Cameron, would you write a book?

He began writing for Rolling Stone magazine as a teenager. Today, he continues to contribute to the influential magazine. But most of all, he writes and directs movies. Although only a few, his movies have achieved great recognition as well as a handful of awards. The best one of all (in my eyes) is Almost Famous, his semi-autobiographical story of a teenage journalist for Rolling Stone magazine who goes on tour with an aspiring rock band in the 1970s. Yes, he is Cameron Crowe. This man needs to write a novel (again) and send it my way. I'm sure I'd be mesmerized by it.

My firm motto is that the book is always better than the movie. Almost Famous is by far one of my favorite films: hippies, journalism, and rock and roll. I was blissfully entertained. I could watch it over and over and never lose interest. Recently I've contemplated over Crowe's role as the writer and director of the movie. He began as a journalist and author before heading into the film industry. But as a former journalist for Rolling Stone magazine, he wrote about some of the greatest bands and artists of all time: Led Zeppelin, The Allman Brothers, Deep Purple, The Eagles, The Who, Bob Dylan, and Eric Clapton. Most of these experiences came in his teenage years alone. Almost Famous is roughly based on his time in the early 70s touring with The Allman Brothers. (In the flick, The Allman Brothers are symbolized by the fictional group Stillwater, and Crowe is portrayed as William Miller.) The movie focuses around the love, drugs, and rock and roll mentality of the hippie era. Crowe captures the experiences of youth, friendship, family, and passion (especially for music) in an intense perspective in this film.

So it got me thinking. It would certainly be a gripping novel if he wrote about his entire experiences as a teenage journalist in the 70s. Tell us all about it. Not just about The Allman Brothers, but Bob Dylan too! What was it like to interview members of one of your favorite bands of all time, Led Zeppelin? How did it feel to have Rolling Stone, Creem, and The Los Angeles Times publish your work at such a young age? What was it like to be a teen during one of the best rock decades?

Having already wrote a novel, this would not be something he isn't accustomed to. Fast Times at Ridgemont High was a book before it was put onto the big screen. So why he can't he do it again? I only question whether it would be a tough debate on which would be better. Almost Famous covers an important time in his teenage years as a journalist, but it certainly doesn't cover it all. Even if the book did dig deeper into his experiences and give readers a broader look at what happened during this period in his life, would the book be better? Being both the film writer as well as the author, could he really outshine himself? Would the pages of Crowe's potential novel really be more captivating than his cinematic artwork of Russell Hammond and Penny Lane? One can only imagine. But it would be definitely be a book I'd push to the top of my reading list.

A Britney Book?

Apparently, Britney Spears got an offer to write a book about the shenanigans her life encompasses for a whopping three million dollars! Why did she turn it down? Besides the fact that she probably can't write, she expected a larger pay out! Issues like this make me sick to my stomach. Excuse me Ms. Spears, but how much money do you make? Do you really need eight million dollars to write to the world what we've already seen all over the tabloids?

But I'm not bashing Britney. I can gladly admit that I DO like her music. (Her albums sit proudly alongside my Nirvana, The Cure, and Aerosmith albums. Weird, I know.) Her personal life, or what I've seen of it, I quite frankly don't care about. In other words, I'm not happy to see that big time book companies like Little Brown, Random House, and HarperCollins are willing to chase her like this.

Then I stop, think about it, and realize, people WILL buy her books. Just as everyone compusively buys those juicy gossip magazines, a set of books actually written from Spears' perspective would be like the Bible to them. They'll sell faster than cheap beer at a frat house.

Needless to say, it was settled. Ms. Britney Spears will be receiving ten million big ones for a three to five book series regarding the crazy, drunken road she's been down. Struggling, aspiring writers who can't get a publishing company to glance at their work will have to continue eating Easy Mac for the time being. As our economy is severely tattered, the rich are continuing to get richer. This Britney Spears' book deal further exemplifies the instance. Not to mention, that another ridiculous book will be hitting the bookshelves of Barnes and Noble and Borders within the next few years. But perhaps I'm jumping the gun. Maybe it will be worth buying a copy and taking a peek. Does the princess of pop have a few more tricks up her sleeve?

