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Searching for Betsy in Brazil

2021-10-06 · documentary visit · John, Betsy · 3:53 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Everyday life (also: Personal life) · mode: Personal essay · tags: calendar ritual, on location, self promotion, guest or collab

On the third day of Pizzamas, John drives to Brazil, Indiana, to deliver part of a buyer's order and ends up finding her, Betsy, at her work; recalling Kurt Vonnegut's line that most of adult life is 'farting around', he says life is joy, love and loss but also that, and he loved this day of errands.

What is said

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

00:00:00 — John shaves; third day of Pizzamas; The Anthropocene Reviewed out in Brazil, so he drives to Brazil, Indiana to deliver a Pizzamas order

  • ★ Not sure he can show up on a stranger's doorstep with his mustache, John shaves it off. (playful, hedged) — 00:00:00
  • ★★★ On the third day of Pizzamas, John drives to Brazil, Indiana, because someone there ordered Pizzamas items and he wants to partially fill the order himself. — 00:00:00 · Pizzamas, Indiana
  • ★★★ John's book The Anthropocene Reviewed comes out in Brazil this week (week of 4 October 2021); unable to go there because of the state of the world, he celebrates in Brazil, Indiana. — 00:00:00 · The Anthropocene Reviewed (book), Indiana
  • ★ Brazil, Indiana is just over an hour from John's home in Indianapolis; the buyer lives 15 minutes outside town, down a dirt road through corn, and he doubts Google Maps. (playful) — 00:00:29 · Indianapolis, Indiana

00:00:58 — At the buyer's house: lovely family, ducks and guinea fowl; the buyer is at work

  • ★★ The family at the house were lovely and keep ducks and guinea fowl, but the buyer was at work, so John goes to her workplace to meet her. — 00:00:58

00:01:34 — Seeing Kurt Vonnegut lecture in high school; the Brazilian fountain; adult life as farting around

  • ★★ John says the trip is turning into a day of errands, in some ways his favorite kind of day. — 00:01:34
  • ★★ In high school John saw Kurt Vonnegut lecture; mostly he remembers Vonnegut smoking in the auditorium and, told he couldn't, replying in effect that he had already been paid. — 00:01:34
  • ★★ John says the fountain in downtown Brazil, Indiana is a replica of a famous Brazilian fountain given to the town by Brazil almost 70 years ago, and it is lovely and well cared for. — 00:01:34 · Indiana

  • ★★★ John recalls Vonnegut's bit that most of adult life is what he called farting around: going to the post office, delivering things, paying bills. — 00:02:03

    “most of adult life is just what he called farting around”

  • ★★★ As a teenager John objected that life is joy, love, loss, yearning, pain and hunger; he still thinks life is those things, but it is also farting around. — 00:02:03 · meaning of life

00:02:28 — Meeting Betsy at her work; a much better day than expected

  • ★★ After four and a half hours and two visits to Brazil, which he didn't actually need, John reaches the buyer's workplace and meets Betsy. (playful) — 00:02:28
  • ★ John says his wife told him Betsy's workplace makes the best bread in Indiana, so he has to buy some. — 00:02:58 · Sarah Urist Green, Indiana
  • ★★★ John had a much better day than planned: Betsy and her family reminded him people can be warm and generous, and the fountain that such kindness can span vast time and distance. — 00:02:58
  • ★★★ John says it was just a day of farting around, what his high-school self most feared about adulthood, but he loved it. — 00:02:58

00:03:27 — Vonnegut's line about noticing when you are happy; sign-off

  • ★★★ John recalls another Vonnegut line urging people to notice when they are happy and say, murmur or think 'if this isn't nice, I don't know what is'; what a nice day he had. — 00:03:27 · also in: Some Advice

In the description and comments

  • ★ In a comment John says he bought a baguette, which was delicious, and has eaten most of it. — creator comment

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

Central: adulthood · Brazil, Indiana · Kurt Vonnegut · Pizzamas

Also: People: Betsy · Sarah Urist Green

Works: The Anthropocene Reviewed (book)

Concepts: Happiness · kindness · meaning of life · moustache

Places: Brazil · Indiana · Indianapolis

Products: Google Maps

Only in the description or credits: Zine

Also centred on adulthood: 40 · It's My Birthday. I Gave Myself This Video. · Like Apocalyptic Horsemen

Also centred on Kurt Vonnegut: Brotherhood 2.0: April 12th: A Eulogy for Vonnegut

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