RADAR, VOGUE & ALLURE arrived today!

I derive an incredible amount of joy from receiving magazines in the mail. I love the very idea of being a subscriber. In each subscription, I belong to something - a reading public. I never ignore the small white box in the lower left corner of its cover, listing my name and address in capital letters. I AM A SUBSCRIBER they know where I live! Sometimes the mailing label comes as a sticker on the front cover itself or even better, on it's clear plastic jacket. I slide a thumb nail under one corner and carefully peel my name plate off and into my hands. I always consider where I might stick them next as a symbol of ownership or identification.

For the last several years, I have been a subscriber to a hideously embarrassing number of periodicals - seventeen to be specific. Some people don't believe me when I say the number so I counted to be sure. Yes. The number is indeed 17.

My favorites change.

• RADAR is sardonic and poppy and sometimes makes me laugh out loud. Just one big- HA!
• US Weekly comes...every single week as the title implies. It's consistency is gratifying even if its content is not. Regardless of last week's disappointment and fluff filled non-stories, I will still look forward to the fact that it gets a whole new chance to win me over next week.
• Vogue has the most beautiful images. I am in awe of the fashion and styling, the photography and exotic locations
  

There is a delicious pleasure to coming home exhausted from the day and opening my mail box to find a glossy covered magazine. I clutch it to my chest and hug it all the way up the stairs, unlocking the door and bringing it to the comfort of our little apartment. Once inside, I drop everything but the magazine. I scan it's cover analyzing the layout and model, the fonts and colors and of course the wonderful stories I can look forward to reading.

Generally, I keep a stack in our mail pile, under my nightstand and next to the bathroom sink. The tub is where I do my best reading.

I will turn on a hot bath, let the water pour over a LUSH bath-bomb (which are heavenly by the way) and begin to flip through the pages as the tub begins to fill. I earmark the articles I hope to read and the pages next to the advertisements I like best so that I can efficiently prioritize my bathing time.

Once the water is turned off, I peel off my clothes and arrange my newest treasures next to the tub along with a hand towel so as not to damage the pages with damp fingers. I step inside the tub, dry my hands and lean down to grab my first magazine.

As you may imagine, ear marking pages is a high priority with so much material to review.
I read only a percentage of each one and then on to the next. Once each magazine is completed, I shave and wash and all the rest of the things you ought to do in the bath. Naturally, I take long baths to accommodate my reading schedule. On a good mail day, my tub may stretch close to two hours. It's beyond indulgent, I know.

After each magazine is sorted and outlined I tuck them in a pile to review again later. One of my favorite weekend activities is to review a pre-read stack, hunting for the most valuable articles and most beautiful ads. When I find something I like I open the magazine as wide as I can and bend it's spine back and forth until the small strip of glue is worn down and my page is released with a perfect edge. I stack each perfect page to (again) review later. I'm not really sure for what, I just like to have them.

I believe every little crazy habit people keep only sticks around as long as it works for them. How this works for me! I feel organized and creative when my tearing is complete. I get outfit inspirations, make-up ideas, work-outs, recipes, book/movie/music recommendations, and most of all I feel in touch. I feel like my finger is on the pulse. I have a massive appetite for information and I digest it all.

Where it is stored, I am uncertain. However, I have a fairly good ability to dig it out at any urging. I am credited by my friends as always having helpful advice and a terrific fashion sense.

One might ask in this GO GREEN era, why on earth I would be such a horrible consumer - all of the paper! All of the print! I can hardly believe it myself, but I adore the tangible quality to turning and reading and ear-marking and tearing out pages and I am a sucker for a home delivery.

Each time a receive a magazine it feels like a gift in a way an email subscription never could. It's a special little treat I allow myself often. I adore the convenience and community inherent in webpages and google searches, online shopping and youtube, blogging and email but I would be deeply saddened if it ever fully replaced my magazine reading lifestyle.