I love seeing folks who are passionate about the things that bring them joy in life, which is why I enjoy taking part in events like the recent Phoenix Comicon.

I know it’s easy for some to shrug their shoulders and roll their eyes when the word “comicon” comes up in conversation, but I find it difficult to dismiss any event that brings together tens of thousands of people from around the country to take part in four days of fandom.

You might not understand dressing up like your favorite movie character or comic book hero and walking around a massive showroom filled with comics, books, art, memorabilia and the like, but perhaps you’ve worn your favorite team’s jersey, painted your face the appropriate colors, donned a silly hat and cheered at the top of your lungs for a touchdown?

My point is, no matter what your fandom is, there’s nothing wrong with letting your flag fly proudly. It’s also a blast seeing people celebrate their favorite pastimes as a massive group, hence the annual trip to comicon.

Jenn and I were at this year’s event for three days that saw me getting in more exercise than I have in the past six months. There was a lot of walking between all of those booths, panels, special events and activities, and having a heavy backpack strapped to me throughout the ordeal made it all the more tiring.

During one of the days, Jenn and I dressed as a pair of characters from a popular show, Gravity Falls. I don’t typically dress up for these kinds of events, as I prefer to people watch instead. But I can’t tell you how much it warmed my heart every time a kid ran up to us and wanted to take a photo with “the real Wendy and Dipper.” For the briefest of moments, we got to bring joy into the lives of others just by wearing a goofy costume, and I thought that was pretty special.

But that’s not the last of my summer adventures. All next week I will be out of the office for the Electronics Entertainment Expo, better known as E3, in Los Angeles. This is another annual trip for me where I spend my evenings in a motel that is almost certainly haunted and my days talking to developers and publishers about all sorts of games and the latest tech gadgets.

I’m not telling you all of this to make it unquestionably clear that your newest editor is a nerd, but instead to let folks know that, in my absence, the team plans on being business as usual for the coming week.

As you may have noticed from some bylines in this week’s issue, we are delighted to have news reporter Bob Burns back in the office and covering his regular beats. While I’m gone, he, Linda, Barb and the rest of the gang will keep trucking right along.

If you need to reach me, feel free to call in and leave a message or send an email my way. I only ask that you have patience with my response, as I’ll likely have a lot to work through once I return to the office on June 20.

Someone will be checking my email on a daily basis, though, so hopefully we’ll knock out all of the timely stuff as it comes in.

Until then, have fun and remember to enjoy your passions to the fullest.