Double-edged swords (or arrows)
1. Jennifer Lawrence will play Katniss in the HG movie. I totally want props for suggesting her way back in October. ;) In many ways, she's the perfect choice. She's a good actor, very much an It Girl these days, and her character in Winter's Bone practically IS Katniss, both in personality and situation. (It's out on DVD; y'all should watch it even if you're not into HG.) That said, it's weird how she was my #1 choice until about a week ago, but now I'm quite conflicted. I'm not as bothered by the ethnicity issues as many people, but the concerns definitely warrant consideration. Age is also an issue. Lionsgate isn't shooting the three books at once, so she'll be pushing 25 when MJ is filmed. On the flipside, Hailie Steinfeld was my #2 choice, but she's a bit *too* young, both from a filming standpoint (limited hours that a child can work on set) and because, well, it'd be a bit awkward to see a 14-year-old doing all that kissin'. (Yes, I'm old.) Age is definitely an issue given that the series pivots on the horrors of children being forced to kill each other. All that said, someone on another board made a good point: Lionsgate may be motivated by marketing/sociological considerations as much as by Lawrence's talent. Hollywood is very skittish about kids and violence. They'll need to treat the source material very carefully to get a PG-13 rating, and having the characters actually look like children might be too big a risk for them to take. While Lawrence might not be right for Katniss for many reasons, I do think she'll act the hell out of the role.
2. I've been pondering whether to sign up for
help_japan. Although I've been writing fic for way too many years now, I've never actually done a fic auction. I'm also nervous about writing on demand -- not one of my strengths -- and being able to actually finish a story! (I've considered saying that if I don't finish, I'll match the bidder's donation.) Then again, I haven't written anything at all in nearly six months, and I really miss it. This might be the best way to get me writing again. If I did join in, I'd probably offer the HG universe or maybe L&O:UK, as those are the only fandoms in which I could see myself writing something.
3. On a whim, last month I went to Home Depot and bought seeds and little peat pots to attempt to grow some herbs and flowers from scratch. Since then I've been watering them, to no avail -- or so I thought. Now I'm finally seeing tiny bits of green poking through the soil. Yay! I'd been concerned, since I tend to over-water and kill things before they ever start. ;)
4. The "Dear Prudence" advice column on Slate is one of my guilty pleasures. The first letter in today's column is absolutely glorious. I won't spoil it for anyone, but I don't know whether to laugh at the guy's misfortune or ... nah, I'll just laugh.
2. I've been pondering whether to sign up for

3. On a whim, last month I went to Home Depot and bought seeds and little peat pots to attempt to grow some herbs and flowers from scratch. Since then I've been watering them, to no avail -- or so I thought. Now I'm finally seeing tiny bits of green poking through the soil. Yay! I'd been concerned, since I tend to over-water and kill things before they ever start. ;)
4. The "Dear Prudence" advice column on Slate is one of my guilty pleasures. The first letter in today's column is absolutely glorious. I won't spoil it for anyone, but I don't know whether to laugh at the guy's misfortune or ... nah, I'll just laugh.