Good morning, Hank, it's Tuesday.

So this weekend, I will be attempting, for the second time in human history, an endurance feat known in these parts as "The Double." So there are two things you need to know about my current situation, Hank. First, I've been in 43 airports in the last 60 days for my book Everything is Tuberculosis. In fact, Hank, to be completely honest, it's not Tuesday. I am filming this over the weekend because on Tuesday, I will be in Geneva, Switzerland talking to folks about tuberculosis. All of which is just to say that I'm a little tired but The Double does not often call, Hank, and when it does, you pick up the phone.

The second thing you need to know is that in 1994, a race car driver named John Andretti drove in the Indianapolis 500, which usually begins around noon and ends around 5 P.M. Then, he got in a helicopter and flew directly to North Carolina where he participated in a different car race, the Coca-Cola 600, that evening. Since then, many race car drivers have attempted this 1,100 mile double, but only the great Tony Stewart actually finished every lap of both races in one day.

So Hank, the Indianapolis 500 is one of the most cherished days on my calendar. I go to the race every single year and I love it so much. It is the largest non-religious gathering of human beings on Earth, and it happens right here in my hometown. And this year, I am extra excited about it, not least because it marks the end of my travel marathon. I am such a big fan of the Indianapolis 500 that I just barely was able to keep myself from mentioning it in Everything is Tuberculosis because of course the Indianapolis 500, like everything, can be connected to tuberculosis. The 1931 winner of the race was a man named Louis Schneider who survived his very dangerous racing career, only to die at the age of 40 of tuberculosis.

But Hank, as you know, there is one sporting endeavor that I love even more than the Indy 500 and that is the fan-owned fourth-tier English football team AFC Wimbledon who wear DFTBA on the back of their shorts in that liminal space between left thigh and buttock. And after a very good season, AFC Wimbledon eaked their way into the playoffs where they won two consecutive games to send themselves to Wembley, England's national stadium for a playoff final; A single game to decide whether AFC Wimbledon might ascend to the dizzying heights of third-tier English football. The Indy 500 is this Sunday in Indianapolis, and AFC Wimbledon's playoff final at Wembley is the very next day. So it's time for The Double.

On Sunday, my friend Stewart and I will wake up around 5:00 in the morning, bicycle to the Indianapolis 500, watch the race, bicycle to the airport, board a flight to London, and then land in London, take the train to Wembley, and watch AFC Wimbledon in the playoff final. This Double, if the good Lord's willing and the creek don't rise, will last nearly two straight days, especially if AFC Wimbledon managed to win that playoff final because the party will go on all night.

Longtime Nerdfighters will know that Stewart and I previously completed The Double, a day so magical that I made a vlogbrothers video about it, link in the doobly-doo, but also a day so magical that the inside of my suit lining depicts that day, that magical day at Wembley. But of course, Stewart and I have aged significantly since we completed The Double. Will we still have the endurance to do it? Will caution, flags, and weather and everything else cooperate to allow us to live this dream? Only time will tell, but I will enjoy every minute of the adventure, Hank.

So it's been nine years since Stewart and I first completed The Double, which also means that it's been nine years since AFC Wimbledon last played at Wembley. If it's nine years again before we make it back to Wembley, I'll be 56. I hope I'm still biking to the race. I hope I can still complete The Double, but who knows. The future is unpredictable and to be alive in this world is to be constantly reminded that we are here only for a little while. So who knows when or if The Double will come around again, but what a gift that I get to do this for a second time.

Hank, two last things for me. First, Everything is Tuberculosis has now been on the New York Times non-fiction bestseller list for eight consecutive weeks. I am so overwhelmed with gratitude to everyone who has supported this book. And it's been amazing to meet so many of you in the last two months and preach the gospel that the world's deadliest infection is curable and eradicable. Secondly, Hank, I have to say a huge thank you to everybody who's participated in my silly FIFA game live streams over at John's channel because without them, AFC Wimbledon would not have been able to sign our new player Marcus Browne, and without Marcus Browne, I'm genuinely not sure that we would be in the playoff final. So, thank you. Also, if you're in London this weekend, don't miss the opportunity to watch the world's greatest fourth-tier English football team attempt to become the world's greatest third-tier English football team.

Up the dons. Hank, I'll see you on Friday.