It's Been A While - I Took Some Time Off - Saw @Ashens, @NostalNerd, @TristaBytes, @mrbiffo and co. have been to Crystal Maze Live

 It's been a while since I did one of these. I've been doing 14 hour days, 9 days a week and I inevitably burned out. The last few weeks haven't been great for me so I've had a mental health week to myself. Honestly, barely moved from the bed. According to my phone, I've gone from 55k steps a week to 400. But if you aren't coping, you aren't coping, simple as that. 

So it's left me some time to catch up on a lot of things. Fixed my laptop for example. For several months the concept of sound has been beyond this thing, input or output, nothing. May as well have tried getting it to accept eclairs as a form of audio, just nothing. And nothing says I've been binge eating quite like shoehorning eclairs in there for no sensical reason whatsoever.

Washing piles are done, the sun's been out so I've been able to plough through the numerous mounds of washing that have accumulated around the house without relying on an electroholic tumbler.

Now, when I dragged my carcass out of bed eventually this morning (been really struggling on mornings so when I saw today would be hot, hung my washing out last night. Woke up to dry clothes.) I sat down at my laptop and saw that several of my favourite Youtube and Twitch types were at Crystal Maze Live.

Last night, These excellent folks and I cracked the Crystal Maze (Team Cygnet Moon ~don't ask).

I did two physical games, got two crystals, almost died of exhaustion. WOULD RECOMMEND.@TristaBytes @myunie @ashens @mrbiffo @SlopesGameRoom @quangdx @TheCrystalMaze @CrystalMazeHQ pic.twitter.com/ZVoV1mRtSu

— Nostalgia Nerd (@nostalnerd) March 24, 2022

 Content creators whose work has really helped over the last couple of years, so it put a smile on my face seeing them there. 

Just putting it on record some of these were in my fantasy celeb episode casting, and I did put forward the idea of a YouTuber team to producers, to be told Youtube types want too much money.

Ah well. This is the next best thing isn't it? 

Gameshows and Streaming: Twitch Communities Making Viewing a Social Night In

 We're in a weird time, aren't we? We can't really have the level of socialization that we used to have (I've never been social but I know people like interacting) and yet thanks to modern technology we can still communicate in ways that the human race could never have imagined even 50 years ago. If you've ever used Twitch, you'll know that whatever people can do for a live-stream, they'll do happily and build up an audience. It's certainly been a way for people to fill their time under present circumstances.

Performers have turned to Twitch to generate some additional income in these times where they can't be booking gigs and getting on stage for audiences. Comedian and podcaster Richard Herring can't do his podcasts or shows from Leicester Square Theatre anymore so he's doing them live-streamed on Twitch. Likewise for Limmy, instead of being able to tell jokes on stage, he's taken to playing truck driving simulators for hundreds of viewers. Even as I'm typing this, Love Island narrator and Taskmaster alumnus Iain Stirling is playing FIFA 21 for 800 viewers.

TV presenters, wrestlers, singers, writers, people from all areas of entertainment have been creating content on Twitch including many who've already built up a following on YouTube.

Fantasy Casting a Future Crystal Maze Team - @Ashens @paulgannonshow @elisnoid @MrBiffo @larrybundyjr @octav1usking @mrbarrylewis

Yesterday in the course of tweeting, something came up that had me rueing a missed opportunity to have something on TV I think people would love to see. Or at least I would anyhow.

I did enter us all in @barshens a few years ago, but never heard back

— Mr. Gannon (@PaulGannonShow) July 26, 2020

I apologize in advance as this bit of fantasy casting may go on a bit, but for the last few years there's been a group of collaborators whose work on YouTube, and on a podcast I've mentioned more than occasionally, has got me through some more trying times. I know it's a bit cliche but laughter is the best medicine and this lot never fails to elicit a chuckle or at least a smile out of me every time I go looking for their content. These are simply a bunch of fun entertaining people I'd love to see taking on the games of The Crystal Maze. Bickering, shouting at each other, and just being as entertaining and fun as I've always seen them. I'll be listing more than 5 names here but it's fantasy casting, my writing, my rules.