Days like these.

Rain - by Mika

Today is a mess.  A storm.  A crazy pile of never ending things to do.  But every once in a while, I get a little break.  It's like an island of calm in a sea of hectic. The lingering scent of a sweet smelling flower when you're walking by, not realizing you're in a hurry.  I really like those breaks.

After work, it's gym, home, dinner, book, sleep.  And I'm looking forward to it.

Sick Week Soup

I've been sick all week.  There is nothing like a good bowl of soup when you're sick, but earlier this week, the thought of cooking anything made me break out in a sweat.  Pres brought me soup home for a few days, but there are really only two fast to-go soups in town that I know of that I can eat.  That's the onion broth from Union Cafe (which is used in the French Onion Soup) and the Green Chile soup from Chili's (Which is extremely salty). 

After the first part of the week, my fever was gone and I couldn't eat either of those soups again.  Preston picked up some groceries for me and I made my own Chicken Noodle Soup.  Mind you, it doesn't have any chicken in it, so really it's more like Double Noodle Soup.  

I don't like the chicken in the canned chicken noodle soups.  I think I would like chicken breast, but I was not about to boil chicken breasts... that grosses me out even when I'm not sick.

Sick Week Soup

(recipe makes ALOT! so you can eat it all week while you are sick)

Ingredients:   

1 box noodles (I used Ronzoni Smart Taste - it's enriched white pasta, so it has the goodness of whole wheat pasta but tastes like regular white pasta) 

2 32 oz. cartons of free range chicken broth (veggie broth for vegan)

1 bag frozen chopped onions

1 bag frozen peas and carrots

2 onion soup dry mix packets (I use Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion recipe soup & dip mix.  No milk or eggs and no obvious meat ingredients on label)

1 tsp. pepper

3 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

32 oz. water

Add chicken broth, water, 1 soup packet, parsley, pepper and noodles to large soup pan.  Boil noodles until mostly cooked.  Add veggies.  Reduce heat.  Cook until noodles are done and onions are translucent.  Check for taste, stir in last soup packet if soup is bland.  cook for 10 more minutes on low.

When I made this, I used one carton of chicken broth and more water.  It turned out bland, so I added the second onion soup mix packet.  I amended the recipe to use 2 cartons, so it may not need the second packet.  But if you are using veggie broth instead of chicken broth, I would recommend using the two packets of onion soup.

NOTE: Chicken bouillon cubes have milk in them!  Don't use them if you have allergies or are eating a vegan diet.

You for Scuba?

WARNING: I have a rant that I have to get off my chest before we get to the pretty fish.  If you want to skip it, just scroll down.

There is something I have noticed about scuba diving on vacations.  The fish are pretty; the people are weird.  It's not the dive masters; it's the other vacationers.  Yes, I realize that makes me weird by proxy, but I think I must be the exception that proves the rule, otherwise I wouldn't realize their weirdness. Or maybe I'm a fish, and not a diver.  

I did two 2 tank dives on this trip, one at Tunnels Beach on the North shore and the other at Koloa Landing on the South Shore.  At both of these dives, I was the most experienced diver.  That's never happened before!  The first couple I dove with at Koloa Landing (I'm going to refer to them as the Stupids) was from San Franscisco and had not been diving in 2 years, although they had brand new BCDs (they vest-like things that attach to tanks) that they had never used before. The dive master spent 30 minutes figuring out how to attach tanks to their BCDs while they sat and watched him and didn't even offer to help.  When the dive master asked if we had been diving "here" before, I said, "well, I think I've been here before, but I'm not sure."  But when he said here, he meant Kauai in general and I meant "this place we are diving today right now."  The Stupids then laughed at me and said that it must have not been very memorable if I don't remember.  I let that sit for a little while and ended up correcting them later when they were telling me about their last dive trip in Maui, 2 years ago.  I explained that although I believe I did dive in this same location within the last 4 years, I couldn't remember during which of the 4 trips that dive took place.... VINDICATED.  Also, when we were getting in the water, the woman was saying that it would take her a while to get down to the bottom because she had to get over her water anxiety.  Neither of them used the lead rope to guide them down, so it took them a good 10 minutes to get down 30 feet.  During the whole first dive, every time I checked on them, they looked like they were bickering, if you can even do that under water.  Then, during the break, the woman said that what she really wanted to do was a cage dive with great white sharks.  How you gonna do that, Mrs. Stupid, if you're scared of open water?

