Tonight was a hollywood premiere party of sorts for some new Switched at Birth episodes. To commemorate,  here’s me in my first official piece of SAB schwag (tshirt bearing Bay’s street art staple) while also showing you an integral part of some sign language I know, What’s Up, or Whassup, if you will, even.

About half the partygoers where communicating via ASL, which was a pretty incredible sight. I don’t know about you, but I didn’t grow up around it, like at all. I remember it was a class you  could take at the Career Center, where I took some AP’s, risking fender benders and the obligatory Burger King both there, and back. I had my first ever conversation with a deaf person and their translator. I felt strangely ashamed, that I didn’t grow up with anyone deaf, that I’m 30 years old and was experiencing this for the first time. I also felt an odd joy, to be experiencing something new, and gaining new insight into a culture I knew nothing about. Said first conversation was with the incredible Marlee Matlin, who won an Oscar for Children of a Lesser God. If you’re curious, she’s beautiful, I was starstruck, and it was only four cupcakes that I ate.