Thursday, October 13, 2005

Movies, Misery, and My Health

With every change of the season, I make a list of goals. I suppose this could be viewed as highly anal-retentive... but the sad fact is that I haven't a prayer of keeping any sort of sweeping New Year's Resolution, and so I look at taking baby steps every season. Autumn Ambitions for this year include a) posting on the blog each week, and b) sending some installment of Jessi and Jude to my estimable critique partner each week. Well, (a) is obviously taken care of here, but (b) is getting a little sticky. My grad school workload just picked up with a vengeance, coinciding quite horribly with the Headcold from Hell. Super bonus: I got to attend my womanly appointment with said cold.

I don't know if you've ever gone to Planned Parenthood for any reason. I will say, I am grateful for them. Without PP, women without health insurance would be utterly screwed. Having said that, however, I am so tired of leaving my annual appointment convinced that I have a fatal disease. This year, I was told that I 1) have borderline high blood pressure 2) may be developing a goiter and 3) might have breast cancer. I'm not kidding. I asked if the fact that I was sick (and high on Day Quil) might make my blood pressure fluctuate. And could my "swollen thyroid" actually be my tortured lymph nodes? No, no, no... being sick wouldn't change my body at all. (Huh?) "Because you are 25, you are probably developing all sorts of conditions that you never had before... conditions which will kill you if you're not careful... so have a nice day and pick up your birth control pills at the window!"

Ugh.

So as you can imagine, it's been a fun week. Gloom, doom, and lesson-plan rewrites because my professors want to give us as much busy-work as possible. Grr. My verbal brain is in stress-management overload, and Jessi and Jude are suffering as a result. Happily, however, my visual brain is unplagued. And so, in honor of the flitgirl's finished first draft, I ask:

When The Wedding Widow is inevitably turned into a top-grossing romantic movie, who should be cast in each part? (Feel free to also post and assure poor Kate D. that she isn't dying.)

6 comments:

Kate Diamond said...

I think I should be hired as casting director. For Peter, we will take no less than Paul Bettany:

http://www.paulbettany.net/

Perhaps Susannah Harker for Calla? (She played Jane Bennet in the A&E Pride and Prejudice.)

Anneliese Kelly said...

Oh, Kate! How utterly distressing. I'm so sorry that you had to go through with this. You finish your program at the end of this semester, right? Soon, soon!

I love your Paul Bettany suggestion. I've actually been picturing him somewhat as Peter myself since you first mentioned that. but not Susannah Harker. Calla's face is rounder than hers. She looks something like Maggie Grace from lost, but less blankly pretty.

Kate Diamond said...

Yes, I was iffy on Susannah Parker as well... finding a female actress is difficult! I feel like the actress should be British and blonde and elegant, but not all thin like Kristin Scott Thomas. Hm...

Ms. Alberts said...

Blegh. Feel better! Grad school and writing musicals don't mix well, either, but I just had vacation and started two new songs.atience. It'll come.

Anonymous said...

You are so not dying. Don't let them stress you out.


As for movies, can I suggest the obvious? Colin Firth. Don't know who Paul Bettany is, but I definitely recommend Colin Firth.

Kate Diamond said...

See, I think Colin Firth is a little too inscrutable for Peter... he's supposed to have a bit more obvious, well, pep.

Paul Bettany was Chaucer in "A Knight's Tale," the British friend in "Beautiful Mind" and all adorable as the lead in "Wimbledon."