College is ruining my love for the classics...

OK, so obviously I've made it clear that I enjoy reading. I can appreciate the classics, as well as the newest fads. I'm 21 years old and yet I wouldn't mind re-reading one of Judy Blume's pre-teen classics, such as "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret." The next day I may pop open Cormac McCarthy's suspenseful novel, "No Country For Old Men," or perhaps a Stephen King thriller like "Misery." I never get tired of indulging in a romantic novel like a Nicholas Sparks one. And of course, "The Iliad" is definitely one of my favorite page turners, along with Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice." Clearly, I like a variety.

But all in all, I want to read what I want to read. Academia is great, really it is. But it's getting in the way of my reading list. I have at least 10 books floating around my head that I'd like to be reading right now. (Practical Magic, Wuthering Heights, On The Road, and Confessions of a Shopaholic are a few.) The problem? There is just not enough time. Constantly having to read yet another Shakespeare play, or another philosophical excerpt from Plato is beginning to drag on my nerves. I don't want to read them anymore! Sure, they're the classics. I should love reading them, but I don't. I feel as if there is something wrong with me for wanting to read "Practical Magic" over "Hamlet". But it's to the point where college criteria is beginning to ruin my love for the classics. Can I please have a break?

New England Weather: A Love-Hate Relationship

***Going off subject again...

Beauty of New England

As I shovel what appears to be snow, but feels like lead, I sigh and realize that Mother Nature has once again played a game of deception with New Englanders’ hearts. At this point, one could say we’re not stunned by this heartbreak and disgustingly used to it by now. Mark Twain said it perfectly, and we (New Englanders) all know it well: “If you don’t like the weather, just wait a few minutes.”

But let’s not bash New England’s weather patterns quite yet. Some of its appeals include the four seasons that grace our lands year round. There’s something for everyone, a little variety. Every year spring brings in a warm, refreshing atmosphere, new life, and a beautiful brightness after the last dreary months of winter. Summers in New England are laced with warm, humid nights, sunny days, Red Sox Nation, and most of all, a feeling of freedom. Autumn delivers cool, crisp air, an array of Mother Nature’s beautiful colors, and also a friendly reminder that winter is on its way. The infamous New England winter is always lovely at first. The freshly fallen snow gracefully falls November through Christmastime. Exciting and festive, the holiday season seems incomplete without it.

Hail...in August?!

So what is it that gives New Englanders a spinning headache? My first bet is the curse of the “Indian Summers.” It’s late October, the air has been cool, finding frost on your car every morning is assumed, and mentally you’ve been preparing for those bone chilling winter months.

Then it hits. You walk out your door one morning, and its 70 degrees outside. The sun is shining bright, and if the calendar didn’t say October 29, you’d assume it was May. As you contemplate running back inside to throw on a pair of shorts, you stop yourself.

After an ice storm, here comes the sun!

Why put yourself through the torture and fill your head with misconstrued beliefs that it will actually stay like this? Tomorrow morning you’ll wake up again, only to find your car covered in a thin layer of ice, and a chilling breeze that touches your bones.

It’s the utmost worst when you have those random spurts of warmth in the dead of winter. For example, there are those illogical days in February where one can comfortably walk outside in a T-shirt. Well, that’s just not right. Sure, our minds—that have been on hibernation mode for the past couple months—are ecstatic about it.

But when we wake up the next morning to find freshly fallen snow covering the ground again, it’s like putting our hearts through a blender. It’s sheer torment. And honestly, along with mental abuse, I’m quite sure it’s physical abuse as well. Our bodies can only take such drastic, rapid climate changes so often.

Not even 12 hours after a snowstorm, it's melting away...

Efrain Sanchez, a resident of New Hampshire, admits that he quickly gets tired of the snow abundance.

"New England weather likes to throw magic tricks. Just when you think the snow is gone and cleared out, they dump more on us," says Sanchez.

On a brighter note, our summers are fairly blissful. But I won’t sugar coat it. The humidity can be a bit excruciating sometimes. Other than that, the weather is absolutely satisfying. It’s the random torrential downpours that seem to snag on my nerves. The sun is shining bright, not a cloud in the sky, and you’re lying back on a towel at Hampton Beach.

