Death of my magazines

By now, if you're a subscriber, you've probably received your final, Thanksgiving, issue of my favorite foodie mag, Gourmet. Who else offers entire vegetarian turkey-day fare that doesn't look lumpen and pale? I don't know about you, but I am horrified that I won't have their fabulous December cookie lineup. I'd already seen the cover and been drooling over the potential, plus last year's triple jam thumbprints were George's new favorite.

Reading every single one of Reichl's editorials (the only ones I ever peruse), her books and published stories together have made me feel that we're friends, or would be if she knew how awesome I am, or lived within driving range, or whatever. The point is that I would invite her to dinner without hesitation, and there aren't many people I know on paper that I'd be comfortable asking. I'm sad to disconnect our subscriber friendship. I am slowly, painstakingly, savoring my last Thanksgiving issue, wishing they'd at least finished out the effing year, and trying to find Ruth Reichl's upcoming TV show on my DVR listings. Even though I'll still be able to read Molly Wizenberg in Bon Appetit, I liked the overall writing of Gourmet better, even when I couldn't afford their fare. (And, seriously, last issue staff members spent a phantom $1000 on food in a different city. Some of them only hit up three restaurants! I can't envision a world where it's okay for me to spend $300 on dinner out, much less the $700 afforded one diner.)

The fold still puts me in a bit of a funk, especially considering the amount of magazines gone belly up lately and how many of them I subscribed to.

Domino
I realize I do not have the requisite amount of time or money required to decorate my house properly, but I liked having ideas at my fingertips. What's wrong with daydreaming about custom wallpaper?

Blueprint
This Martha Stewart concoction avoided the pitfall of old people crafts like monogramming picture frames, etching your freaking window glass (really?), and nonsense housekeeping recommendations like ironing bedsheets, focusing instead on the younger set. Truly Martha Stewart for twentysomethings, the pitfall of this mag was that they only advertised it in Martha Stewart publications. It was so good, I still have the two issues I received intact.

Nest
I'd actually wanted to start a magazine for couples a half decade back. All my ideas are written here in a notebook, if you want to check. Imagine how angry I was to find this magazine targeting that exact market more precisely than my precious doodlings. I did what I had to do: subscribed.

What monthlies can I scrounge up some excitement for these days? My HOW magazine is still a design highlight, though I don't really consider it a non-work read, and there's always a recipe flagged in Bon Appetit that elicits minor drooling. I like poring through Lucky, though I wouldn't wear half of that stuff much less pay that for it. But what else is there to do when half of my mail delivery excitement was always magazine related. I loved having that stack to thumb through over Sunday coffee. Replacement suggestions? Pen pal requests? At this point, I'll consider anything.