Stopping a stranger on the street takes a little moxy, especially when they’re a news caster on the go.
AskaNewYorker: Hi, I’m Kennedy Moore and I publish a website called Ask a New Yorker, and you have a very bouncy vibe. What’s your name?
Karen: Karen.
AskaNewYorker: Where are you headed?
Karen: I’m headed to meet my girlfriend Gwyn, and then we’re going baby-gift shopping.
AskaNewYorker: What do you do?
Karen: I’m a news caster.
AskaNewYorker: Really? Where did you go to school?
Karen: NYU.
AskaNewYorker: Do you have any kids?
Karen: No children yet, but my friends are all pregnant. So, it’s about that time, and we’re working that way.
AskaNewYorker: Pets?
Karen: No pets, sadly. We’ve adopted the pigeons outside the window, but that’s about it. I’m in a battle with my husband about whether they should stay or go.
AskaNewYorker: What are some of your hobbies?
Karen: Running. I just did my first triathlon last Sunday, the New York Triathlon. It was an all-woman run. My husband does a lot of triathlons. I read, I bike, we travel.
AskaNewYorker: What are you reading now?
Karen: Let’s think, what’s the last thing I read?….I read about five books right in a row. I read a couple of David Sedaris books, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim I just finished the other day. And then I have The Five People You Meet In Heaven. But I haven’t read that yet. It’s just sitting there waiting to be read. And a bunch of others.
AskaNewYorker: That’s a great necklace you have on, where did you get it?
Karen: Oh, at just a cheap store around the corner on First Ave.
AskaNewYorker: Shoes?
Karen: These I bought down in Philly. The jeans are Paper Denim and Cloth, got them at Bloomingdale’s.
AskaNewYorker: What’s the last vacation you took?
Karen: I went to Bora Bora actually, for my honeymoon. It was great, French Polynesia.
We’ve been walking together, and at this point in the conversation we stop in front of a building where Karen’s friend Gwyn is waiting.
AskaNewYorker: (to Gwyn) So, who is this Karen who has been so kind to talk to me?
Gwyn: This is Karen Hepp from Fox 5 News. http://www.fox5ny.com/_ezpost/data/11664.shtml
AskaNewYorker: You’re on Fox 5 News? You mentioned you’re a news caster, but I didn’t realize that you’re on the TV news here in New York. That’s great. So you two are going baby gift shopping together now?
Gwyn: We are. Baby gift shopping for a really good mutual friend of ours. We’re getting the baby shower present done today, getting it done early. How did you run into Karen?
AskaNewYorker: Well, she had this bouncy vibe, and it made me want to stop her.
Karen: It’s been a pathetic interview.
AskaNewYorker: I’m sorry, it’s been a pathetic interview?
Karen: Yes, it was. I’m really sorry.
AskaNewYorker: My questioning?
Karen: No, not at all your questioning, it’s just my internal reluctance, being put on the spot for the first time and having a microphone in front of my mouth.
AskaNewYorker: Gwyn, can you tell the world wide web who Karen Hepp really is?
Gwyn: Let’s see, for the rest of the world to know about Karen Hepp…She is, in a nutshell, what defines her is, she’s a very kind, gentle person who is always thinking of others.
Karen: She works in P.R.!
Gwyn: I’m in P.R. because I was meant to be in P.R. Karen is someone who is always upbeat, always in a good mood. A very positive person, a very nice little package.
AskaNewYorker: Last question. Does Karen have an ipod in her bag?
Karen: No, just a blackberry. It’s the phone blackberry that organizes, instant messages, and I could not live without it.
AskaNewYorker: I’m sure you could. Don’t be a slave to the blackberry! Be careful, and enjoy the rest of the day, ladies!
