Magazines

I only subscribe to one magazine at a time right now, because otherwise my curiousity would bury me under a pile of magazines every month. I try different ones from year to year, just to see what all is out there. I’m currently subscribed to Atlantic Monthly, as a result of William Langewiesche’s interview on Fresh Air. I also had read a few Atlantic Monthly articles on-line and that was so tedious that I gave up and bought the subscription.

As an aside, the Atlantic Monthly seems a little too, uh, Atlantic for my tastes. I suppose this is what it feels like to New York residents to read Salon. I suppose it would do me some good to learn to appreciate my fellow Americans, even if they do live on the wrong ocean, and are all stuffy.

OK, the one magazine rule is not strictly enforced. Magazines that come as part of professional organizations don’t count against the one magazine rule. But they are pretty boring, so they don’t take much time to get annoyed with and toss. And my grandfather subscribes me to American Inventor or something. It has got nifty info in it, but it’s kind of strange reading a magazine with only one advertiser (GM). You always sort of get the feeling that perhaps the editors has sacrificed just a tad too much editorial independence.

And then there’s my Subaru car owner’s magazine, which I just love getting. I allow myself to be suckered completely by marketing from time to time, and the nice people at Subaru have me, hook line and sinker. (News flash: I paid off my car this month! Yippee!)

So the whole point of this posting was to remind myself, if I happen to reread it later, that Mental Floss looks like an interesting magazine to try out next year.