They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To ...

This is going to be a disjointed blog post.

But what the title refers to is magazines.
They DON'T make 'em like they used to ...

Recently, a popular DIY magazine folded. I had been a subscriber since year one and was currently renewed through 2012 sometime. And was unsure if I was going to renew.

There. I said it.

I had been a subscriber for, what? 10+ years or so. But I was ready to bail. Why? They sold out. I'm sorry, but it's true. (And I'm probably pissing off other loyal subscribers right now which is why I am sooo not mentioning names here.) I understand that they probably needed a larger publishing house and "their" advertisers to survive and expand.

BUT they lost everything I loved about the magazine:
It's quirkiness ... It's rough edges ... The ACTUAL DIY tutorials.

It became a "Ooo...look what STUFF I own in my home [very little of it DIY BTW] Aren't I cool?" kinda thing. Gone were the "hey we're so excited about how cool this project is and we wanted to share it with YOU!" attitude. Everything became "glossy" and more blandly stylized. I LIKED it when things weren't perfect ... because let's face it - none of our homes are. None of our projects are perfect. Isn't that what it's all about? I liked their projects. They made me think "I like that, but let me change this ... and tweak that." They would inspire me to take it a bit further.

But they're gone now.


Oh. And so are two magazines on my coffee table that got drenched in milk by the cats. One was an interiors magazine (oddly enough, the replacement one the above-mentioned folk are continuing my still-paid subscription with) and an unread Bon Appetit. Well, I had read it, but Chris didn't even have a chance to open it yet.

THESE are the little fuc...fellons in question:





Cute, aren't they?
Not last night when they knocked over a full glass of milk while both trying to shove their heads in it.

All. Over. The. Table.
And said magazines.
Since they're now made from "post consumer products" -- which I'm all for BTW -- they decompose as soon as a drop of water hits them.
Dammit.

See?? They DON'T make 'em like they used to ...



Oh. We lost a book, too.
One of those paperbacks with newsprint pages.
My Culpepper's Herbal survived as it's NOT "post-consumer" anything...
Whew!