I've read more than 70 complete issues of National Geographic this year, mostly since the pandemic hit. A long time ago I realized that if you read an issue cover to cover, you would pick up the most amazing and useful info you otherwise never would have known that you would want to know. This is just a trick I do, not something I recommend to anyone else. You do you. But for me it's been invaluable. It would be faster and more efficient to just read the articles that sound interesting but then you miss out on all these interesting tidbits about potatoes, for example. Because if I didn't have that rule there's no way I'm reading 2000 words about potatoes. But they're really fascinating. Who knew!

Since 2004 or so- in fact when I went to New Zealand as chronicled in the early years of this blog- this has been my practice. Most years I was lucky to even read 12 issues this way, and thus it was a losing battle. And hey, I'm not saying my goal or desire is to read every issue of NatGeo ever. No. But maybe since I was born? September 1974 issue? But completing this task is beside the point. The point is only and always to learn all the things. I've also read a shit ton of comics on Marvel Unlimited this year but that's for whole other reasons. Really, though, all reading just makes me, and you if you care to, a better writer.

As if I already wasn't Nerd to the power of a hundred, here is a chart I made tracking the issues I have read cover to cover:

And here are a couple of cool links to some of the things I've discovered, which I had no idea existed beforehand:

A stone mosaic map of the Middle-East in Jordan.

The largest known geode, known as the Pulpi Geode, is big enough to stand in!

The kodkod, or guigna, is the smallest cat in the Americas, and are about half the size of a house cat. Leopordus guigna guigna is its latin designation but looks like maybe güiña is the more correct way to write it.

If you find the common link you will win a prize! Just kidding, the common link is I read about them in National Geographic. There will be no prizes ;)