From the bright lights of Vegas to the sunny skies of Christchurch, New Zealand - Matty Flatt here, temporarily taking over from our favorite Hoddler-in-chief. Have fun, Fitzie!
While watching the Crystal Palace match in the early hours of the morning (and wishing I wasn’t, sorry to remind you all as well) I found my stress levels rising. I wonder why? I had been packing up a couple of bits and pieces I had sold over the weekend to ship, and so there was some bubblewrap within arm’s reach. As the match progressed, I found myself popping the bubbles, initially in an absent-minded manner, before I took out my wrath and frustration on the whole damn sheet.
It’s funny how therapeutic a simple sensation like that can be - “Pop!” - and the world just feels a little more calm. Peace from destruction and all that.
There are a number of sensory experiences people find soothing - some like their hair being played with, others like a hot drink, while some like the simple feeling of a weighted blanket to take the edge off. I’m not talking about vices here, though escapism of that kind can be nice - I’m referring to simpler pleasures and whatnot.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, though, there’s the sensations you dread and detest. Those that give you the feeling that somebody has just walked over your grave. I’m talking nails-on-a-chalkboard, knife-across-a-plate sort of thing.
When it comes to this, the thing that really gets to me is polystyrene. I HATE the damn stuff. I can’t touch it. I can’t be within 10 feet of it. Somebody touching it sends shivers down my spine. It’s annoying too, as it’s quite a common packing material. Whenever I’m unboxing an item and it’s encased in polystyrene, I have to have my wife unpack it while I put my fingers in my ears and yell “LALALALALALA” so I can’t hear the sound of it scraping against other surfaces. Hell, even typing this out is a weird kind of torture.
Maybe I’m just subconciously affected by its environmental impact. Who knows.
So what about you? What sounds, feelings, sensations do you find comforting? And what do you find does precisely the opposite? Enjoying torturing one another in the comments.
Matty Flatt’s track of the day: Solsbury Hill, by Peter Gabriel
And now for your links:
For those who are gluttons for punishment, here’s Ange Postecoglou’s post-match interview following the loss to Crystal Palace
Football London have a nice breakdown of the press conference as well - lucky you!