In lieu of original content, I present to you a couple of my recent tweets. I've expanded them beyond the 140 character limitation Twitter imposes. This is how I spend my free time, such as it is. Twitter is my safe harbor on the Web, a place where I can express myself without caring who reads my words or what they think. Although it's nice to get retweeted, as the first of these examples was.

Anyone who ever loved a soap and isn't watching #GH now is missing the best the genre has to offer. #GH is the hashtag I use to identify General Hospital, my daily vice. I don't really consider it a vice, but others do, apparently. I think some of the best drama on television is on this show. I'm connected with both the characters and the actors who portray them. In fact, the above tweet was retweeted by one of those actors, and several fellow fans.

A new writing and producing team took over the show a few months ago, and the quality has risen dramatically since then. Part of that is because several soaps have been cancelled in recent years, and the cream of the daytime crop has landed in Port Charles. And part is because these are just really talented, committed people who put out a good show five days a week.

General Hospital has always had good actors, and the fact that some of them have played the same parts for decades makes for an atmosphere that keeps the show's quality high. Soap fans are as devoted as any sports fans are to their team, and just as unforgiving at times. Some fans aren't willing to let the story flow, but would prefer to let the writers know what they think should happen. That's like baseball fans complaining when the manager doesn't start their favorite players.

Since 1994 I've hardly missed an episode of #GH, but I was also there at the beginning, nearly fifty years ago, when my grandmother watched the first episode in 1963. I still remember Phil and Jessie Brewer, and Steve Hardy, and Lucille March. At that time the show was mostly about the seventh floor nurses' station of the hospital, but now it's about the whole city of Port Charles.

When I read the message boards and comments on various websites, I sometimes despair that other fans of the show don't see it the way I do. People are so passionate about their favorite characters and their favorite couples that they write awfully nasty things about some of my own favorites. I'd sometimes like to throttle the Jason haters, because they see the stone face and not the depth underneath. And I don't understand the people who still think he and Elizabeth should be together, or that Brenda should be dragged back into Sonny's life yet again. Puh-leez!

Another Smalling defensive lapse, 1-0 City. United will have to step it up in the second half. #mufc I wrote this at halftime of the Manchester Derby, the big football (soccer) game today in England in which first place in the Premier League changed hands from my favorite team, Manchester United (#mufc), to hated crosstown rivals Manchester City. I don't really blame Chris Smalling for the loss, even though he was out of position on the City goal, but I wish there had been better defensive options, because he loses his man way too often.

That 1-0 score held up as the final, and City are now tied with United on points but in first place on goal difference. That's painful, because United have been champions more often than not in the past decade, and City have ascended only this year, and only because they have owners who spend tons of money to bring in the best players from all over the world. There are still two games left in the season, but Manchester City will win the title if they win both. My best hope is that Newcastle United, their next opponent, beat them next weekend.

Did you notice that I use British verb constructions when I'm talking about English football? I just can't help myself.