I had a really nice trip Manchester, and I'm currently on the train heading down to London.
@MuttBanjo and his boyfriend were perfect hosts; they took me to several fun events in the city, including the Manchester Hypno Munch (
https://twitter.com/MCRHypnoMunch), Beareoke (
https://www.eaglemanchester.com/event/BEAREOKE), and Sparkle Weekend (
https://www.sparkle.org.uk/sparkleweekend). I spent most of my trip in/around the Gay Village, a neighborhood that is full of queer shops and social spaces.
I didn't do much hypnosis, although I certainly talked about it with many people! At the hypno munch, there was a curious woman who knew nothing about it, and I ended up explaining the basics to her, with help from several other enthusiastic attendees. (I might steal some of their explanations and phrasings for my upcoming Masterclass!) In the evenings, I went out to the gay bars in the Village, and found many guys who were also interested in learning more. Always happy to chat about it!
I also got a bit of culture in Manchester;
@MuttBanjo,
@irmaodomario, and I checked out an art installation full of massive, colorful, polka-dotted balloons. (
https://factoryinternational.org/whats-on/yayoi-kusama-you-me-and-the-balloons/) It was much more engaging than I expected -- and the giant inflatable tentacles were giving some serious
#hentai vibes, as well. Thought-provoking and fun!
Beareoke was later that evening, and it was a lot of fun, as well. I got a lot of attention from the friendly guys there; fortunately, most of them were well-behaved, and asked before touching my body. I sang "Hallelujah" (Leonard Cohen) and "She Used to Be Mine" (from "Waitress"), and got a lot of compliments from others. I also got to kiss several attractive bears, and got my (basically mandatory) picture taken at the wings wall of the Manchester Eagle.