Not Your Typical College Student (Revised)

I started going to school at Delta College when I was 15 years old in January 2010. Granted, I would turn 16 about a week later, but I was in fact 15 years old when I started school that winter semester.

I hated middle school. It was such a huge change from what I was used to in elementary school and I could not deal with it. I think a big part of this had to do with the fact that, since I was in the PAT Program (Program for the Academically Talented) at my elementary school, I was with the exact same group of students for five years. They became like my family. Several of them went to the same middle school as me, but many went elsewhere. Add in the hundreds of new students around us on a daily basis and it was just too much change for me. This led to me missing a lot of school in sixth and seventh grade, and then finally becoming a homebound student in eighth grade. I had a teacher who would come to my house twice a week and give me the homework I was to complete.

My School Experience

I didn't want to go back to regular school the next year, especially considering I would be starting high school. However, my parents did not give me a choice, so I went. I hated it just as much, if not more, than middle school. I had several classes where didn't know anybody or just knew one or two people. I hated those classes in particular. It was eventually decided that I would go to school for half the day and complete the rest of my classes at home. It was like this for the rest of my freshman year. It was not ideal to me, but it worked better than the alternative.

My sophomore year was worse and I began missing a lot of school again. I hated going to school. I felt like I had no freedom and it was hard for me to be around that many people for so long, since I am not a very sociable person, but rather very shy.

January 4^th, 2010 was the last day I went to school at Central High. It was the day after winter break had ended. After one day back, I knew I could not handle it any more. I was done. I knew that I was about to turn 16 and for my graduating class, the legal dropout age was 16 years old. This time and what exactly I said are quite blurry to me, but I basically told my mom that I wanted to drop out of Central and start going to school at Delta.

And that's what happened.

My mom works as a math professor at Delta. Because of this, I get free tuition, which is why this was an option for me. I would not have had this option otherwise – I would have had to suck it up and get through two and a half more years of high school. Sometimes I wonder how things would be different if I had stayed in public high school, but at the end of the day, I'm content with the decision I made.

My mom's office at Delta

Just a day or two after I dropped out of Central, my mom signed me up for my very first classes at Delta. They were both online classes. The tests were in the testing center, which was still in the library at the time. My first semester at Delta went okay. I didn't do great in the classes, but I didn't do terrible, either. I don't think I was fully motivated at the time, which may have caused me to do worse than I could have done otherwise.

For the next semester, spring 2010, I signed up for my first face-to-face class at Delta. I was nervous. It was four days a week and it was a math class. I knew the teacher really well, because of my mom working in the math department at Delta, so I wasn't concerned about that at all. I was more concerned about being around a bunch of college students who all seemed so much older than me. But, as it turned out, it wasn't all that bad. I sat by the same girl every day and she helped me when I needed help. She also thought it was cool that I was the same age as her younger siblings. I ended up surviving my first face-to-face class at Delta and I was so grateful for that.

Since those first two semesters, I have taken classes at Delta in eight additional semesters (including the current one and also including spring semesters). There have been good and bad experiences during this time.

The Good: I got to take a class with my aunt who is also a student at Delta. We took fitness walking together. I was dreading taking that class, but having her with me made it so much fun. I've also had some amazing professors, including some that I liked so much that I have taken their classes multiple times.

The Bad: Whenever other students in one of my classes would find out that I was 16 (or later, 17), it would become a huge deal. After this happened two or three times, I tried to avoid telling people my age. It made me uncomfortable. Additionally, I felt as if people treated me differently once they knew I was under 18. When I turned 18 last year, I was able to blend in with everyone else a little better. This was a welcomed change.

Me working on homework

Since I've been at Delta, I've gone to school every morning that I have class with my mom. Sometimes I'm able to do homework in her office before my classes start, which is nice. It's very quiet so I'm able to concentrate.

The G-Wing entrance, where I walk into Delta every morning

After many years of hating school, Delta changed this for me. I don't hate school anymore. I love going to Delta. I love having the freedom to choose my own classes. I love being able to schedule my classes at the times that work best for me. It has been such a better fit for me.

I will be graduating from Delta after this semester. I'm really excited about that, but I won't quite be finished with Delta. Before transferring to another school, I'm planning on completing a couple certificates, so I will be sticking around for another year or so. I'm very much looking forward to the next year and all that I will learn.

