Date: 2003-07-28 Time: 11:34 a.m. I think jonathan franzen could beat up david foster wallace. I will concede that this is a mere topical assessment based on the author photos from 'infinite jest' and 'the corrections'. franzen looks beefier and less nerdly in general. plus also wallace is a self-described skinny shrimp (see "a supposedly fun thing I'll never do again" for details) and who wouldn't want to see the laboriously prolix and extemporaneously footnoteriffec postmodernist get punched in the mouth? by like anyone? franzen wins hands down, you asked me. his book has the following advantages: only 1/2 the page volume of infinite jest not technologically pie-eyed fake drugs, and other drug-related subplots are kept to a minimum and supplement, rather than dominate, the plot thoughtfully considers globalization w/o getting too preachy (v�s a vis wallace, who barely tosses a bone to the world outside his fantasy, or say palahniuk, who wouldn't give up his soapbox for the world) more sex better cover art/design in reading franzen, you get to deploy the conversational bonus nugget about how he, franzen, single-handedly destroyed the first iteration of oprah's book club with his snotty commments ... and so there you go. the deal is sealed, you asked me, yeah. after that one I'm treating myself to one self-indulgent quick read (murakami/auster/some shit like that) and then I attempt to crack proust. it'll be fucked, you watch. I dunno. I have to fix, or else redo, this webpage, cuz it's busted in safari. I have ideas but guess what? tons of work-work. deadline: aug. 15th. also I'm trying to kick together a grad school portfolio NOW, instead of waiting around with my thumb up my ass till december like last year, and that should sink my time. we shall see. yeah. I'm going to get 'spirited away' on dvd when I get paid even though I'm poor as shit. the d/led copy I have does not do it justice whatsoever. I swear to god, it's been a looooomg time since I encountered a cinematic work of late that has spurred me to blatantly evangelize, but there you go: SEE THAT SHIT if you have not. and show your kids. if you have kids. otherwise yeah. yeah, basically. wordup. back to work. rock. -fish