There was only one other diver in my dive group at Tunnels Beach.  She was a lawyer from LA that had not been diving in 3 years, when she got certified on a cruise.  She also didn't realize that this dive took place in lava tubes, which are underwater tunnels... even though the beach is called Tunnels Beach and is in every guide book about Kauai ever made.  It's not the same as cave diving because there are always multiple entrances and cracks that allow light into the tunnels rather than one entrance and darkness.  She talked a big game.  When we got down on the floor, she was right behind the guide, which is fine, I don't have to be first in line, except that she was kicking up sand in my face so I couldn't see anything.  And when you get in the tubes, you have to maneuver by pushing off the rocks with your hands so you don't kick up sand in small places and ruin visibility - I had asked about this before the dive for her benefit because I remember I did this last year, thinking I couldn't touch the rocks.  So I got in front of her; I didn't want sand in my face for an hour.  I think that contributed to her subsequent freak out right before we went into the first tunnel, which was the equivalent of running around a tree that was really close to a wall.  She said she was hyperventilating and surfaced after 15 minutes.  Really?  But you talked such a big game!  Then she said she wanted to continue diving, but didn't want to go into the tubes... which is where most of the cool stuff is and basically the point of this dive.  Thanks for being so considerate, Big Game.  So the dive master, who was trying to make the dive more interesting, kept picking up dead crustaceans, lobsters, crabs, etc. to show her because there were not a bunch of cool things to look at on the OUTSIDE of the caves (and he was a little weird too.)  He would hand her the dead thing and she would take it and look at it like it was a treasure and try to hand it to me.  I was like, "No, thanks, I'm gonna go look at those fish."  Also, I didn't feel extra safe on this dive because the dive master had to give Big Game so much attention; I was an afterthought.  I guess he had confidence in my ability though, because he let me go through the tubes alone while they went around to the other side and waited for me, which was a little scary but exciting at the same time.  On the second dive, there is a spot known at the turtle Cleaning Station, it is really neat to see because you are nearing the end of the dive and you are on the ocean floor, then you start to go up a bit because you get to a large lava formation, like a big rock.  When you get to the top of this rock, which is about 15 feet under water, there are turtles hovering above it, letting the fish clean them.  And it kind of switches from dark to light, with sunlight shinning down on the turtles.  In memory, it feels like slow motion, almost like you are the sun and you are rising over the lava rock like it is earth, seeing a little bit at a time.  It is I think the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.  There were two turtles there this time, one was about 15 years old, small, and then a larger one.  They were awesome to look at.  But when you see turtles, you look, make a mental picture and go on to the next thing because you don't want to freak them out.  The dive master and I were on our way to the next thing when we realized Big Game swam right up in between the turtles and scared one off, but the little one was still there.  He was kind of floating with her for a few minutes, which I admit must have been cool.  But she was not floating.  She was sloppily standing on top of the rock, letting her fins hit around on coral and the other critters that were there.  That's a big bad in diving.  If you accidentally tap coral, it is the equivalent of Godzilla's tromp on the city (Yes, Preston, there is only one Godzilla - this is an ongoing argument).  I think Big Game may have been the most stupid person I ever met.  To top it off, she was vomiting when we surfaced and splashing it around.  I just swam off a little bit because I didn't want to get vomited on, but the dive master had to stay and help her because it is his job.  He was giving me this look like, "This is so gross, I want to swim away too."  Then Big Game said, "I made fish food!"  Thanks, Big Game.  Thanks so much.

The Pretty Fish Part starts here!!

