The Printed Word
I feel so dirty. I mean downright nasty. My mom had all these extra Delta miles that were about to expire. So she called us up an offered us magazine subscriptions. Adam took one to Barron's. I immediately claimed one to Martha. But then she tried to push more subscriptions on us. "I have to get rid of these!" she said. And that's when I did it. My nasty deed. I told her to get me People.
My first issue just arrived. And, oh, it was good. So very, very good. Just don't tell anyone...
As I hear more and more about the decline of the Boston Globe and it's possible demise, I become increasingly nostalgic for a time I never lived in. How can newspapers be disappearing? How is it the publishing world is in a state of decline?
On one hand, yes, I contribute by reading People magazine, getting my headlines off the NYT app on my iPhone, and watching Real Housewives of New York City. But on the other hand, I still subscribe to the Sunday papers (the Globe and NYT), even if I never get much farther than the Style section and Week in Review (okay, the Style section). And while, yes, I do subscribe to the aforementioned magazine and Real Simple and Running World, I also subscribe to The Sun, Creative Nonfiction, Brain, Child, and One Story. While I do make ample use of my library, I also try to buy books on a semi-regular basis, because I think it's important to support authors you like.
I always wanted to be Dorothy Parker, but without the suicidal tendencies. To have lived in that era, when writers were glorified and the written word meant something. To be a glamorous, witty writer and sit around drinking martinis with other glamorous witty writers, turning out brilliant News About Town pieces or scathingly funny reviews ("She ran the gamut of emotions from A to B").
I use my toys more than most--I update Facebook, I tweet, I'm a compulsive e-mail checker, my iPhone entertains me when I'm waiting for my kids, and while I've slacked on it lately, I've been a blogger since the wee days of blogging--but I really think that the Internet and computers has detracted from the quality of my life. I miss the days of being unconnected. I miss picking up a book because there was nothing on one of the four channels. I miss the feeling of having to hurry to get to a movie because soon it would be gone and that would be it, I'd never get to see it. Once upon a time, I read The New Yorker from front to back. Every week. I'm sad that I don't even subscribe anymore.
But then things change. Things evolve. Newspapers died even then. Remember "Remember me to Herald Square"? The Herald was sucked up by the Times before I was even born. It's not always for the worst. I know I'm not alone in nostalgically longing for a simpler time (and even as my life grows bigger, I become more obsessed with those go the voluntary simplicity route). But things change and it's really not a bad thing.
I think it's time to restart my subscription to The New Yorker. Right after I finish this week's People....
My first issue just arrived. And, oh, it was good. So very, very good. Just don't tell anyone...
As I hear more and more about the decline of the Boston Globe and it's possible demise, I become increasingly nostalgic for a time I never lived in. How can newspapers be disappearing? How is it the publishing world is in a state of decline?
On one hand, yes, I contribute by reading People magazine, getting my headlines off the NYT app on my iPhone, and watching Real Housewives of New York City. But on the other hand, I still subscribe to the Sunday papers (the Globe and NYT), even if I never get much farther than the Style section and Week in Review (okay, the Style section). And while, yes, I do subscribe to the aforementioned magazine and Real Simple and Running World, I also subscribe to The Sun, Creative Nonfiction, Brain, Child, and One Story. While I do make ample use of my library, I also try to buy books on a semi-regular basis, because I think it's important to support authors you like.
I always wanted to be Dorothy Parker, but without the suicidal tendencies. To have lived in that era, when writers were glorified and the written word meant something. To be a glamorous, witty writer and sit around drinking martinis with other glamorous witty writers, turning out brilliant News About Town pieces or scathingly funny reviews ("She ran the gamut of emotions from A to B").
I use my toys more than most--I update Facebook, I tweet, I'm a compulsive e-mail checker, my iPhone entertains me when I'm waiting for my kids, and while I've slacked on it lately, I've been a blogger since the wee days of blogging--but I really think that the Internet and computers has detracted from the quality of my life. I miss the days of being unconnected. I miss picking up a book because there was nothing on one of the four channels. I miss the feeling of having to hurry to get to a movie because soon it would be gone and that would be it, I'd never get to see it. Once upon a time, I read The New Yorker from front to back. Every week. I'm sad that I don't even subscribe anymore.
But then things change. Things evolve. Newspapers died even then. Remember "Remember me to Herald Square"? The Herald was sucked up by the Times before I was even born. It's not always for the worst. I know I'm not alone in nostalgically longing for a simpler time (and even as my life grows bigger, I become more obsessed with those go the voluntary simplicity route). But things change and it's really not a bad thing.
I think it's time to restart my subscription to The New Yorker. Right after I finish this week's People....
1 Comments:
When I was growing up we had 3 state channels on our semi colored tv, cartoons were on tv once a day for 5 minutes (daily evening program) and at random other times for another 10 minues two or three times a week. There was not a thought of commercials, since there was really nothing in the stores and between 10am and say 2pm there was literally nothing on -just a screen saver. It did make cartoons something incredibly special, it made staying home sick incredibly boring. No punch line, just memories.
As to present, we don't have cable at all, mostly because we didn't get much use out of it in the past 3 years and we can find most of the shows that we like online or on DVDs. I am not against tv watching, but I am increasingly annoyed by commercials, also I tended to to just plop in from of the TV and just watch anything that was on, when I was tired or moody, so it's good not to have that option. In my case that means that I end up wasting my time online instead :).
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home