Closer and Closer.

As we close in on April 29 (only a little over two weeks away!), All My Children and One Life To Live fans are being treated with more and more information on the returns of these beloved dramas.

Hulu recently posted a new video for OLTL (shown above). It's a "first look" video and it gives viewers a sneak peek at new scenes from the show. The thing that I noted upon watching this video was how much Llanfair (Viki's home) looks like it used to. When OLTL wrapped production on ABC in November 2011, all of the sets were destroyed, which means that all the sets had to be rebuilt this year. I was worried that the sets that OLTL fans all know and love, such as Llanfair, wouldn't look authentic. I can rest easy on this now, because Llanfair looks great.

Additionally, the first spoilers have been released by Prospect Park for AMC and OLTL. To me, these spoilers seem very vague, but still interesting nonetheless. The Online Network also has a countdown to the returns of AMC and OLTL on their homepage. As I'm writing this, the countdown shows 15 days 3 hours 50 minutes 15 seconds. We're getting so close!

Recap/Sneak Peek Videos For AMC/OLTL Posted

Just a couple days ago, The Online Network posted two new videos on their official YouTube channel. One is for One Life to Live, the other for All My Children. The majority of each video is a recap of things that have happened over the years, but at the end of each video, we get a sneak peek at some of the new scenes that will be airing later this month.

It was cool to watch these videos, since it has been so long (over a year!) since AMC and OLTL have graced our screens. Some things that were recapped in the videos, I had completely forgotten about. What really got to me, though, was seeing the short clips at the end of each video with new material.

With the AMC video, I particularly loved the clip of Dixie (Cady McClain) and Adam (David Canary). They are two of my favorite AMC characters, and I still almost can't believe David Canary has joined the reboot, considering his retirement in 2010. Seeing him back as Adam in that little clip made me smile!

Then with the OLTL video, I loved seeing the clip at the end with Clint (Jerry verDorn) and the clip with Dorian (Robin Strasser). Jerry verDorn is my favorite soap actor ever, and I have greatly missed his presence on my television screen over the past 15 months. It'll just be a little over three weeks and this presence will be back! I couldn't be more thrilled. Then with the Dorian clip, I was just thinking "Yeah, that is so completely Dorian." She's holding a painting of herself and has one of her "Dorian" hats on. OLTL is nothing without Dorian, and this was made quite apparent during the final months of the show on ABC when Robin Strasser was no longer on the canvas. I'm happy that Dorian will be back in full-force very soon!

04.29.13. Save the date.

Not Your Typical College Student

Intro Audio Clip

I started going to school at Delta College when I was 15 years old in January 2010. Granted, I would turn 16 about a week later, but I was in fact 15 years old when I started school that winter semester.

I hated middle school. It was such a huge change from what I was used to in elementary school and I could not deal with it. This led to me missing a lot of school in sixth and seventh grade, and then finally becoming a homebound student in eighth grade. I had a teacher who would come to my house twice a week and give me the homework I was to complete.

I didn't want to go back to regular school the next year, especially considering I would be starting high school. However, my parents did not give me a choice, so I went. I hated it just as much, if not more, than middle school. It was eventually decided that I would go to school for half the day and complete the rest of my classes at home. It was like this for the rest of my freshman year. It was not ideal to me, but it worked better than the alternative.

My sophomore year was worse and I began missing a lot of school again. I hated going to school. I felt like I had no freedom and it was hard for me to be around that many people for so long, since I am not a very sociable person, but rather very shy.

January 4^th, 2010 was the last day I went to school at Central High. It was the day after winter break had ended. After one day back, I knew I could not handle it any more. I was done. I knew that I was about to turn 16 and for my graduating class, the legal dropout age was 16 years old. This time and what exactly I said are quite blurry to me, but I basically told my mom that I wanted to drop out of Central and start going to school at Delta.

And that's what happened.

My mom works as a math professor at Delta. Because of this, I get free tuition, which is why this was an option for me. I would not have had this option otherwise – I would have had to suck it up and get through two and a half more years of high school. Sometimes I wonder how things would be different if I had stayed in public high school, but at the end of the day, I'm content with the decision I made.

