A Cultivating Crisis

Suffering from a raging mold spore allergy headache, Pinkgurugal decided to sooth the brain by pulling out (once again) my.... NEVERENDING PILES OF MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTIONS

Welcome to the world my other obsession, my feigned quest for knowledge and edification. I didn't want to count how many magazines are here, but let's say...mmm.... it's easily in the triple digits. I could open a magazine stand with this many reads! Sadly, I am sooooo far behind on my reads it's shameful. But I hate to waste a good read, so I let the magazines mount and mount and mount.... I counted TEN MAGAZINE subscriptionS. Let's start with my obvious penchants. Triathlete, Triathlon Life, Runner's World

These magazines are good for the occasional tips on injury prevention, shoes, profiles and eye candy watch. Other than that they are just magazines filled with fitness product ads. I don't know why I subscribe to them, I just do because, what if I miss out? I think I get Triathlon life for free though. Fitness and National Geographic Adventure I have no clue why Fitness comes to my house. It's always the same old rhetoric: drop ten pounds, toning tips, blah blah blah... Now NG Adventure is a MUST. GREAT travel tips. I usually tear out the places I'd like to/will visit and stick it in a folder. This is my other LOVE :travel. WANDERLUST. Isn't that a German word, HINT HINT? :) Outside and National Geographic Traveler Outside: An ALL TIME favorite! Great articles that feed my need to explore. Terrific writers and lots of cool photography. My love for this magazine began in 1997 when I became obsessed with the Mt. Everest disaster. I swear I must have been a mountaineer in a past life, because I've never climbed, and I grew up the daughter or immigrant parents living in Texas. Strange... The article written by Jon Krakauer left such an indelible impression on me. That desire to test your boundaries and that mystical oneness with nature greatly appeal to me.

One day I WILL hike to base camp. Or when I'm ready to DIE maybe I'll head further up. Anyone up for the challenge? NG Traveler: Just like its NG Adventure counterpart, this magazine also has cool travel ideas. This month there is a spread about my own homeland, Vietnam. I'm heading there next year. I can't wait. Now to Pinkgurugal's need for... Current Events Cultivation Time and Newsweek You HAVE TO keep up with what's going on around you and your world. I mainly choose these weekly magazines because they are relatively easy reads written by decent journalists. A liberal bent? Maybe, but my centrist ways allow me to read between the lines. And finally.... The New Yorker If you haven't picked up this read, I would highly suggest it. Although I won't suggest subscribing unless you are retired and have a lot of time on your hands. This magazine is arguably one of the best. The writing is nothing short of excellent, and you'll always read something interesting, be it a short story or an investigative piece. Not to mention the sketches. Gotta love Ahmadinejad on last week's cover. I have more of these magazines than any other. Again, I HATE to waste a good read. Between a job, triathlon training, Vietnamese lessons, friends, family, and a sometimes semblance of a social life, I hate to admit my many magazines continue to sit there, as if to say, "please read me, please!" Cheers and happy training, or reading on my part! 'Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.' - Albert Einstein