 There are lots of pretty fish in Kauai.  And some endemic species too.  I don't take my own underwater pictures, although I would like too.  But I think it is really hard to capture how beautiful it is underwater sometimes, and while you are busy trying to take a picture that wont satisfy you, you miss really beautiful stuff. I have found some images from other websites of some of the fish I saw on these dives.  All of the fish and underwater creatures here were pretty, but these fish are kind of unique in that I haven't seen some of them before. The links to the other websites are underneath the pictures. I did not take these pictures!!

On another note, I have gotten to a point in my dive "career" where I want to see sharks.  Before, I was adamant that I did not ever want to be in the water with sharks until I was in the water, then I really wanted to see one.  I don't want to go looking for sharks on a shark dive or anything, but I would like to happen upon one, a white tip reef shark specifically because their mouths can not unhinge and therefore it is harder for them to bite you, and you can pet them.  I don't really want to happen upon any other type of shark.  But alas, I did not see any.  The two best things I saw were the turtles are the silver schooling fish (the first and last pictures), so if you are sick of ready this super long post already, just read those two captions and look at the other pretty pictures... that I didn't take.

This is a guide to the different types of fish found in Kauai.  

I saw many of them. Click here for image website 

I saw two turtles on each dive.  The turtles at Tunnels were beautiful and healthy, while one of the turtles at Koloa Landing had growths on him and fishing line wrapped around him.  That was very sad to see, considering how majestic these turtles regularly are.  The dive master on that dive told us that they would actually put turtles down when they get growths like that because it disables them.  (This part is copied from the above rant, just in case you skipped the rant) On the second dive, there is a spot known at the turtle Cleaning Station, it is really neat to see because you are nearing the end of the dive and you are on the ocean floor, then you start to go up a bit because you get to a large lava formation, like a big rock.  When you get to the top of this rock, which is about 15 feet under water, there are turtles hovering above it, letting the fish clean them.  And it kind of switches from dark to light, with sunlight shinning down on the turtles.  In memory, it feels like slow motion, almost like you are the sun and you are rising over the lava rock like it is earth, seeing a little bit at a time.  It is I think the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.  There were two turtles there this time, one was about 15 years old, small, and then a larger one.  They were awesome to look at.  (click to see image website)

I don't remember ever seeing a parrotfish before (top, click to see image website).  It reminds me of the fish in a children's book, Rainbow Fish.  they look like they are smiling.  I saw this fish while Big Game and the dive master were looking at uncool dead things.  She (I know it was a she because she was purple; boys are blue) was swimming around with a yellowish horned fish, but I can't remember exactly what it looked like, so I couldn't identify it.  It may have been a filefish or a triggerfish, but I think it was a Shy Filefish, which is an endemic species (above, click to see image website).

Not much to say about these guys.  They rock.  In case you don't know, this is how eels breath... the eel in this pic is breathing, not trying to bite the photographer. White mouth Moray Eel (Click for image website - lots of awesome pics at this one!)

This guy is really rare!  They move around alot.  The dive guide said the only place they ever stay long enough to photograph is at Koloa Landing, where we dove, and that if you see a pic of one, it was probably taken there.  I don't know if that is true, but it sounds cool.  Dragon Eel (Click for image website)

Pres and I saw this guy while we were snorkeling too.  They are all over the place.  Endemic species and very pretty when there are a lot of them.  Saddleback Warssle (click for image website)

Nudibranch (pronounced Nudie-branch) means basicly "naked lungs" ... or sea slug.  This is not the nudibranch that I saw on my dive; I couldn't find a picture that resembled it.  It was yellow and small, and really rare and I believe endemic, but google doesn't know about it I guess. (see image website)

