As I turn 31 I am reminded of something that happened at the UCB ticket booth only a short while ago. I approached the booth, and as is my wont, I tepidly said, "Hi, one please, I'm a performer." The gentleman behind the gate, whom I did not know, gave me a big smile and went, "Dude, of course, you're the man."

An almost sheepish euphoria came over me. Here I am - performer at this theater for nearly 4 years, making comedy videos, been on TV a few times - here I am acting like a nobody when in fact I am actually "the man." I collected my ticket and flashed the ticket-man a winning smile that I was sure he'd treasure the rest of his life. "Alexis Pereira smiled at me once," he'd tell his kids or say in an Splitsider oral history.

As I waited to get my ticket scanned at the door, the person behind me in line walked up to the booth and asked, "Excuse me, is this where you get tickets for a UCB show?" The ticket-man's answer?

"Dude, of course, you're the man."