i'm not really a magazine guy

I remember the first magazine I ordered, it was Sports Illustrated. I got a bonus football bloopers video with it. I also remember when I decided to never renew my subscription to SI, it was the issue after the Grey Cup one year (I still have that issue to remind me why I don't order SI). After one of the greatest games in history (how many Grey Cups haven't been?) SI basically did a double page spread on Doug Flutie while glossing over the game he was playing in. In the same issue there was an article over 20 pages long about NFL injuries. SI an I do not care about the same things.

At some other point I joined this subscription service that gave some great deals on magazine subscriptions. For about three years I had a steady flow of 3-5 magazines coming to my mailbox. They were so good I can't even remember their names. There was a woodworking one (just in case I bought a lathe and a tablesaw), some outdoorsy one and a few photo mags. There was only one photo mag that I really liked, the rest were just advertising services. I wasn't about to pay for ads, I'll only pay for content.

But lately I have been giving magazines another chance. I guess a couple freebies got me hooked. The folks at Kraft Canada have a great magazine, it is always inspiring -although we always say we should make 3/4 of the recipes, but never do. Another freebie is Food Quality - it's an industry mag, but always informative (if you're into that stuff).

So a year or so ago I received a Consumer Reports subscription for Christmas. I liked it so much I renewed my subscription and even upgraded to the online version. I have found a couple computer mags lately that I really like, but haven't decided to shell out the bucks for a subscription.

I think I will stick with my Consumer Reports, but everything else - you better have a pretty cover and real content if you want me to take you to the checkout.