The Lovely Mr. Ira Glass

Celebrity sightings are always an odd experience. You don't really see it coming, but you are always pleasantly surprised.

Saturday March 28, 2009 My cousin and I had met up in Central Park (after a brief episode of triangulating each others position, since there is no concrete way of giving directions in Central Park). Emily decided that it has been much too long since she has had a hot dog.

Which also made me think: how often does one really eat hot dogs when one actually lives in New York? I feel like only tourists and men in powersuits buy hot dogs. Anyways...

back at the hot dog stand in the park, I was loitering by while Emily went back to get a soda. I look to my left and who do I see walking towards me in all his top heavy gray hair and over sized black frames glory, but Ira Glass. American Public Radio personality and host of This American Life.


Ira Glass is a very adorable man. He is much taller and bulkier than I had presumed. But the glasses, hair, face...and that voice. I had introduced myself and sheepishly on impulse asked for a picture. I was holding in my shame and embarrassment of the situation. I mean I live in New York, celebrities are everywhere. Spotting one usually generates an eye roll at most. But he was standing a mere two feet from me. I couldn't help myself. So we took the picture and we parted ways...I immediately texted my other NYC cousin Kevin to share the news. Mainly since I knew he would fully appreciate meeting Ira Glass since he is a much bigger fan than I am. After gloating to Kevin, Emily and I continued on our way and I hoped that Mr. Glass had already made some distance ahead of us...

Laundry Day

Have you ever forgotten your laundry in the dryer at the laundromat? I just did....lets hope all my clothes are still there in the morning. Of course, it was the a massive load too.

Wine Country

So today was my first official experience of a wine tour. I already love wine...I can buy a bottle on the way home and finish it within the night (with a little help from my roomie of course, sharing is caring).

The only little setback were the faint remnants of my hangover from Friday night. That was a binge to remember, and I always remember my drunken nights...So I hopped on the LIRR with a bit of queasiness and met up with friends to drive off to Wine Heaven. I was still feeling slightly off upon arriving at the first stop, but oddly enough after tasting 5 different wines I felt great. The queasiness completely went away. (note to self: can wine tasting be my cure for ending hangovers?)

Today was definitely a day of firsts: first time eating tomato preserves, first time eating homemade cheese, first time having linguisa sausage (which we randomly cooked at a random little park barbecue pit) I also learned that despite my love of sweets, sweet wines are not my favorite and in fact make me more nauseous. In total, I believe we stopped at 4 places and I enjoyed all of them. If I had a car and a comfortable stream of income, I would be a a fucking wino....

Taxation

I feel anyone making less than "The Man" should not have to pay taxes...who invented taxes? Why should we have to pay anymore than we already have? It doesn't seem to be making the economy any better or life in general. If you can't afford to buy a home then the government should pay you. Federal AND state....

Tax The Man don't tax me!

Alter Egos

Ever since I started going by my real name, I've encountered the strangest variations. Most notably in print. My name is Ya Lan Young..Ya Lan being my first name. Not "Ya" - It's Ya Lan. I often get mail addressed to "Ms. Ya Young" or "Ms. Ya L Young" or just "Ms. Lan". These incorrections happen so much, my biggest reaction is a sigh and an eye roll.

Most recently I received some sample printing brochures at work addressed to "Ms. Ja Lan Young"

Now, I have been in contact with this printer. They have sent me numerous amounts of mail with the correct full name. I have personally conversed with the sales rep, politely declining any work from them.
The comedy found in this possible typo or just plain idiocrity is that when read out loud it sounds exactly the way all my spanish speaking coworkers pronounce "Ya Lan". I have to admit, this one made me laugh.

To all the blogs I've read before...

Here's to Ya Lan starting her own blog for no good reason other than to maintain whatever shred of writing skill she may still have...
Therefore the content of this blog may make no obvious structural sense - kind of like Science of Sleep.

So read if you want...comment if you like... whatever the reaction, I write for myself.