Friday, December 30, 2011

Letting out my crazy: One Life to Live

We all know how much I freaking love my soaps. 

Or my stories as Al likes to tease me. 

My earliest memory of soaps was Days of Our Lives.  Being under 5 in our old apartment.  Nap time.  You could hear the music and McDonald Carey's voice.   My mom will now claim she never watched them, it was just what was on sometimes.  The first soap I started watching was (holy cow am I about to date myself) Santa Barbara because it was still on when I got home from school - though not for long because it ended its series run shortly after I began watching. 

In junior high I had a summer babysitting job where the kids would leave the house and go play with friends right when the soaps started ... no cable in the house ... me all by my lonesome.  I started watching Days of Our Lives and All My Children ... soon switching it up to Days followed by One Life to Live then General Hospital (and Port Charles while it lasted).  If you had asked me over the years, Days was my favorite hands down.  The others I could take or leave, though I never left for long...

Once the boys gave up their 2 naps a day I had to cut a soap and say goodbye to General Hospital (there may be room on the DVR but not enough hours in the day anymore). 

Somewhere in 2008 One Life to Live took its spot as my absolute favorite soap ever

Nash's death



Heartbreaking yet amazing TV. 

Sure I was an overly emotional mom of almost 1 year old twins and a two and a half year old, but I sat on my couch every day at nap time glued to the screen, box of tissues in hand crying my eyes out. 

A show here and there may have done that to me over the years (episode of NYPD Blue where Jimmy Smits' character died... ask Al about that one ... that would mark the 1st time I let out my crazy over a show in front of him) ... but never had I been so riveted to sit there day after day crying like that.  After that, it no longer mattered to me what I had time for, I was NOT.MISSING.ONE LIFE TO LIVE.

And I haven't.

To hear that the soap was being cancelled to make way for yet another talk show?  Devastating to me.  This is not just a favorite show (that no one else I know watches), this is a favorite show I have watched since I was like 13 years old starting with the Fraternity Row Stalker and the Crown Jewels of Mendorra... that's like... excuse me while I have a heart attack... 21 YEARS

I have watched this soap for TWENTY ONE YEARS and now they are just going to take it away for some stupid talk show that won't last a few years?  I so refuse to watch.  I mean I have been watching longer than Kassie DePaiva has been playing Blair!  Like my idol Michael K at Dlisted I remember when Blair was Asian Blair!

I have been there for it all!  Ryan Phillippe's character coming out, Nora's brain tumor, Dorian and Joey, TODD (only the best character ever, played amazingly by Roger Howarth), Jessica and Christian, Vicky and Jessica's alters and so much more.  This soap is a part of me.  I love the way the recent episodes have Roxy trying to save Fraternity Row - and the way they have tied so much of the cancellation into the show.  I love the side jokes.  How Tuc Watkins (who plays David) will make jokes about how he hopes when he becomes a big star they get someone like... Tuc Watkins to play him!  Its a soap that has never taken itself too seriously.

And here's where I let our my inner fan crazy like never before.  I don't even LIKE The View but I have gone so far as to email ticket requests to be in the audience for their One Life to Live sendoff

Twice. 

Why are they not answering me.  Do they not know who I am?!

How do I say goodbye to my most favorite show EVER.

Two weeks till I have to find a way.  Sigh.

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