Your reading area should be free from distractions. Turn off the television, music, internet, phone, anything that has the potential to sidetrack your reading. You should also be comfortable, otherwise, you'll focus on being hungry, too hot, too cold, basically anything other than your book. Do be careful of getting too cozy though. Make sure you can stay awake and pay attention to your reading material. This is especially important if you choose to read in bed before going to sleep. It can be anything from a favorite mystery or a textbook. Do choose something in line with your reading goals. For example, if you have trouble finishing a book for pleasure, pick something you're really interested in reading. Don't find something that probably won't hold your interest. Likewise, if you want to be able to quickly read and glean information for school, you should choose something academic. These can be large goals with smaller steps or a simple to-do list you'd like to accomplish. Either way, writing down your goals makes you focus on what you'd like to accomplish and how you can get there. Examples of achievable goals include: reading an entire book by a certain date, paying attention to a whole chapter and being able to recall the information, reading through a book for the main argument, reading a certain number of minutes every night, reading a certain number of pages every day, and reading through a book in less time. Goals are highly individualized and completely determined by you. Your goals should encourage you to continue practicing.

Summary: Consider your environment. Select a book. Set obtainable goals.

For the best root yield, plant chicory after the last day in March, and before mid-May. Collect the roots between September 1st and November 15th. Use a hand trowel gently, as needed, to coax the root out of the ground, without nicking or bruising it. The roots may be as deep as two feet (61 cm) in the ground. Roots have crowns five to seven inches (13 to 18 cm) in diameter, and tapered taproots. The usable portion of each root is about nine to ten inches (23 to 25 cm). If you don't want the tops of the plants, they can be added to a compost pile. Clip the tops off at two inches (five centimeters) above the roots. Store them in a humid location at 35 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit (2 to 4 degrees Celsius) for up to three months. Scrub the roots with a plastic-bristled brush. Chop them into pieces on a cutting board with a sharp, heavy knife. You can also grind them with a strong grinder. Then use them for roasting and/or brewing. After the first frost, dig out roots that have a top diameter of at least 1.5-2 inches (3.8 to 5 cm). Dig them up carefully so that you don't bruise them, which may lead to rot. Leave the leaves intact. Place the roots side by side in a garden, covered with straw, or in boxes of sand in a cool, dark, frost-free place until needed. "Forcing" vegetables is when you move them to an artificial growing environment, such as a greenhouse, to produce a harvest outside of the normal growing season. Chicory roots should never be frozen, since freezing temperatures change the chemical makeup of the roots.

Summary: Harvest roots from fall through spring. Grab the whole plant and pull slowly upwards. Store the roots. Clean the roots before use. Harvest roots in autumn if you want to "force" them.

Set the glass on small plates so you can catch the overflow from the fizz. Pour the soda slowly to keep it from overflowing. For best results, start with chilled soda. You can also chill your glass by setting it in the freezer for about 10 minutes beforehand. Pouring the soda first and then adding the ice cream will result in a small amount of foam. If you prefer a float with more foam, add the ice cream to the cup before the soda. Slowly add one scoop of vanilla ice cream into each glass. If you have more room, and you prefer more ice cream, add another scoop. For best results, make sure your ice cream is very cold. If it gets too hard to scoop, you can leave it on the counter for a few minutes to soften. If the ice cream sticks, use a spoon to push it off the scooper into the cup. Drizzle a small amount of cola on top of the ice cream. This will turn to foam. Keep pouring until your glass is full. Tilt your glass slightly and pour the cola slowly to reduce foam. Fill your cup until the coke is just higher than the ice cream. Let your float sit a while. Give it about 5-10 minutes for the ice cream to melt but not too long, or it won't be cold enough. Stir until it reaches a consistency somewhere between "ice cream soup" and a milkshake. Add cola to thin it or ice cream to thicken it as you desire. Dip a spoon in your cup and top it off with a straw. Eat your float slowly, starting with the cold frozen foam on top, scooping ice cream and cola together with your spoon. Use the straw to sip the remainder of creamy cola left in the glass.
Summary: Fill a glass 3/4 with cola. Add the ice cream. Top off your float. Mix it up (optional). Serve.