Thoughts from Places: Los Angeles after the Earthquake

[@EM2118]

Is this the Ransom Riggs who wrote Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children? Jeez John, is every writer a close, personal friend of yours? *mind blown*

[@dark_fairy236]

Sometimes in his videos John is all awkward and adorable, but in these he's a freaking poet

[@TheSarahsSay]

I just find that the TfP videos end up being even more profound and poetic than the other videos. I love the way they are all individual stories, and how neatly you tidy up the ending, even when tidy endings seem impossible, like for the earthquake/tsunami disaster.

[@HarryPotterTrio91]

"All human life is lived in close proximity to tragedy." You have really changed my outlook on life John. I see the world from a different angle since I discovered your novels and videos and I want to thank you for that. You made me appreciate what I have because, somewhere, someone is wishing that they had it as good as I do.

[@readyrepairs]

if you dont stop being so fucking epic and amazing.. so help me.. I will cry.

[@oddball613]

There aren't words to describe how much I love Thoughts From Places. Or the appreciation I feel for you guys for doing them. The world needs to think more in places.

[@React]

This was a wonderful video John. Love your way with words. - Benny

[@GeekyRomanticHybrid]

I love thoughts from places. They're always infinitely more eloquent than I could ever hope to be. Beautiful.

[@bestbuddies4evah]

ok so quick story time. My mother was born in January 1961 in Pasadena, CA and had an aunt named Dorothy. Really weird coincidence

[@SophieHatterLeFay]

Wait

[@joeiswar]

I'm watching this at school while waiting for class and noticed tears falling. It's a beautiful pain.

[@EitanDombey]

This is art.

[@PaigeLaRoche]

The thing I like about you, John, is that you take things one step farther. You write books in this voice and tell wonderful stories, but then you also make these videos and bring the words to life more than a book could. Thank you.

[@BackwardzAckwardz]

I'm reading Hollow City now, and it's pretty great.

[@supercalick]

I'm so glad that I'm able to be a part of John's ever-so-fascinating life and to hear/see the beautiful and inspirational way he presents it to us, the lucky Nerdfighters.

[@frmcf]

You should write a book.

[@dacomomomusic2801]

xD

[@ieuanhunt552]

Funny you should say that

[@PartyPolly]

I love 'thoughts from places', they let me know I'm not the only person who feels the world they live in as much as they see it. You rule John, You rule Hank. Thank you for existing.

[@77Palindrome]

RANSOM RIGGS? LIKE MRS. PEREGRINES HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN RANSON RIGGS?

[@alexshih3747]

Yes.

[@XxLadyLunaxX]

Thoughts from Places always make me tear up - the eloquence to which you put your, and our own, thoughts to words is beautiful. Thank you.

[@HPPirates]

These are by far some of my favorite KZbin videos. They always get me thinking. It is really frustrating to know that I'm going about my normal day while people in Japan are learning that their loved ones perished or living with the fact that their homes are gone. That quote at the end gave me chills.

[@TheBrooklyngurl13]

The things you say in Thoughts From Places are just so astonishingly beautiful.

[@BehindTheHarleyShop]

I love when John does these TRavel thoughts videos. He makes me relax. Makes me think he should have a radio show because his thoughts and voice are soothing and make you (me) think. I usually watch them 2 times just to make sure I caught all of his wisdom.

[@ImagineTheTimes]

I love the Thoughts from Places videos. They're so quietly powerful and poetic, and so interesting. All the different things you and Hank do are so awesome, but these hold a special place in my heart.

[@heatherbee41]

Needed this one today. One only has to enter social media for about ten minutes to find tragedy reduced to status updates and even worse, copied, asinine comparisons between one tragedy and another. I'm so tired of what death and destruction are reduced to within a day. Can't we just, for once, be sad? Thanks for putting my sentiments to images and I'm glad someone was sad when I was too.

[@PennyLane0123]

God, John, you have to stop giving me chills. Wait! No, don't. These videos are incredible. Your voicing of the thoughts in your head just....is unbelievable. NEVER STOP.

[@CHSGal4Eva]

Everytime I watch one of these videos I say this, but I'll say it again. These videos are what tells us what an amazing author you are, John.

