Periodicals

(Why are they called 'Periodicals' anyway? Isn't that really just a snooty-nose-in-the-air name for magazine?)

Well I know it's fall because we're right smack in the middle of our fall magazine drive fundraiser at school. Yes indeedy, time to re-up our subscriptions to most of the 13 magazines that we subscribe to. Yep, you read that right - 13 magazines. (Kimberly, our mail carrier, absolutely hates us at the beginning of each month!) I say most of our magazines because when I looked up the end dates for all our subscriptions, I found out some very interesting.

Apparently I've re-subscribed to the same magazines year after year not realizing that often the subscriptions are for two years, not just one. When we do our fundraiser, the staff is able to purchase magazines at a heavy discount, so it doesn't occur to me that the meager $10.00 I'm paying for a particular title is actually for more than 12 months. What a deal, right? Anyway...what I discovered is that the current subscription for one of my magazines isn't due for renewal until 2020. Guess I'm a little ahead on that one. A couple others are due for renewal in 2016. Another one in 2014.

OKAY! I admit it, I'm a magazine junkie! And so is Kevin. We're not really interested in a 12 step program to curb our addiction. In fact, we squeal with delight each time we receive a 'fix' in the mail. There is just something about a brand new issue of a beloved magazine arriving in the mail: smooth, crisp, un-read pages; a glossy cover with a fabulous photo on the cover; page after page of wonderful ideas/recipes/stories. Sheer Heaven!

So, now that I don't have to renew my subscription to a couple of things, I'm thinking of ordering a new title or two (sorry Kimberly!) for even more monthly inspiration. In reviewing the vast quantity of magazine titles to choose from(who says magazines are suffering during this economy?), it struck me: Who thinks up these names anyway?

For instance, did you know that there is a magazine called 'Hot Bike Baggers'? Do you even know what a 'hot bike bagger' is? No, me neither. How about 'Gun Dog'? Does that arrive on your doorstep? Nope, not mine either. Then there's always 'Dirt Rag' - which I misread at 'Dirt Bag' until I typed this post. And why, I ask you, do we need 21 different 'Game and Fish' magazines? I kid you not. They go by state: 'Fish & Game Kentucky', 'Fish & Game Pennsylvania', 'Fish & Game California'. I realize that different regions probably do have different types of fish and game, but really? Do you fish differently in Iowa than you would say in Maryland? Isn't the method at least similar enough that you could capture all 'Fish and Gamers' if not with one magazine, at least one per *region*? And what about the other 29 states? Is there no fishing or gaming in any of those states? Or are they just not allowed to do so because they don't have a magazine?

Curios questions, these.

I think I'll stick with something simple such as Sunset magazine. Maybe I'll subscribe to it until 2020 when, no doubt, there will be even goofier magazine titles out there from which to choose.