Rule One

@SuperBacon Classic football shirts has opened up 20 yards from Calcio in Manchester. Football, beer and unhealthy food within wadling distance. Heaven.

CFS was opposite everyone's on this forums premium location, a Wetherspoons but their new move is nothing but a masterstroke.

@Chili

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/problems-with-your-energy-supply/what-your-landlord-can-charge-for-energy/#:~:text=If you've been overcharged

As hard as it sounds, please don't panic over this. The link above gives a brief run over of things you can check/look into. It would be best consulting CAB or advice service but don't pay them anything until you really have to. Let them chase you and don't waste energy entertaining their bullshit.

It's best to look through your tenancy agreement to see if there's any clauses you've agreed to. If you don't have one see if you can get a copy from another tenant or request it directly from the company/person, they technically can't refuse it and the burden of proof is on them.

The e-mail you posted sounds suspect on their terms, I don't understand why they wouldn't have had the meter read every year which makes me believe that they haven't done what they're supposed to and are trying to charge you/others for their mistakes/negligence.

It pretty much comes down to what's written in your tenancy agreement, if you do have a copy read it thoroughly. I hope it works in your favour and please take care.

1 minute ago, DavidB6937 said:

The what now?

Non aids = Sites that aren't spam/virus ridden and won't infect a recently retired persons computer with mid range virus protection on it. Can't be arsed dealing with having to fix a computer on top of everything else.

My mum's been texting every 30 minutes or so since 6am because her IPTV provider got rumbled and her partner wants to watch the football. Told her that he can just come to mine to watch football/etc but he doesn't want to leave their house, asking for alternatives instead.

Does anyone have any non aids version of sites like the ones people like to Watch Wrestling on that I can pass on?

Thanks in advance.

@SuperBacon He's kept off-topic going the last year, he might not be everyone's cup of tea but you've got to recognise the sheer effort of posting he does. Whilst others drop in and out or have simply disappeared, he's been here consistently with a whole range of topics that's kept most of us engaged. Thoroughly good egg too, always trying to help others.

Thank-you to him and the rest of the list for keeping things ticking over.

Whilst the promotion is on an uptick and wish it all the best, I think the new TNA titles are an absolute abomination, over styled and trying to be too busy which sounds like TNA at various points.

They've got to have spent at least £150,000 over the span of their operations on belts, much to a huge waste. They'll probably change them within 2/3 years at the rate they go.

Zandig and CZW wouldn't really fall into DSOTR, as others pointed out, the promotion and Zandig never really hit anything too troublesome, anything on Zandig is pretty much after he sold CZW/stopped wrestling. It's impact on elevating more dangerous risks in wrestling would be a good accompanant to a death match episode. (Weed whacker, light tubes and then more deranged gusset plates/needles.)

For those known mostly from their CZW work/days Chris Cash died in a motorbike accident, Trent Acid succumbed to his drug addiction long after he left the promotion. Justice Pain killed himself, Nate Hatred died in a car crash and Rockin Rebel was the key figure in his suicide/murder of his wife.

I used to love Zandig but since he's gone full pelt maga whacko, it's more fondness for who he was. 2004 is when he first started his decline after a match with Messiah when took a powerbomb on the outside and his head just bounced off the floor. Year on year his participation dwindled both backstage and in ring. His passion went down and his behaviour became more erratic with each concussion/heavy bump he took. After the recession of 2008 it sucked the life/money out of him and he sold up to DJ Hyde, I'm glad he made some money out of it but I'd rather he'd have just shut up shop, the promotion had passed its heyday and was beginning it's slide. It's a sorry sight to see these days.

To put your body through all of that and come out the other end, it should have been a good period for Zandig but over the next few years his youngest son committed suicide and his oldest tried to kill himself but was left disabled by his attempt. That's enough to send anyone over the edge. I don't agree with a lot of his politics or current views but as a death match wrestler and a character he's one of my favourites.

I also find it hilarious that despite his reputation around his poorly skilled pyrotechnics, DJ Hyde and co had to pay him a good stack of cash to rig their gimmicks for the Onita match at Cage of Death 20.

