Weekly Geeks: Magazines

Dewey’s quote speaks for itself:

This week’s Weekly Geeks theme is to talk about the magazines we read. In order to get you started, I prepared a little magazines meme, but feel free to take it further if you want. I also think it’d be great if you displayed images of the covers of your favorite magazines.

For each magazine you want to talk about, here are a few questions. Answer as many or as few as you want.

1. Name of magazine.
2. Do you subscribe or just buy it now and then?
3. What’s your favorite regular feature in the magazine?
4. What do you think your interest in this magazine says about you?
5. How long have you been reading this magazine?
6. Is there any unique or quirky aspect to the magazine that keeps you reading?

I have always read lots of magazines of all different kinds. I am one of those people who reads almost any magazine from cover to cover. In fact, since I moved to Armenia, I am on an alltime low when it comes to reading magazines. There are lots of magazines available here, but they are all in Russian and a small but growing amount in Armenian. I buy a Russian magazine from time to time, but I read that as much for reading practice as for fun. I read Russian fluently, but I am much more fluent in/at ease reading non-fiction, study-book, legal texts in Russian than I am reading fiction and for-fun texts.

I used to read tons of magazines for years (all in Dutch), loads of glossies such as Elle, Marie-Claire, or Dutch non-glossy women’s magazine Viva, until I found them getting boring, because they are very repetitive in themes and they (with the exception of Viva) promote an image of women with which I don’t agree: women have to be AND successful in their career AND have a great relationship (note: with a man) AND look good AND have an awesome home AND travel a lot AND have or want children AND be(come) a great mother AND have an awesome group of friend AND AND AND. You get the picture. I don’t think that is a very realistic image of women, at the very least it is an image I don’t fit in in many ways and I don’t want to fit in. I still read women’s magazines from time to time, and enjoy it as great reading for relaxing purposes, but I have to spread it out, otherwise I go crazy.

To counterbalance that, I used to read news/opinion weeklies, some more academic journals about Eastern-Europe, and Wordt Vervolgd, the monthly magazine of the Dutch section of Amnesty International. These were only my regular magazine fixes. Next to my bed, I used to always have a stack of these plus a lot of one time purchases, freebies or other magazines that somehow ended up in my possession. I had a couple of friends with whom I would swap magazines: I received a stack from a friend and would then pass it on to another friend who would give me some of her magazines stack.

All that stopped when I moved to Armenia. All that, but one. The one magazine that I have been subscribed to since I started university in 1993 and that I still subscribe to is National Geographic. I love NG at least as much for it pictures as for its stories. I love their articles about different places and history, but I also enjoy their more scientific topics. I get to read about things I otherwise might not read much about. Not too long ago, my parents asked me what to do with the more than ten years worth of back issues of NG. After I left, my brother moved into my old apartment, but he is going to move out at the end of the summer, so a lot of my old stuff has been moved into my parents’ attic over the past few years (including my books). So what AM I going to do with them?

These days, that is now that I am living in Armenia, I get my NG fix about twice a year, either when I am in Holland or when my parents visit me. My NG is now sent to their home (the mail system is too errant in Armenia) and they collect them for me. They usually collect some other magazines for me as well, interesting issues of news magazines, some newspaper clipping about Armenia or the Caucasus region, things like that. My parents are coming to visit me at the end of next month, so I am already waiting for the new load of reading material they will bring!

Also, my brother’s girlfriend usually gives me a small stack of glossies and women’s magazines when I am in Holland. I take them with me to Armenia and keep them for the rainy days or for when I am sick, hung-over or my brains are otherwise incapacitated . S., you have no idea how much I appreciate that! Keep ‘em coming!

The Dutch magazines I receive or take with me to Armenia also serve another purpose: I use texts from them for my Dutch classes, for my students to read and discuss. And for this, the women’s magazines are actually great, because their language is not too difficult or formal and the topics are not too abstract or distant.

Here you can find out more about the Weekly Geeks.