The August vacation proved very effective in catching up on the New Yorkers for January through April 2013, as scheduled. In fact I had finished the April issues by August 16, and could have gotten further ahead were it not for the fact that I had no more issues with me. Upon my return I got started on the May issues and although it is only Sept 2, I already have one under my belt.
The progress for July and August:
- January 7, 2013 issue, completed July 14
- January 14, 2013 issue, completed July 18
- January 21, 2013 issue, completed July 19
- January 28, 2013 issue, completed July 21
- February 4, 2013 issue, completed July 27: enjoyed the insights into the life of Dr. Oz, as well as the issue about Formula 1 racing, living as I do in the city where the Canadian Grand Prix takes place every year
- February 11 & 18, 2013 issue, completed July 29
- February 25, 2013 issue, completed July 30
- March 4, 2013 issue, completed July 30
- March 11, 2013 issue, completed July 31
- March 18, 2013 issue, completed August 1
- March 25, 2013 issue, completed August 2: the article about books about failure inspired me. Perhaps I could invent a male character and project all my failures onto him and see how that does. Somehow he would have to be sympathetic...
- April 1, 2013 issue, completed August 3
- April 8, 2013 issue, completed August 5
- April 15, 2013 issue, completed August 8
- April 22, 2013 issue, completed August 13
- April 29, 2013 issue, completed August 16
- May 6, 2013 issue, completed August 25
Next up: completing May and June 2013 before the end of September. Looking good!
Monday, September 2, 2013
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Halfway point - it IS possible!
In just 3 short months (and an extra 10 days), I have read yet another 6 months of the New Yorker! This is actually happening. I know that checking in with the blog only every three months does not make for interesting blog reading, but it does mean that I have had the time to progress in my ambitions to catch up on the New Yorker once and for all.
To my greatest surprise, I am actually reading a 2013 New Yorker in 2013. In July 2013, to be exact. This is amazing! Although I should have completed the December 24 & 31, 2012 issue by June 30 to be true to the schedule, the fact that I am about 10 days behind doesn't faze me much. It only motivates me to redouble my efforts during the summer months. Summer vacation is normally a terrific time to catch up on New Yorkers, and with a vacation planned for the first three weeks of August, I plan to reach my Aug. 31 goal of having read New Yorkers through April 30th, 2013 by August 18. That way I will have a couple of weeks' advance on my schedule to allow for any busy times when I might fall behind in the autumn months.
So, because I know you can't wait to know, here is the list of issues I have completed and when:
July 9 & 16, 2012 issue, completed April 4, 2013 - I enjoyed reading about the genetically modified mosquito and hope the experiments are successful;
July 23, 2012 issue, completed April 11, 2013
July 30, 2012 issue, completed April 18, 2013
August 6, 2012 issue, completed April 21, 2013 - the article about the fellow who craftily cheated on his marathons was fascinating, especially since I was training for a half-marathon at the time (which I completed honestly, if somewhat injured!);
August 13 & 20, 2012 issue, completed April 23, 2013
August 27, 2012 issue, completed April 24, 2013
September 3, 2012 issue, completed April 29, 2013
September 10, 2012 issue, completed May 2, 2013
September 17, 2012 issue, completed May 20, 2013 (big delay there!)
September 24, 2012 issue, completed May 22, 2013
October 1, 2012 issue, completed May 28, 2013
October 8, 2012 issue, completed May 28, 2013
October 15, 2012 issue, completed June 3, 2013
October 22, 2012 issue, completed June 15, 2013
October 29 & November 5, 2012 issue, completed June 16, 2013
November 12, 2012 issue, completed June 17, 2013
November 19, 2012 issue, completed June 23, 2013
November 26, 2012 issue, completed June 27, 2013 - as a fan of the Grateful Dead during my university days I was delighted to read the article about the live Dead tapes and learn that there is an online archive where you can listen to them;
December 3, 2012 issue, completed June 30, 2013
December 10, 2012 issue, completed July 2, 2013
December 17, 2012 issue, completed July 8, 2013 - I wanted to enjoy the article by Raffi Khatchadourian in this issue as much as I did his contribution in February, but I didn't find it as interesting. It was only OK;
December 24 & 31, 2012 issue, completed July 9, 2013.
Rather than stay away for three more months, I'll check in again after vacation, to report as to whether I've caught up - or even gotten ahead of - the planned 2013 issue reading schedule, which is as follows:
July - read January and February issues
August - read March and April issues
September - read May and June issues
October - read July and August issues
November - read September and October issues
December - read November and December issues
Wish me luck!