[@HilBG]

i love the way john takes all these random elements of his day and ties them together seamlessly. these videos truly make my life better.

[@kelseybisset88]

His book and podcast, the Anthropocene Reviewed does this beautifully, over and over. I hope you've read it.

[@gingeryoddity]

"Against my better judgment I feel certain that somewhere very near here-the first house down the road, maybe-there's a good poet dying, but also somewhere very near here somebody's having a hilarious pint of pus taken from her lovely young body, and I can't be running back and forth forever between grief and high delight". Somehow I was expecting you to quote him until the last second. You didn't, but made me cry anyway. Thank you for this series, it is stunning.

[@Alanalicious]

Thoughts from Places are the only KZbin videos that ever make me cry

[@lizziepooh]

Your thoughts made me cry. We are all residents of this planet, and we are all connect as human beings. I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking about our fellow brothers and sisters over seas, affected by these tragic events.

[@umlautgirl]

john, you are so poetic. you've made my day better. i strive to be like you someday.

[@PinkGrapefruit22]

John, I'm in Japan, and I heard your message loud and clear. Things here suck right now, but it's good to know that people back home care and are thinking of us. -Sara in Tochigi Prefecture

[@roxanett]

John, every single one of your thoughts from places makes me feel so... so.

[@Sumarra]

John I love when you do videos like this, I watch them over and over just so I can hear you put words together in a way that is truly a piece of artwork. When you can stop and think for so long about something that was said that you lose time and it takes a loud obnoxious text message to pull you out of your contemplation, that is art. Keep up the amazing work. Japan our thoughts and hearts are with you.

[@cammyBH]

all of these videos... they're making me cry...

[@Harmon2]

Why do you put things so beautifully? I wanted to cry when you went on that tangent in the last third of this...

[@ktgreeeno]

John, you have a gift. You say what others cannot, and more importantly you say it well. Thank you so much for this video.

[@twinkletoes121]

I love Thoughts from Places videos!! I always share them with my dad, who kind of hangs out on the fringes of Nerdfighteria. This one is especially poignant, given the recent disasters in Japan and elsewhere in the Pacific. There's so much to think about in this installment of TfP. Thank you, John.

[@chatterboxo007]

I used to live in San Diego when this was taken and, although I didn't know about the vlogbrothers back then I felt those exact same things throughout my day as I saw picture after picture and head story after story of the tragedy. It's nice to know I wasn't the only one feeling that way on that day.

[@tasallou]

John, I have to say I look forward to the thoughts from places videos the most. They are eerily heartwarming

[@MKarvat]

Those kind of videos are my favorite. They really make you think. And the way you talk about stuff on them is just amazing.

[@MelinGrata]

God I love the Thoughts from Places. my prayers for everyone in Japan. They need our Awesome now more than ever.

[@DigitalCable]

I wish there was a way to give a whole country a hug and tell them "we're here for you, you're not forgotten and together we will make it through." Donating to charity to help is one thing (a great thing,) but getting hug, feeling the warmth and being reassured that you're not alone is another thing entirely. IDK if that made sense but thank you John, your videos inspire me to be better more then you could know.

[@GarrettRobinson]

Thoughts from places are hit or miss for me but this one is SOOOO GOOD.

[@Knave283]

I'm over here on this side of the pacific (albeit a fair distance south of Japan). From this side of the ocean, I'm thinking of you, John Green, and your melancholy internal monologues that fill my days with thought and reflection. Oh to live inside your head.

[@NatalieMoment]

Oh, John. Never stop being so incredible.

[@WritingWillow]

I take the kids I babysit to that duck park on the canals in Venice all the time and always think it looks more like Amsterdam than it looks like Venice. And then John takes a place that has become ordinary to me and makes it extraordinary with his talk of kiddie pools and oceans and technology and tragedy.

[@MarciaCM2]

Thoughts from places that get to places on our souls. John Green: you never forget to be awesome.

[@TisMyOrange]

I just started watching you two days ago...and I'm so glad I did. I love how you took us through your day like that and were able to relay a very important message at the end.

[@jaytummy]

Thoughts From Places videos are the most inspiring KZbin series ever created. Thanks, John and Hank.

