John: Good morning Hank. It's Tuesday. Remember back in May when I told you that your birthday present would be a little late? Well, it's here. I was thinking: What do you get a 38 year old man who has no interest in worldly luxuries? And then, I realized... You get him a billboard. So I got you a billboard. Acutally, I got you several billboards near our childhood home in Orlando, Florida. Like, remember our childhood 7-Eleven where we used to bike to get Slurpees? Boom. Billboard. Also, remember Wally's? I got you a billboard there too. There are a few others around town. It turns out renting billboards is a bit addictive. If you live in Orlando and wanna check out these beauties in person I'll put some links in the doobly-doo. Okay, so there's more. You may recall a few months ago I was like...

Past John: I enjoy sponsoring AFC Wimbledon so much and it has made me wanna sponsor other things. Current

John: Right, that was a trick. I was actually seeking to buy sponsorships for An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. Let's start with AFC Wimbldeon: the world's favorite third tier English football team. In addition to having some excellent ads around the stadium, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing has become AFC Wimbledon's training kit sponsor seen here in the run up to their recent game against Westham United. 

Also, you sponsor the Firebirds first robotics team out of Flowertown, Pennsylvania as well as the Doc Botics Robotics team in Canada seen here with Absolutely Remarkable Thing antennae and the beginnings of there robot who is named Carl. You also sponsor first robotics teams in Fort Wayne, Indiana and Carmel, Indiana as well FRC Rapid Acceleration in Rapid City, South Dakota. An Absolutely Remarkable Thing also sponsors a made of awesome Speech and Debate Team in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and one in West Anchorage, Alaska.

Then there's Cal Sol the 2018 UC Berkeley solar car team which is building, testing, and racing street legal solar powered vehicles. An Absolutely Remarkable Thing sticker will be on their next car called Tachyon.

On the sports front, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is the official sock sponsor of the Austin Torch: a professional women's Ultimate Frisbee team in Austin, Texas. Also, Hank, you sponsor the Montana State University women's rugby club who were nice enough to make these Absolutely Remarkable Thing rugby balls. And you sponsor the amazing Stockbridge High School girl's lacrosse team in Georgia.

But wait, you say, what about baseball? Well, Hank what if I were to tell you that next spring a group of young people outside Boston will learn about hitting and catching and teamwork? That group of young people: the Mission Hill Absolutely Remarkable Things! Really! Here some of them are last season. Oh my God, the cuteness!

Now I know what you're wondering, Hank. Where's the Quidditch? Well, don't worry, you are now the left sleeve sponsor of the Dutch National Quidditch team: The Flying Dutchmen and that sponsorship makes it possible for them to compete in the 2019 Quidditch European Games. Speaking of Harry Potter, I also got you some sponsorships on a podcast we both love Harry Potter and the Sacred Text.

But wait, there's more! Hank, your book is also sponsoring the University of the Western Cape's rowing team in South Africa making it possible for them to travel around the country for competitions.

And An Absollutely Remarkable Thing sponsors a rugby team composed of future doctors at the Univeristy of Glasgow as well as a high school quiz bowl team in Ohio.

Now, of course Hank, your book does not need me or those sponsorships to get people excited about it. It has received glowing starred reviews from Booklist and Library Journal and Kirkus. Patrick freaking Rothfuss wrote a blurb for it as did Ashley Ford and Catherynne Valente and several other great writers but I wanted to sponsor a few wonderful groups and teams because An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is a such a beautiful exploration of what humans can accomplish when we collaborate effectively. I learned of so many beautiful and worthy projects after I made that call for sponsorship and I regret that I had to select so few but the whole process reminded me that all the time people are working together to increase World Awesome and decrease World Suck. From rugby fields to robotics labs we really can accomplish so much more together than alone. So thank you for inspiring me.

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing comes out in just two weeks! There are links to pre-order in the doobly-doo below. Also if you can, come see Hank and me or Hank without me on the Absolutely Remarkable Thing tour. The shows in Boston and Santa Cruz are sold out but there are still tickets elsewhere.

Hank, I hope you liked you present. I will see you on Friday

PS Huge thanks to everyone involved in this project but especially to Rosiana Halse-Rojas who as usual made it all happen.