Dec. 14th: John and Maureen Johnson: LIVE FROM NEW YORK CITY

2007-12-14 · letter vlog · John, Maureen Johnson, Julie Strauss-Gabel · 2:32 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Nerdfighteria (also: Books & writing, Personal life) · mode: Comedy & performance · tags: guest or collab, community lore, on location

From New York, where he is meeting people about Paper Towns, John jokes with Maureen Johnson (who says she likes Hank more) and his editor Julie Strauss-Gabel, picks 'Norbert Wiener' as the winning name for his hypothetical puppy, and announces another Question Tuesday.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — Greeting; working on the happy dance project; long day of eating and drinking in New York City; a giant poster seems to be looking at him

• ★★ John says he was just working on the happy dance project. — 00:00:03
• ★ John is in New York City after a long day of a lot of eating, drinking and general merriment. — 00:00:03 · New York City

00:00:31 — Giant poster of Maureen Johnson's Suite Scarlett; overstuffed and 'the Christmas spirit'; meetings about Paper Towns with editor Julie Strauss-Gabel

• ★ John shows Hank a gigantic poster of Maureen Johnson's new book, Suite Scarlett. (playful) — 00:00:31 · Maureen Johnson
• ★★ John is in New York meeting people about Paper Towns, including his editor Julie Strauss-Gabel, whose office has a view of the Statue of Liberty. — 00:00:31 · Paper Towns, Julie Strauss-Gabel, New York City

00:01:00 — Julie's Statue of Liberty view; Julie sends Hank a copy of Paper Towns; Maureen Johnson appears and says she likes Hank more

• ★★ John says Julie Strauss-Gabel sent Hank a copy of Paper Towns. — 00:01:00 · Julie Strauss-Gabel, Paper Towns, Hank Green
• ★★ Maureen Johnson: Asked by John which brother she likes more, Maureen Johnson answers Hank. (playful) — 00:01:00 · Maureen Johnson, Hank Green

00:01:27 — 'Not a competition'; Maureen went to 'my pants'; her forum thread about having John on your couch

• ★★ John notes Maureen Johnson 'went to my pants' (the forum), still funny after eight months; she started a thread there on what you would do with John Green on your couch for a night. (playful) — 00:01:27 · Maureen Johnson, Brotherhood 2.0 forum, in your pants

00:01:52 — Secret brother Tom's ferret; Nerdfighters' names for the hypothetical puppy, winner Norbert Wiener; Question Tuesday again; sign-off

• ★ John calls the forum answers frankly disturbing, except secret brother Tom's proposal to put a ferret inside his pillowcase. (playful) — 00:01:52 · secret sibling, Brotherhood 2.0 forum
• ★★★ John thanks Nerdfighters for names for his hypothetical puppy, lists favorites (Rana Valona, Chomsky the Nerdfighting Puppy, Wootponer, Optimus Prime, Johnny Funtimes) and picks Norbert Wiener the Puppy as winner. (playful) — 00:01:52 · Nerdfighteria
• ★★★ Because the rebirth of Question Tuesday went so well, John will do it again, and asks Nerdfighters to leave questions for his Tuesday video. — 00:01:52 · Question Tuesday, Nerdfighteria

Humor (significant)

• Overstuffed after a day of being treated in New York, John explains the moral principles that guide him. — 00:00:31

  “one of my moral principles has always been that when people want to buy me stuff, I want to let them.”

• After Maureen Johnson says she likes Hank more, John concedes that the teen authors of America love Hank. — 00:01:27

  “But as I always remind myself, it's not a competition. Because if it were a competition, I'd lose.”

• John brings up the forum called 'my pants' and the 'in your pants' joke. — 00:01:27

  “By the way, Hank, do you know that Maureen Johnson went to my pants?”

Threads in this video

• callback · 'In your pants' suffix game (2007) — John tells Hank that Maureen Johnson 'went to my pants' (the forum) and insists the joke is still funny after eight months. (00:01:27)
• callback · The brothers' 'secret siblings' (2007) — John mentions 'secret brother Tom', who proposed putting a ferret inside John's pillowcase. (00:01:52)
• result reported · John asks whether he and Sarah should get a puppy and what to name it (2007) — John thanks Nerdfighters for puppy-name suggestions, lists his favorites and names 'Norbert Wiener the Puppy' the winner for his hypothetical puppy. (00:01:52)
• promised · John: do another Question Tuesday in his next Tuesday video (2007) — Because the rebirth of Question Tuesday went so well, John says he will do it again in his Tuesday video. (00:02:22)
• asked · John asks Nerdfighters for questions for his next Question Tuesday (2007) — John asks Nerdfighters to leave questions below for him to answer in his Tuesday video. (00:02:22)
• milestone · Question Tuesday: weekly Tuesday question days for nerdfighters (2007) — Because the rebirth of Question Tuesday went so well, John will do it again, and asks Nerdfighters to leave questions for his Tuesday video. (00:01:52)

Where the stories that moved here went next

• John asks Nerdfighters for questions for his next Question Tuesday (2007) — reported back; last: result reported, 2007-12-18
• John asks whether he and Sarah should get a puppy and what to name it (2007) — reported back; last: result reported, 2008-05-18
• John: do another Question Tuesday in his next Tuesday video (2007) — kept
• Question Tuesday: weekly Tuesday question days for nerdfighters (2007) — last documented in 2020; last: restarted, 2020-07-21

Mentioned

Central: Maureen Johnson · Paper Towns

Also: People: Julie Strauss-Gabel · Noam Chomsky · Norbert Wiener (“Norbert Wiener the Puppy”) · Ranavalona I · Secret Brother Tom

Projects: Brotherhood 2.0 forum (“went to my pants”) · Nerdfighter Happy Dance Project

Works: Suite Scarlett

Rituals: Question Tuesday

Terms: in your pants (“went to my pants”) · secret sibling

Places: New York City · Statue of Liberty

Characters: Optimus Prime

Memes: w00t (“Wootponer”)

← Previous: December 13: Mailing Shopping Thanking. It Must Be Christmas · Next → Project for Awesome: Explanation and Humane Societies