even more soapy fun

i'm fully expecting you to make fun of me for this, but not only did i attend the official general hospital convention this summer, but i also happily attended the official general hospital fan club weekend.  while the show turned 60 years old this year, the fan club also celebrated a milestone...45 years.  i'd only ever attended one fan club event before, and this was my first time coming to the weekend extravaganza.  it's structured a bit differently from the convention - there's a main cast event which is the centerpiece of the weekend, and then various cast members host their own separate events.  these are smaller, more intimate gatherings where fans get to spend a little bit of actual quality time with the actors vs. the paid photo ops at the convention that last all of about ten seconds. 

i arrived at the hotel on friday afternoon with just enough time to check in and find a seat in the meeting room for my first event - with tabyana ali, who plays trina robinson.  it was a fairly popular event, and i found an aisle seat near the back of the room that still gave me a great view of the podium.  as we waited, i spied a familiar face - kin shriner, who plays scotty baldwin, had just finished his own event in another room and had stopped to pose for pictures with fans.  you can see him just outside the door here:

tabyana arrived shortly after that, full of energy and her contagious smile and chatted with us, answering questions and sharing stories about herself and as much about the show and her castmates as she was able to.

look at these fun bracelets made by my friend becca at sarcastic beads!

she loved them, of course.

afterwards, i headed over to the front desk to check in to my room.  since it was an embassy suites, i had a gigantic room...all to myself.  heh.

my second event of the day was offsite, at the acapulco a few miles away with nancy lee grahn, who plays alexis davis.  i had a few hours to kill, so i hung out in my room for a bit and then decided to treat myself to a manicure.  and because i am me, i ended up running a little behind and when i arrived at the restaurant  most of the tables were taken and i found myself a loner seat in a booth in the back corner.  i was right next to the buffet where this plate of chocolate chip cookies sat and tortured me, just an arm's reach away.

nancy arrived, funny and friendly and welcoming, and then we were let loose at the buffet.

did i get a cookie after all?  DUH.

her daughter kate arrived a little later with their sweet dog, who sat quietly in the corner and watched everyone as they walked past.

kate is an accomplished songwriter and musician, and she grabbed a guitar and performed a couple of songs for us as her mother beamed with pride.

i got to sit and chat with nancy for a bit, which was lovely and also a little surreal - i know she's a regular person just like you and me, but still...i'm always starstruck when i get to meet someone who i've watched for years on one of my favorite shows.

my night ended with friends on the tv (like always) and cheetos in bed (which never happens).  woohoo!