And Before You Know It, It'll All Be Over

Wow. I can't believe I haven't made a post since last November. I've wanted to multiple times but I just didn't know what to write about....but here I am all these months later, a new continent traveled to, and almost finished a whole season of working on a new show.

I've been working on this show since I got back from South America in mid-March. I know this may seem odd to all you folks who work normal jobs, but this will have been the longest job I have had since moving to LA and working in the film industry. If you weren't positive, what i'm doing on this show is running base camp, which basically means i'm the direction giver of cast before they get to set and then do some paperwork and other behind the scenes logistics when they are on set. I was a little curious/nervous at first at how it would go since I hadn't run base before for a series, but as it turns out, I think it may be my favorite PA position....but I guess it all really depends on who you're working with and the cast of our show is a dream to work with, and our hair, make up and wardrobe gals are just great as well. (as is our AD staff and other PAs)

The show I am on is 10 episodes, filming 2 episodes at a time, and Friday was our last day on episodes 107 and 108. Before we wrapped for the day i was dropping off paperwork to the hair and makeup trailer and our makeup head remarked 'Amy, we are almost done! Are you sad??' ...of course my first thought was, 'for the night or for the season??' haha (Friday ended up being a 16 hour day for me, so I was happy to hopefully be wrapping soon, ha) But then it hit me, we only have 10 more shoot days left on this series. It seems like we have been going at it for a while, but at the same time it seems like just yesterday we were doing our hair and makeup and camera tests during my prep week. Before I know it we will be on our last day and wrapped for the season! Which is kinda crazy because when you work the hours we do, you just spend so much time with all the crew and cast and get into your routines and get to know everyone and it's weird to think it being over...and then potentially never working with these guys again! (I mean, fingers crossed for a season 2! haha)

Anyway, I just say all this to write I can't believe how fast time flies the older you get. One day your gonna look up and a year has gone by, and then 10 years or 20. Adults can spend so much time thinking about and worrying about their jobs that time can slip by without them even noticing years have gone by, and I hope they never look back on those years and wonder what they did with them. In my travels I have learned that Americans work a whole heck of a lot more than a lot of other countries and I just hope not all of us turn into the one's that spend our lives working without acknowledging what the rest of the world has to offer. Friday I got texted to run base camp for another show starting June 1st running through the whole month. At first I was a little sad I had to turn it down because that is right when I will be flying to Florida then Europe...but then I thought how stupid of a thought that was. Traveling is something I really love to do. I work to travel. And what good is working if I don't use the money i've been saving to travel? Hopefully new jobs will always come up, but i'm not gonna let my years slip by without me making them great. Traveling the world and doing fun things with my friends. Don't get me wrong, I have been making great and awesome memories and connections I hope to have forever on these jobs i've been working on, but there are also so many stories and memories to be had outside of Los Angeles and America and i'm really looking forward to those as well!

Don't be afraid to do something that makes you happy. Go on an adventure. Take a few days off work. Travel to a new country. Make a new friend. Go to the roller derby. Remember that this life is what you make it, but it's movin pretty fast!

If My Family Made A Movie

I've been meaning to update this here site for a while...because it isn't like there isn't anything I couldn't talk about. I've worked as an assistant director on my first movie, I went on a Pacific Northwest trip my grandparents, I've been working as a day player on different shows for the past month; things have been happening. I realized though, that all of these things are things I tend to blog/talk about a lot, so why not switch it up a bit!

Sometimes my job can be boring, and while I was on a show last week our greensman got walkied to bring in some plants to place around the outside of the set, I said to myself, a handful of people in my family could do that job! Then it got me thinking, I have a huge family and we could do a lot more jobs than just that! So I took out my sides and wrote down everyones name on the back and tried to think if our family was crew for a movie, how would it all break down? Now, i'm not saying if everyone in the family started working on sets this should be their job, since obviously I had jobs that just needed to be filled, but it was kind of interesting trying to figure out where I should put everyone.

So a call sheet tells you what all you are shooting for the day. On the back of the call sheet is everyone's names listed that are working that day and what time their call time is. Here is a picture of a call sheet for a show I was working on a couple months ago, just so you can get a sense of what exactly we are working with here.

Now, I personally don't have any call sheet template on me at the moment, however I did have to do the production reports for my last movie and the back has pretty much the same concept, so I used that to kind of create our own little call sheet for this fake movie our family would crew up. So take a look at our call sheet! 

Now before I go, i'll give a little summery of the jobs everyone has in case anyone was curious and didn't know. 