I don't think this is the fish I saw, but they look like the ones in this picture.  The ones I saw are called something similar to Akelee, but google doesn't know that word either.  They swim in schools, thousands, and they just shimmer.  Last time I dove at Koloa, I saw them but didn't know what they were.  They surrounded me and swam around me; it was like I was in a living cylinder of sliver.  They don't seem spectacular, but they are in a big school.  On this dive, they swam past us really fast, in mass.  Again, thousands of them.  When they swim by fast like that, it means something is chasing them.  Not a shark or anything, just a bigger fish, like a Wahoo or something (the google images of Whaoo are mostly of dead fish because it is popular to eat and catch, so you can google that because I am not posting dead things on here).  They did this twice, the first time we didn't see what was chasing them.  The second time we did, 5 larger fish swimming after a school of thousands.  It was so cool.  But nothing will ever beat the Cylinder of Silver.  If I ever become a super hero, that is what I'm going to call my fortress. (see image website)

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Another very well said thing.

I like holes in my pants.  I like the little almost-holes that just make the jean material look somewhat lighter in one spot, or a few spots.  I do not like the big holes, the strategically placed holes that display what color underpants you're wearing or the ones that reveal parts of your body that I would rather remain covered.

That's just me. And old people.  But I think dressing nicely is a valid concept rather than just one of the many cliches we've heard over and over - "Dress the part." "Dress to impress."  "Pull up your pants!"

But because people rely on these cliches to convey their opinions, no one really seems to get the point.  Yesterday, Jerret, one of the students I work with, said it perfectly when he was talking about one of his groups that presented at a competition last year.

The other members of his group wanted to wear jeans and a polo shirt during the presentation.  They didn't want to wear suits at all.  After some deliberation, Jerret asked if anyone knew what the previous winners of the competition wore during their presentation.

They wore suits.

Jerret then asked, in all of his infinite wisdom, "So why are trying to avoid wearing what the winners wear?"

Said in a way that makes sense.    

Now this is more like it...

I'm playing at the Princeville Makai Golf Club today and Katie is off diving again. I love this course. It has been completely remodeled in the last year and it's amazing.




Until next tume, Pres

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Location:Emmalani Dr,Princeville,United States

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We're Still Here

Hello world. We have fallen behind on our post because we are having too much fun. Today we drove out to Kee beach at the end of the road on the North shore or the island. We snorkeled there and at another beach on the way home. Katie and I saw some neat fish and even a turtle (we only saw the turtle from the beach). After lunch and a short nap we caught our second sunset in as many days from the beach at Hanalei Bay then it was off for our nightly bike ride to dinner.










Until next time, Pres

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Location:Pilikoa St,Princeville,United States

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Dad Bridges

It seem like when I was little, my dad would always stop and take pictures of bridges.  For a very long time.  I think it had to with his thesis or something.  Dad, since we are in Hawaii and you are in Russia with the spies and the vodka and the coldness, we are taking the bridge pictures for you.  Although, you probably have pictures of all of these bridges in a scrapbook somewhere.

The "One Lane" bridge to Hanalei.  This bridge crosses Hanalei River.  Only one car can cross at a time, so little lines of cars form on each side, waiting until it's their turn to cross.  As you can see, local courtesy is 5-7 cars.  When you cross, you wave to the person on the other side and move on to the rest of your day.  It's not a bad place to wait in traffic, is it?

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Art Happens

There is art everywhere in Kauai.  Art for sale, paintings on the walls of eating establishments, business signs.  It's right in front of you, calling you in and asking you to relax and look at it for a little while.  And then there is the random art that most people overlook.  This is my favorite kind.

A lasso holder at the Princeville Ranch

Wooden postcards at Princeville Ranch gift shop.  Postage is 75 cents.

Papaya sign at Big Save grocery in Hanalei town.  

Who knows what Papaya stands for??

No Smoking on the lanai at The Wake Up Cafe

Impromptu art on the bulletin board at Java Kai

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First Golf Day

Playing golf at Kaihuna Golf Club while Katie is diving near by. Real slow going....

But it's golf in Hawaii so who can complain.

Pres

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Location:Poipu,United States

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Horse backs and fanny packs

Horse at Anini Beach pastures.

Before we got to our bungalow on Monday afternoon, we drove down to Anini Beach, which is where our family stayed last year.  The are pastures across the street from the beach and after seeing the horses in those pastures, I was even more excited for our horseback ride.

