Thursday, November 17, 2011

Twilight vs. Harry Potter

    


With the premiere of the first part of the last Twilight movie upon us much too quickly, I’ve had a lot of people ask me if I’m a fan.
            I think it’s safe to assume that everyone who reads my blog now knows what a huge Potterhead I am. I love Harry Potter and will always be a dedicated fan to this series. I just can’t convert for Twilight.
            Don’t get me wrong; there is nothing inherently wrong with the Twilight series fans. These girls (I can’t think of a single guy I’ve met who is a Twi-hard) fell in love with a story about endless love, devotion, jealousy and a dash of the supernatural. Actually make that a ton of supernatural.
            I tried to read the books, made it through two successfully, and fell into the trap. I am Team Jacob, if you must know; however, the writing appalled me, the character of Bella was so angsty, I wanted to throw up, and the mix of supernatural and real world seemed asinine to me.
            I admire the dedicated fans who love the story inside and out. And almost every girl I’ve met who loves Twilight as much as I love Harry Potter is Team Edward, which might I remind you, Robert Pattinson was originally Team Potter.
            I have no room to criticize when I dress up for a series I have loved all my life.
            But there is a quote I like to refer to when thinking about the debate between Twilight and Harry Potter.
            “Harry Potter is about confronting fears, finding inner strength and doing what is right in the face of adversity. Twilight is about how important it is to have a boyfriend,” said Stephen King.
J.K. Rowling explores the process of growing up in a time of strife. She takes readers on an emotional journey of self-discovery and good vs. evil.
I’m not really sure what sort of journey Stephanie Meyers takes readers on except a painful trip inside a moody teenage girl’s mind and her inner dialogue about how hot her vampire boyfriend is. Gag me with a werewolf.
Both series are good at the core. They made kids read and fall in love with something that can teach them a few things about growing up and finding themselves.
So to all the Twi-hards out there, have a nice premiere weekend. I just can’t wait for the hype to end, and unfortunately I have to wait another whole year. 


Friday, November 4, 2011

My Globe Debut


The Head of the Charles Regatta is one of the largest rowing competitions in the world.
            I had the opportunity to not only attend the Regatta, but also to cover it as part of the media team.
            I know absolutely nothing about rowing, but jumped at the chance to be part of a real press team. I wanted to search out the story and write on deadline. I wanted to feel like a real world working journalist. And I got more than I asked for.
            I went to the Charles River on Friday and Saturday Oct. 21 and 22. I watched the boats gracefully glide through the water. I watched rowers get excited for their upcoming races. I watched a city become enamored with a great day for sports.
            I wrote two stories in one day. I interviewed an array of interesting people. I learned something new. But I think most importantly I learned that being a journalist is something I want to do with the rest of my life.
            My first story is about the naming of boats. You can read it here.
            My second story allowed me to meet a true legend, write an insightful profile and to grace the pages of The Boston Globe.
            Lynn Jennings is a world champion cross country runner and an Olympic bronze medalist in the 10,000-meter track and field event. She retired from running 11 years ago and took up rowing 5 years ago. She competed in the Grand Master Women Singles 50+ event. My professor who took all his students to cover the regatta knew that Jennings’s story was an interesting one simply because she is an Olympic athlete taking on a new sport.
            What he didn’t know was that Jennings would take third place in her race.
            I interviewed her about her transition to rowing and her life these days.
            It was exciting to interview a legend, to see someone so dedicated to one thing succeed in another thing.
            I went home after a long day at the river to an email that I had a story John Powers, the sports reporter from the Globe, didn’t have, and to look for my name in Sunday’s paper.
            So Sunday I bought the Boston Globe and looked in the sports section, something I never do, for my own name. And there it was. My name was bolded in a little blurb about Jennings.
            You can read my initial story here. And if you are interested, you can check out the blog where the team of student journalists I worked with all weekend and I published our coverage of the regatta. The blog is the official news source for the Head of the Charles Regatta.
            I’ve also included a picture of my name in the Globe.
            Who knew that the first time my name would be in the Globe would be in the sports page?