Hey.
I’m Dan. A 36 year old father of two who doesn’t have nearly as much time as he needs to do half the things he wishes he had the time to do.
I’m with you, I don’t think he finishes the main series, but (and this is where I think we differ) I’ve found so much joy and interest in the rest of the world, the stories and even the lore around all of it that i can’t consider it a waste of time.
I absolutely love YouTube deel-dives about the characters and the world, I’ve spent hours looking over the maps and even more time reading Martin’s work in the form of Fire and Blood, AKOTSK and the larger reference type books that have come out since Winds was released.
I’m re-reading the main series right now, and whilst I’m fairly confident there’s no pay off I find being in that world, and reading those words to be gift enough to continue with it.
This is how I ended up with a 2 foot tall Bill Clinton puppet, but yes I agree.
Lovely find, gorgeous box.