So What's on Your Shelf?

I once had a woman enquire about what I was currently reading or what I liked to read in general. At first, I thought she was just making small-talk, but then I remembered that she was a counselor and that her asking about my reading interests was really just a way of getting a feel for my personality and what really mattered to me. Later I thought, you know, that's really not a bad assessment tool. If you're going to take the time away from other things to read, you're going to read something you enjoy (the exception being for school purposes. I still hate Johnny Tremain).

I'm really not that big of a book reader. It's not that I don't like to read, there are just very few books that interest me quick enough...and quite frankly, I'd probably rather be playing with my dog, doing something outside, or cooking. When we were packing to move, however, I realized what a giant stack of magazines I had laying around and that's when I the light bulb went off that my mags are really a pretty good reflection of me. So what do I have on my coffee table?

Southern Living
This is one of two magazines that I actually have a subscription to. Being that my Dad is from Mississippi and I am from Oklahoma...I like to think I'm 75% Southern (no one really knows which region Oklahoma belongs in). I know to say "please" and "thank you" to everyone for everything. You always refer to someone older than you as Mr. or Mrs./Ms. (last name). If they insist on you using their first name, it's Ms. (first name). And of course, I know how to appropriately use "bless her heart".
To be honest, I just love the Southern way of life. It's laid back, heart felt, and full of amazing food! I suppose each magazine I get transports me to a porch somewhere with tall pine trees and a glass of SWEET iced tea thinking about what kind of roast and potatoes I'm going to fix on Sunday. (In the South, you have to ask for unsweetened tea...as it should be)

InStyle
This is the other magazine I have a subscription to. I am a girly girl in that I do love fashion, make-up, and just about anything feminine. I realize that there are other, more fashion-oriented, magazines (i.e. Harper's BAZAAR), but I feel like this one is the most realistic for me in terms of outfit ideas and make-up I would actually wear...and I don't really need Cosmo's 108 ways to excite my man.

The Economist
I know it's nerdy and probably sounds a bit pompous, but I really do like this magazine. I don't have a subscription, but I tend to pick it up in airports or bookstores. I like it because it has a lot of business related articles and for the most part, I don't detect an opinionated slant. Plus, most of the sections are very short. I feel like I can get a quick overview about what's going on in politics, the U.S., and the world without reading a 4-page story.

Various Fitness Magazines
I have a tendency to pick up fitness magazines while I'm in the checkout line at the grocery store. Guilty conscience about what's in my basket? Perhaps. I did, however, throw most of them out when we moved. This last summer I splurged and started working with a personal trainer once a week. Best money I've spent in a long time. I learned a lot about myself and my body, and being strong just feels great. I haven't hit the gym since we moved a couple of weeks ago, but the hubs and I have agreed to start next week. We'll see if that happens or not.

So I think that gives a pretty good synopses of what I've got going on in my head and life...what about you?