say, I will be surprised if they catch anyone. The police says it seems opportunistic and it's unlikely they'll be back, although this is a very real fear that's preying on my mind. Despite this, I did sleep reasonably well, so that was something. How I feel when we go back to Germany in a few weeks I don't know, but for now, I am just glad I am staying in the area a while. I also informed the neighbours, who told me they hadn't seen anything, but they did say they'd help by visiting the house more often. Furthermore, we are looking at installing some more security measures such as an alarm box outside, a sticker warning people that CCTV is in operation, and some Ring doorbells too. I don't trust the latter, particularly as they are an Amazon product, but it's piece of mind I suppose. I am happy at least that the alarm, even though it wasn't quite working due to a power cut, and the camera, which wasn't even plugged in, seemed to do their job and act as the deterrant needed. The only frustration aside from the mental health stuff is that fixing the lock will cost nearly £300 and this new stuff will probably be about the same, at a time when I am really trying to save money. Still, security is important I guess so it will just have to be spent.
It's fair to say my heart wants to stay in Germany but my head is saying move back. Circumstances and fate seem to be drawing us back too, so we'll see how things go. I spoke with Wolfie the other day and we've agreed to stick it out in Germany for another month as by the end of February, a few unknowns should at least be known. Certainly, the result of the German election will be, while how the US acts towards the EU and UK may be clearer too. Same with my company opportunties here, while I still don't fully know my tax liability in Germany too. Consequently, I think another month to try and get this information to help us make a more informed decision would be wise. Ultimately though, I think we'll move back.
On Tuesday, we did go out in Berlin following my visit to the sexual health clinic. I always go in January as I'm usually at a convention in February and this year was no exception. I do feel very faint when my blood is removed these days, while I don't like the penis scraping swab either. This left me quite nausceous and I almost fainted, although I just about held it together. I much prefer the urine samples they do in the UK. As there were seven guys ahead of me, this took longer than anticipated and I didn't get chance to meet up with Wolfie until 8:30pm. We had agreed to go for a few drinks as we'd been living the hermit life, but first we needed food. I wanted to go to the Angry Korean Chicken Wing place but it closed at 9pm so we were too late. This meant Goldies just down the road. I went there for my birthday in November and they were just serving chicken, but this time, they had their excellent smashed beef burgers on the menu. This is what we went for, as well as one portion of fries to share, having learned our lesson from last time. We got a pot of cheese dipping sauce too, which I think was responsible for screwing Wolfie's foot up the day after.
After food, we headed to BKK, the Schoppe Brau taproom which we were shocked to discover was a Raucherlokal. It was quite quiet too, so it wasn't overly smoky, while the beer was nice. It was quite dark and moody, and when the only other couple in the place got up to leave, we took their cue. We decided to go back to Brauerei and I am very glad we did, as here we enjoyed only our third-ever 5 rated beer on Untappd in Berlin. Tellingly, all three haven't been from German breweries, with this one a pastry stout from Pennsylvania. It was the most exquisite beer of the evening, but some of the others were top quality too. It's amazing that we have forgone this place for so long, it's probably the best bar in the city aside from maybe Muted Horn. Expensive though. The last beer was a quadruple which was maybe a late-night extravagance but we still left before midnight, meaning we got back earlier enough. For some reason, while buying snacks, Wolfie bought a Berliner Kindl from the Spati (something he regretted the next morning) but aside from that it was a pleasant evening. Should we move back, I will miss Berlin, it's a great place but I guess we'll see how it goes.
On Monday, I popped down to get food shopping, needing to call at Marks & Spencer's too to pick up some pants and socks. I was a little hesitant to leave the house unattended, but it was only an hour and this was stuff I needed. In the end, I got chatting to one of the ladies behind the checkout for about ten minutes on Berlin and general other stuff. Casual conversation is something else I have really missed in Berlin and I wonder whether my lack of confidence is partly linked to it, as not speaking fluent German is a source of difficulty for me. The other aspects of the shopping experience were less good, although a nice lady in ASDA said I should wait a few minutes before buying my baguette, knocking it down from 80p to 24p. I also grabbed some cheese and a pork pie, so I've eaten pretty slovenly today. No wonder my stomach hurts, although I am finding it is in a lot more pain when I get back to the UK. It may be the water or the milk or something. It's been agony for most of the day.