@Devon Malcolm Not every landlord is a cunt but it is getting worse on the scale, there's definitely a heavily shit to good ratio. It's a vicious circle that will probably never be addressed. It only takes one bad landlord or one bad client and that's a lifelong belief entrenched. Social/Association housing has long gone down the same route so it's just a horrible position to be in as a renter.

Have you been in contact with shelter or any local authority/CAB to get advice about where you fully stand? As you have health issues that are exacerbated by this and potentially hazardous to your future health, if the landlord knows this, a repair must be a priority. Given the small traction about repairs, specifically damp/mould that's been in the news, you'd think that your landlord would want to address the issue. If there's structural issues that risk further damages such as potential roof collapse/etc then local authorities are timely/decent in responding/making a landlord accountable (Usually so they can get some sweet sweet fine money out of them for non compliance.) but it is at risk of damaging relationship with the landlord/getting a section notice. Also leaving the problem at the worst and most weather damaging is nonsensical, it invites further property damages and costs in the future.

Given the landlord acknowledges there is a problem but there's a reluctance to do anything immediate, is there any way that you could bridge that? Could/would your landlord be agreeable to you fixing the problem at your cost (If you can afford it.) so that the issue is addressed and then later use it as a deduction on future rent? Is there anything your father's friend could/help with suggest to maybe make things slightly better that are easily removable/fixable in the meantime? (I know they probably would have but I don't know the entire situation so I have to ask.)

Not comparable but at Christmas I temporarily fixed/bodged a friend's bay window roofing with putty/silicone and chopped up plastic milk cartons because his landlord flat out refused to fix missing tiles that came off during the bad weather we had. Fortunately it's now been resolved but if left, his living room would have been flooded multiple times by now. I would have repaired it properly but my friend wanted it done by the landlord and the landlord didn't want his property messed with more than I had done even though the temp fix probably saved him a small fortune.

Sorry you're experiencing more shite though because it's sounds like you've been thoroughly through the ringer over the last few years with them. All the best in getting it sorted.

@SuperBacon Surely it would fall under wear and tear depending on how old the equipment is. Pull cords are supposed to be checked every year and replaced every few years but as with most landlords, if it ain't broke, don't fix it, if it is broke, bodge and blame others.

@Keith Houchen Sorry what you've been through and I hope that you and your partner are doing better.

I've had these in can form and they weren't very nice. The Dip Dab is slightly better than the can version but the no improvement with the Flumps. Both bin worthy.

Mountain Dew Spark tasted and looked more like grapefruit than what's advertised. Mountain Dew Livewire was another false advertisement. Imagine the cheapest, nastiest, low down orangeade then leave it in the sun to go flat and that describes this.

Last but not least on the road to diabetes. Orangina, better than the aforementioned Livewire but very poor compared to the bottled version ungodly amount of thick pulp even with a good shake. Fanta White Peach was excellent, looks like cloudy lemonade when poured but was a really pleasant surprise. Only bought due to the can but would definitely drink regularly if the price was decent.

This is mainly what I use as general sauce for chicken, it's inoffensive and doesn't ruin/overpower anything. It goes well with brisket tacos I've had too.

These are my go to's for BBQs and daft let's eat hot stuff efforts with friends. The Reaver's hot sauce I use mainly for marinating goat, seems to soak into goat better than chicken. The game changer is used as accompanant to anything really. I've mixed it with mash to pep up a Sunday dinner, it's hot for sure and I'm sure there's better out there but it's never failed to make a friend reach for the nearest drink when trying it for the first time.

All can be bought from here: https://www.fireflybbq.co.uk/collections/chilli-hot-sauces

When it was my Grandads funeral, we wanted 'Hit me with your rhythm stick' by Ian Dury and the Blockheads but the Church wouldn't let us use it due to sexual connotations. The crematorium played it no fuss and as it was the parting song half the family that were there looked confused and the rest of us were laughing because it was final in joke between him and us.

I was pissed off at the very same Church months later though as I attended another funeral there and they allowed 3 songs full of swearing where half of the attendees were young but ours was too 'sexual'.

Body In A Box by City and Colour is a beautiful song but it's a very blunt title.

