Never one to follow trends, I have instead made it my mission in life to run away screaming in the opposite direction of them. This “do the opposite” philosophy has served me well in most instances (the Macarena, John Travolta movies, Mambo #5, Reality TV) and not so well in others (not drinking 8 glasses of water per day, not looking both ways before crossing the street, wearing white after Labor Day).

The big trend of recent years I have avoided like the plague is the Harry Potter phenomenon. Mind you, I have nothing against the lad or anyone who enjoys his adventures. It’s just that I have never seen a single Potter movie or read a single Potter book, and I have considered my lack of knowledge in this area to be a badge of honor in some strange way.

However, now that it has been ten years since the first Harry Potter novel (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone) was released, I have decided it is safe to break my ban. Over the next week, I will read The Sorcerer’s Stone. Will I like the book? It’s possible. People rave about it. And maybe doing this will convince me to break another long-standing ban of mine about to come up on it’s 10 year anniversary: the movie Titanic.

Nah, I don’t think I’m quite ready for that one.