That's the journey of a writer, long and winding. Ups and downs, rejections, joys, acceptance, laughter, tears, community, and yet a sense of loneliness. The road is bumpy, often full of potholes, and yet it's one we gladly follow, for we are writers and writing is a part of our soul. Join me on my journey.
Regis who? My
response for a while, since I only really noticed him on the odd days that mom
was home from work. It wasn’t until mom
retired that I really started watching the show with her, and then still
periodically (confession, I couldn’t stand Kathy Lee). When I started taking care of mom it became a
morning staple. Besides, Kelly Ripa had
joined by then and I found myself really enjoying the show. So a morning routine was established. Mom would get up, I’d make breakfast, we’d
sit at the table until time for Regis and Kelly then move on into the den. They became a part of our lives. In fact, that’s how we found out about Sept.
11 … I had turned on the TV for the show and well, we know what. But anyway,
back to Regis, because it really is all about Regis. Mom had a bit of a crush on him, and as her
dementia deepened he remained a steady part of our lives. People’s names might disappear from her mind,
but never Regis.
I’d get mom up in the morning, help her get dressed.
She’d say “guess who came by last night?”
No, mom, who?
“Regis and Joy” (his wife for those that don’t know).
Oh they did?
“Yes” a giggle and a secret smile.
I’d say something like “why didn’t he mow the lawn while he
was here?”
Yes, Regis and Joy made many night time visits to my mom’s
room … and she was ecstatic about it, until the sister-in-law stepped in. Yeah, my sister-law Bev helped to take care
of mom. At some point mom started
calling her “riffraff” and acted kinda cold towards her.
“I don’t want that lady here” she’d say.
“Beverly?
Why?”
Mom would look at me and say “You know”.
“No mom, I don’t”
“She’s trying to take away my boyfriend.”
“Regis?”
“Yes”.
Always Regis …
So you see, saying goodbye to Regis is almost like saying
goodbye to mom again. I’ll be right in
front of the TV, and I’ll probably cry a little. No, I’ll probably cry a lot … so long Regis
Philbin, I wish you the best at whatever you go on to do. And I know that a lady up in Heaven will be
watching you too.
This week marks the end of All My Children (possible reincarnation on web aside). While I haven’t watched the show in years, I do mourn its passing. Or maybe I mourn the passing of a genre. After One Life to Live leaves, there will only be 4 soups on television. Four? I remember when they ruled the daytime airwaves. And now they are almost all gone. I don’t like it .. I don’t like the replacement of actors with hosts any more than I like the replacement of checkers with those grocery store self check-out lines. A lot more people lose their jobs when a soap leaves than are given jobs with the creation of a talk show. Just saying. I love Anderson Cooper, but I have no intention of watching his show, or The Chew (what a name?), merely on quiet protest, not like they’ll notice.
But back to the point. All My Children. Once upon the time I watched ABC soaps religiously .. started with Ryan’s Hope and ended the day with Edge of Night. I laughed at Delia, rooted for Joe/Mary; loved Greg/Jenny; went through the ringer with Karen; was appalled and then fell in love with a man named Luke. (sorry Edge of Night, only remember Lori Loughlin was on it.) Soaps were .. in a strange way … romances novels. Or more like love stories – because they weren’t happily ever after, which is why I quit watching them, but that’s another blog. All My Children gave us Kim Delaney, Josh Duhamel, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Lauren Holly, Eva LaRue, Jesse McCartney, Kelly Ripa, Laura San Giacomo and Christian Slater, among others.
All My Children meant more than Greg and Jenny, it was Erica and her many husbands, the endearing love of Joe and Ruth Martin (whose portrayer, Mary Fickett, passed away a few days ago), Tad the Cad. It was the first soap that took on abortion, birth control and lesbian relationships, among others. Agnes Nixon opened the door to many previously taboo subjects and made AMC one of the hits of an era, an era I’m sorry to say is ending. Some blame OJ (audiences never did pick up after this trial knocked soaps off for weeks), some blame boredom – regurgitated stories or storylines that went too far over the edge. I quit because I was tired of rooting for the hero/heroine to only have they ripped apart sometimes the day after the much rooted for “kiss” “wedding” “reunion” – you name it.