Bob Mortimer: When he goes and it may be sooner rather than later due to his ongoing health complications, a little part of me will probably die. I grew up on his era of comedy but never fully appreciated what he and others really brought to the table until about 10 years ago and a wider audience over the last 5 years or so are starting to realise that too. I've met/had dinner/shared a train journey with Bob a few times and he is such a wonderful, grounded and mostly unintentionally funny person to have the company of whether it be in person or through the television screen. It's such a shame that he's only scratched the surface of who and what he is but I'm grateful for what he has shown us.

Craig Charles: Again this is more on a personal level. I was close with Craig once upon a time on the Manchester nightlife scene and there's a whole other side to Craig that the world will never see nor will he probably allow himself to show. People have forgotten about his roots and what he stood for/who he was as he was breaking through and there's a level of that and intelligence that he rarely lets anyone see due to how he's been perceived in the public eye for so long. There's more to him than people credit him for and I'm glad that I've seen that firsthand.

I'm really glad I've made it through 2023 as it was an absolute thundercunt.

I attended 8 funerals last year, 3 being family. I lost both my grandads in the space of 4 months.

I found my maternal grandad dead just days into 2023 and it's ripped a massive hole out of me because I never really thought of the magnitude that he was part of my life, my every day pretty much. Now it echoes every time I wake up.

His last words to me were just a generic goodbye the day before as I left and told him I'd see him in the morning. His last text to me will always humour me though: 'Any chance u can get me 2 strong beers- BEERS' which he was taken the last time I saw him. He made sure those beers were drunk before he went.

I don't think I've really recovered since then, just an endless shit sandwich of death and misery has followed.

I haven't looked after myself fully either, just a barely functioning shell so this year I'm just hoping to crawl slowly forwards in the hopes of returning to my feet.

I wanted to write more but I'll spare you the depressive tones we all can do without and it pains me to continue to do so.

To those who had a better 2023, I'm happy for you, especially @Frankie Crisp I hope it continues on and we all get to a better place eventually. Here's to a brighter future and thank-you to all of you for keeping the board ticking over. (Special shout-out to @SuperBacon for his posting in 2023.)

Just now, SuperBacon said:

It's a pizza place isn't it? I had plans to visit but then Covid happened.

Suffice to say I wouldn't be able to control myself in there. I'd probably nick something to be honest.

They do pizza, burgers, general fast food, some of it is nice like their loaded chilli hotdog and fries combo but nothing you can't get anywhere else. Weekday afternoons are best as it's quiet.

There's not much you could grab aside from the shirts.

I couldn't find the post but I remember @SuperBacon mentioning the USA World Cup shirts from 1994 and after scrolling through some photos on phone I don't know why I didn't post this at the time.

Just behind Piccadilly Gardens there's a bar/eatery called Calcio that has retro consoles, plenty of screens for live sports and is decorated in 90's football magazine/stickers. There's not much to it overall but they did have these:

Also the toilet is littered with pages from 90's football magazines. This particular piece greets you if you look directly upwards whilst on the toilet. (Facing the right way, I may add.)

Mountain Dew Mystery 2023: Tasted of Melon, Lemon, one of the blue Mountain Dews and then the bottom half of the can was all code red.

The Drink Called STING!: Really underwhelming, a flat and watered down version of Tizer.

Also had a couple of drinks by a Saudi brand called FIFA, a berry mix and apple which were really nice but marred by an aftertaste of corruption.

On 11/10/2023 at 4:43 PM, Chili said:

Universal Credit stated that I'm not applicable for an advance payment to assist because my earnings for the last month of my job meant that I'm not able too apply.

I'm in minor debt before anyone asks or susses the obvious out. Yes it's my fault, no the options unless I can just whip a job out of the air is minimal. I'm just having a really bad crisis of confidence and I'm sorry that I've overshared. Ahhhh, lovely anxiety panic.

How are you faring?

Looming debt, no matter the amount can always be worrisome especially given the circumstances that have befell you. There is help and I agree with both Bacon and DavidB about speaking to someone that maybe can help.

You've not overshared if you feel that you need to get it out there. Do you have a anyone close you could maybe talk to about things or do you prefer being anonymous as such?

