douglas paton

@theWellRedMage I played through this earlier this year for the first time since it came out. I really enjoyed it the second time around.

Played Secret of Evermore for a few hours today. Last time I beat this game must've been over 20 years ago. Never played it back to back with Mana like this before, either, and I'm immediately struck by some QOL and polish they added to the formula, although I miss the Mana OST.

@theWellRedMage I really struggled with this one, but I managed to finish it. I'm glad I did, because it had some great storytelling moments.

Today in RPG history... Square released Final Fantasy II for Famicom in Japan on Dec 17, 1988. For many (not the hypnotized who say there is no bad FF, ofc), this is the worst FF. For me, I'd say it's the next one, FFIII. The terrible twos on the NES aren't that terrible. I appreciated FFII! It had named characters and a story, plus the OST is great. No, you don't need to punch yourself in the face to beat it.

@illcentrifugal Always do!

@douglaspaton hope you enjoy!

we did another one!

@kaleighf I talk like this just to horrify my daughter. Never in public, though.

Yesterday at a pizza joint I heard a man over 40 try out using "one hundo-p" on the cashier and it really crashed and burned, there was no saving it Let's just...not

@zanmerusteff It's always fascinating seeing other people's pitching stats. I was just looking through mine the other day and saw that I'm doing quite a bit better than I thought (but not great with keeping my spreadsheet up to date 😂).

If anyone's curious about my pitching stats for the year, I posted them on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/feed/update/ur…

@zanmerusteff I've had my heating pad out for a while now. I'm in the basement and it gets far too cold down there not to have one.

Finally broke out my electric blanket in my office. Other than this and a hot cup of tea, any tips for staying warm while working? I'm always cold!

@kaleighf I saw a guy not wearing shoes in a major airport recently 🤮

There is a man on my flight not wearing shoes. Criminal behavior

@zanmerusteff Once in a while I can do a bed. I like desks because they don't hurt my back as much 😂

As a freelancer, I can work from anywhere...and sometimes that means bed. Anyone else?

@zanmerusteff Huh. That's a little odd, but it also could have been worse.

@douglaspaton Just show my face and ID!

I recently had to undergo my first verification video call to prove my essay wasn't AI-written--wild times we live in!

@rachkmc I love this drive so much. It's one of my favourites.

we used to do 16-18 hour driving days on summer vacations as kids across ontario and up to kenora --

@kaitarford It's one of the few newsletters I open immediately.

I search for new freelance opportunities daily to share with you. I haven't tired of it because I know it makes a huge difference to people. Every time you land a client, I celebrate!

@FlyfishJournal Great words from one of the masters of the written word.

“Matching the hatch is certainly obsessive and cute, yet finding your own style in life is far more interesting.” -Nathaniel Riverhorse Nakadate, The Spring Creek Master. Volume Nine, Issue One

@swaycopy I did that recently, too. Felt weird to replace the old image and I'm still not 100% used to the new one (though I do love it).

Think I need to update my headshot from 10 years ago... Because far too many people are comfortable starting their pitch to me with, "Yo Josh." Yo = No

@ChronoKatie I've been playing it since it was released and I only learned yesterday that if you wait long enough Lucca will bust you out of jail. Like from the cell. I had no idea. I always just escaped on my own 🤯

I truly thought I knew every single detail of Chrono Trigger, but today I realized that not only is Banta, the blacksmith who created Leene's bell in 600 A.D. Lucca's great grandfather, but his name is literally an anagram of Taban.

@swaycopy Same! When I finally started getting caught up on sleep, I realized just how much of a zombie I'd been that whole time. It was absolutely wild.

@douglaspaton What's crazy is I felt like I was somehow doing just fine while short on sleep. Now realizing I was only a shell of myself 😆

I feel like I'm waking up from a 2-year sleep-induced slump (thank you sweet daughter, I love you) and am finally feeling creative and ambitious again. You don't realize how important sleep is until you lose it and start getting it back again.

@danielkenitz Do you follow any of the writers here? The insight behind how some of these jokes came together is amazing.

We don't appreciate Simpsons writers enough for solving problems like "For this scene, we need a reason Homer might stay up in the kitchen all night" with "How about he just wakes up at 3 a.m. to eat processed cheese until dawn?"

@ashleahalpern @AFARmedia @timchester @MicatoSafaris @DeobratMishra This looks like a great piece. I can't wait to give it a read when I've got a moment 😍

Thank you @AFARmedia and @timchester for letting me write about one of the most eye-opening experiences of my trip around the world with a toddler. And thank you @MicatoSafaris for connecting us with sitarist extraordinaire @DeobratMishra. Incredible! afar.com/magazine/why-i…