The John Green Spectacular

Okay, so first I just have to get this into words, because I'm living in the moment and the moment is awesome.   As some of you may have heard through the grapevine, I went to Austin to go to the Tour De Nerdfighting Stop and I have so much to tell you.

First of all, I met a lot of new Texas Nerdfighters.   The event was huge.   There were over 1000 guests and that didn't include the staff of Book People who had so generously donated their time that they could working with their families or something, but came to oversee this whole event.   There were just people in every direction and they were so nice.  I, often and usually out of the blue, got complimented on my t-shirt which was just freaking awesome.   I've never had that happen so often in my life.   Like I would walk around and people would be like cool shirt and I would just try to stand there and not look like the biggest asshole on the planet for not knowing who this person is.  

Then there was the actual event which was just stunning.   There were songs which I knew most of the words to and could actually sing back to an artist.   And then there was Hank and John Green.   Who look and sound exactly as they do in their vlogs.   I mean it's stunning how kind of real they've become to me.    And it's not necessarily now that they are out of reach.   Because they aren't.   I always feel like I'll have a closer relationship to them than I will of another celebrity, like for instance, Eliza Dushku.   And they were just people on a stage having the time of their lives which I adored.  

These people have inspired me so much in the last six months that it's impossible not to talk about them when I tell you my story.  All my creative endeavors have been somehow shaped most recently by them, one of which includes finishing an actual honest to goodness book.   I mean these people are big deals in my life.

Most of all, it reminded me why I became a part of this community anyway, because people didn't judge when I was unironically so irrationally happy that I was between a squeak of laughter and straight out crying.  People liked it.   They embraced me for who I was.   Just a normal girl.   Seeing them made my day.   Honestly, it probably made my month.   And I'm not ashamed of that.   This was something that so few have experienced that I was glad to be a part of that.

With all the songs played out and all the book read and all the questions answered and even though there were a thousand other people there, it still seemed very intimate, like this was something that they kept hidden from people who didn't come to these things and I was glad to experience that.   I can't say exactly why it was special.   Honestly, if it weren't for who they were, it probably wouldn't have been that special but it was.   And I just needed to say out loud.