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Look at Tiny Baby Hank

2017-10-17 · letter vlog · John · 2:53 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Personal life (also: Books & writing) · mode: Personal update · tags: on location, self promotion, community lore

From Legoland, Orlando and Nashville, John reports a tour week: a signing at Hank's old high school with his yearbook photo, 10,000 people at the shows, Turtles All the Way Down at number one on Amazon and generous reviews, but also strained mental health; he thanks Hank for his kindness.

What is said

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

00:00:00 — Legoland on his day off, I-4 and ihatei4.com, a Runner's World photo shoot

  • ★ John spent his one day off this month (October 2017) at Legoland in muggy Florida: great, but not exactly relaxing. (playful) — 00:00:01 · Florida
  • ★★ On I-4 in Orlando, John remembers that about 12 years ago Hank had a viral hit website, ihatei4.com, and it makes him smile. — 00:00:10 · Hank Green
  • ★★ John has a photo shoot for the magazine Runner's World and jokes that he is now literally a fitness model. (playful) — 00:00:25

00:00:38 — Signing at Winter Park High School: the students' gifts and Hank's yearbook

  • ★★ At Hank's old high school John signs books and thanks the Winter Park High School students who made a paper town and got them t-shirts and green room chairs. — 00:00:38 · Hank Green, Paper Towns
  • ★★ The students got Hank's high school yearbook; John shows 'tiny baby Hank' and a caption of Hank and a classmate surfing the 'net who believe all seniors should get internet privileges ('Hank, I agree!'). (playful) — 00:00:52 · Hank Green

00:01:08 — Nashville: tour week recap, bestseller list, reviews, John's mental health

  • ★★★ Now in Nashville (the rest of his Orlando footage got corrupted), John says it has been an awesome week: they have performed for more than 10,000 people, including spouses, children, parents and elementary school teachers. — 00:01:15
  • ★★★ Turtles All the Way Down has reached number one on Amazon's bestseller list. — 00:01:23 · Turtles All the Way Down, Amazon
  • ★★ The book has received extremely generous reviews, maybe the two best any of John's books have ever received; he will link them below. (hedged) — 00:01:26 · Turtles All the Way Down
  • ★★ Reading people's thoughtful responses to the book has brought John to tears again and again this week (week of 16 October 2017). — 00:01:34 · Turtles All the Way Down
  • ★★★ John says it has also been a difficult week: his mental health is not where he would like it, partly because he is so far outside his routine; he loves touring but it is a bit overwhelming. — 00:01:40 · mental disorder

00:01:54 — John thanks Hank for his kindness on tour

  • ★★★ Watching Hank perform at his old high school, John thinks of Hank's kindness: a month away from family and jobs to tour with him, his Twitter profile turned into turtles, and constant support since high school; John is lucky and grateful. — 00:01:56 · Hank Green, Twitter, Turtles All the Way Down

00:02:22 — Alice insults Uncle Hank to cut the sentimentality; sign-off

  • ★ To cut the sentimentality, John has his four-year-old daughter Alice insult Uncle Hank ('stupid butt'), adding it is kind of true given Hank's ulcerative colitis. (playful, hedged) — 00:02:30 · Alice Green, Hank Green

In the description and comments

Humor (significant)

  • John promises movie magic to skip the long drive. — 00:00:22

    “And...we've arrived, just like that! It took 45 minutes.”

  • At his Runner's World photo shoot, John calls himself literally a fitness model and poses. — 00:00:34

    “Is that a middle-aged person or a gazelle?”

  • Unable to cut the sentimentality himself, John asks his daughter for a cutting insult about Uncle Hank. — 00:02:39

    “Hank, you have a stupid butt.”

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

People: Alice Green

Projects: IHateI4.com

Works: Paper Towns (“this paper town”) · Turtles All the Way Down

Organizations: Amazon · Runner's World · Twitter · Winter Park High School

Terms: doobly-doo · secret sibling

Concepts: mental disorder · ulcerative colitis (concept)

Places: Florida · Interstate 4 · Legoland Florida · Nashville · Orlando, Florida

Characters: Dave Green

Only in the description or credits: Constance Grady · Jennifer Senior · Laura Miller · Slate · TATWD spoilers subreddit · The New York Times · Vox

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