I felt so smart today buying Newsweek. I can’t remember the last time I bought a Newsweek. Sure, I only bought it because it said “The Politics of Sex” on the cover and I’m heading to a conference on sex and sexuality, but hey, the person next to me doesn’t know that. According to her, I’m a smart, intelligent, woman, the kind that not only buys, but also reads Newsweek.
I was so close to getting the Maxim instead.
Not that I need an excuse to read a magazine, I work in the industry so I am subscribed to many magazines, but traveling provides me with a reason to branch out from my usual subscriptions and purchase something outside my comfort zone.
Like People.
I never buy People off of the rack anymore because I never know who the people are these days. But when I’m flying, I all of a sudden care the Jane Doe divorced John Doe and I allow myself a whole three page article to mourn for the end of my new favorite couple.
Or Mad.
One of the only places I find Mad magazine is at airports. I love uncovering the secret message by folding over the front page, something I’ve always been horrible at but still enjoy.
When traveling, I purposely try to grab things I can’t get during my daily routine at “home” (wherever that happens to be at the time) and magazines are no exception. In the airport, I bypass Food & Wine, The Atlantic and Saveur (all of which I read frequently) and head straight for Bound by Ink, Modern Automotive, GQ or Time. Sometimes, I even get a Maxim or, if I’m lucky, Playboy.
While I don’t always enjoy the magazines I pick, I always love the process of picking.
