Years ago, I was at a party chatting with a very famous person, who shall remain nameless - by the way good morning Hank, it's Tuesday, today's video is like Gulliver's travels, it comes to you in four parts. So anyway, after chatting for a minute, the very famous person said "I'm sorry to ask this, but are you the science one or the other one?"

And I said that I was the other one, because Hank you have always been the science one, like even when we were kids you had an early webpage called "The Hank Green Mars exploration page" while I was into writing, into history, and pretty much anything that wasn't science. And yet, in the last few years, I've found myself reading a lot of books about science, and choosing to learn about subjects that I actively hated when I was a student. Not only that, but a large e-commerce platform recently named "The Anthropocene Reviewed" book one of the best science books of the year. That's right Hank, now I AM THE ASCIENCE ONE. There are two science ones and two writer ones. 

Now to be fair, I'm not positive that "The Anthropocene Reviewed" is, in fact, a science book. There's a lot of memoir, and literary analysis, and history, but there is some science. And the reason I was so pleased about this, isn't just because somebody named "The Anthropocene Reviewed" one of their favorite books of the year, but also because I love science writing- it deepens my understanding of the universe and my place in it. 

By the way, it would absolutely shock my 20 or 30-year-old self that I enjoy reading about science, or that I have even arguably written a science book. But, those selves would also be surprised that I love living in Indianapolis, or that I stopped having stage-fright a few years ago, or that I started to love third-tier English soccer. Here's another example of what I mean Hank, you have so many ideas, that there is literally a website called Dayssincehankgreenstartedathing.com and in a recent Vlogbrothers video, I was like "Hank has an idea every 20 minutes, and my job to tell him when they are bad". But in the comments of that video, a long-time Nerdfighter pointed out that 13 years ago I had a somewhat different take on that subject. 

Younger John: It has to be said that I have a crazy idea at least once every 45 minutes, and I count on Hank to be like" that is a terrible idea".

So again, something that feels super fundamental - Hank is the idea one - turns out to have changed over time. Really, so much of what I consider myself just isn't inevitable. Some of it is, of course, but not all of it. People can change, and they can continue to change. The way things are, both for ourselves and for the world, is not the way things always must be.

Which brings me to part two - that was a long part one. Partners in Health Sierra Lione's annual report just came out, and I really recommend reading it. Or if prefer watching to reading, there is also a great video about improvements in maternal and childcare at Koidu government hospital and what the maternal center of excellence will mean for that community. There have been big reductions in child and maternal mortality at Koidu government hospital over the last year, which we hope will be accelerated by the opening of the maternal center of excellence in 2023, and far more people are using the healthcare system because they finally feel like that can actually get care. It's super encouraging, plus the letter from PIH Sierra Lione executive director Dr. Bailor Barrie is so beautiful, there's a link to read it in the doobly doo. 

Also, if you're at the end of the year, you're in the position to join the thousands of Nerdfighters who make monthly or one-time donations to support PIH's efforts to radically reduce maternal mortality - PIH.org/hankandjohn

Part three- Hank and I will both be taking next week off from Vlogbrothers, meaning that this is my last video of 2021. I would like to say good riddance to 2021, but that would imply a level of like confidence or welcoming around 2022, and ummmm yeah. I don't know what else to say about that, except that I give 2021 two stars. It's sorta like if they made Cats 2, like it probably wouldn't be as bad, but it would still be a Cats movie.

Part four- the outro. I only said this video had four parts so I could make that stupid Gullivers travels joke at the beginning, but no regrets. Hank, I will see you on Friday, and you will see me in 2022. 

*Hard exhale*

Cats 3 coming soon to theatres.