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November 21st: What I'm Grateful For

2007-11-21 · John · watch on YouTube · Nerdfighteria · reflection essay

On the day before Thanksgiving John lists what he is grateful for, ending with the Nerdfighters, who he says have made him more optimistic, and he invokes Faulkner's Nobel speech that man will prevail.

What is said

00:00:00 — Day before Thanksgiving; 102nd anniversary of Einstein's E=mc2 paper; John's joke paper on the awesomeness of nerd content

  • ★★ John says today, the day before Thanksgiving, is also the 102nd anniversary of the publication of Einstein's paper 'Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content?' (answer: 'heck yes'). — 00:00:09 · Thanksgiving
  • ★★ John jokes he would like to write a paper, 'Does the Awesomeness of a Body Depend Upon Its Nerd Content?', proving that accumulating knowledge increases worldwide awesome (except knowledge about Britney Spears). (playful) — 00:00:09

00:00:42 — John's new, nerdier glasses

  • ★ John says that despite a year of calling himself a nerd and nerdfighter his glasses weren't nerdy, so he has got new, very nerdy glasses. (playful) — 00:00:42

00:01:11 — The family Thanksgiving tradition of saying what you're grateful for; John's gratitude list (Hank, snow in Missoula, YouTube, writing, eyes, shirts, the Yeti, Hank's songs)

  • ★★ Following up Hank's hint, John says their family has a long tradition of saying what they're grateful for at the Thanksgiving table; this year they're apart, Hank in snowy Missoula, John in warm Indianapolis. — 00:01:11 · Thanksgiving, Missoula, Montana, Indianapolis
  • ★★★ John is thankful to Hank for the amazing year of getting to know each other as grown-up siblings, though they spent much of it putting stuff on their heads and singing about Harry Potter. — 00:01:11 · Hank Green, Brotherhood 2.0, Harry Potter
  • ★★ John is thankful to YouTube for giving the world a free and easy way for 'luddites' like him to communicate visually. — 00:01:40 · YouTube
  • ★★ John is thankful that he gets to write the books he wants, when he wants, for the people he wants to write them for. — 00:01:40
  • ★ John also lists snow in Missoula, two functioning eyes, three Nerdfighter T-shirts, 'one beautiful yeti' (his wife) and Hank's songwriting. (playful) — 00:01:40 · Sarah Urist Green, Missoula, Montana

00:02:09 — Gratitude for the Nerdfighters: more optimistic because of them; Faulkner's Nobel speech, man will prevail

  • ★★★ John is thankful for the Nerdfighters, whose collective awesome has changed the brothers' lives; seeing what people do together has made him much more optimistic. — 00:02:09 · Nerdfighteria > «I'm so much more optimistic than I used to be»
  • ★★★ John says Faulkner was right to decline to accept the end of man, and quotes his claim that man will not merely endure but prevail; being able to believe this is a gift from Nerdfighters. — 00:02:09 · Nerdfighteria
  • ★ John is also thankful for Faulkner, who 'knew his way around a sentence'. (playful) — 00:02:38

00:03:08 — Asks Hank and Nerdfighters what they are grateful for; scavenger hunt clue

Humor (significant)

  • John imagines a paper, 'Does the Awesomeness of a Body Depend Upon Its Nerd Content?', proving that accumulating knowledge raises worldwide awesome. — 00:00:09 > «Except for when you're accumulating knowledge about Britney Spears»
  • After a year of calling himself a nerd, John admits his glasses were never particularly nerdy and puts on a new pair. — 00:00:42 > «Problem solved. These are so nerdy.»
  • In his gratitude list John counts his working eyes and his Nerdfighter T-shirts, then adds his wife under her running nickname. — 00:01:40 > «two functioning eyes three nerdfighter t-shirts and one beautiful yeti»
  • After reading a long, solemn passage of Faulkner's speech, John adds one more thanks. — 00:02:38 > «Oh, also I'm thankful for Faulkner. That guy knew his way around a sentence.»

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