Director: the person with the vision of what we are shooting. Directs the actors and decided on what all shots she/he wants. 

AD (Assistant Director): The 1st AD runs the set, the 2nd AD is in charge of everything that is happenings the next day...so making call sheets for the next day. On this set, the second would also be in charge of getting the actors through hair and makeup. The 2nd 2nd is the other AD on set assisting the first in getting the actors to set, getting wired for sound, and also placing background. PA's are also included under the ADs in assisting the second second. 

Script Supervisor: They are in charge of continuity. Writing down anything that happens in a scene (which hand an actress was holding her purse in, for example) and also noting which shots we are shooting, which the director likes the best, and giving those notes to the editor. 

DP (Director of Photography) They are pretty much the head of the camera, grip, and electric department. They are in charge of making sure everything in front of the camera looks good and getting the shots/angles the director wants. 

1st AC (assistant camera): The 1st AC is the focus puller...they make sure the subject matter is always in focus and not blurry. 

2nd AC: They assist camera doing the heavy lifting/lens transportation/cabling for camera...as well as being in charge of the slate to note which scene and take we are on. 

Still Photographer: The are the on set photographers to take pics of not only behind the scenes but what you may end up seeing on a movie poster. 

Gaffer: They are in charge of the lighting/electric department, making sure the set is lit properly. 

Best Boy/electric: Best boy is just a term for second in command. Everyone else in the lighting (also refereed to as electric department) is in charge of making sure there is power and setting up the lights needed to light the shot.

Key Grip: In charge of the grip department. The grips also help light scenes, but by manipulating the lights; canceling out light in some places with flags and other forms of shade. 

Prop Master: Any item that an actor uses in a scene is a prop. The property department is in charge of making sure all of those items are on set. 

Most of the rest of these are kinda self explanatory, but i'll mention them anyway. 

Sound: The sound mixer stays at his mixing station, recording all the dialogue, while the boom operator is on set capturing more sound with a boom mic. 

Costumes: This department is in charge of picking out and dressing the talent and background. 

Make-Up and Hair: Known as vanities, they are in charge of hair and make-up for talent. 

Production Designer: They are in charge of creating what the set will look like. 

Set Decorating: Set dec is the art department representative on set making sure that even though the set is already built, if anyone needs to move anything or add anything, they are there to do so. 

Construction: The coordinator is in charge of building the sets the designer has come up with. 

Craft Service: They are responsible for providing food throughout the day during filming. Craft service doesn't necessarily provide meals, (although they sometimes do) but they keep a constant food table available for crew to snack on all day.

Catering: Catering is in charge of providing breakfast and lunch for the crew at the beginning and middle of the day. 

Post Production: Everything that happens to the movie after the crew is done actually filming it. This includes editing it, adding sound effects, etc.

Locations: The location department is in charge of finding filming locations to film at, getting the correct permits, and the liaison between where a crew in filming and the film crew. 

Transportation: The transpo department is in charge of any and all vehicles involved in production, including all of the trailers for the actors, trucks for all the crew, and pass vans when needed to transport crew if needed. 

Well that's all folks!! This is a small little call sheet I created for a would be family project and I have given the most sparknotes version of these jobs/how a set is kinda run, haha. So now you can kinda imagine what it's like for me everyday on a set and how many different people you interact with! 

Year number 2

I am sitting here on my bed responding to texts from ADs about my availability....as I came on here to update about how crazy and fortunate my life has been. Yesterday I got 2 phone calls and a text to work (2 for work for today and 1 for when I will be on my cruise) Earlier this week I already had to turn down 2 jobs for when I will be in Florida and it is kinda blowing my mind right now. As I am blogging I am just now being booked to day play tomorrow and Thursday before I head out to Florida on Friday. Right before that I got a text if I was available the 17th-21st to work on a pilot...I get back from Florida the 16th. I'm not sure why or when this happened, but for some reason it seems a little unexpected to me, although I don't think it should.

This week marks my 2 year anniversary of when I pulled out of Florida not knowing a soul in LA and seeing what I could do and make of myself here. Not to sound too dramatic, but it has been the best decision of my life i'm pretty sure. While coming on here I noticed I have only updated 2 times this year, which is a pretty solid measurement I guess for how busy i've been. I know my last update was because I was being background, but that was when I had a free week between PA jobs. I like to think of my success based on how often I do background work, and I think my last update was also the last time I was background. I've got to say, I haven't done much background work this year (only when I have a few days off between other jobs) and that makes me happy. I know this update might seem boring for the reader, mainly me just boasting about work, but it is for me too (mainly) It's good to acknowledge your accomplishments every now and again and to be proud of yourself. To be able to look back at this post and this time and be able to say 'yea, I was working hard and meeting new people and working on all these cool, fun, boring, stupid, hilarious projects, those were good times.'