To my greatest surprise, I am actually reading a 2013 New Yorker in 2013. In July 2013, to be exact. This is amazing! Although I should have completed the December 24 & 31, 2012 issue by June 30 to be true to the schedule, the fact that I am about 10 days behind doesn't faze me much. It only motivates me to redouble my efforts during the summer months. Summer vacation is normally a terrific time to catch up on New Yorkers, and with a vacation planned for the first three weeks of August, I plan to reach my Aug. 31 goal of having read New Yorkers through April 30th, 2013 by August 18. That way I will have a couple of weeks' advance on my schedule to allow for any busy times when I might fall behind in the autumn months.
So, because I know you can't wait to know, here is the list of issues I have completed and when:
July 9 & 16, 2012 issue, completed April 4, 2013 - I enjoyed reading about the genetically modified mosquito and hope the experiments are successful;
July 23, 2012 issue, completed April 11, 2013
July 30, 2012 issue, completed April 18, 2013
August 6, 2012 issue, completed April 21, 2013 - the article about the fellow who craftily cheated on his marathons was fascinating, especially since I was training for a half-marathon at the time (which I completed honestly, if somewhat injured!);
August 13 & 20, 2012 issue, completed April 23, 2013
August 27, 2012 issue, completed April 24, 2013
September 3, 2012 issue, completed April 29, 2013
September 10, 2012 issue, completed May 2, 2013
September 17, 2012 issue, completed May 20, 2013 (big delay there!)
September 24, 2012 issue, completed May 22, 2013
October 1, 2012 issue, completed May 28, 2013
October 8, 2012 issue, completed May 28, 2013
October 15, 2012 issue, completed June 3, 2013
October 22, 2012 issue, completed June 15, 2013
October 29 & November 5, 2012 issue, completed June 16, 2013
November 12, 2012 issue, completed June 17, 2013
November 19, 2012 issue, completed June 23, 2013
November 26, 2012 issue, completed June 27, 2013 - as a fan of the Grateful Dead during my university days I was delighted to read the article about the live Dead tapes and learn that there is an online archive where you can listen to them;
December 3, 2012 issue, completed June 30, 2013
December 10, 2012 issue, completed July 2, 2013
December 17, 2012 issue, completed July 8, 2013 - I wanted to enjoy the article by Raffi Khatchadourian in this issue as much as I did his contribution in February, but I didn't find it as interesting. It was only OK;
December 24 & 31, 2012 issue, completed July 9, 2013.
Rather than stay away for three more months, I'll check in again after vacation, to report as to whether I've caught up - or even gotten ahead of - the planned 2013 issue reading schedule, which is as follows:
July - read January and February issues
August - read March and April issues
September - read May and June issues
October - read July and August issues
November - read September and October issues
December - read November and December issues
Wish me luck!
Friday, March 29, 2013
You're not going to believe this!
Here we are, nearly one year after I started this blog, and just a few days away from April 1, 2013 - the day that I promised I would be reading the current issue of The New Yorker. Well, as anyone who has followed this effort with any interest whatsoever could probably guess, that won't be happening.
However, the good news is that - unbelievably it seems - I know that the goal of catching up on the New Yorker IS possible. That much is clear based on the fact that since January 7, I have read 6 months of New Yorkers in just under 3 months. With this new, more proactive strategy in hand, I am quite confident that I will be fully caught up by the end of 2013. By the end of June, I will be completing the 2012 backlog; by the end of September, I'll be halfway through 2013; and by the end of the year, I should be all caught up.
The accelerated pace of my catching up has precluded me from commenting as often or as thoroughly as I had originally planned when setting up this blog. However, in the interests of continuity, I can say that I have read and enjoyed the following since my last post:
February 13 & 20, 2012 issue, completed Jan. 22 - Despite my goal of catching up as quickly as possible, I found myself unable to put down Raffi Khatchadourian's 20-page feature entitled "Transfiguration," about a face transplant. His ability to make us care about the man undergoing the procedure and the way he made the science behind the procedure itself accessible to an average reader was compelling, to say the least.
