Reporting from Bet Chat HQ, north London…
What with our ’12 Days of Christmas’ promotion and a subsequent January hangover, it’s been some time since I’ve written to you like this, but fear not (or perhaps just fear) as, starting today, you will once again be receiving my thoughts direct to your inbox on a regular basis.
As it’s been a while, I thought that today I’d provide you with a condensed summary of said thoughts over the last month or so.
It’s very easy to lose your mind during lockdown
If you’re anything like me, you can very quickly get stuck in a rut when you don’t have people around you and lots going on to keep you busy.
With Bet Chat Bec in Australia for the last month for visa reasons (thus 10 hours in front) and the most exciting outing on the agenda being a trip to the supermarket, it’s fair to say that my motivation of late has been sub optimal…
After all, even when it comes to things like earning more money, it’s hard to see the point when there’s absolutely nothing beyond necessities to spend that money on!
My first takeaway from today then is a two-parter:
- Try your best to come up with a challenge or two during this period of lockdown and work towards achieving it. It doesn’t matter whether it’s as significant as changing careers or as relatively trivial as mastering the art of curry making. Brains need stimulation or else they turn to mush.
- At the same time, don’t put too much undue pressure on yourself at the moment. We’re all feeling a bit cr@p and, more so now than ever, it’s okay to not be okay.
Talking of brains turning to mush…
I’ve somehow become a regular viewer of the Australian version of Married at First Sight, a social experiment/reality TV show where singletons get married to complete strangers (chosen by ‘experts’) and then try in vain to make the relationship work.
My general rule of thumb when it comes to this sort of thing is that they can be quite interesting if the participants are fairly ‘normal’ but that they should be given a wide berth when the men all have larger biceps than brains and the women more plastic than personality.
To this show’s credit, it’s more in the interesting camp than the inane and there are worse ways to while away the never ending January evenings. You’ll find it here on All 4 if you’re so inclined.
Takeaway:
3. A good understanding of human psychology is a potent betting weapon. Use that as your excuse when your partner walks in on you shouting at the TV as Matthew yet again fails to read the mood.
Aussie Aussie Aussie
To continue today’s antipodean theme, eyebrows have been raised at Novak Djokovic’s demand that tennis players should be able to spend shortened quarantine periods in private houses ahead of the Australian Open…
Actual Australian, Bet Chat Bec, is inclined to disagree after spending Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve AND New Year’s Day alone and locked in a hotel room to comply with the country’s strict-but-undoubtedly-more-effective-than-the-UK’s covid protocols.
Takeaway:
4. Don’t be an arse.
Ciao for now
I hope you enjoyed that little holus-bolus brain dump and took a few things from it.
I’ll be back tomorrow with some more time filling lockdown tips for you.