WIld orchids growing around a palm tree outside the Princeville Ranch gift shop.

A lazy palamino cat (or miniture Hawaiian lion, however you choose to approach that) lounging on a picnic table.  Preston wanted to pet him but he pawed at Preston's hand and moved out of petting distance.

Yes, I wore a fanny pack.  And yes, I did take every opportunity to say, "You can put that in my fanny pack."  It wasn't as dorky though because I wore it to the side like the cool kids do.  You can see this in the photo.

For my birthday, Preston purchased a private guided horse back rise for two hours.  We checked in with Princeville Ranch before heading over to a pasture where our horses were waiting for us in the shade.  The one in front is named Wykoko and the one to the back is Bear Bear.

Preston on a horse.  He was a really good sport.  He even cantered.  

I dont remember this horses name, but I am going to call him "Grey Pony."

At the top of the hill, over looking the ocean and the mountain range.

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Did you rob a monkey?

Remember how I said I ended up with three bananas on the plane over to Kauai?  Well, before I realized that was all I was going to get to eat, I kept offering Preston one because he was hungry.  He finally said, "Where did you get so many bananas?  Did you rob a monkey?"  I didn't, but I did copy this post from Katie's Plate because I wanted to make sure everyone got a chance to read about the banana frosties at Banana Joe's.

    

Matt’s girlfriend Rachel is from Kapa’a Town in Kauai, a town we drive through to get to Hanalei.  

That's Rachel.

She gave us some food tips, one of which was the banana frosty at Banana Joe’s. 

Banana Joe’s is a little produce and smoothie “shack” on the side of the road.  They serve juice and smoothies and carry fresh fruit and breads, but we couldn’t stop without ordering the banana frosties that Rachel recommended.  The woman at the counter replied, “Now that is more like ice cream that a smoothie.  You eat it with a spoon.” 

 

Not a problem.

 

You may be thinking, “Now Katie, would that have milk in it?”  It doesn’t!  The frosty is made with only frozen apple bananas (the small local bananas they grow locally).  In fact, 1 frosty is about 3 apple bananas, or 80 to 100 calories.  And it tastes very much like ice cream and lake house weekends.

 

They make these frosties with a Champion Juicer.  I don’t know what a champion juicer is or how much it costs, but I think I want one.

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Our First Day at Hanalei Bay and My First Post

Our first of many afternoons at Hanalei Bay Beach was filled with a mix of sun followed by several short rain showers. Despite the weather issues, we had fun and the best part is it only took 2 minutes to walk back to our place.

Until next time, Pres

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On the way to Hanalei

We just landed in Kauai. Preston went to get the rental jeep (cuz that’s how we roll) and I am waiting with the bags, sitting across from a row of trees covered in coral blossoms. They look like giant bougan villas. Their skinny branches and leaves are dancing in the same wind that keeps blowing my hair in my face. The airport music is the traditional Hawaiian melody, and if I look to my right, I can see the straight deep blue edge of the ocean on the horizon.

Yesterday was a great beach day. Matt, Kate, Preston and I packed up our towels, iPods and grilling goods and headed to Kailua Bay around 11. Pres and Matt were dropping us off with the stuff so we wouldn’t have to carry it all so far when Kate and I saw an abandoned shopping cart on the side of the road. We knew we had a little way to walk along a street before we got to sand, so at the embarrassment of Preston and Matt, we turned it over, brushed it off and loaded a good amount of our stuff along with the grill into the cart. Magical! We parked it when we got to the sand, leaving it for the next person that had too much stuff to carry.

The day before, we had scouted out this beach and decided to get there early and snag one of the shady spots under a tree. We walked up just in time, claiming our spot shortly before another group of people that were eying our shade spot. Somehow, I still managed to get a sunburn, which is not a normal occurrence. It will probably be gone tomorrow, but for now, the 1/8 American Indian in me is sitting right on the surface.