[@Marauder131]

John, although all of your thoughts from places videos inspire me like no other, the last few seconds of this video surpassed all others. I was unable to explain how I felt that day, but you did perfectly. Thank you.

[@wobinwobinwobin]

This fantastic John, thank you. I spent some time in Japan last summer, as well as hosting Japanese exchange students in April of 2010. I heard about the earthquake before I left for school, and found myself worrying about my friends there all day. But through the miracle of the internet, I found out that they were safe. Thanks Internet, you're awesome.

[@zinnycat1597]

John, I love "Thoughts from Places". Such a breath of fresh air. Truly something special, beautiful and meaningful about them.

[@DragAmiot]

I am a huge fan of the thoughts from places. Really poetic stuff. And uplifting most of the time.

[@vintagebicycles]

The news on the radio got worse and worse, then i put on a suit and went to the wedding... its so powerfull that what is meant to be the happiest day of one persons life, was possibly the worst day for so many others. Thank you for giving us all some perspective.

[@Fentoman]

John your video inspired me to write a blog entry on Lybia and Japan. Mankind is on it's knees and it needs us to pick it up.

[@gretchenou]

I was born and raised in LA and am currently attending UCLA. On of the people I met my first year was an exchange student from Japan. We became close friends and I was sad to see him return to Japan at the end of the year. Since he left, whenever I am at, near the beach I wave to him. I know he can't see me but it is my way of bridging the gap of the ocean. I was happy to learn that he and his family are safe and not affected by the recent disaster.

[@LauraVianello13]

I can't really explain why, but this video really moved me to the point of tears. Beautiful wording you used. Thank you for making this.

[@atrociousCreations]

I adore every single one of the thoughts from places videos. I love sharing them with friends and family, and watching them make me think. Thanks for making such a thought-invoking video!

[@tuxxedomask]

John, this video was very moving, thank you for expressing how so many of us feel right now, and quite often

[@terrastar12]

LIKE A BOSS!!! And the part when you asked for directions...that was the best sentence EVER!! It just sounded so eloquent.

[@behindthesun02]

There aren't many words that can accurately describe this. Awesome? Too much of it? Sorrow? Present, but balanced. Motif of water? Fluid. Portrayal of current events in the context of what was going on at the time? Done like a boss.

[@oliviak1992]

This is the best 'Thoughts from Places' that John has ever done, seriously rivalling the one from his old school.

[@caseyjz1]

Your comment at the end reminded me of your image in Paper Towns - of all of us each being those cracked jars, never truly able to reach another no matter how hard we try. But I LOVE that we still try.

[@Nataliennk]

Your thoughts from places videos always give me chills and make me really think about what I'm doing with my life and how it will create a positive motion within the world.

[@coollike13]

There's really no other word to describe this other than, beautiful.

[@KatamabobMcKobble]

Beautiful sentiment, John. Sad and true. The only thing I can think to say is condolences to those in Japan affected by the tsunami and earthquake, and also to those not in Japan who lost people there.

[@Elvindrummer13]

I wish I could express myself as well as you. We are studying poetry in my English class and I find this to be more poetic than anything we have read. Thank you for being amazing!

[@TheSimoneSo]

I get chills in every "Thoughts from Places" videos..

[@EqGib]

Thoughts from places is my favorite thing about John and Hank

[@CollinGill7]

the writing on the back of Ransom's photograph had my grandmothers handwriting...

[@MrSamwise666]

this might just be stupid ramblings but the way you talk about and present the horrible news is beautiful and inspiring, it's not focused on the destruction and devastation like a ridiculous news broadcast aimed at selling itself, it is real and heartfelt yet also humorous . This is probably the best footage i've seen informing people of tragedies. . . . any tragedies, ever.

[@beforethecyborgs]

your reflection on this day was really moving. I find I watch you guys for a chuckle here, or a general mood lift there -- every now and again you'll make a comment that really strikes a chord. "Found baby girl, 1961" There are no words for the depth of the moment captured in that photograph. Thank you for sharing.

[@42muslimah]

Favoriting VlogBrothers videos has become a kind of ritual for me. Every time I expect that this video couldn't possibly be as good as the last one, but I'm always pleasantly surprised.