My mom's office at Delta

Just a day or two after I dropped out of Central, my mom signed me up for my very first classes at Delta. They were both online classes. The tests were in the testing center, which was still in the library at the time. My first semester at Delta went okay. I didn't do great in the classes, but I didn't do terrible, either. I don't think I was fully motivated at the time, which may have caused me to do worse than I could have done otherwise.

For the next semester, spring 2010, I signed up for my first face-to-face class at Delta. I was nervous. It was four days a week and it was a math class. I knew the teacher really well, because of my mom working in the math department at Delta, so I wasn't concerned about that at all. I was more concerned about being around a bunch of college students who all seemed so much older than me. But, as it turned out, it wasn't all that bad. I sat by the same girl every day and she helped me when I needed help. She also thought it was cool that I was the same age as her younger siblings. I ended up surviving my first face-to-face class at Delta and I was so grateful for that.

Since those first two semesters, I have taken classes at Delta in eight additional semesters (including the current one and also including spring semesters). There have been good and bad experiences during this time.

The Good: I got to take a class with my aunt who is also a student at Delta. We took fitness walking together. I was dreading taking that class, but having her with me made it so much fun. I've also had some amazing professors, including some that I liked so much that I have taken their classes multiple times.

The Bad: Whenever other students in one of my classes would find out that I was 16 (or later, 17), it would become a huge deal. After this happened two or three times, I tried to avoid telling people my age. It made me uncomfortable. Additionally, I felt as if people treated me differently once they knew I was under 18. When I turned 18 last year, I was able to blend in with everyone else a little better. This was a welcomed change.

Since I've been at Delta, I've gone to school every morning that I have class with my mom. Sometimes I'm able to do homework in her office before my classes start, which is nice. It's very quiet so I'm able to concentrate.

The G-Wing entrance, where I walk into Delta every morning

After many years of hating school, Delta changed this for me. I don't hate school anymore. I love going to Delta. I love having the freedom to choose my own classes. I love being able to schedule my classes at the times that work best for me. It has been such a better fit for me.

I will be graduating from Delta after this semester. I'm really excited about that, but I won't quite be finished with Delta. Before transferring to another school, I'm planning on completing a couple certificates, so I will be sticking around for another year or so. I'm very much looking forward to the next year and all that I will learn.

Same Old One Life.

Left to right: Blair, Clint, Viki, Matthew, Todd, Destiny
Photo credit: One Life to Live Official Facebook Page

Words can not begin to express the excitement I felt upon seeing the still images that were posted on the official One Life to Live Facebook page on Monday. All of the photos include the character Todd Manning (Roger Howarth), but they also include other popular characters, including Viki (Erika Slezak), Clint (Jerry verDorn), and Blair (Kassie DePaiva).

Something that I have been wondering since hearing of the revival plans is whether or not these two iconic shows will look and feel the same as they did when I watched them every afternoon on ABC. I still don't know the answer to this for sure, but after seeing these photos, I'm extremely hopeful. My first thought when I saw these photos was "This is the One Life I know and love."

I was particularly excited to see the photos that included Clint and Viki. They were my favorites on OLTL for years and I can't wait to see what they're up to. There is a very good chance that they're married at this point, seeing as how Clint proposed to Viki in the ABC finale. Prospect Park has confirmed that OLTL will have advanced in real time (so about 15 months later), so this seems very possible. However, if this is the case, I will feel very much cheated out of a wedding. Soap weddings are always amazing and if this one happened offscreen, that will be upsetting.

I'm still looking forward to April 29. Save the date.

This is really happening.

As we get closer and closer to April 29, the fact that All My Children and One Life to Live will soon be returning to our screens is getting more and more real. Just this past week, I had a new moment that cemented the fact that this is really happening. I found out that the Hulu pages for both AMC and OLTL were up.

The pages read "One Life to Live premieres April 29, 2013." and "All My Children premieres April 29, 2013." Additionally, on the OLTL page, there is a "Save the Date" trailer. I've watched this trailer multiple times. It's so exciting to see how excited everyone involved it. The soaps vets are thrilled to be back and the newbies are looking forward to being a part of something that has such a loyal, passionate fan base.

Back in December, when the second revival attempt was first announced, I was adamant to believe that this would result any differently than the first revival attempt. That was three months ago. So much has happened since then and we know so much more now. We have a premiere date, we have a venue, we have writers, we have actors. That is so much more than we had in 2011.