It may not make you feel any better but I found old bank statements from 2012 recently, at one point I had 7p to my name. 7p. It wasn't the easiest of times but I just about made it through and I've every faith that you will too.

Take care and hope things pick up for you.

3 hours ago, Chili said:

Back up with Universal Credit and next week I'm getting a cool £50. Then because they way they structure UC, after my rent next month which will not help me clear stuff, I'll be getting probably another £50. Then if I'm still in UC by mid January, that payment would be normal. I mean food and rent etc but what's the big worry.

Terrifying, absolutely terrifying. And it's only me I can have a go at. I thought I was doing a lot better in that job. It's absolutely diabolical people can syphon absurd money about and other people are just completely stuck.

Unless you have savings or a payment due from previous employment/somewhere else wouldn't you fall under hardship for this month at least? Have you had any advances from UC in the last year? If not you may be able to apply for both, grim but it's a helping hand.

Also there is help out there if things do get desperate in terms of food/etc but it will involve a bit of effort/running about. Check in at your local library/community hub and there should be information about food bank/clubs in your area, advice on what you may be eligible for from the council in terms of help from general advice to maybe getting a payment towards electricity/gas. If you're in central Manchester, (You've previously mentioned living in Manchester so I'm going off that.) there's the Mustard Tree just off Oldham Road in central Manchester that can help with an assortment of things. They have a base in Eccles as well.

Can you defer any bills during this period or give a heads up to see if there's anything you can do to bring payments down to ease your current situation. I know it's shite in the long term but it may relieve some pressure and usually companies are happy to take some money than none at all.

I know it's hard but please remain positive, dwelling over your previous position is only going to send you into a spiral and let the negativity overwhelm your ability to move forwards. What others do, you can't change and comparing yourself is pointless as everyone moves to their own groove, please prioritise yourself and needs above all.

You've got this Chilli Dawg.

On 10/31/2023 at 3:44 PM, Mr_Danger said:

The building they live in I presume.

It wasn't even a high rise and was supposedly being knocked down. Rise was meant as an uplifting of the franchise but nope. Just poor gore porn.

@Nostalgia Nonce Scream 4 exists if only for Alison Brie. Scream 5? No idea what you're talking about.

A Boy & His Dog - Fallout 4 in 1970's film form. Questionable costume choices but there's enough in it to do the book justice.

Street Trash - Lower than Troma stuff but the first 15 minutes are the most insane I've seen committed to actual cinema film. 3/4 films in one and goes off the boil. Would be a bit rapey for @Keith Houchen tastes.

I've watched a whole slew of Horror style stuff as it's Spooktober, I'm hoping to write out a full list when I can. These are just from the past day or so.

Talk To Me - As discussed, one the better Horror type films to be released in some time. The only exception is that nobody is likeable. It seems to be a staple of the times in these sorts of films.

SCREAM 6 - Oh boy was this bad. A worn out cliche ridden mess again punctuated by no-one new being likeable. I'm hoping they leave the series alone for a long time now.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Netflix) - Again, nobody is in the slightest bit likeable. Really reaching with the tie in to the original and nothing remotely interesting or original in it.

Evil Dead Rise - Rise of what? Tepid connections to film series that has gotten worse with everything connected to it after the originals. Poor attempt all round topped off by some truly laughable opening special effects.

@SuperBacon If you were being tortured and had a choice between Old Dads and Old to watch on repeat, which is the least punishment and how long do you reckon you'll last?

@FelatioLips I pray for your eyes, ears and organs. You bleed so we don't have to. Full salute and gunfire for you sir.

Also didn't @Keith Houchen get paid to creme supreme Leah Walker?

Always Sunny S16: I feel it's their best stuff in seasons, just stupidly fun and cheered me up. It will be a damn shame when it finally ends.

Justified City Primeval: Timmy Elephants easiest gig, he didn't even need to be in this garbage. Zero charm, full of characters that are needless especially Raylan's daughter, the main villain is a toned down meme of Boyd Crowder. The only new character that had something about them was Sweety. Whoever scripted this must have watched Justified and decided they just wanted to suck the life out of it.

