What’s up everybody?

I feel like it’s time to put this out there into the public space. I have really, really enjoyed this hiatus from podcasting. When I started the show I was unemployed. Add work, school, and a girlfriend to that mix, and it felt like staying committed to doing the thing once a week was becoming tedious.

Eri and I both agreed that we were having too much trouble getting people involved. It became increasingly harder to get guests onto the show. We tried several rotating co-hosts and that worked for a time, but then their schedules got in the way. Eri and I had conflicting schedules living on opposite sides of the world. It became difficult to coordinate so we were already considering a change. I was going to keep the show going in it’s current format, take on a new co-host and she would just become one of the rotating co-hosts. It sounded great until I took a couple of weeks off to just clear my head and get away from it all. I barely even blogged or got on Twitter in those couple of weeks. Unplugging became easier as the time went on. Sure, there was that nagging sensation in the back of my head that said “you need to blog. you need to figure out the podcast. you need to make more YouTube content. why aren’t you being productive?” I chose to ignore this. The voice grew quieter over time.

I’ve had lulls in the past. This run is probably one of my most prolific, having ran a blog, podcast, community events, and really getting involved in the gaming community. There’s always a trade though, and for a time it felt like I spent more time living this virtual life as Izlain, than my own, real life. I still stand by the notion that I’m not going to let this blog completely die off. But I’m willing to let the podcast go, at least for the time being. The two week hiatus turned into a couple of months, and I finally decided that the time gained from not producing content has been more valuable to me, and some of the stress I would put on myself to create has been lifted.

So yes, Couch Podtatoes has seen its finally curtain call, after running for 99 episodes and a little over two years. It was a fantastic run, I had a lot of fun and the memories will always be cherished. For the time being, the Libsyn page is still up, so if there are episodes you would like to save, you should do so. I have told Eri to go ahead and cancel the membership at her leisure, so I’m not sure when they will come offline. I have every episode saved as well, so if you happen to need a copy of one, let me know.

This doesn’t mean I’m done with podcasting though. Honestly I really love it. I just needed some time away to recharge. I’m toying with ideas for a new show already, but am unsure if I’ll just be going it alone or if I might get a friend involved. It’s likely to have to do with nerd culture still, but I might get away from the limiting market of just talking about gaming. I think I’ve said most of what I’ve needed to say on that topic. Branching out could provide new inspiration. I’m not going to commit to anything just yet, but I will let you know when that time comes.

The Twitter account for the show will remain. I will likely announce any new projects via that and my own personal account. And of course, I’m going to keep blogging. Thank you for your support over the past couple of years.