4.23.13. Save the date.

April 29, 2013

In just a little over six weeks, on Monday, April 29, All My Children and One Life To Live will begin airing all-new episodes on the web. They will be available on Hulu, Hulu Plus, and iTunes and there will be four half-hour episodes of each show every week (with a recap show every Friday).

AMC went into production first, and this coming Monday, March 18, OLTL will start taping new episodes again as well.

As we approach April 29, there will likely still be more announcements, casting and otherwise, to be made. Just yesterday it was announced that High School Musical star Corbin Bleu would be joining the cast of OLTL as a new character, Jeffrey King, who will be working alongside Viki Lord (Erika Slezak) at her newspaper, The Banner. Many fans are speculating that Bleu's casting could result in new, younger viewers tuning into OLTL.

Additionally, Kassie DePaiva (Blair, OLTL) tweeted a picture of the new OLTL logo yesterday (as seen above). This made me begin wondering what the opening theme will look and sound like, since it is most likely going to be changed just as the logo was changed. I look forward to finding this (and many other questions I have) out on April 29!

Alicia Minshew Returning To AMC

It was just recently announced that Alicia Minshew (Kendall, All My Children) would be returning to AMC for one episode. Scheduling conflicts are preventing her from making a full-time return to AMC at this time, but she hopes that she will be able to by the summer. Minshew joined AMC in 2002 and remained with the show until the ABC finale in September 2011.

Kendall Hart Slater has been a fan-favorite character for years, so this is great news for many AMC fans. At this time, even just one episode (with the hope of more in the future) is a treat for fans of the character who have missed this her greatly. She is one-half of the popular super couple "Zendall" (Zach and Kendall), so many fans are hoping to see her in at least one scene with Zach (Thorsten Kaye, who is already set to return to AMC full-time).

During the time I watched AMC, Kendall was always one of the most prominent characters on the show. It's hard to imagine an AMC without Kendall being front and center. But I'm very excited that she'll be in at least one episode, and I hope there will be more down the line!

Back In Production, Moving Into the Future

All My Children went back into production this past Monday, February 25. One Life To Live will go back into production very soon as well, on Monday, March 18. Many of the shows cast and crew have been very active on Twitter recently (particularly Debbi Morgan, Angie on AMC), detailing what's been going on and how excited they are.

This past week, the AMC cast participated in a photo shoot, which Entertainment Tonight got a behind-the-scenes look at. This, along with the pictures that some of the cast and crew have been posting recently, have made this transition to the web all the more real for fans. Back in December, when news first broke that Prospect Park was going to be trying again with the reboots of AMC and OLTL, my initial thought was, "Wow, that's great - but I want to see things start happening before I get too excited."

And happening they have been. They have been happening so fast, it's hard to see straight! I think that seeing the video of the photo shoot, though, was really the first time I could say to myself, "Wow - this is really happening. Both casts are back together. And they're so happy to be back!" I could really see it all for myself, which was amazing.

I particularly loved what Tuc Watkins (David, OLTL) said in the Entertainment Tonight video - after telling a fan a few months ago that OLTL would never be coming back, he found that he was wrong, and was excited to say, "Here we are. We're back together again. And we get to move into the future together."

Julia Barr & Eden Riegel Returning to AMC!

 

Yesterday was a big day for All My Children. It was announced that both Julia Barr (Brooke) and Eden Riegel (Bianca) will be returning to AMC when it makes it debut on the web this spring.

Julia Barr played Brooke English for 30 years, from 1976 to 2006. She then made return appearances in 2010 and 2011. One of the final scenes in AMC's ABC finale was Adam (David Canary) proposing to Brooke (which Brooke accepted). It was previously announced that David Canary would be returning to AMC, so I imagine we haven't seen the last of Adam and Brooke.

Eden Riegel played Bianca Montgomery on and off from 2000 to 2010. Just months after Riegel joined the cast of The Young and the Restless in 2010, the role of Bianca was recast with actress Christina Bennett Lind. Lind continued to play Bianca until the ABC finale in September 2011. This spring will mark the first time in over three years that viewers have seen Riegel as Bianca. As of now, her return is described as a "guest arc."

I look forward to seeing both of these women again. Eden Riegel is a fan favorite and many fans (including myself) will be excited to see her reprise her role as Bianca. Julia Barr has been a personal favorite of mine for years and I'm thrilled she will be returning as well.

