Arguing With Myself at the Checkout

The picture above is the magazines I subscribe to that I haven't yet read. Most of them, I haven't even opened. So, explain to me why, as I stood in line at Sweetbay, I found myself eyeing the April issue of Real Simple. Really. Why? Clearly, I have plenty of reading material, and clearly either I don't like magazines or I just haven't had time to read them. Trust me, it's not the former. I've never been a magazine subscriber, but when I hear about a really good deal, and it's a magazine I love (or one I think will really benefit me) I'll go ahead and do it. Parents, I got something like 3 years for the price of one. Rachel Ray was FOUR dollars for a year. How can you go wrong? I think I paid full price (14.95) for Women's Health, but I figured it would be good to keep me motivated. Which is true, when I read it. Now, this pile does not include the 2 issues of WH I've already read recently. Or the issue of People I picked up from the grocery store a month ago that I sat and read one night. So why was this so appealing?

It isn't even the current issue. But how could I resist the neatly folded laundry and the promise of "faster, easier ways to wash" stuff. And having a good night's sleep. Yeah, I really need to read all about that (do you suppose they have the magic answer for getting children to not wake up 3 times in the night? I could use that.) Clearly, there were things in these pages I needed to read. Clearly. On the other hand, it was the April issue. It's almost June. That one's easy though because I'm that behind on all my magazines. At this point current doesn't matter. Then there is the fact that it is entirely unpractical to buy a magazine when I have a stack of them at home to read. But I wanted it. It all boiled down to that. So, after picking it up and flipping through it, then putting it back, and picking it up again, I put it down on the check stand. After all, I was taking Eric and Mark to the pool when I got home. I could sit on the side of the pool and watch them with one eye while I skimmed Real Simple with the other. That convinced me.

At the pool, I read about 3 pages of Real Simple before I couldn't resist getting in the water with my buddies, so now I have another one for the pile. I'll probably read it first, leaving all the others to remain neglected.