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A Stunning Turn of Events

2015-04-21 · letter vlog · John · 2:56 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Personal life (also: Projects, Nerdfighteria) · mode: Personal update · tags: on location, self promotion, community lore

From an airport, John praises Hank's tour, plugs the Batman shirts, jokes about attending the Time 100 gala after dropping off the list, and congratulates two Nerdfighters who met at a 2008 gathering on their engagement.

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; in a stunning turn of events John is in an airport; wardrobe change; four parts

  • ★ John opens by saying that, in a stunning turn of events, he finds himself in an airport. (playful) — 00:00:01

00:00:06 — Part one: Hank's tour reviews, John's surprise at Hank's guitar in the 2007 Helen Hunt song, go to the tour

  • ★★ John reports reviews calling Hank's tour 'so fun' and Hank a 'surprisingly competent musician', an analysis he agrees with. — 00:00:07 · Hank Green
  • ★★ John recalls that when Hank released his love song for Helen Hunt in 2007 he didn't know Hank could play guitar; his main feeling was 'when did Hank get a guitar?' (playful) — 00:00:24
  • ★★ John tells Nerdfighters in any of the tour cities to go to Hank's tour. — 00:00:38 · Nerdfighteria

00:00:41 — Part two: the 'Batman's just a rich guy' shirt; Sarah laughs; both shirts on pre-order until April 25

  • ★★ Shown the two competing Batman shirt designs, Sarah laughed for minutes and asked why anyone would buy the 'Batman's just a rich guy' shirt; John fears for his chances in the contest. (playful) — 00:00:45 · Sarah Urist Green
  • ★★ John says both Batman shirts are on pre-order until April 25 and then never again, then hedges: unless they are, since the future is unpredictable. (hedged) — 00:00:58

00:01:08 — Part three: flying to the Time 100 gala (gay-la/gah-la); off the list this year but invited; Rand Paul and 'French the llama'

  • ★★ John and Sarah are flying to a gala celebrating the Time 100, Time magazine's list of the most important people; he jokes that 'gala' has two accepted pronunciations. (playful) — 00:01:09 · Sarah Urist Green, GIF pronunciation
  • ★★ John was on the Time 100 list last year (2014); this year (2015) he has declined in importance and is off the list but got an invite to the party, which he says delights him. (playful) — 00:01:25
  • ★ John says last year (2014) he often had to explain his Time 100 place; he jokes Rand Paul would dismiss 'French the llama', so this year (2015) he'll be Rand Paul's date. (playful) — 00:01:38 · French the llama

00:01:57 — Part four: strange marriages: two Nerdfighters who met at the 2008 Amsterdam gathering are engaged

  • ★★ John recalls his first European Nerdfighter gathering (Amsterdam, 2008, 30-40 people), where a Dutch Nerdfighter from Best Wishes from the Netherlands asked him to introduce them to the Belgian boys. — 00:02:04 · Amsterdam, Nerdfighteria
  • ★★ Seven years later one of those Dutch girls is marrying one of those Belgian boys; John congratulates them. — 00:02:23 · Nerdfighteria
  • ★★ John loves it when Nerdfighter-like turns into Nerdfighter-love, and notes that Nerdfighters meeting at Hank's concerts could likewise fall in love and get engaged. (playful, hedged) — 00:02:33 · nerdfighterlike (coinage), Nerdfighteria

00:02:43 — Final boarding call, disorganised, makes the plane; sign-off

  • ★ At the final boarding call John, carrying his tux shoes and backpack, is disorganised but makes the plane. (playful) — 00:02:43

Humor (significant)

  • Unsure whether to say 'gay-la' or 'gah-la', John uses both pronunciations at once. — 00:01:17

    “the word so fancy, they named it twice.”

  • John was on the Time 100 last year but has dropped off it this year. — 00:01:34

    “I can't tell you how excited I am to have declined in significance, Hank.”

  • Off the Time 100 list this year, John no longer has to explain himself to members like Rand Paul. — 00:01:54

    “When people ask who I am, I'll just be like "I'm Rand Paul's date."”

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

Central: Batman Is Just a Rich Guy shirt · Time 100

Also: People: Helen Hunt (actor) · Rand Paul · Sarah Urist Green

Projects: Tour Because Awesome

Works: Helen Hunt (song) · We Are All Bat People shirt

Organizations: Time

Groups: Best Wishes from NL

Terms: French the llama · nerdfighterlike (coinage) (“Nerdfighter-like”)

Places: Amsterdam

Memes: GIF pronunciation

Also centred on Batman Is Just a Rich Guy shirt: 7 Weirdest Marriages (or Lack Thereof) From an Airport

Also centred on Time 100: Influence, Airports, and the Nerdfighter Book Club

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