Top Boy S3: Got to disagree with @SuperBacon here. It was meant to be a banger but couldn't muster a whimper. It feels like they had no clear plan to end it and just lumped a bunch of nonsense together to get it over the line. They glossed over traits that got the characters to this point and threw them out of the window to get it to the end point. Shelley became a shell of who she was built up to be. The fixer to help Dushane out was completely unnecessary as was the filler sideline of oh no, someone else has robbed our drug supply again with the Irish contingent. (Also DuShane's half arsed attempt at cleaning up a murder scene. Lol.) Some Russoific booking going on with the characters and sheer lack of progression aside from Jaqs. Sully's complexities which were built over time and made people root for him despite his despicable dealings were stripped away. That could be explained that he'd just got fed up with everything and he turned cold but that was never what Sully was about.

Solar Opposites S4: If you liked the previous seasons, this is no different. I feel it works better without Justin Roilands voice as Korvo.

I suspect @SuperBacon will be starting a diabetic thread soon enough but credit to you for including fruits in some of your pictures for balance. Original Coke is king of the Cola's but how I pine for mid 90's Cherry Coke, that was the good stuff.

If it's reasonably priced, I'll give new flavoured drinks a go but they only get once chance. During the pandemic, I smashed Pepsi Max Cherry as it was £8 for 8 2L bottles at my local Food Warehouse but the last year I've been sticking to sugar free 7-up and adding cordials to it if I want a different flavour.

I will say that post pandemic there's been a surge in choice of drinks, not for the better but at least there's market variety and occasionally one will be good enough. I find most of the American drinks to be off-putting as they use too much sugar/corn syrup. The following is what I can remember trying the last few months:

WHAM: A faint taste of the bar which is nice, followed by an aftertaste of overpowering sickly raspberry/blackcurrant rush. 

Sherbet Dib Dab: Pure sugar/diabetes, one sip was enough to tip the rest away.

Fruit Salad: Inoffensive, not overpowering like the Wham was. Faint taste.

Flumps: Tasted like a cheap birthday cake. I'm not saying no to birthday cake.

Mentos Sour Apple: Ungodly abomination. Has large 'jelly bites' in it that I clearly ignored/didn't see before consumption. Immediately threw up.

Iron Bru Ice Cream: If you can't stand Iron Bru, you're not going to like this. Just a firm no on this.

Miranda Strawberry: Mild, inoffensive but don't drop it anywhere. It will stain immediately and is very stubborn to get out of white clothing.

KA Strawberry Soda: It's a red Mr Freeze ice pop in a can. Would love them to release it in big bottle form but it is high in sugar.

Pepsi Vanilla: I don't know where the guy in my local shop got these from as I thought they were discontinued but I cleared every can out. Absolutely divine, way better than Coke Vanilla. Want more. MORE!

1 minute ago, Chest Rockwell said:

My father in law takes a big bottle of cream soda and a bar of dairy milk to bed to consume throughout the night when he wakes up intermittently. 

 

It will not surprise you to learn he doesn't have any of his own teeth left. 

I bet he's very happy though.

6 minutes ago, Tsurutagun said:

Didn't Joey Ryan via a burner account try to spread that story about Bix applying for a loan from the US government 

If you want to take that guy as a viable source of gossip, that's a you problem

Bix is a weirdo and has a personality problem which down him more harm than good. I also think people that believe Joey Ryan can get in the bin

That's what Bix said but it's traceable to the New York Small Business Administration that has certified records of an application. If Joey did that he would need to know exact details about Bix for it to go through. Not only that, it was followed up by plenty of others across social media platforms.

Bix is a large scale and known Tape Trader thief in NY, PA and AL alone.

I agree with you about Joey Ryan though, he can get in the bin with Bix which in fairness to Bix is insulting compared to Joey's disgusting activities.

Apologies for derailing the thread.

Just now, David said:

I like how you say "even his own damn government" as if stealing from the government is more heinous than stealing from friends and colleagues! 

Whilst that is true, he's American and as patriotic as they are that would surely outweigh personal causes.

He was called out for it during the pandemic for misappropriating government funds for his own endeavours but conveniently avoided any conversation when called out. He's severely disliked amongst independent fans in Philadelphia and numerous places in Alabama. Insignificant in the grand scheme of things but I dislike he's given any sort of creditability in wrestling circles.