February 27, 2012 issue, completed Jan. 25
March 5, 2012 issue, completed Jan. 28
March 12, 2012 issue, completed Feb. 2
March 19, 2012 issue, completed Feb. 6 - the article about the disappeared in Argentina was tragic but interesting
March 26, 2012 issue, completed Feb. 10
April 2, 2012 issue, completed Feb. 18 - the profile of LBJ on the day Kennedy was shot was noteworthy
April 9, 2012 issue, completed Feb. 20
April 16, 2012 issue, completed Feb. 23 - enjoyed the story exploring why the fascination with the Titanic disaster endures, 100 years after it happened
April 23, 2012 issue, completed Feb. 28 - a few articles of interest here, including the one that featured researchers trying to manipulate the immune system to cure cancer, and the article about gun control (which was all the more poignant given that the massacres in the Aurora movie theatre and at Newtown happened during the time between when the article was written and when I was reading it)
April 30, 2012 issue, completed March 3 - I laughed at the coverage of the silly war on raw milk, living as I do in a place where raw milk cheese is as common as fine wine (and usually paired with it)
May 7, 2012 issue, completed March 4 - this issue was missing from my pile, so it was my first experience reading The New Yorker on my Playbook. I found it really annoying.
May 14, 2012 issue, completed March 7 - I liked the article about Clay Christensen and his research and presentations on innovation
May 21, 2012 issue, completed March 14 - interesting to read about the Kenyan marathon man who threw his gifts away by drinking too much and accidentally killing himself
May 28, 2012 issue, completed March 15
June 4 & 11, 2012 issue, completed March 18 - Science Fiction issue - read all the stories
June 18, 2012 issue, completed March 21 - As a fan of Family Guy and having recently watched him host the Oscars with mixed results, I found the profile of Seth MacFarlane quite revealing.
June 25, 2012 issue, completed March 27 - Another Hollywood profile, this time of Ben Stiller, also quite revealing. The funny guys aren't quite the nicest ones, are they?
July 2, 2012 issue, completed March 29 - the article about how we spoil our kids was very relevant for me. After I finished this one I took my kids to the store and for the first time asked and expected them to carry some of the groceries, help pay, etc. Maybe I can take small steps to help them become independent to avoid helpless selfish brats in their 20s (I know a few of those).
So, here we are, almost April 1 and I'm 9 months behind - 3 months ahead of where I was 3 months ago. I'm quite sure I will be able to keep up the pace in the coming months - but time will tell!
However, the good news is that - unbelievably it seems - I know that the goal of catching up on the New Yorker IS possible. That much is clear based on the fact that since January 7, I have read 6 months of New Yorkers in just under 3 months. With this new, more proactive strategy in hand, I am quite confident that I will be fully caught up by the end of 2013. By the end of June, I will be completing the 2012 backlog; by the end of September, I'll be halfway through 2013; and by the end of the year, I should be all caught up.
The accelerated pace of my catching up has precluded me from commenting as often or as thoroughly as I had originally planned when setting up this blog. However, in the interests of continuity, I can say that I have read and enjoyed the following since my last post:
February 13 & 20, 2012 issue, completed Jan. 22 - Despite my goal of catching up as quickly as possible, I found myself unable to put down Raffi Khatchadourian's 20-page feature entitled "Transfiguration," about a face transplant. His ability to make us care about the man undergoing the procedure and the way he made the science behind the procedure itself accessible to an average reader was compelling, to say the least.
February 27, 2012 issue, completed Jan. 25
March 5, 2012 issue, completed Jan. 28
March 12, 2012 issue, completed Feb. 2
March 19, 2012 issue, completed Feb. 6 - the article about the disappeared in Argentina was tragic but interesting
March 26, 2012 issue, completed Feb. 10
April 2, 2012 issue, completed Feb. 18 - the profile of LBJ on the day Kennedy was shot was noteworthy
April 9, 2012 issue, completed Feb. 20
April 16, 2012 issue, completed Feb. 23 - enjoyed the story exploring why the fascination with the Titanic disaster endures, 100 years after it happened
April 23, 2012 issue, completed Feb. 28 - a few articles of interest here, including the one that featured researchers trying to manipulate the immune system to cure cancer, and the article about gun control (which was all the more poignant given that the massacres in the Aurora movie theatre and at Newtown happened during the time between when the article was written and when I was reading it)
April 30, 2012 issue, completed March 3 - I laughed at the coverage of the silly war on raw milk, living as I do in a place where raw milk cheese is as common as fine wine (and usually paired with it)
May 7, 2012 issue, completed March 4 - this issue was missing from my pile, so it was my first experience reading The New Yorker on my Playbook. I found it really annoying.
May 14, 2012 issue, completed March 7 - I liked the article about Clay Christensen and his research and presentations on innovation
May 21, 2012 issue, completed March 14 - interesting to read about the Kenyan marathon man who threw his gifts away by drinking too much and accidentally killing himself
May 28, 2012 issue, completed March 15
June 4 & 11, 2012 issue, completed March 18 - Science Fiction issue - read all the stories
June 18, 2012 issue, completed March 21 - As a fan of Family Guy and having recently watched him host the Oscars with mixed results, I found the profile of Seth MacFarlane quite revealing.