[@sabbathmcfreely]

oh god. i....john, you are so good at telling stories that i have forgotten how to form words that are not explanations of my inability to form words. thank you. and a thousand condolences and sorries to the people of japan, even though that cannot make it better, because japan is not a four year old child.

[@punketten]

John's Thoughts from Places always give me goosebumps.

[@caprafan]

You have a beautiful soul. You articulated so well that feeling of time's relentless march, of our own impotence and even indifference in the face of others' suffering, because life just won't stop. I have to hope that people can know that we think of them, or at least that that as those thoughts prompt us to act, we will provide the solace they need.

[@partyinthetardis]

John, I think you put in words what many people have been thinking these past few days.

[@1andonlytruepinoy]

you are truly an author, by the way you were explaining everything, the brilliance behind writing just shined

[@marieeveduchesne]

I think that is one of the best Thoughts from Places video for this quote: "Images can travel in a way our thoughts cannot"

[@JadeAngelElle]

I was thinking of your thoughts from places quotes on Friday as I walked to my mailbox in solemn beautiful snow, and how peace and beauty can exist concurrently with devastation and pain. It gave me a little comfort to do so both knowing I have friends in Japan and that someone like you would care. (i'm disappointed few where i am care.)

[@Rowzeeh]

thank you for showing us Ransom. I think we all owe you.

[@firnantok]

And again I have to say "Thank you, John." for making great videos and finding the right words.

[@StardustScribe]

I love when videos make more sense when you know more details. His book was amazing!!!

[@HalbleeresGlas]

this is the 2nd time i watch this and it still makes me cry.

[@dianasof]

Your TFP videos always break my heart and then put it back together.

[@ESpecktacular]

I agree! These unidentified pictures are definitely new book material, John!

[@catmeow4]

I can see this beeing one of the videos i watch over, and over again .

[@JazzySnazzy09]

My heart really does go out to Japan. I think about the tragedy very often throughout the day and how I wish I could do more than donate supplies and money right now. I wish I could just make it better for them emotionally. My thoughts and prayers are really with you, Japan.

[@NuclearConvoy]

That was a remarkably touching video, John. I am not afraid to admit that I am on the verge of tears, and talking about it only ever seems to make the verge become reality, so I'll leave with this: Thanks, you've been an inspiration today.

[@GeorgePutzenheimer]

John we are in Japan and we all know that everyone is thinking about us here. That is really sweet and now we need some assistance. Help the Red Cross using the link provided. There are people still trapped in shelters here that can't get food and water. Babies are lacking milk and there are half a millions displaced people with only 120K blankets to share.

[@FlirtWithDanger07]

My old penpal was from Japan. Sending my thoughts to her and her family.

[@goudcheese]

"images can travel in a way that our thoughts cannot." wow. that's the best quote i've heard in a while.

[@etienneporras7252]

Miss Peregrin was by far one of the most influential books on my life. It's amazing in this small way to be given a small window into the life of the author.

[@camillachic]

I like these "thoughts from places" videos. Very touching and insightful. I like when people offer their insight, because sometimes people only see it as one way or opinion.

[@GhibliGirl91]

Well, lots of stopping and starting on the freeway. I love thoughts from places.

[@realspacemodels]

I watched Ransom's video after your tweet about it and it is an amazing piece of filmmaking. Thanks for sharing. There is a cat named Maru who is a You Tube star in his own right. His videos show that he likes to play in boxes of all sorts - and he lives in Japan. The internet allowed for his fans to know quickly that he and his owner were unharmed in the catastrophe. It isn't much in the grand scheme of things, but it is a bright spot in these dark news from there.

[@bringitdanielle]

I think this is one of my favorite KZbin videos because of the last few lines.

[@mulchair]

I have several very good friends who are either living in Japan or who are from Japan but reside here in the states now. We've all spent a lot of time worrying and waiting to hear from friends and loved ones in Sendai and other towns. I'm enormously grateful that everyone has turned out to be okay but the worry doesn't stop there. There's a future to be made of this and it's frighteningly uncertain and unsteady.

[@FutureWisdom]

Wow. I wish my mind processed thoughts like that. Beautiful. It's almost calming.

[@TheMrsGsm]

No words can do this video justice. Still I have to say that this is by far the most amazing video I have ever seen.