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Tuesday, December 31, 2013

All is Quiet: A Year in Sudsy Review

A little bit about me

The year 2013 was eventful. Can’t say it was boring at all though at times I wouldn’t have minded that!

For me personally, I accepted a new job in the spring. Though still learning and settling into my new environment, it was one of the best decisions I made. I love being able to go into the office without the feeling of being overwhelmed and being able to leave my work at the office when I go home at night.

I also got to go on my first trip outside the USA when I visited Mexico. It was a blast. I got to try out local cuisine, climb on Mayan pyramids, and drink fruity cocktails with umbrellas in them while laying on the beach. I always wanted to be a world traveler and now I feel like I started that chapter of my life.

I started writing for TVSource this year in addition to my blog. It has a been a wonderful experience. I feel like I am working with a good team and have learned a lot. I am working on some upcoming articles that I hope readers will enjoy.

My year in soaps

2013 was a big year for soaps. Unfortunately not all of it was positive but I think in the end everything has fallen in place for a great 2014.

All four daytime soaps are doing well in the ratings and it appears they will be sticking around for awhile. No more worries about cancellation. It's a pleasant change of pace to just be able to watch the stories without wondering if they will disappear from the screen.

Unfortunately, Prospect Park’s revivals of One Life to Live and All My Children were the complete opposite. When they seemed to go into panic mode very early on and started moving episode counts around, the feeling of impending doom made it difficult to enjoy.

Although I did enjoy watching All My Children for the very first time, One Life to Live was pretty painful to watch. Many of the complaints about Brian Frons’s style were prevalent in the new version such as half naked young women and male dominated story line. It seemed that Prospect Park’s idea of modernizing the shows was to repeat past misunderstandings about audiences but with added curse words. There were also some really great moments in the shows but in the end I feel the failed attempt was not worth the losses. I am left feeling very disenchanted by the experience.

Some good things did come out of the failure though.  I was introduced to some new and possible future soap stars such as the talented Corbin Bleu.  Watching the reboots online also did lead to me checking out a few other online soaps which has been a real treat for me. I do see a future in online soaps just as long as they are done with proper planning.

With the shelving of One Life to Live and All My Children, I decided to add Days of Our Lives to my soap viewing.  It was my first soap addiction and it’s nice getting acquainted with it again. The story line with Eric and Nicole is currently a favorite of mine.

It had been a bit of a bumpy year at times but, General Hospital has remained entertaining for me. The relish wars were overdone and the rewriting for the three actors whose roles were repossessed by Prospect Park was a bit wobbly. The good outweighed the bad though and it was always fun for me to watch.

Some good things I learned this year

Make it a habit to always say “good morning” to your co-workers when you arrive at work and wish them a good night before you leave.  People will appreciate the small gestures.

Sometimes letting go and moving on feels like the hardest thing to do but in the end it can be totally worth it.

Don’t be afraid to give yourself a day off.

Perform a random act of kindness every so often. It can be something as simple as buying your friend a cup of coffee when she has had a rough day.

Don’t take things so seriously.

Social media is a lot of fun.  If you’re ever not having fun, turn off your computer and do something else.

People are always more important than things.