A Day at Galaxy Con with Ryan

Sometimes the best days are the ones with no real agenda beyond having fun with a friend. That was today. My friend Ryan and I drove up to Raleigh for Galaxy Con, and it turned into one of those trips that reminds you why it matters to step away from work every once in a while and just go do something enjoyable.

We spent a good chunk of the drive up and back talking through everything from business to life to nothing in particular, the kind of conversation that only really happens when you are stuck in a car together for a couple hours with nowhere else to be. There is something almost therapeutic about that. No phones demanding attention, no meetings to run to, just two guys catching up.

The con itself did not disappoint. We got to meet Sam Witwer, who voices Darth Maul, and hearing him talk about the character in person was a highlight all on its own.

We also ran into Rainn Wilson and Angela Kinsey, who played Dwight and Angela on The Office, two actors whose work has been part of more lazy Sunday reruns than I can count.

But the moment of the day was meeting Hayden Christensen. Getting a photo with him was one of those small, genuinely fun experiences that sticks with you, the kind of thing you do not need to justify or attach any bigger purpose to. It was just cool.

I think days like this matter more than I usually give them credit for. I spend most of my time building, thinking in systems, and trying to make progress on things that matter. All of that is good and worth doing, but it is not sustainable without days that exist purely for fun. Today was a good reminder that stepping away, even for something as simple as a convention with a friend, is not wasted time. It is part of what makes the rest of the work possible.