Wednesday, February 1, 2012

2012 Resolutions, Month One: Infinite Jest, Definite Failure

I failed at my first New Year's resolution.

I even failed at the revised version of my first resolution.

I had originally planned to read both Infinite Jest and REAMDE in January. After realizing that finishing just one of those would itself be a chore, I revised the resolution to reading just Infinite Jest.

February started today, and I've read 437 pages (including end notes) of Infinite Jest. A great number of novels don't have page numbers in the 400s, and for many others, p. 437 would put me just a couple hours' reading away from finishing.

Men of the Day No.947: Caricature of Mr Lionel...
"A fellow of infinite jest who is disappointed with me"
Image via Wikipedia

But this is Infinite Jest.The fact that I've read 437 pages means that I have just under 1,000 pages left to read.

As my son would (annoyingly) say: FAIL!

But I'll keep truckin' along. I'll get to the end of the book eventually.

But that doesn't mean I will put off February's resolution: Write a solo for unaccompanied clarinet. I've been tossing ideas around, and come this weekend, I'll start putting them on paper. The as-yet-unwritten piece is currently titled "For the Birds" and comprises three short solos, each depicting a different avian friend: "The Hungry Owl," "The Woodpecker," and an undetermined third bird.

The third bird should be something regal, reserved, calm, and calming, but I don't want it to be a swan. That's just too overdone. Suggestions are appreciated. When you think of a calm and regal bird, what do you think of?
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