Living vicariously

Currently listening to: Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison

I subscribe to many different publications, including Maxim and Esquire. Both magazines are fairly entertaining, and although I enjoy being entertained, that's not the only reason I subscribe to them.

My job requires that I interact with lots of different people, and different kinds of people. Most of these people are not intellectual in any way, which often makes it very difficult for me to talk to them, because that's typically the way I would like to engage with people. I wasn't in a fraternity, I've never gambled or passed out in the street in Vegas, and I've never been to Mexico for spring break. I don't watch Survivor or American Idol, I don't typically go to happy hour and never drink when I do. I'm not from the Midwest, and am not familiar with many of the places people here talk about or go to. I don't have a boat, don't go out on the lake and don't go ice fishing. I don't golf, don't follow the Vikings, Timberwolves, Twins or Wild. These are the kinds of things people around me typically talk about, and as such, finding a way to connect with people can be difficult.

That's where Maxim and Esquire come in. Not only do they have fairly entertaining articles and commentary, but they also give me a chance to better understand popular culture and events without actually being a part of them. And reading magazines is quite a bit cheaper anyway.