What I'll Do With My $5.00 Coupon

With my ticket from the Dr. Kennedy talk (aforementioned), I received a $5.00 coupon to the Harvard Book Store (unaffiliated).  The affiliated book store, called the Harvard Cooperative Book Store, is colloquially called the "coop," pronounced like the chicken habitat.  This drives me batty, along with "piggyback," "hugsie," and "pushback," the unofficial terminology of HGSE.

I've only a month to redeem my coupon, which shouldn't be too difficult.  Aside from the moisture (either from rain or sweat - it's been uncharacteristically hot), I haven't found it all that difficult to make it over to the bookstore, and when inside, to buy at least one book.  Spending five dollars is something I've managed to do about 18 times thus far.

I've spoken with Tom (Preston) a few times about literature (along with other topics, of course), and I've passed on the name David Foster Wallace.  Perhaps because I'd just purchased and started reading a new collection of not-so-new essays by DFW, he was firmly on my mind.  I decided, probably on Tuesday afternoon, to buy another copy of Infinite Jest.  After having read "The Phenomenological Variant of Ecological Systems Theory" by Margaret Beale Spencer, I'm feeling a new level of confidence to take on difficult and labyrinthine texts.  On a side note, I'm absolutely loving Omensetter's Luck, by William Gass.

Anyway, I've yet to actually make it to the book store, as there are so many things to get done.  Today, I printed out about 16 articles for next week's reading, including Meno by Plato, some Gloria Ladson-Billings, a massive Randall Kennedy piece from the Harvard Law Review, and some Pinar and public pedagogy things.  I've also discovered (or learned from Karla in the library - in the interest of frankness) the concept of the "Handbook of..." whatever.  For example, I've discovered in the LC 196's, The Handbook of Critical Pedagogy and The Handbook of Public Pedaogogy.  These tomes typically comprise 40-60 pieces around the topic, attempting to present a survey of the field and the research directions that its practitioners are taking it.

Again, I plan on buying Infinite Jest, and ideally I'll find a used copy, though we both know how difficult that can be.  In the meantime, I was watching a ridiculous youtube channel the other day, and the show is sponsored by audible.com.  They offered a free audiobook for anyone who signs up for a 30-day free trial.  Audible.com offers an unabridged (although without reading the footnotes, unfortunately) version of Infinite Jest.  I started an Audible.com account, downloaded the $75.00 audiobook, which comprises something like 56 hours, and I will be canceling my subscription momentarily.  

Regardless, I plan on going today to see if the HBS has a copy of the book, as I won't rely on the audiobook to do the text justice.