Working in the film industry is such a weird and cool thing. Yesterday I was day playing on a show, and by the end of the day it seemed like i had been working on it with the crew the whole time (a week, haha) You are together with these people for 12+ hours a day...and when your on a movie at least 12+ hours 5, sometimes 6 days a week, that it becomes this weird closeness you get with people. Last night we had to be shuttled back to our cars, our pass van was completely full...4 people in my 3 man row, our sound girl on the floor in front of me (I never said we were the safest of folk) and this isn't anything out of the ordinary for me. Of course we are going to pack like sardines into a pass van with each other, it's what you do. Going on set yesterday I also got to work with one of my favorite scripty's I worked with over a year ago on another project...I have worked 4 movies with the make-up girl. The industry really is smaller than you think and sometimes even turn into your family (if only for the duration of the shoot, but sometimes it's better that way, haha)

I don't mean to bore, but I just wanted to take a minute to update again, to acknowledge what these 2 years have brought. I KNOW you've seen on Facebook, so sorry, but this weekend i was able to hang out with my roommates and friends, going to the Dodger game, watching A League of Their Own at the stadium, volunteering at a center that reaches out to the homeless, worshipping at Mosaic, biking to the community pool. This is what a full life is. What MY full life is. It is having friends around you that you enjoy, being able to go to a church every Sunday and feel full again, having a smile on your face when you are squeezed between 2 people in a pass van on your way back to your car after work because the people you work with make you laugh. Every time I see my family posting pictures on facebook together and hanging out, I miss them and wish I could be there more often, but the life i've been able to make here, I wouldn't change a thing. It's the life I had hoped for merely 2 years ago and for that I am proud.

That being said, I am so so excited and can't wait to see and hang out with the family in 4 days. i love you guys and miss you mucho.

What happens when I finish a book at work and have nothing else to do

I am currently working background right now on Bones, just finished the book I’ve been reading and have nothing left to do. I got here at 11:30...it is currently 6:30 and I have been on set for maaaybe 20 minutes of my day. Since I have already watched a movie (Her) and finished the book I brought, I figured I could write a blog post since I haven’t written in a while. Not quite sure what to say, since I always just end up on soapboxes, talking about my boring schedule, or topics that make people uncomfortable.

I guess I could say though, do you ever read a book and then are not quite sure how to feel when it’s over? That’s where I’m at. Like I want to talk about it but I don’t even know what to say. The book I just finished is entitled Ask The Passengers. It made me angry, it made me laugh, it made me sad, it made me happy. It made me wish the world was different and that I could comfort and yell at every high school student. My high school days were pretty good if I remember, but sometimes I don’t think society gives high school kids enough credit or sympathy….or sometimes maybe they do, too much.? Anyway, in the book the main character girl mainly has a rough time. I could sympathize with her a lot, but then again, her home life was a little saddening. It took me back to the small town where everyone needs to be perfect and reputation is everything. Where high school kids could be such jerks and people are so small minded and ignorant. She comes home to a home where her mom only sees perfection in her sister, so she is basically always ignored or thought down of by half of her family. She struggles with and is accused of things and doesn’t even feel like she can talk to her family about it, that they won’t listen...and it was partially true. Even when she spoke her truth they still wouldn’t listen or understand. That is painful to read and witness...even if only in a fictional world, because I know it happens. 

Although I was never really one to spill my guts to people, it was still good to know that I probably could and I had (have) people/family that will listen and love me. Although at the end of the book it does leave us on an optimistic note and all is (somewhat) good. But what made me frustrated was society. When because of society humans think we need to act, present, and label ourselves a certain way, it can invade our homes and schools and leave kids no place to escape the pressure. Pressure that is not even needed in the first place. 

The main character has to do a Socrates project, to choose a paradox, to explain it and challenge the rest of the school with it. Her first draft was equality is obvious. Which it is...which is should be, but it isn’t. We are no where near reaching human equality in the world. Why? Why do humans still feel the need to limit others worth, just because they are different. Dumb. Anyway, as life happened, our main character changed her project topic and paradox...nobody’s perfect. Everyone is obsessed with being perfect, but why? Is there anything in the world that is perfect? Or is just everything perfect? If so, why the need to strive for perfection. Can there even be a universal perfection? What is it then? Mentally, aesthetically, socially? Which of the 3 takes top billing? Perfection is just a word we made up...but for what? To make us feel worse or better about ourselves? To give us something to strive for? Whatever it is or whatever the reason, it’s dumb. 

