Editorial: March 2019
Welcome to March’s editorial post, a monthly progress report which rounds-up all the happenings here at Later Levels along with the games we’ve been playing. Spring is finally here along with cute, newborn animals – so let’s find out what has been going on.
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Blog life:
March revealed a lovely surprise: I woke up one morning to discover several WordPress and Twitter notifications on my mobile phone, and then found out Later Levels had received the Best Blogger title in the Normal Happenings 2019 Blog Awards! I can’t tell you how humbled, chuffed and excited I am. Thank you so much to the amazing people who nominated the blog with some very kind words, to Matt for hosting the awards, and to everybody in the community for being as awesome as they are. It’s an absolute honour and a pleasure to be a member of this group.
This, and a few problems with Facebook earlier this month, inspired me to think about the way I manage the site and the way post are oriented. As a result I did a little spring-cleaning around the place and have a few more ideas I’d like to start working on over the coming month. I’d love to hear your thoughts too: what would you like to see more of, what could be improved, would it be good if I finally stopped going on about Monkey Island? Feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments below or get in touch with me directly.
Real life:
Our lovely little Link sadly passed away last night. He was a part of the family and he will be truly missed. 💔 twitter.com/LaterLevels/st…
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Later Levels (@LaterLevels) February 28, 2019
Hopefully this spring is the start of something new. A lack of motivation and enthusiasm recently made me take a couple of days out to do nothing but play video games and bake cakes, and this break made me realise that I need to take action. It’s unfair on both myself and those around me to keep feeling this way so I’m finally doing something about my long-term career and life changes I’ve been considering since January. I’ve been learning as much as I can this month and figuring out a new, brighter direction.
I think my recent emotional dip started when our lovely cat Link passed away at the end of February. He was a very sociable animal – always wanting to be fussed over or to play, and usually appearing on stream whenever the camera was rolling – and so his unexpected absence has hit us all pretty hard. Zelda, our other cat, was a little confused at first but is now growing in confidence and I think she’s enjoying her dominance in the household. It’s good to see things becoming more settled… but I do miss the little furball.
Gaming life:
As mentioned above, I’ve been hiding out in video games recently and therefore completed more than I usually would. First was A Way Out, a cooperative my other-half and I started during GameBlast19 last month; unfortunately it didn’t end the way we wanted it to which left a bit of a sour taste. Far better was point-and-click Paradigm, a funny and somewhat offensive game that had me giggling for an entire afternoon. And I can’t forget about LIMBO, a game I finally played for #MaybeinMarch after leaving it on my backlog for five years.
A couple of weeks ago we went back to the London Gaming Market and picked up a new (old) toy: a PlayStation 2, along with copies of Fahrenheit and ICO. We’re planning to purchase some more retro titles for the console so we can put on some nostalgic streams. Who knows, if we keep doing them regularly we may end up making Partner status on Twitch – although I still haven’t decided whether to sign up for the Affiliate program after receiving the invitation recently. Thanks to everyone who gave advice on that!
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And now over to you guys: what have you been up to lately, and what have you got planned for the coming month? Is there anything the community can help with or get involved in? Let everybody know in the comments below so we can show our support. Thanks for reading!
Kim View All
Video game lover, Later Levels blogger and SpecialEffect volunteer. Big fan of wannabe pirates and fine leather jackets.
I hope that whatever you’re turning your hand to and working for comes together! Sometimes a slump is a good way to realise that you need to mix it up a bit. Keep going and keep one eye on those ducks… They’ll do what they can to hold you back… I mean literally… They’re just plain underhand…
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Thanks for the words of support, Luke!
In shocking news… I didn’t actually see one duck while in Birmingham this week. I walked around the lake several times, but no fowl play at all. 😮
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… oh, they were there… They just didn’t want to be seen!
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SNEAKY.
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Sorry you’ve had a bumpy month – I hope things are better for you soon. Don’t ever stop gaming, blogging and collaborating because you do it all so well and I’d miss it!
Ooh a post about chickens! (see!)
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Thanks Katie, I appreciate that! Would it properly be spring without at least one post about chicks? 🐥
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Sorry it’s been a bumpy month (and my deepest sympathies about Link if I hadn’t previously offered them — losing a beloved companion is one of the worst things to go through) but glad to hear you’re feeling positive and are looking forward rather than backward. Sounds like you have plenty on your plate for the near future!
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Thanks Pete, I appreciate the condolences. Link was one of the family so although things are getting back to ‘normal’, the place is a little emptier without him.
I’ve not been reading as many blog posts or participating in as many conversations over the past couple of weeks because I’ve been putting most of my time into learning something new. Fingers crossed it all pays off soon… 🤞
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Thank you for sharing my post!
Sorry you’ve had a troubling month, hopefully it will get better! It’s always hard getting over a slump but you seem to be handling it well 🙂 sometimes you need to just hide out a bit and reset and that’s ok.
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My pleasure – thank you for writing it! 😊
Video games are the best place to hide when you need a break. Sometimes all you need is a good story to distract you for a little while and give your brain a rest!
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Thanks for the mention, it’s great to be back! Sorry to hear about Link though ☹️
Glad to hear you’re making some positive changes in your professional life too. Hope my advice a while back was of some use, and if it was, or if. you just want to rant, you know where I am, any time!
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That conversation may have been a while back but I’ve never forgotten it! I moved into a new role a few months after we talked, and now the plan is move into something else again which was inspired by what we talked about. I’ll send you a message soon and give you an update. 😉
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