Life's unexpected surprises

I want to report that Jason Thompson is as dreamy in person as he is on screen. But more important than his dashing good looks, you should know that he was genuinely nice.

Every year my husband and I attend the Earth Fair at Balboa Park in San Diego. It's a geeky little event and we are geeks. We like to watch people bake cookies in the solar oven. We like to hear scientists talk about the depleting ozone layer and global warming. We like to watch various freaks on the fringe of social issues out protesting and trying to win converts in absurd ways. We like the Free Samples of Earth friendly food and beverages. (Who knew I would like Soy milk!) But this year's Earth Fair offered up a Big Bonus - at the Local ABC (KGTV) affiliate booth, ABC soap stars were on hand to meet fans and sign autographs. I had the great pleasure of meeting Jason Thompson (Patrick Drake) and Kimberly McCullough (Robin Scorpio).

As you know, I'm no casual GH fan; I am deeply invested in GH... I have been writing this column for several years now and have been a GH fan since the late 70's - so it was a wonderful surprise to see some of the people I watch and admire sitting 3 feet in front of me and actually have a chance to make human contact.

I want to report that Jason Thompson is as dreamy in person as he is on screen. But more important than his dashing good looks, you should know that he was genuinely nice. I'm just a dorky soap fan and he went out of his way to make me feel special and I truly appreciated it. I assured him I hadn't written anything mean about him, and now he has a lifetime pass. I will never write anything mean about him no matter what stupid crap the writers may give him to act out.

I told Kimberly McCullough I had been watching her since she was a little girl, and my husband mocked me on the way home "Wow, really original, Tammy, I bet she never heard THAT line before." And we both cracked up, but hey, at least I know I am a dork and wear the label proudly. Sadly, I couldn't assure her I had written anything mean about Robin because...I have. Even so, they both signed an autograph for me, and my husband took a digital photo of me with Jason Thompson and I'll be walking on clouds all week. I'm 45, but I feel 16 right now.

And of course, their characters Patrick and Robin had a big moment this week, Robin made her move on Dr. Drake and at the end of Friday's show they were well on their way to becoming lovers. Robin had a run-in with her father Robert (on his way out of town again) and he pointedly told her she had become bitter and commented on the way she ices everyone out, throws herself into her work and has no friends. She responded by making a beeline to Patrick's place and throwing him down on the bed like a lioness. I am anxious to see how the writer's handle the HIV issue, will they make a point of showing us a condom, or will we be left to assume a condom was used? I am glad Robin is finally going to get some, as that may cheer her up a little, and heaven knows she needs a reason to smile. I truly hope the writer's write this scene responsibly. I've already lost people I love to AIDS, and have friends with HIV, so I want them to write this realistically.

I already wrote one personal anecdote this week but...Sometimes when I write about GH, my own life spills over. Some of you like my personal insights and stories and some of you hate them. If you are in the group that hates them, skip ahead because now I am compelled to write about friendship.

Many of you have written to me and said "I don't understand Jason and Carly's friendship." Well, relax; I am here to enlighten you. I understand it full well. I have that sort of friendship, so I shall intend to unravel the Jason and Carly mystery by virtue of my own experience.

Jason took over Sonny's business and Sonny has declared Jason his enemy. This is life altering and impacting for everyone involved. Jason's choice affects Carly and the aftermath is bound to impact her, and yet - she will not abandon Jason. If what Jason did was right, she's on his side. But more importantly, if what Jason did was wrong, she's still on his side. Loyalty is a very powerful word.

Here is the conversation true friends have;

"I'm in trouble""Hang tight, I'm on my way."

And you go. Period. Did they get themselves in trouble? Did they make a stupid choice? Is there anything you can actually do by going to their side? Doesn't matter. "I'm on my way"

I am blessed to have a few amazing and unsha.k.able friendships in my life, but for our GH related purposes, today I want to focus on my friendship with David. He and I have the Jason and Carly-vibe friendship. This fact troubles some people because they can't quite define it. They can't answer the Why. Why do we run to each other when trouble comes? Why do we stick up for each other even when the trouble we are in probably came from our own dumb choices? Why do we look at each other and start laughing when no one else noticed anything funny? Why do we call each other during TV shows? Why do we gravitate to one another? Answer? Because we do. Force of nature. Fact of life. We just do. From our first real conversation, we understood one another. Kindred spirits if you will. After going through a plethora of tragedies and triumphs together, I am utterly convinced that we will be friends forever and ever amen.

When my Dad died and I got the call at 6 AM, I called David and he said "I'm on my way." When he had a run in with the law at 2 AM one night, he called and I said "I'm on my way." I have dozens of examples of that dynamic, and in 5 years I suspect I will have 100 more. Even when trouble finds one of us while we are in the middle of one of our many spats - Our standing rule is that all squabbles are put on hold if a crisis arises. We have the option to pick it up and fight more later after the emergency has passed. (Of course after the crisis passes, we never actually pick up the spat again as it was probably absurd to begin with)

We have an uncanny knack for being able to read each other's mind a great deal of the time. We have had entire conversations without uttering a word. We can sense when the other is in trouble and have occasionally had psychic hotline kind of moments when we knew the exact second to drop and pray for the other that proved later to be dead on. God has given us and unconditional love for one another and in spite of voices in the universe that insist we should stop being friends, we can't stop being friends. We honestly believe God put us in each other's path for a reason, and we cherish our friendship even on the days we can't decide what God's reason could possibly be. Our friendship is one of the great joys in my life. But that's what it is, a great friendship. I am married and I love my husband Jeff. Jeff and David are great friends, too. David is dating about 14 girls right now and they probably don't get why he pals around with me who is 10 years older than him and married. But having other people understand our friendship isn't all that important to us. We understand it, and that's enough.