I just write this post to say…..well, I already said it. I didn’t really know where I was headed when I started, but I guess I ended up here. Still trying not to get upset and aggravated that this book reminded me that society is annoying. How vague was this whole post? Haha. It may just make sense to me since I am referencing a book none of you have read, but oh well. I’ll be done now. Peace.  

Who is shaping your worldview?

So many topics, so little interest.

I haven't blogged in a while, and it's not because there haven't been things I wanted to say, but because they are just basic feelings that I have written about before, and i'm sure would be old news to anyone who has read my blog before. But since I am not working today and haven't blogged in a while, I thought I could tone down some topics i've wanted to write about, and write one blog centering around a handful of them. The common theme: role models.

I saw this post on a website a few months ago, I took a screen shot of it and wanted to write a blog post then, but I thought it could fit nicely here in this one. For those who wouldn't recognize, it is an excerpt from The Hunger Games Trilogy. No one would be surprised about my love for Katniss Everdeen. I think she is a great character and one that is needed for girls who are growing up now a days. Even at the age of 5, little kids are shown by Disney princess movies that the point of being born is to be eventually saved or loved by a prince charming...and I guess that is fine and well for some people, but it makes life unfair for about almost everyone in that representation of what life is about. Sure, there are some Disney movies that don't have this theme, and God bless Frozen (for which I ALMOST got real mad at there 3/4 of the way through, haha) but the point that the media more often than not gets across is, that no matter what females do there always need to be a prince charming that comes at the end of the day to make the story perfect, and why does that always need to be so? Here is Katniss Everdeen, strong, independent, looks out for herself and takes cares of others. What a great role model presented. That she doesn't need anyone to rescue her, that young woman are strong enough on our own to take care of ourselves. That it's ok to want to go out and run around in the woods instead of dress up and be put on display by the media. That nothing is wrong with us wanting our alone time. All of these things should be normal and accepted too.

As much as i'm glad for the character of Katniss, i'm glad that Jennifer Lawrence was chosen to bring her to life, because not only does she do that, but as a person she also, I feel, challenges the media on what they put out and present to young girls as how they should be and grow up. For that reason, I in some way look up to or respect Katniss and also my BFF JLaw.

Another person that I have recently come to love is Kacey Musgraves. In a world where so many expectations are placed on people, she calls the world out and basically says BS. Good for her. In her song, Merry Go Round, the opening line is: "If you ain't got 2 kids by 21, you're probably gonna die alone, at least that's what tradition told you." The whole song is about how we were told life should go: grow up, get married, have 2.5 kids, live in cookie cutter houses in a subdivision just like everybody else. I'm not saying this isn't a good life and you can't grow up this way (if you want to, more power to ya), but I appreciate that it is being acknowledged that that is how tradition tells you to make a life, and maybe it isn't all it's cracked up to be. And kind of to push that whole theme along she has her song Follow Your Arrow, basically saying, there are people that still think that is how you make a life ^, but if that is how you DO make your life, people will still judge you, so just do your thing and not worry about what other people think of you. If you're fat, people will judge you, if you're skinny, people will judge you; if you drink, people will judge you, if you don't drink, people will judge you; if you go to church, people will judge you, if you don't go to church, people will judge you, you get where she is going with this? (Our society sucks) BUT, we don't have to care about people judging us, YOU JUST DO YOU, GIRL. Whatever makes you happy, do that, because life is to short to be anything but happy. (I maybe could have read that quote somewhere and am possibly plagiarizing, but still a good point) Anyway, yet another person I think our society needs and I wouldn't hesitate recommending as a good role model for girls.

Someone that I really look up to is a blogger and author that goes by the name of Jen Hatmaker. I have blogged about her before, so I will make this one shorter, but if there are any adults out there that are still looking for some more good role models in their life, I would direct you to her. She seeks God and love so unapologetically (and is so hilarious also) that the world would change if there were a few more of her. She is how I strive to be when I grow up. Just recklessly loving the world and every human in it, not caring who is telling her to stop, and I find that the most inspiring thing of all, because when your heart is alined with Gods and you can't stop loving and showing love, everything else I have mentioned in this blog falls into place. I have never felt more free than I do in Christ, and that is kind of what it all is about. Screw what society says, how they think you should grow up, who they think needs to save you and how you need to act- the fullest and freest life i've known is when I accept and give it up to Jesus, because in the end that all that really matters.