This week is All My Children’s last week. I wish I wasn’t working; I would love to watch it. I understand that each day will be a tribute to something – like the weddings through the years – Wednesday will be a tribute to Mary Fickett’s Ruth Martin. I’ll be watching on Friday though .. to say my goodbye to a once loved show.
So it's the end of the year, or so I've been told. 2008 will meld seamlessly into 2009 and you won't even notice the moving!! Today, Tuesday and Wednesday, I'm going to re-post my favorite blog posts from this past year. So enjoy the re-run. If you don't like it ... I'll hit myself with a wet noodle, how will that be?
Originally published August 27, 2008
Oh, hi! Look, you showed up again. Isn’t that nice of you. What’s the matter, got nothing else to do? Evidently I don’t either. LOL You see, it’s Summer. All together now, how does Bailey feel about Summer? You’re lagging Toni. Michele, pay attention. One more time. Tori, this way sweetie. Yes, face the monitor. Brandy! Quit snickering. Melissa? Wake up dearie. Once more everyone. How does Bailey feel about Summer? There you go, that was perfect. Almost. Susan? What are you doing? No looking at LOLCats right now. Anyway, yes it’s Summer and my brain has gone on vacation along with the nekkid muses. I’m waiting for Fall. Please, sweet Fall, show your orange leaves, your crisp evenings, your splendid shedding of Summer’s green coat. Cast off the chains of Summer and run free like the wind!!!!! Oh, sorry, got carried away there. Lis honey, you’re late. Find a seat. You’ll have to catch up on your own. BTW, for being late that’ll be 3 laps around the track. Raine? I see you lurking over there. (waving) Okay, as you have noticed, the blog is still a Monday, Wednesday and Friday blog. And Friday’s will still be spam day. Keep down the cheers people. The only thing I ask of you – and this is for you lurkers – just at least say hi once a week. Two letters - H and I – a simple thing but enough to let me know that you are out there.
So it’s Summer, Tuesday was a level red ozone alert, Wednesday a level orange. Bebo and I are not amused. This isn’t good for people with asthma. It’s not really good for people without asthma. We’re all choked up about it. (har, har) But Fall really is just around the corner. School has started, NFL is in pre-season, the new Fall TV season is within eyeshot. Soon the Texas State Fair will start – my last sign of Fall. Last weekend, Bebo and her mother saw geese flying in formation heading south. Yippee!!!!!!!!! Fly babies, fly home to mama!!!!! I said – oh, hi. I forgot you were there for a moment. Sooo, Summer is nearing it’s end (oh please, oh please, oh please), and soon Bailey will be in a much better mood. You will be thankful for this too, just wait and see.
So, without further ado (not that we were ado-ing anyway), here is another of my LOLCatz. Yes Susan, see – good things do come to those who wait.
Until Friday, have fun, be safe, and be good. If you can’t be good, take notes.
My name is Bailey Stewart and I'm a reality show addict. Really. Reality. Who'da thunk. I live in a world of dreams and fantasy, creating stories in my mind, and yet ... I'm drawn to these shows. Tuesday night is no exception. I have American Idol, followed by the results show of Dancing With the Stars. And then, something I've been waiting for ever since I first saw it advertised ... Secret Talents of the Stars. Yikes! I cringe and yet at the same time I am utterly fascinated, sort of like when I'm channel surfing and pause at Jerry Springer. Why? Where do they find these people? But I digress, Secret Talents of the Stars. Like Danny Bonaduce has nothing else to do. Oh wait, he doesn't. Here's CBS' official blurb:
SECRET TALENTS OF THE STARS, a weekly celebrity talent show that reveals the unknown talents of sixteen well-known personalities. Each week, celebrities will compete in a tournament-structured format to determine who has the BEST unknown talent. Each performer on SECRET TALENTS OF THE STARS will fulfill his/her dream by practicing, and then performing live. Each performance will be critiqued by three judges - but it's the viewers who get to vote for the celebrity that has impressed them the most. Each week, the "Viewer Vote" will determine which celebrities move on in the competition, and who will go home.
Got it? Okay, here's the celebs and their talents:
Joshua Morrow from The Young and the Restless. He'll juggle. WhooPee! *sigh* Oh, wait! It's rock and roll juggling. Huh?
Cindy Margolis, an actress and model will do magic. Be still my heart ...
Sasha Cohen, Olympic figure skater is secretly a contortionist. Who'da thunk?
