infinite jest: page 37

I read the foreword in the bathtub. Dave Eggers makes me feel like I need to be reading this book, right now. He says the average age of Infinite Jest readers is probably about 25. I am somewhat slow in my crawl to adulthood, so I'd say that's about right!

It's long, but there are pleasures everywhere. There is humor everywhere. There is also a very quiet but very sturdy and constant tragic undercurrent that concerns a people who are completely lost, who are lost within their families and lost within their nation, and lost within their time, and who only want some sort of direction or purpose or sense of community or love. Which is, after all and conveniently enough for the end of this introduction, what an author is seeking when he sets out to write a book--any book, but particularly a book like this, a book that gives so much, that required such sacrifice and dedication. Who would do such a thing if not for want of connection and thus of love?

The water's still warm enough but I end my bath early. I am so excited to read this book.

I definitely can't get away with my usual reading style of spacing out every few pages and I have to check back constantly to find out which abbreviation is for which person and who's talking when. I still can't always figure it out, but I think I'm getting it. As much as it could be gotten. Well, by me, anyway.

What's an Erdedy? Oh, it's a name.

What the hell does "lapidary" mean? In this context, I'm going to go with the sixth entry in Dictionary.com Unabridged (v. 1.1): "characterized by an exactitude and extreme refinement that suggests gem cutting: a lapidary style; lapidary verse." Mmkay. That works.

The chapters I've read so far are titled:

YEAR OF GLAD
YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT
1 APRIL--YEAR OF THE TUCKS MEDICATED PAD
9 MAY--YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT
YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT
and
YEAR OF THE TRIAL-SIZE DOVE BAR

I have no idea what any of this is supposed to mean, but I like it.

In looking for a picture, I found this impassioned review of Tucks Medicated Pads. God bless the internet.