I should have just ended this blog on that paragraph, but i wanted to add another little closing paragraph. I'm not gonna call myself a great a role model, because i'm not a perfect person and I'm nearly certain if I ever was a role model and the 'One Million Moms' brigade heard about it they would throw an uproar, but if I can't be (and mainly because I don't know many girls younger than me) I would at least hope that they could look up to these woman and know that they don't have to settle in this life. That they can go out there and do whatever they want, follow any dream they had. If they want to be a doctor I surely hope they won't let anyone stop them. Or a lawyer. Or a vet. Or a social worker. Or a singer. Or an activist. Or the President of the United States of America. I heard a song recently that was pretty much made for me at my point in life a few years ago. It got me thinking on the topic of giving advise to people and then who we look up to and possibly get advise or a life queue from. This entry has already been too long and taken a certain theme so I won't go into the song and experiences and advise I remembered from it (maybe next time) but all goes to say, we all have influences and people that help shape the way we view life...make sure you are aware of those people in your life and how they are influencing you to live your life, because they are influencing you and your worldview.

My faith is slowly being restored in churches and I hope they don't blow it.

I have been wanting to update the blog for at least a few weeks now. I had stop myself after watching an episode of a show I like where a character tried to commit suicide, I held my tongue so hard when the whole Duck Dynasty controversy was going on, but today I feel is an appropriate time to update. There are so many topics that I feel I hammer into the ground on here, and i'm sure i've already covered this, but here we go.

I guess I should start off by admitting that yes, I am a hypocrite, and maybe sometimes I am the problem for misconstrued views of the church, and for that i apologize.

Today I went to Church of Hope with my family, and Mark shared statistics he had found about Christianity and the church: every major world religion is growing except Christianity. In spite of the (i believe it was) 4 trillion dollars churches had spent, there wasn't significant movement towards Christ. It is abundantly clear that not only has christianity lost traction with some people, it has come to a screeching halt. A handful of Christians may be dumbfounded by these facts, however I am not and i'll take a minute to explain why.

There was a time in my life where I held some resentment towards God and the Church (I think i've blogged about this before so I will keep this short) There have been so many times where I felt unwanted and unloved by the Church, i'm sure it would sound embracing to mention. The week before last when I attended Hope my eyes misted up a little because why I was sitting there and watching all the people around me sing about love, not 24 hours before I saw them updating their Facebook status about how what I am is wrong and I shouldn't be treated equally. It made me mad that I had to sit in the same room with people that would sing about love, but only to a certain extent and to only certain people (I can only conclude, based on what I am reading of their updates) But enough about me, this post is about the church and trying to reach the lost. Anyway, my point is, as much as I hate to admit it, I feel and see myself in the unbeliever. Like I have one foot in the church and the other out the door. I see where the world is coming from and why church attendance has become so stagnant. It's partially because of people like me who hate admitting they go to church, furtherly showing that the church is filled with people you don't want to be around...but that isn't true. Not in all circumstances.

There are churches and christians around the world and around the United States that are doing truly great, new, and exciting things. For example where I go in LA, Mosaic. I love the living daylights out of that church and I will shout it from the rooftops. I won't expound because i've dedicated a whole post about them (said post) but it is a great place. Another christian that I think will change the face of Christianity is a woman/author/blogger named Jen Hatmaker. She is taking up the cross, seeking the truth, and laying it all out there, the defender of love. People start controversy about 2 people marrying, she says 'No. Love.' People get up in arms about politics, she says 'No. Love.' She see's the woman on the streets struggling to provide for her kids: love. The homeless man: love. Your annoying co-worker: love. Neighbor that has 2 sleeves (of tattoos): love. To me, she gets it. She absolutely knows that the whole world in looking at Christians and how they react to certain situations, and she chooses love. (If you would like, check out her awesome blog here) Today my old roommate in college posted a link to an article about the church she is attending, talking about how the church is becoming an inclusive and reconciling congregation. Included in the article is the associate pastor's greeting:

“No matter where you have come from 
and no matter where you are going...
No matter what you believe or doubt...
No matter what you are feeling or just

not feeling...

No matter what you have or don't have...

And no matter whom you love...

All of you is welcomed into this 

community of faith

by a God who loves you,

who knows you by name, and

who wants a personal relationship with you.
Thanks be to God - Amen!” 

