You both were very generous really as I kind of expected a raging hatred (probably still to come when you get to the suffering channel and/or Oblivion and/or Good Old Neon.)

Forgive my disjointed and lengthy post. Compiled literally as I walk and I've dropped the phone once already.

I re-emphasize. Mr Squishy not a good starting point for DFW in general and not even in that collection of stories except in that it prepares you for more of the same. Recommend starting with his non-fiction essays, the cruise ship one perhaps. Mr Squishy feels like an unfinished excerpt rather than a short story and the only other thing of interest about this one is that the Mr Squishy delivery van features a cameo in The Pale King which is kind of cool. Also, run on sentences, For The Win? He does kind of execute them well.

The reason I enjoyed The Soul...Smithy is because it reminded me about my entire primary school time which i spent daydreaming. And even moreso how it fades from a classroom daydream story into this dreamstate suequence recalling his perception of his father's work and this fear of it - which is really what i thought it was about even more than the hilarious puppy story and the blind girl. But I didn't pick up Joel's point that the lost puppy might represent in part the teacher? In fact I kind of forgot about the whole 'hostage' crisis. Which might have been the point.

(reminder to self: Read some Joyce)

Also DFW's obsession with the Distracted the Dull is explored to dizzying heights in The Pale King and this feels like a precursor or test run of his exploration in this theme.  

Can not really add to the comments on Incarnations. He rips your heart out in that. I had to re-read it though because it just blasts out and is almost told in one breath.

I liked Another Pioneer but felt that the tricks and techniques blurred the story even though they were necessary.  
It sounds like Joel got a lot more from it than I did though.

That's it for now. Oh except that oblivion is my least favorite. Found the trick at the end a bit cheap. Some clever parts though with the husband / wife / who is snoring who is keeping the other awake argument.