And...why can't I be Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games?

Oh, go ahead and laugh. I know you want to. Why does a 30 year old woman like myself want to be a teenage girl living in a rather abyssmal dystopian society where children are sacrificed in a Suvivor/Lord of the Flies-esque manner?

Okay. So maybe I don't want to live in Katniss' world.  We havre enough reality television in this world without murdering or maiming children.  But, hell, if I wouldn't give to have some of the gumption that girl has.  And get this -- she's not annoying like Twilight's Bella!   She doesn't sit around and hope for Edward's great return. 

We were all drawn for Twilight for the same reason -- Edward.  Bella was so barely characterized that we could easily pick up the book and imagine that the "I" kissing Edward was us.  Twilight was a form of escapism, a way for us to lose ourselves in ultimate romance.  I think The Hunger Games is another form of escapism.  Its not just about romance. (Athough, yeah, I'm a Peeta fan).  It's about enjoying being the shoes of a girl that will pick up her bow and arrow and fight a war rather than focus on her boy troubles.   Actually, well, she also fights the war because murdering and maiming children is pretty horrible.   Man, if only I was good at archery then I could vent out my frustrations at the world.

Look, it's not like Katniss is perfect.  She can be selfish, emotionally shut down, and a bit indecisive.  But one thing she never tries to be is inactive.  She always tries to make her actions matter.  Sometimes, when the going gets rough and the world gets rougher, I like to sit and mope.  Sometimes, I'll sit and mope and look at Facebook and Twitter and sit and mope about how other people have better lives.  What is active about that?  What do those acitons matter? Let me tell you something -- NADA!

And yeah, okay, you can say it's pathetic I aspire to be a fictional teenage heroine.  You could be thinking, "Hey, Drunk Little Asian, the chick ain't real!  That's why she rocks!"  The thing is, I think there is a little bit of Katniss in all of us.  A little ball of fire that if we fan the flames enough, we can make our actions matter.  We can sit, up, stop moping, and pick up our bow  and arrow -- our metaphorical bow and arrows anyway -- and start shooting.

Hell, because if a fictional teenage girl can survive a hellish dystopia, I'm pretty sure I can turn off the TV, face my computer screen, and keep the fuck on writing.