Throughout the day, more and more people began to join our group. We hung out on the beach, grilled burgers and hot dogs, jumped the waves and enjoyed several fruity beverages. Preston and Matt insisted on listening to Texas Country music, so much so that I even got sick of it. As the sun started to set, the beach became more and more freckled with people gathering to watch the fireworks show. They shot fireworks over the ocean off a boat in the bay. It was hard for me not to say, “That was my favorite one!,” or, “Oh, I like the sparkly ones!”

We packed up this morning and said goodbye. I have to give props to the inter-island terminal… the restaurant there amended their breakfast burrito to include only ham and veggies, served with salsa, jalapenos and fresh avocado. I don’t know what’s with ESPN and eating contests… they were showing highlights from the 2010 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest that we saw yesterday morning.

So from the airport, it probably takes about an hour to get to Hanalei. We have heard talk of a place that serves a frozen banana treat along the way… maybe that will show up on Katie’s Plate.

Kate, Matt's sister, took all of the 4th of July pictures with her fancy pants camera. As I have invited her to write a post for this blog, hopefully she will post some for you. If not, I will update with pictures as soon as I can.

That's Kate.

Matt got me Coco Loco Pina Colada mix, which is milk free! 

Oh, and I forgot a hair dryer, so I've been drying my hair 

with a large oscillating fan. Can you tell?

Preston and Matt on Matt's lanai (balcony).

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During the early morning escapades

Coffee for Royalty at the Beach City Grill.

And by escapades, I mean Pres and I woke up before everyone else in Matt's apartment and rather than wake the seven other people up with our "vacation mentalities," we left to explore and consume on our own.  We found the Beach City Grill, a bar/breakfast place that Pres remembered from his last visit.  We were a few minutes early, so we took a drive around town, during which I realized that there is some kind of organized running race taking place today.  I wanted to go find the start of the race and see what was going on, maybe stop and cheer for some people(yes, I realize that sounds dorky), but then I remembered that we are on vacation in Hawaii and there are better things to do!  Back at the Beach City Grill, we got in some good breakfasting time while watching on TV the 2010 Nathan's hotdog eating contest.  Thankfully, my back was to the TV.

Getting to Oahu was an adventure; I always forget how draining that day of travel is for us.  Especially with my allergies; airplane food is not conducive to a no egg/dairy diet.  I think the cart lady gave me like three bananas, two packets of baby carrots and several servings of juice(to go with my vodka!) on the plane.  So when we landed, I got to the nearest hamburger and quickly remedied the problem.

We are staying with our friend Matt in Oahu for the 4th of July before we head over to Kauai tomorrow.

That's Matt.

I highly recommend staying with friends at vacation destinations.  Everything is already there, the place to stay, the friends, the fun plans.  You don't have to try to meet people and make "couple dates" or go to an organized party with the "fanny pack people."  Not that we would do that anyway... but there is this awesome feeling of being air-dropped into a party and all you have to bring is the fun (yes, I realize that was dorky too).  Also, I feel almost like a local walking around here.  Or maybe I don't feel like the locals are looking at me and thinking "stupid tourist, get off my island." My favorite part of this morning was the Thank You I got from the Hawaiian lady at the grocery store checkout counter after I bagged our own groceries.  Sometimes, it's a good feeling not to be doted upon.  (Don't quote me on that though!)  

Last night, we went to "The Pub" with Matt, Kate (Matt's sister that is also visiting), Rachel (Matt's girlfriend) and one of Rachel's friends.  I have no idea if "The Pub" is the real name of this place, but that's what Matt calls it.  It's his place, not that he owns it, but he goes there a lot.  Of course it was and Irish Pub.  Somehow we always find one of those no matter where we are.  Excellent burgers, excellent company.  Back at Matt's apartment, Preston and I realized that we had been up and going for 24 hours.  24 HOURS!  When we said that out loud, it was like my body said "Oh.  Okay.  I've done my job for the day.  I think I'll shut down now."

That's Me.

