Leavin' on a jet plane

I am so excited. I just booked my flight for Super Soap Weekend! I have to confess that yes, I used to be a huge soap fan. I'd watched ABC soaps since I was in seventh grade. I'm thirty-eight; you do the math. In pre-Tivo times, I would videotape it. However since I had "all my children," Barney and Nickelodeon took over the television and I've pretty much stopped watching. Do I let that stop me from going to Disneyworld with my sisters and oogling at hott young soap actors like a starry-eyed fangirl? No way.

See, when my sisters and I, along with my mom get together, it's like estrogen exponentially expanded. We have running jokes that are 30 years old, not to mention new favorite pastimes such as calling one another to sing a bad song and make it stuck in their head for the rest of the day. For the trip to Super Soap Weekend there are no brothers or husbands. We tease and mock because we can. It's pure childish fun, love and catharsis melded into meals with merlot and crème brulee, tangy and sweet. By Saturday morning, they have me brought up to speed on who's who and what is going on plot-wise—even if it's the most convoluted baby switching storyline in the history of television.

Last year was a trip! My sisters take this very seriously. Not that they don't love me, but one of my sole purposes is being another body in line to get a "Fast Pass" to meet and greet one of the actors. You see, each attendee only gets one. So between my mother and me, they usually get two; last year they had three! It's amazing. You wait in line with these other crazy, obsessed extremely soap focused women and they are all wearing tee shirt emblazoned with digital images of other encounter with stars from prior year's gatherings. In fact many people carried tote bags, and wore shirts and buttons with photos. Some wore "official" tees from other years, much like you the ones you gather from rock concerts, and wear them to other shows. This is like the Lollapalooza of television drama, with no mosh pit. This one young girl behind us was beginning to panic when it looked like spots were filling up quickly to meet Cameron Matheson, "Ryan" from All My Children. She ended up with stand-by, and was just distraught. (Side note: Mr. Matheson stayed beyond his time slot to meet all 50 fans who held a stand-by slot. Not only is he a fine lookin' man, he's a sweetie too.)

There was this man who wore a shirt that read, "I'm Erica Kane's secret son" and had "I love Lucci in pink all along his belt. What made it more remarkable was that he had a Mohawk and several piercings over his face. I have a great picture of one of the actresses getting a glimpse of him about to approach her for the autograph:







I found myself getting all caught up in the Disney/Soap magic, and intimated I might want to hold my pass and meet someone myself, and my sister gave me a look that could have killed! LOL. I have to say, karma was good to me because not only did someone give me their timeslot to meet Eva LaRue of AMC because they could not stay that late into the afternoon, I also got a huge hug and kiss across the barricade from Michael E Knight, (who I *heart* and has been on the show since before I watched!) when my sissy pointed out I gave her my pass for her to see him.

The weekend also included Cirque de Soleil, and much fine feasting.

Lookout kids; mommy's going to Disneyworld. Whee!