6% complete

I've read past page 63 of my Summer Reading Project #2, which means that I am just a little ahead of schedule. So far I don't know what to make of anything (well, I've cheated a little bit and peaked at a couple of things on Wikipedia and the David Foster Wallace Wiki: Infinite Jest, but not enough to actually understand what is going on).

• For one thing, there's endnotes. And there's footnotes about the endnotes. And then there's an eight-and-a-half page endnote detailing the filmography of one of the (fictional) characters. That shit is wack, I say, but an "integral part of the text", the Internet says.
  
• Chapters are called "Year of the Trial-Size Dove Bar" and "Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment". My understanding is that the chronology will be revealed sometime later, and the goal at this point in the reading is to pay as close attention as possible and to absorb as many details as possible. I.e. I expect a reread of the entire thing.
  
• There's an emerging central character named Hal who attends a tennis academy.
• There's a chapter about a drug addict burgling houses.
• There's a chapter written in fake Ebonics (?)
• Apparently you are supposed to know Hamlet to get the full effect of this novel.
• And what in the hell are InterLace cartridges? The precursor to DVDs??
  

I am curious to see what form of conversation or analysis will emerge on the Infinite Summer blog as the readers and moderators chip away at the reading. Maybe I will occasionally post my my thoughts and feelings here. Buuut I just might spend that time watching this over and over again instead.