Five minutes later, you feel the pitter patter of raindrops hitting your face. You look up to see everyone quickly gathering their belongings and bee lining it to their cars as the clouds roll in. “What the…? Where did this come from? Oh that’s right, I live in New England,” you think to yourself. Try not to blink or you may miss the tornado rolling through.

Sun? Rain? Sun?

I suppose one could say you must have a sense of humor to live in New England. You should be a fairly happy person, for there are periods of time where we go weeks without sunlight. A person, say from California, would possibly go into a straight depression if they attempted to live here January through March.

It’s probably a good idea to always carry an umbrella, shovel, and beach towel in your car at all times, because you just never know what the wind will bring in. Other than getting used to the occasional heartbreak, New England weather is relatively exciting. Eventually your body does acclimate to the severe climate shifts.

"If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere," says Sanchez.

Click here to listen to NECN reporters discuss New England's erratic weather.

Don't judge a book by it's...what?

The moralistic phrase is one that has been running through my mind frequently these past few days. Don't judge a book by it's cover. Not only does it pertain to the obvious--books--but of course, to other matters of life. For example, me. There is nothing that makes my blood boil more than stereotyping. (Well I'm sure I could name a few more things, but I won't.) Granted we all do it, we're human, it happens. But sometimes the ignorance people display through it completely baffles me.

Let's start with a few examples.

Remember that stud, Mr. Wickham? You know, the strapping, young soldier from Jane Austen's, Pride and Prejudice. He wooed all the girls right off their feet, including young Lydia Bennet. Sure he was respectable, honorable, and what not. After all, he was a militant and easy on the eyes, not to mention charming. Oh yes, but he was also a conniving, greedy little bugger as well. Under all his facade and woo, he was nothing more than a money hungry bastard. Strike one for appearances not proving accurate.

Who's next? Ah, let's discuss Mr. Edward Cullen. Yes, the one from the ever popular Twilight series. Here we have the cold skinned, blood drinking, undead vampire. The accused is supposed to hunt on the living, violently killing to feed his thirst, letting nothing stop him or get in his way. Ha! Ed is nothing more than a hopeless romantic, a vegetarian, if you will (he only drinks the blood of animals), and is madly in love with the innocent and humble Bella Swan. Strike Two!

Lastly, I'll give you a classic. Everyone knows her. The White Witch from The Chronicles of Narnia. Even her name portrays a false exterior. Not that I know much about Wicca, but a "white" witch is normally one who practices good magic. So here comes along the White Witch, zapping Turkish Delights out of her wand and luring little boys into her dark, sinister fortress as if it were an amusement park. What's beneath her snow white skin and alluring looks? Only an evil, Satanic like woman who turns innocent people and creatures into stone with a flick of her wand. OK, strike three, you're out.

So what do these appearances-not-being-all-they-seem have to do with anything? In short, I'm tired of them.

Why are people so shocked when I tell them my favorite band is Nirvana? Or why is it that I get looks of bewilderment when they hear my Jimi Hendrix ringtone? How about the fact that I'm an English major, adore books, and plan to write for a living; yet people are absolutely stunned by this. Point blank. They stereotype me. Do I have to look like Courtney Love to appreciate 90s rock? Or be a 61 year old hippie to listen to The Beatles and Janis Joplin? Must I act like a complete "geek," wear oversized glasses, and dress up in Elizabethean clothing to portray myself as an English major? I don't think so. Let's think a little outside the box, shall we?

Clearly, appearances are not all they are cracked up to be. Much like the characters in my favorite novels, I've been judged faster than a slandered woman in a Shakepspeare play. I mean, I've even been stereotyped for my boyfriend's ethnicity. (Another reason why people are mystified by my taste in music). He's Hispanic so supposedly he's only to like...what? Rap? Funny story, I'm pretty sure he likes Pearl Jam and Lynyrd Skynyrd more than me. Strike one million and one for those damn stereotypical people. I think we need to start taking a deeper look before we judge. Or as they say, and yes I will say it, don't judge a book by it's cover.

Stereotypical stereotypes