It was really a good article. Some people and some churches have realized that they have, in the past, isolated and even pushed away some non believers or people from other walks of life. I kinda find it great that they call it reconciling...that they have a reconciling committee. I think it's time for the church and the world to have one big reconciliation. I know so many people have felt like they have been burned by the church. The church has hurt them in some way. Something happened that made them jaded. They met one too many unloving, judgmental Christians and it turned them off from church and Christianity all together. BUT THERE IS HOPE. There are people that are bringing back love to the world and showing that christianity isn't about their personal beliefs about how you should dictate your life and laws you need to follow and what you can't do....that it's about God's love and receiving that love through Jesus. That we were literally created to be loved by God. That EVERYONE was created to be loved by God. Not who the Christians think deserve to be loved by God, not the perfect ones, not the do-gooders and sinless, but everyone. I appreciate that this is something that Mark mentioned at Church of Hope this morning, love. It really isn't our job to take a stance on an issue and determine how holy or worthy someone is based on that stance. More and more churches and christians I believe are starting to see and understand how they ostracize people when they put them on a pedestal to shame them. Its happened before and it will most certainly happen again, the next controversy christians vs. the liberal God hating world, but when Christians and churches can take a back seat to being "right" and caring that they have had their "rights" taken, and instead at least pretend that everyone they look down upon has actual human feelings too and create an environment where the world might want to be, then maybe, just maybe, we might start to see the numbers of Christian popularity going up and the number of churches closing going down. God knows we have a long way to go with gaining back that trust and respect from the rest of the world, but I have faith that these churches and people will lead the way and i'm excited for their message the take hold, because at least as far as my knowledge in LA, while statistics show more churches closing that starting, Mosaic is adding new service after new service because of growth and nothing could make me happier. Here's to a reconciling 2014! 

Love you guys. 

But is it only happening in The Hunger Games?

This past Wednesday night I finally was able to see Catching Fire. I have read all the books in the Hunger Games trilogy, collectively being one of my all time favorite books (and Catching Fire even most specifically) so I was excited to watch. I had asked someone if they wanted to join and they were a little hesitant to respond because the whole concept of the movies is just kind of terrible...kids killing kids. Understandable, but that is kinda what the whole series is about....how terrible it and this society is. The thing that scares me though, is how far off are we as a society from what we see in the Hunger Games?

As I was watching the movie, parts of it made me mad. Not the movie itself, but the government, the people in charge, the media. I was angry that there was a (made up I know) world where these things happen. But the thing is, if you look at our society, there are a scary amount of comparisons.

You have this world where it is controlled by the capitol and the media, and they choose the things that the rest of the world can see. The media turns killings into a game for entertainment at the expense of everyone who isn't part of the elite. Maybe our media isn't exactly broadcasting killing for entertainment, but maybe it sometime is. We put everything and everyone we see on television on a pedestal. People starve themselves to look the way they see people portrayed in the media. The media thrives off of exploiting celebrities lives because people want to watch. Kids pick what is cool by what they see on a screen, and if another kid doesn't embody that, they get picked on. People commit suicide because they don't think they measure up. The media feeds us so many lies and shows us so much crap and a false representation of the world, sometimes it scares me to think we are turning into the capitol.

At the capitol they have people that are power hungry, that will do anything to get ahead/stay on top and prove their power. The government doesn't care about the people at all. They abuse them. They don't look out for their best interests. It's all about social class and inequality. They don't care that people in the districts are living in poverty while they drink drinks to make them less full so they can eat more. Please tell me our elected officials don't also try to cater to the wealthy and the ones that can give them power. Please tell me our government doesn't treat certain social classes and walks of life unequally. Certainly our government doesn't stoop so low as to hobnobbing with the wealthy to make deals to make themselves look better and keep them in control.

Listen, i'm not trying to say we live in Panem, but the idea for the books had to be drawn from somewhere, and i'm thinking it looks like an exaggerated version of the world we live in. Unfortunately we DO have people starving and living in poverty. There ARE kids being shipped off to go fight against their will. There ARE people being abused by their government. And maybe it isn't all happening in America, but it is happening. This world can be a scary place, I just hope that the media doesn't turn themselves into the Capitol, although it keeps looking more and more like that with every anorexic girl shown and every call of duty bought. We are becoming numb to death and to reality and to the things that actually matter in this life. You have people trampling over each other to get 60% off a television and it is turning quite literally into the hunger games. Here's to hoping Panem stays solely a fictional place in a book series i love.