While weekending in Palm Springs recently, I was invited to join Judith Chapman (Gloria, Y&R) for lunch at her lovely restaurant, The Vineyard Tuscan Grill (265 S. Palm Canyon Dr). I arrived at 3 p.m., between the lunch and dinner crowds, and Judith sat us on the front patio so we could take advantage of the wafting desert breezes.

I'm a huge sniveling coward when it comes to flying but I'm not alone: Tracey E. Bregman (Lauren, Y&R) shares my phobia. In fact, whenever one of us is about to board a flight, we will text the other of our impending nerve-wracking ride (I mean, who else could possibly understand?).

With the next Soap Cruise scheduled to set sail on January 26, 2009, that reminded me of the fun I had as Digest's shipboard correspondent with last year's star-studded trip.

That Kate Linder sure knows how to put out a spread. Daytime's favorite domestic (she has played Katherine Chancellor's maid Esther for over 25 years on Y&R) was recently honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame (just a very short jaunt from the equally well-known Chinese Theater, home to the footprints of showbiz legends).

Oopsie. If B&B and Y&R are going to have those crossovers, they better do a better balancing act. On the day Y&R was getting ready for the Restless Style launch party, Jack received a phone call from Ashley that she and Felicia had just arrived at the Genoa City airport (Jack even offered to come pick them up).

I'm digging GL's location shoots (although the sound quality stinks), which has me wondering why B&B, which takes place in L.A. and features such known-around-the-world locales as Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Malibu doesn't venture outside more often.