The first thing we did after we got to Matt's Apartment was head over to Kailua beach. This is where we will spend the 4th of July, hopefully underneath the little shade tree, with some good company, good grilled food and good beer.  We are looking forward to so much on this trip!  And the best part is that I already have the "island mentality" which usually shows up around day four of a beach trip.  

Good times ahead.

Location:Kailua Rd,Kailua,United States

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It's time!

We leave for Hawaii soon.  Check out our trip blog for updates!
Hanalei Happenings

And don't even think about robbing our house; we have people watching it.

The art of reading

image from http://www.oliverray.ca/girl_reading.htm

When I was  little, I knew exactly what I wanted, bookwise.  Christopher Pike, and sometimes R.L. Stine, but not the Goosebumps series because I didn't like the TV series based on the books.  Add in a few others from that same shelf in the bookstore, like The Face on the Milk Carton, and Tomorrow, When the War Began, and you have my elementary school reading career.  Vampires.  Witches.  Kidnapping.  Etc.  

I always question the argument that some books are too inappropriate for kids to read.  I do realize that I probably shouldn't have read Sleepers in the seventh grade, but I don't think kids are going crazy because they read Harry Potter or the Twilight Series.  Sorcerers and Vampires are nothing compared to the demon possessed Fear Street cheerleaders or the murderers that Christopher Pike invented, both of which have the potential to be very real... but really, I spent days reading those types of books and I turned out okay.  

As an adult, reading feels a little more tricky.  Is it okay to read my beloved horror/suspense books, or would that make me an unsophisticated reader?  I can't just re-read the books I grew up reading, so what else is out there?  I'm the one paying for books now, so have I wasted my money if I don't finish a book (Well, actually, I consider this a sunk cost, but that is a different post)?   And it takes forever to just pick one out; just because the cover is neat doesn't mean the book is good.  I have personally fallen into the trap of finding one good author and reading all of their books before I move on to something else.      

So when I saw the "best books of the summer" list on the cover of this month's O magazine, I picked it up fast, never mind the little voice at the back of my mind that kept whispering "old people magazine, old people magazine..."  Maybe Oprah had the answer.  I flipped through the pages, expecting to find paragraphs and charts that would tell me what books to read depending on my demographic status (ie: Books for your 20's!) but instead I found O's Declaration of Reader Independance.  It debunked the little man, sitting in the old dusty room, writing all those book rules that I thought I had to follow.  I hope it is as freeing for you as it was for me.

O's Declaration of Reader Independence
With thousands of books landing in stores every year, it's all too easy to go with the flow and let group-think choose what you'll read and treasure next. But here's one thing about reading: It's very personal (at least if you're doing it right!). In other words, there are no rules beyond the ones you care to make—and choose to follow. With that in mind (and with July Fourth upon us), we propose that you declare your independence from common wisdom, lore, and the opinions of others, and that you hold as self-evident your right to:

1. Not finish a book, whether you've read to page 10, 50, or 250. (But if it's Ulysses, you get points just for getting past page 1.)

2. See the movie first—especially if you've heard the book is kind of lousy; the movie just has to be better. 

3. Read two books at once—and occasionally get the plots mixed up.

4. Reread a childhood favorite. But be forewarned: Charlotte still dies. 

5. Judge a book by its cover. Or its title. We defy you, for example, not to pick up Mary Roach's Bonk,which, um, scores on both counts.

6. Wish that Cormac McCarthy would use a little punctuation now and then. 

7. Be miffed if your friend doesn't like a book you recommend. On the other hand, you have our permission to be miffed if she gets miffed when you don't like the one she recommends to you. 

8. Ignore memoirs by people who have barely cracked their 30s. 

9. Declare yourself unmoved by the existential struggles of vampires, zombies (even those in league with Jane Austen), talking dogs, or what we worry is the next trend: scary-smart monkeys.

10. Believe that books can be magic carpets to enchanted lands, even while realizing that they're inanimate objects made of ink and paper. (Unless they're e-books. And it's okay to love those, too.)