Infinite Jest -Vimal,Psmith [and....Manju after finishing with Storm of Swords]

[Ahtims]

stop at 525, because after that chapter summaries dart. Haven't made much progress in last few days as I was busy. Hopefully will be able to eke out time this Sat evening and Sun whole day

[Ahtims]

I am at the part where the Tennis prodigies relax in locker room and TP room and chat amongst themselves. I am ashamed to say that despite being an adult their intellectual chatter mostly flies past above my head. I am continuing with this book coz of my sheer mulishness and because i loathe to concede to JFW yet another time.

[Vimal]

Haha.. I told you right, between pages 170 n 230 even the companion won't be able to give a clue. We can get an idea of the context but surely there is a lot of chatter that just flies past our head into outer space. But keep moving Smitha, after 230 there were some interesting and easier on the eye chapters.

[Ahtims]

okay. but I may go at a snail's pace. :-/

[Vimal]

Actually the opposite worked for me. After that 170-230 ordeal I got afraid coz I thought dfw Will make me surrender if I go slow. So after that I have proceeded with manic speed until I paused the book yesterday at about 43%. I was too terrified to slow down.

[Ahtims]

Oh BAAP REH!!!!!!!
43% o-O o.O

I will have a tough time catching up.

[Vimal]

Haha no worries.. I'm in a nauseated state now and won't resume IJ until atleast Thursday.

[Ahtims]

Good. I assure you I wont cover 33% in 4 days time, but hoping to cover at least 10% going by the pace of 25 pages a day or so.

[Vimal]

Cool. You might end up covering more without knowing it coz the prose gets progressively charming after 230.But there is another huge impediment starting from page 360. It's about a time pass game that ETA guys play. I swear I felt utterly miserable trying to make sense of that game.

[Ahtims]

I have read about it in the guide.
It is like a strategy war game, but played with Tennis balls. Reading that in the guide was impressive. I thought 'what an ingenious set of guys!'. But reading may be a bore, if it goes on and on ...

[Vimal]

Exactly.But believe me, what we readers gained due to DFW, surely many other industries and sectors lost. He has efficiently conceptualized a Real time strategy game with all its algorithms in about 1994(When he wrote this book) when the RTS gaming industry was not even in its infancy.Unbelievable simulation of world war 3. I'm a sucker for RTS games, but surely the guys who make them are like...

[Ahtims]

Finally out of the Tennis lickers. Was feeling bored of the young prodigy chatter.
Went on to meet the sweat licking, advice dispersing yoga guru, Lyle, fixed up a rendezvous with Tony and co. and was shocked out of my mind.
I am too happy that I am not living in the insane world of the Jest. :-)

[Ahtims]

Regarding Real Time Strategy games, I am a big zero.
Asked my son, who plays Clash of clans and Good game empire, he too is not aware, and he eagerly replied that he can find out about it, and I denied his offer with double his enthusiasm, as the last thing I want is for him to find out about yet another game. :-P

[Ahtims]

*tennis lockers

[Em Lost In Books, EmLo is my Name, PIFM is my Game]

you two follow tennis?

[Vimal]

So insane and chaotic, that I now remember those chapters only as a blip. The only chapter at that stage which I now remember in any detail is JOI's dad mocking Marlon Brando n teaching his son the nuances of tennis in microscopic detail n then revealing his past in a moving way. That's one of the best parts of the book so far.

[Vimal]

@Manju, I used to follow it like crazy when Becker, Agassi and Sampras were around, followed it sparingly when Fedex and Rafa were at their prime, but not anymore. Totally disillusioned with following sport of any kind now :D How abt you?

[Vimal]

Good that you deny now. If I can equate the hours that I have spent playing RTS to bricks, I can build a house and a massive one at that.

[Em Lost In Books, EmLo is my Name, PIFM is my Game]

used to follow Fedex-Rafa rivalry. Now only when Rafa plays other don't follow it.

[Ahtims]

Used to watch tennis whenever possible in my teens. Nowadays the daily grind and whatever available time spent in reading and GRing precludes me from following any sort of sports or sports celebrities.

[Vimal]

After pages and pages of mirthful jesting at Alcoholics Anonymous and Arizona desert, have to concede that the going has got tougher again now at about the halfway mark. Pausing again, probably for a week this time.

[Ahtims]

I am at 200. But was caught up in health issues and forgot to update. I am not promising to catch up in a week's time, but I shall give Jest priority his week, forsaking Cuckold and Midnight. :-)

[Vimal]

Yeah, I got slowed down a bit too with real life biting into my reading time. And when that happens, reading the harder parts of IJ surely doesn't help it :P

[Ahtims]

I like the lighter moments more - the anticipated and barrel email was hilarious.

[Ahtims]

bricklayer....(anticipated is my mobiles autocorrect...phew)

[Vimal]

Ahh, remember that bricklayer stuff now. A gruesome accident described with casual jest. I can tell you, gruesomeness of a much higher degree is to follow, again gone over in unbelievable casual jest. DFW is the weirdest of weird guys.

[Ahtims]

Isn't he?
the treatise on videophone was wonderful. it is really true, what he says.
Now I am at a boring dialogue between Jim and dad in 1960s about how to become successful.

[Vimal]

He just ploughed into all kinds of possible n real anxieties of face to face communication, even if it is over electronic media.
Boring dialogue? Oh no Smitha.. I found that part quite amusing :) The message is all the same, but the way he chisels out pages n pages of weird dialogues going into incredible depths of detail and capturing every possible moodswing is really really out of the world.

[Ahtims]

Really? I got grossed out by frequent mention if snot and what not.
I will have to re-read those pages with an open m&nd, then. :-)

[Ahtims]

Today morning's portions were brain shaped building, madam psychosis and a few that followed. An ingenious writer. !

[Ahtims]

Visited the various units and their inmates of the correctional facilities, enjoyed the treatise on life in general and addiction in specific, for ages into the world of tattoos....all in all, a very educational 40 minutes early in the morning.

[Vimal]

Oops, I think I missed the notifications. Yes the parts on addiction and the way the characters deal with it are frankly the lightest and easiest navigable interludes in this book, and amusing all the same. I breezed through the parts on Alcoholics Anonymous and the stuffs that happen in AA meetings, which constituted almost 10 % of the book so far.

[Vimal]

I'll be back jesting from today after a long break