Ray Jones, Jr., a boxer who thinks he can rap. We'll see.
Bridget Marquardt, a Playboy Bunny. Guess what? She can bungee jump and jump on a trampoline. That's a talent?
Clint Black (the first one listed that didn't need any introduction) is a stand-up comedian. Country Western music about loving and losing vs. comedy. This could be interesting.
Danny Bonaduce, child star who can't seem to ... um, let go. He can ride a unicycle. Didn't anybody watch Dancing With the Stars on Monday? So can Adam what's-his-name.
Sheila E., one of the most talented percussionist/drummers in the music world. She's got rhythm, right? She can juggle too. Joshua or Sheila, who is better? Stay tuned to As the Stars Turn.
Wrestler Ric Flair salsa dances! Who? Sorry folks, not a wrestling fan. You'll have to turn to Lis for that one. Salsa? Oooookay!
Legendary Boxing champion Joe Frazier is going to sing R&B. Now, I am kinda looking forward to this. Stand-up comedy and singing - that's talent. Even Rap is a talent. Unicycle? Juggling - well, okay, yeah it takes a certain sense of balance, etc. but come on people.
Marla Maples, the ex-Mrs. Donald Trump. Talk about not letting go of their 15 minutes. What can Ms. Maples do besides look pretty? She can do gymnastics. And who said she wasn't flexible?
Jo Dee Messina. Talented Country Western Singer. There's a song of her's that I can't remember the name of, but I love it. Anyway, her talent is described as hip-hop meets step dance. What? Hmmm, could be interesting ... could be a disaster.
Mya, a singer I've never heard of, is going to do one of my favorites - she's going to tap dance. I love tap dancing. I have nothing sarcastic to say about this.
Ben Stein, who obviously is done giving away his money, is going to Swing Dance? Memories of Jerry Springer dance in my head.
Cosby alum, Malcolm-Jamal Warner (who I secretly think is kinda hot) - Original Song (Bass & Vocals). Now, that could be interesting.
And last, but not least ...
George Takei. Yes, Sulu. I'm surprised he's not doing comedy. Really. I saw him on Thank God You're Here (and if you never caught this one - it was funny) and he was hysterical. But no, what is the 71 year old Star Trekker going to do? Sing Country Music. In front of Clint Black and Jo Dee Messina. Brave soul. Or senility. You choose.
So there you have it - the cast of Secret Talents of the Stars. Now, unlike other celeb-filled reality shows (Dancing With the Stars included), this one actually has some real celebs instead of wannabes, has beens and "who?". Clint Black, Jo Dee Messina, Sasha Cohen, Joe Frazier, and Sheila E.
Yes, I am Bailey Stewart, and I will be glued to the tube at 9:00 pm cdt.
I found it! This is the song by Jo Dee Messina that I love
Well it’s after 9:00 on Sunday night and I just realized I haven’t written Monday’s blog post, sooooo here I am. I had a quiet Sunday, slept on and off, did some Myspace friending (If you haven’t “friended” me yet – why not?), re-did the bio for that site since what I had there was a bit sparse. Like two sentences? I really hate writing about myself so I’d left it for as long as I could. I’m not so dizzy tonight, but I am still quite tired. I had a really bad dizzy spell this morning – I thought I was going to fall over, which wouldn’t have been a pretty sight. Then I looked at the clock and realized it was after 10:30 a.m. and I hadn’t eaten yet. I’ve never had a sugar drop before, but that may have been what it was – I’m hoping it wasn’t the new meds. I don’t like all of this sleeping – it’s interfering with my writing and reading. When I wasn’t sleeping I was laying in bed catching up on episodes of Supernatural and Criminal Minds that I’d taped last week, tomorrow I catch up on my Dresden episodes.
Oh wow, this is such a titillating post I don’t know how you can stand it. I miss blogging. I miss all of you, and I hope I can get back to it. I won’t be hitting my entire list in one day though – I did that last week and it took almost 2 hours. I don’t know how I’m going to do it, but I’m not dropping any of you, so I’ll figure something out. Right now I’m yawning so much its insane. Or is that you yawning? I wouldn’t blame you. Give me another day and I hope to be back to my usual witty self, or somebody’s witty self, I don’t care.
Y’all take care, thank you for visiting (I do read the comments), and I’ll see you (as soon as my eyes open fully).