These announcements come just days before AMC begins taping. The first tape date for AMC is Monday, February 25.

Susan Lucci & David Canary Returning To AMC!

This past week it was announced that Susan Lucci (Erica Kane) and David Canary (Adam/Stuart Chandler) would be returning to All My Children when it hits the web. Lucci will only be in one episode, at least for now, and Canary "will be seen on an ongoing basis."

This is great news for long-time AMC fans. Susan Lucci appeared as Erica Kane over the course of the entire series (41 years on ABC) and David Canary appeared as identical twins Adam and Stuart Chandler for over 25 years. Erica and Adam are two of the most well-known characters on AMC, and viewers would likely feel lost without at least a few appearances by both Lucci and Canary.

I am very thrilled about this news, but I'm much more excited about David Canary's return than Susan Lucci's. While I look forward to seeing Erica Kane once again, Adam Chandler has always been an absolute favorite soap character of mine. I missed Adam greatly after David Canary retired in 2010 and was thrilled when he came back for AMC's final week on ABC.

I'm hoping the next addition to the cast will be Walt Willey (Jack Montgomery). Considering the way the show ended on ABC, with Jack walking out on Erica, it only seems appropriate that he would make an appearance.

The Inn: The Series

This week the new web series The Inn premiered. The Inn was created by Steve Silverman, who also created the popular web series Pretty. The Inn stars Crystal Chappell (Olivia, Guiding Light) and Denise Alexander (Lesley, General Hospital). I watched the first episode on premiere day (February 4) and I believe that this new web series shows a lot of promise.

This web series stands out from other web series I've seen in that it is a horror series. While I'm not generally into the horror genre, this series interests me greatly. I've been a fan of Crystal Chappell since I started watching Guiding Light when I was 13 years old. Since Guiding Light ended in 2009, I've been keeping up with what she's been doing, and when I heard of this new web series, I knew I would have to check it out.

The first episode is less than five minutes long, which is not quite long enough to know for sure what the series is about or where it's going. However, a combination of the first episode and the official trailer make me think that this is going to be a very interesting, very different web series. I'm looking forward to any and all future episodes!

More Progress for All My Children and One Life To Live

So much has been announced by Prospect Park in the past week or so, I barely know where to start! I can't help but think about how different this experience is than the first revival attempt - during that time, no one knew what was going on at all and Prospect Park was extremely tight-lipped about any information concerning AMC and OLTL. But this time around, Prospect Park seems to constantly be handing out new information concerning the revivals of these two beloved dramas to the web.

It was announced last week that 12 OLTL actors, including Erika Slezak (who played matriarch Victoria "Viki" Lord on OLTL for over 40 years) are rejoining the show on a contract basis. Additionally, three other actors are returning on a recurring basis. It was also announced that seven AMC actors are rejoining the show in contract roles. While I think that most fans (including myself) are very pleased with the actors set to rejoin OLTL, there is still room for more on AMC, and talks are still ongoing with additional actors from both soaps.

Six-time Emmy Award winner Erika Slezak (Viki, OLTL)

Also last week, more information was released about where these shows will be available to watch. Prospect Park has reached deals with both iTunes and Hulu, so both shows will be available on iTunes, Hulu, and Hulu Plus, in addition to being available at The OnLine Network. Each episode will be a half-hour long and free to watch with commercials. A new episode will be available for both shows four days a week, Monday through Thursday, with a recap/behind-the-scenes show airing Friday. The shows go into production next month and are slated to begin airing in April.

For me personally, all of this news excites me greatly. The actors that portray my favorite couple OLTL, Emmy Award winners Jerry verDorn and Erika Slezak (Clint and Viki), are both returning to the show. One of the cliffhangers in the ABC finale of OLTL was Clint proposing to Viki, so I'm excited to see how that will turn out! Also, knowing that there will be multiple ways to watch the shows is awesome. I have Hulu Plus, so I know that that will work out well for me.

It seems like each week, we're getting more and more information, but there are still so many questions I and many others have. I can't wait for more information to become available. I also want to express my gratitude to Prospect Park for their unwavering persistence when it comes to reviving these iconic dramas.