June 25, 2012 issue, completed March 27 - Another Hollywood profile, this time of Ben Stiller, also quite revealing. The funny guys aren't quite the nicest ones, are they?
July 2, 2012 issue, completed March 29 - the article about how we spoil our kids was very relevant for me. After I finished this one I took my kids to the store and for the first time asked and expected them to carry some of the groceries, help pay, etc. Maybe I can take small steps to help them become independent to avoid helpless selfish brats in their 20s (I know a few of those).
So, here we are, almost April 1 and I'm 9 months behind - 3 months ahead of where I was 3 months ago. I'm quite sure I will be able to keep up the pace in the coming months - but time will tell!
Monday, January 21, 2013
Crawling out of the hole
January 30, 2012 issue, completed January 14, 2013
February 6, 2012 issue, completed January 17, 2013
So far, so good...I guess I owe it to the fact that I can skip a lot of articles now that we know how the Republican primaries turned out.
February 6, 2012 issue, completed January 17, 2013
So far, so good...I guess I owe it to the fact that I can skip a lot of articles now that we know how the Republican primaries turned out.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
But, seriously...
Wow. It is pretty embarrassing to admit that I have failed drastically in my quest to achieve my New Yorker-reading goals so far. It's been 8 months since I declared I would be caught up, and by late December, I had fallen farther behind than ever.
There is no time to relate what I did or didn't enjoy in the following issues, however, I can honestly admit that I did read them, sticking to my plan of reading only the articles which grabbed hold of my interest and didn't let go, leaving me feeling more informed and thoughtful after I'd finished them. Here is a list of the issues I've gotten through in the past couple of months:
October 31, 2011, completed Oct. 23
November 7, 2011, completed Oct. 28
November 14, 2011, completed Nov. 6
November 21, 2011, completed Nov. 23
November 28, 2011, completed Dec. 26
December 5, 2011, completed Dec. 27
December 12, 2011, completed Dec. 30
December 19 & 26, 2011, completed Dec. 30
January 2, 2012, completed Jan. 2, 2013
January 9, 2012, completed Jan. 6
Clearly, a new, more ruthless strategy is required. And so starting Jan. 7, in order to catch up on virtually one year's worth of back issues, I am pulling out two issues to place on my bedside table each Sunday night. By the following Sunday night, whether they are read or not, they get pitched in the recycling. So...I am either going to read them and be a better, more informed, thoughtful and interesting person, or I am going to ignore them, glaring at me as I wake up and as I go to bed, and feel tremendous guilt and shame as I recycle them away, their spines never cracked, their insights unshared.
So far, it's working: with one day left in the week, I have already completed this week's two issues:
January 16, 2012, completed Jan. 9
January 23, 2012, completed Jan. 10
In fact, I don't want to jinx it, but I've even started the next issue. At this rate I may even have time to post a few thoughts and comments on what I've read!
There is no time to relate what I did or didn't enjoy in the following issues, however, I can honestly admit that I did read them, sticking to my plan of reading only the articles which grabbed hold of my interest and didn't let go, leaving me feeling more informed and thoughtful after I'd finished them. Here is a list of the issues I've gotten through in the past couple of months:
October 31, 2011, completed Oct. 23
November 7, 2011, completed Oct. 28
November 14, 2011, completed Nov. 6
November 21, 2011, completed Nov. 23
November 28, 2011, completed Dec. 26
December 5, 2011, completed Dec. 27
December 12, 2011, completed Dec. 30
December 19 & 26, 2011, completed Dec. 30
January 2, 2012, completed Jan. 2, 2013
January 9, 2012, completed Jan. 6
Clearly, a new, more ruthless strategy is required. And so starting Jan. 7, in order to catch up on virtually one year's worth of back issues, I am pulling out two issues to place on my bedside table each Sunday night. By the following Sunday night, whether they are read or not, they get pitched in the recycling. So...I am either going to read them and be a better, more informed, thoughtful and interesting person, or I am going to ignore them, glaring at me as I wake up and as I go to bed, and feel tremendous guilt and shame as I recycle them away, their spines never cracked, their insights unshared.
So far, it's working: with one day left in the week, I have already completed this week's two issues:
January 16, 2012, completed Jan. 9
January 23, 2012, completed Jan. 10
In fact, I don't want to jinx it, but I've even started the next issue. At this rate I may even have time to post a few thoughts and comments on what I've read!
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