Magazine madness.

I was too restless to read this weekend, so imagine my disappointment when not much was on TV other than "March Madness"--the beginning of the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

I have always been a bit stymied by the popularity of this tournament. I never knew that many people watched or cared about college basketball; I don't mind watching the last minute or so of close games, but other than that, who cares? Then Mr. CR explained that lots of people have lots of money riding on the tournament in lots of ways, and that made it more clear.

Anyway, Mr. CR IS a fan, so that's what was on our TV. To block it out I turned to a different sort of reading than I normally do: magazines! I went crazy with them, because they're nice to read if you just want to read a bit here and there. Mr. CR had just been to the library, so he had Kiplinger's and Wired sitting around, and my sister bought us a subscription to New York magazine, and we had a pile of Economists recycled from the same sister. Throw in the Sunday paper and I was pretty much set.

So which did I enjoy the most? Well, I inhale the New York Magazines the day they come (I read them literally cover to cover, even all the profiles of New York City people, although I have no idea who they are), so they weren't really part of the mix.* I do enjoy Kiplinger's, because you can find some interesting financial tips and tidbits, although most of it is over my head (Mr. CR tries on a weekly basis to explain the difference between ETFs and mutual funds to me, and I just can't get it). But Wired magazine I can only glance at, as its focus on technology, gadgets, and how great both of those things are making our modern lives makes me a little bit depressed. And then there's The Economist. I like this magazine, but you can only read about 1/90th of it before you start to poop out (it's unbelievably packed with articles). All in all, though, all of these magazines made for kind of eclectic reading and thinking. I'd recommend taking an all-magazine weekend sometime.

*I also like looking at the real estate ads and fantasizing about the million-dollar, one-bedroom lofts available.

Comments

[Nancy Wilson]

New York magazine rocks! I always buy it in the airport when I travel. Lately, when people ask me what book I am reading I am forced to sheepishly confess I've been reading magazines, sometimes four or five a week...

[Donna]

We've had The Economist at home for several years because my kids were in Model UN and needed the international perspective. I tried so hard to really read and understand it, but it's hard work. Reading The Economist is sort of like eating your vegetables...you know you should do more of it, but chocolate is more appealing than broccoli.

[katharine]

you should get a subscription to mental floss, both you and mr. cr would love it.

[rick roche]

I don't usually watch basketball, but I was at an ice cream tasting party at a house with a screen so big the commentators were as big as the people next to me. We saw the final minutes of two dramatic upsets on a screen where I could actually follow the action. I was able to pull away after four bowls of ice cream and go home to a book. Captain Cook was about to meet his maker. You know the story.

[Citizen Reader]

Nancy,
Nothing wrong with reading magazines. I'm more embarrassed every time I'm in the bookstore looking at issues of Details and Esquire (which I really enjoy, even though I am not the target audience), and they're always right next to the discreetly wrapped "adult" magazines. Sigh.

Donna,
I agree sometimes the Economist is tough. (So much bad news worldwide, sadly.) But they really do a nice job of putting it into readable chunks, and they do nice books coverage as well.

Katharine,
Quit trying to sell more issues of Mental Floss for John Green! :) Does he still write for them? I agree with you, great magazine. But I want to save my subscription dollars for either Orion or The Baffler, can't decide which. Should get a reading mag like The Believer or n+1 but they're too earnest for me.

Rick,
That's the best place for really big TVs...someone else's house, when you can just go visit them. We were at a friend's house the other day and watched a movie on Blu-Ray and in hi-def, and it was so clear I was actually creeped out. You'd think feeling like Robert Downey Jr. was in the room with you would be a good thing, but it wasn't. I don't want to see movie actors' real skin! Yikes! Soft focus, soft focus!

[Venta]

What a coincidence, C.R.! I, too, brought home magazines for the weekend: Atlantic, Harper's and New York Review of Books. The latter I so want to be able to read, but sometimes it's too much.

I'm doing physical therapy for my knee. After the session, the assistant asks if I want my knee iced. I could easily do this at home, but I do it there because it gives me a good excuse to read trashy magazines for 15 minutes. It's only ice, but I also feel pampered.

I was thinking of you when Wisconsin lost in the NCAA tournament, but since you don't care, I don't feel so bad even though I'll always be a big 10 fan. Along with tournament pools, school spirit keeps college basketball fun. Also, professional basketball lacks team efforts: pass the ball to the team's superstar if he doesn't already have it. uck.

[Rachael]

My favorite bit of kismet is when Atlantic, Harpers, and Vanity Fair all have issues that I haven't read on the newsstands at the same time. Something trashy, sandwiched by two somethings that are thought provoking. Yum.

I hate standing by the adult mags to get my GQ fix. Also, Barnes & Noble keeps Vanity Fair in the men's magazine section. Doesn't that just seem odd? It's clearly a celebrity/politics/pop culture magazine, and I rarely see men buying/reading it. I have a friend who's a B&N manager, and she cracks up whenever I mention it to her.

[Citizen Reader]

Venta,
Don't you just LOVE magazines? Like books, I even love the way they feel, and the way you can bend and crumple and stick them in your pockets or bags and it just doesn't matter.

I hope your physical therapy is going well--reading trashy mags while doing it can only help, right!

Yeah, I didn't care re: Wisconsin, but Mr. CR was heartily embarrassed about their poor showing on national TV. Some Big 10 teams still made it through, though, so you're all good.

Rachael,
Why on earth WOULD Vanity Fair be in men's magazines? If anything, it should be in the women's magazines section, so we can all pick it up and drool over the conributor photo of William Langewiesche. :)