Empire: The Series

I recently started watching the web soap Empire: The Series. When I sat down to watch the first episode, I realized I had seen it before. I recalled that I had watched it back when it first started a few years ago, but didn't keep watching. This was for a couple reasons:

1. The show was not shot in HD and the camerawork seemed amateur.
2. No one in the cast was from the daytime soap industry.

I had been hearing good things about Empire, so I decided to give it another try. I had to really power-through season one, because the two reasons I mentioned were big issues throughout the whole first season. But it was worth it, because they are no longer problems in the later seasons.

By the second season, the show is shot in widescreen format and looks a lot more professional. Additionally, soap fans will start to see a couple familiar faces - Tina Sloan (Lillian, Guiding Light) and Orlagh Cassidy (Doris, Guiding Light). I think that it's important for web series to be as reminiscent of actual television as possible - the more professional look of the show and the addition of actual daytime actors in season two of Empire helps this cause.

Another important factor important in a web soap is drama - the level of drama that one would find in any current soap opera. So far, I've watched the first three seasons of Empire, and there have been no problems with the level of drama. In the first three seasons, there's been a kidnapping, a murder, a faked death, a teenage pregnancy, two brothers fighting over the same woman, and much more.

Empire: The Series is available to watch on iTunes (for free) and YouTube. I'm absolutely looking forward to watching season four and (hopefully) an eventual season five!

OLTL & AMC 2.0 - They're Almost Here!

Next month, former ABC Daytime dramas All My Children and One Life to Live will go back into production after being off the air for over a year. They will have a new home, though - the internet.

But let's back up a little bit.

To fully understand where we are today, you'll need to understand where we were nearly two years ago.

April 14, 2011. I had just finished watching OLTL and was now watching General Hospital. It was a little after 3pm. I was also on my computer. I frequently check the news at soapcentral.com, but when I went there on this day, I read some of the most awful entertainment-related news I had ever read. Two of my favorite daytime dramas, AMC and OLTL, had both been canceled. Rumors had been floating that perhaps one of them would be canceled, but both of them? On the same day? It was unreal.

Over the next few months, a large group of soap fans (including myself) banded together to save our soaps. I wrote e-mails to many people during that time, including the head of ABC and the head of NBC (we thought perhaps these shows could find a new home at NBC). I also hand wrote a letter to my favorite actor on OLTL, Jerry verDorn, and he sent a letter back encouraging me not to give up and to keep fighting for OLTL (I've included a picture of the letter he sent me below).

July 7, 2011. I was in West Virginia for my family reunion. I was in the hotel room when I read unbelievable news - ABC had sold the rights of AMC and OLTL to a company called Prospect Park. I had never heard of them at that time. Both shows would be brought back - on the internet. I was shocked and I was thrilled.

Over the next few months, 13 actors from OLTL signed contracts with Prospect Park. Only two actors from AMC signed contracts.

September 23, 2011: AMC finale airs on ABC and ends with multiple cliffhangers.

November 10, 2011. Prospect Parks decides to drop AMC from its plan and just focus on OLTL. I was upset, but my thought at the time was "if I can only have one of them, I want OLTL."

November 23, 2011. Plans to relaunch OLTL are abandoned due to problems with funding. This was an awful day. It felt like "Black Thursday" (April 14, 2011) all over again.

January 13, 2012. OLTL finale airs on ABC and ends with multiple cliffhangers.

December 17, 2012. My younger sister's ninth birthday. Little did I know, I'd be getting a present as well. Revival plans for both shows were back on. At first, I didn't want to get too excited. I didn't want to be disappointed for a third time.

But then things started happening. Fast. Which leads us to today.

As of today:

• Studio space in Stamford, CT has been secured
• Prospect Park has made deals with SAG-AFTRA and DGA
• Five AMC actors and two OLTL actors have signed contracts (with many more in talks)
• New executive producers for both AMC and OLTL have been named
• New head writers for OLTL have been named
• Creator of both shows, Agnes Nixon, will be a consultant

I almost can't believe this is happening, but I am very much looking forward to it. The development of these two enduring dramas into a new medium will be my main focus when blogging and tweeting. It's one thing for a show to start off as a web series, but to be on television for over 40 years and then transition to a web series? That's unheard of until now. I hope to be able to report lots of good news and progress in the coming weeks and months. I can't have another Black Thursday!

-Kari