Jason and Carly mirror this dynamic. You have to know who you can count on in life and sometimes there is no one else to call but your Rock. Jason did something crazy and drastic, and Carly hopped in her car and immediately went to see him. It's costing Carly to be Jason's friend right now. So many times he stepped in to bail her out of her stupid plots and schemes and the mayhem that always surrounds her, and now it's her turn to be there for Jason in his ill- conceived choice to take over the mob to make Sonny stop sleeping with his sister.

Jason's choices have made Carly's life very difficult. It would be so easy for her to step out of the fray and say "You have to handle this one on your own Jason; it's too much for me." But she absolutely will not do that and if standing by his side through this trial means she has to take a few hits for him, she will take them gladly. She will endure the anger directed at her, she will endure the judgment of everyone around her, she will endure 100 battles all in the name of loyalty and the endless unconditional love she has for Jason. He has done the same thing for her 100 times and even when he absolutely wants to choke her because she has done something truly stupid, he backs her up and gets her out of trouble.

So you have written to ask me Why. Why do Jason and Carly defend and love one another so fiercely? Because they do. Force of nature. Fact of life. They just do. They aren't a couple. They aren't lovers. They aren't in love. There is no hidden agenda. There is no underlying vibe - they are simply lifelong, solid as a rock, friends. If you have such a friendship in your life, drop to your knees and thank God for it right now. Amen.

Frankly, Carly may be the only person Jason can count on, Sam is already annoyed with the parade of mobsters in her living room and Bernie (not to be confused with Benny) hogging up her desk space. The funniest thing about that was Sam going to Kelly's with her books, as if the people at the coffee shop would be less noisy than the mob bosses in her living room. She went to Sonny's birthday party (although she didn't take a gift, is that a Mob Snub?) and I suspect Jason will warn her about getting in the middle of this fight.

Sonny expected his living room to be filled up with mobsters, and instead it was full of cake and balloons and piatas as Michael came up with the grand idea of a surprise birthday party. I'm supposing Max and Milo are going to be in big trouble with Sonny for letting that happen, although it did get Max out of having to tell Sonny none of the 5 Families (Or whatever number is left after Faith butchered them) wanted to come to his Pow Wow.

My least favorite character right now is Emily. Why? Imagine you are dating someone and they say to you "I might have to kill your brother, why don't you take a spa vacation so you don't have to watch." If you don't immediately break up with them, you're an idiot. No matter how in love you are with someone, there are times when you have to let that go if the cost of you being in love with them is too high - the choices we make affect other people. Emily is too selfish to acknowledge that - her Big Scary Love with Sonny is going to get someone killed, and she hasn't shed a tear over that. If Sonny kills Jason, what sort of life could Emily and Sonny have? Could you really live happily ever after with a cold-hearted bastard who murdered your brother?

Speaking of brothers, I hope Nikolas can get through to Lucky before he pumps another 50 gallons of morphine into his bloodstream. Lucky is pushing that button like he's trying to ring in on Jeopardy. I am supposing by the dizzying out of focus camera shots that are supposedly coming through Lucky's eyes, we are to assume he's stoned on his pain meds and is getting hooked on the drugs. His pain is both physical and emotional, he is still blaming himself for Jesse's death, and also he took a hit to his pride by not being able to pay his medical bills again. When Lucky saw Elizabeth talking and giggling with Dr. Dreamboat Drake, he tried to wheel himself over and pick a fight, but Robin stopped him and reminded Elizabeth she had a husband who needed her.

Jax needs Carly now, as the truth of John's paternity has been officially revealed, and we are left to wonder if she will pull a Robin and tell Nikolas he is John's father, or if she will keep her mouth shut. Maybe Jax will come clean on his own, heck, who knows, maybe Nikolas would even agree with Jax, as he knows Helena is psycho and would try to take control of the baby if she knew Nikolas fathered it. Maybe they will all work together and become the best of friends. NOT!

And, not to say I told you so, but in Soaps, No Body means the dude isn't dead. When a body wasn't found after Manny went into the water down at the docks, I knew he wasn't dead. Instead, he is stalking half the town with a digital camera and making some bizarre sick freak webpage. What he intends to do with this webpage is a mystery to me. All I know for sure about Manny is Damn He Has a Lot Of Tattoos.

What will happen tomorrow, dear readers? Will Lulu sneak off and follow Robert who is following Luke who is following Holly who is probably following the Virus Monkey? Will Dillon put a Rufie in Diego's coffee at Kelly's and take naked photos of him with Guy? Will baby John still get to use that new crib at Carly's house after Nikolas finds out he's the Dad, or will he have to live in the caves behind Wyndemere hiding from Great Grandma Helena? Will anyone try to snap Laura out of her catatonia in Ferncliff by telling her that she's a Grandma?