Manchester

So after managing to get a date when my company sent me to Exeter, what were the odds of getting one when my company sent me to Manchester? Well, about 100%, apparently.

I had been speaking to her for a while, but she lived in the middle of Wales, far from everything. I knew she had contacts in Birmingham, which is halfway between Reading and Manchester, so I suggested we meet on my way home. (This was actually quite a stupid suggestion, as the train companies frown on you breaking your journey, and I would have probably had to but a second ticket to get back on the train.) She, however, told me her hairdresser was in Manchester, she was in need of a haircut, and her friend was going to give her a ride!

So I've just spent the past hour trying to figure out a plan, and it's fairly straightforward: I'll take the train into the city center, meet her there, we'll walk nearby to Canal Street, and eat at what appears to be a romantic restaurant/hotel called "Velvet."

Of course, after putting that plan together, I discovered that Canal Street was the epicentre of gay life in Manchester. (They don't call it *Man*chester for nothing...) Suddenly "Velvet" has a whole other meaning, and I have visions we will be the only straight couple in the restaurant!

However, it's already 3am, so I wasn't going to change the plan. At the very least, it promises to be an interesting evening...