Being scouted in the pub for movie stardom
Man Feelings 21 Jun 2024
There was a pub we used to drink at when I was on the cusp of 18 (and technically not allowed to be there) called the Old Angel, in the centre of Nottingham. Back then it was a rock/metal pub, though it looks to have... keep reading
What being shat on by a bird taught me about life, or something
Man Feelings 14 Jun 2024
The bird shit landed on my outstretched hand, describing a perfect semicircle of recently-airborne faeces around my fingers. At this late stage of the day I actually found myself laughing at, rather than cursing my unseen avian assailant. Shit happens. It was 6pm this Tuesday... keep reading
Being the youngest person at a gig
Man Feelings 07 Jun 2024
I pulled the ticket out of my pocket and showed it to the worried-looking official standing outside the auditorium doors. “The support act is on right now”, she told me. “You’ll have to wait by the side till the song finishes”. I’d forgotten that this... keep reading
Trying to make gender less of a drag
Man Feelings 31 May 2024
“Only girls like unicorns”, my five-year-old son Ted told me confidently as we walked to the park. He elaborated, explaining the gendered “rules” he had already become aware of in his nine months of full-time school. He’d presumably forgotten about the unicorn bell decorating his... keep reading
Losing the only election I've ever contested
Man Feelings 27 May 2024
I’ve only ever stood in one election in my life, and I didn’t win. It’s 2007 and I’ve just joined the student newspaper at university. A guy I vaguely know from lectures already works on the paper, and he’s standing for the position of Editor... keep reading
Aurora bore: trying to photograph the impossible
Man Feelings 17 May 2024
Every eleven years, the sun’s magnetic field reverses itself, in a process called the solar cycle. The north pole becomes the south pole as the star at the centre of our galaxy completes the biggest flip-reverse it since Blazin’ Squad. Don’t be confused: this isn’t... keep reading
Please stop ringing my doorbell
Man Feelings 11 May 2024
As I’m sure all my subscribers are keenly aware, this year’s Met Gala happened on Monday. All the world’s press and photographers turned out to breathlessly cover the great and good from the worlds of fashion, stage and screen. As I’ve written before, I’m not... keep reading
Testing times: eyes, maternity leave, and hearing your own failings
Man Feelings 05 May 2024
I’m writing this later than usual – apologies to those of you expecting their weekly hit of Man Feelings on Friday. It’s been a busy week! Changes: turn and face the strange Lots has changed in our household: my partner Maddy went back to work... keep reading
Trampolines, making dad friends and the allure of power tools
Man Feelings 26 Apr 2024
It was my son’s fifth birthday this week, which immediately gave me reason to suspect we live in some kind of time paradox: I’ve aged at least ten years in the same period. Kids’ birthday parties at this age are a social minefield: do you... keep reading
The fear of women
Man Feelings 19 Apr 2024
A few days ago I was playing with my ten month old daughter on the sofa. She’s in a very tactile phase and loves grabbing things—typically my glasses—and swinging them around. She reached over and grabbed the TV remote control and happily waved it around... keep reading
The rituals of manhood
Man Feelings 12 Apr 2024
As a man of a certain age, I’ve participated in a few of the rituals of manhood: the stag do, the boys’ weekend, the silent drinking of beer before a funeral (maybe this is a Merseyside thing?). Here’s my take on them. The stag do... keep reading
Naming things is hard – so I surrendered mine
Man Feelings 05 Apr 2024
There are two “hard things” in computer science: cache invalidation, and naming things. After years of experience in software engineering I can vouch for the former, but it’s the latter which is truly hard. In the software world, “naming things” can refer to the challenge... keep reading
What my teenage poetry taught me about being a modern-day man
Man Feelings 29 Mar 2024
Sometimes I find myself digging through my past to figure out who I am in the present. It feels faintly pointless: what can the 37-year-old me learn from my teenage past? I’m a father to two children, with a job, mortgage and partner. My concerns... keep reading
Getting out of my comfort zone in rooms full of beards (and mums)
Man Feelings 22 Mar 2024
On Tuesday this week, a friend I haven’t seen in half a decade was visiting town and got in touch to suggest we grab dinner. He also asked if I was aware of any “folk or trad music night worth checking out – I could... keep reading
Take your kid fishing, they said
Man Feelings 15 Mar 2024
When I was 11 years old, my dad decided to take me fishing. I remember it being a process accompanied by substantial paperwork: we had to go to the local Post Office to purchase my “fishing licence” which would prevent angry bailiffs from insisting we... keep reading