For some people, the best spring break takes place in New Orleans, Florida or some overpriced resort town in the Yucatan. For me, it was right here in our fair city of Carbondale.

Nothing beats going to bed at 5 a.m. and waking up 3 p.m., only to start the whole routine over again every day until the end of the break. We experienced some mighty fine porch-ing weather, and my friends and I took full advantage of it.

While many of you were engulfed in trance music and hot, steamy nightclubs, my crew was listening to its own version of trance music - Black Sabbath. That's right, I have a crew, and I listen to Sabbath. I don't worship Satan or guzzle down the blood of virgin squirrels, though. Sorry if I disappoint some of you, particularly you, mom.

I have to admit, though, the "lay" factor is greatly increased when one ventures into such a situation as the main hotpots, whereas the "lay" factor greatly diminishes when one stays behind in Carbondale. None of that really matters though. What we may have lacked in "lay" factor, we more than compensated for in mindless acts of tomfoolery.

Sunday night was nothing other than a day to recuperate from the rigors of the previous week. Although I did spend most of the day sleeping, I got up just in time to watch the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame Induction 2003 on VH1. This year's inductees were rather impressive, and the event presented the landmark reunion performance of The Police.

The Police, Elvis Costello, The Clash, AC/DC and The Righteous Brothers were among this year's inductees. All groups performed with the exception of The Clash, due to lead singer Joe Strummer's death late last year.

I personally don't put much stock in this or any other cable network special that declares what bands, albums or songs were the greatest of all time, or in a particular era. I'm not saying that AC/DC, The Clash, The Police, etc. don't deserve this award. My main point is that none of these shows have any bearing on what impact they've had on the world.

Although these artists do deserve recognition of this level, they are essentially given the awards by record company executives, "popular music critics," music historians and industry insiders. There are no ballots produced for public vote or any opportunity for online Internet participation. A lot of the reasoning behind the induction ceremonies is to give major record labels the opportunity to revamp some of their older catalog. It's about marketability.

Having U2's The Edge introduce The Clash, Elton John and Billy Joel introduce Elvis Costello and The Righteous Brothers, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler introduce AC/DC and No Doubt's Gwen Stefani introduce The Police is just another opportunity to give all of these performers greater exposure to different audiences.

Joel and John happen to be on tour this spring. Aerosmith is always touring and recording, and Stefani's band is in dire need of some media boost to even be considered a musical contender. It's a corporate ploy via the television medium.