It's your fault my kid's a cheater!

[Becks]

Becks, you should have brought it along so I could give it a try.

I'll keep that in mind next time.

[ThePhoneGoddess]

I'm a G cup, with a narrow, dropped and slanted waist, broad and square shoulders, wide hips, and muscular thighs and arms. NOTHING fits right unless I make or modify it myself, or its a knit with enough give.

Damn, and I thought I had fitting issues. I feel you there, honey. I have a tiny 18 1/2 inch waist but the rest of my figure is fairly normal, except for my feet. I have tiny feet and hands, I wear a size 5 shoe. I actually wear about a 4 and a half, but there is no such thing as adult shoes smaller than size 5. So I wear 5's and sometimes have to stuff tissues in the toes.

it never feels worthwhile to me to buy a pattern just for a shawl-collar variation or whatever.

Almost all of my patterns are used, and were bought in lots, mostly on ebay and at estate auctions. They are often in somewhat tattered shape so I end up redrawing the pattern pieces on fresh paper. I rarely pay more than a dollar a piece for them, and I've been collecting them for years so I have amassed quite a collection. I look for ones with unusual construction techniques---I learn a lot from puzzling out those old pattern instructions.

Very nice. I love the toolwork. Far too high a heel for my own tastes, but very nice shoes.

Ah. I love high heels. I know they are bad for my legs, but I just love how Amazonian I feel when I wear them. I am one of those women men bitch about sometimes---the ones with the 'shoe habit'. Gawd I love fancy shoes.

[zzapp the witch]

I am still the only person I know that enjoyed reading the unabridged version of Great Expectations. And that was in 10th grade.

[Shabo]

I tried reading The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand for a scholarship when I was in high school. I made it about half way through the book before I finally gave up. Mayhaps if I got the cliff notes I could try again... but then again, I think I would have to WANT to try again. I don't believe I've ever met anyone who has actually read any of her books, but some people say they've tried for the scholarships. I have a sneaking suspicion that's the only reason anyone tries to read her books .

I've never tried Cliff Notes, but I know a lot of people that buy them so they don't have to read the books. It's a shame, really. Reading is my favorite hobby (along with horseback riding) and it's so much fun to immerse yourself in another world. No one else in my family is into it except my mom, and that makes me sad.

So I'm taking a children's literature course right now, and I'm amazed at the people that are in that class. One of the first classes, 2 kids sitting next to me say, "I hate reading. I hate literature." *WHY THE ARE YOU HERE?!?!?!* The other day, I heard 2 different students griping about having to read a whopping *46* pages over 2 nights. Are you freaking kidding me?!?! 46 pages of a story book is like 10 pages of a normal textbook! And you would have to read the same for any other class in one night!

Why do people hate reading so much? And why would they take a literature class if they hate reading? AGGGHHHH!!!

/rant

[Andara Bledin]

Why do people hate reading so much? And why would they take a literature class if they hate reading? AGGGHHHH!!!

Because they had to take the class for their degree. There are a bunch of classes I would never go near (literature classes among them) if it weren't for requirements.

I adore reading, but I abhor deconstructing books. Nothing destroys my enjoyment of a book like a literature class.

Although, I had a teacher in high school that made discussing books a real treat. She'd do stuff like have us read To Kill a Mockingbird, and then watch the movie and discuss the differences. Or she'd have us go over Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and then bring in the album by Iron Maiden and have us listen to their take on it. She's got to be one of the best teachers I've ever had.

There are only two books I've started reading and never finished. One is Lord of the Rings. The very first book. I think I got about 40 pages in, and just couldn't make myself wade through it any longer. Never tried again. The other is one that I started reading about a dozen times over the course of my childhood: Little Women. I don't know what it is about that book, but I've never made it past page 30.

^-.-^

[Der Cute]

God...alll those titles bring back shudders.

I took Honors English in HS, and to be perfectly honest, I barely remember much. I think part of the memory issue is that I was still having seizures back then, and the other part is that I hated reading the dry old long books that I didn't understand.

Really. English majors, I salute you. English lit really doesn't tickle me, I can NOT grasp similies or metaphors or some example of Joe Shmoe being a jerk and having his wife killed for a lesson.....

My biggest whine in class was....WRITE THE BOOK AND GET TO THE POINT...Dostoyevski was HORRID about that.

[ArenaBoy]

I have and never will use Cliffs Notes. Always thought of them as the easy way out and yes it's worth pulling all nighters as of right now. I was in Honors English in high school and I breezed through it. Everyone around me including the students getting high grades always bitched about the books.

Why do people hate reading so much? And why would they take a literature class if they hate reading? AGGGHHHH!!!

I don't mind literature but just the idea of dissecting it is a pain in the ass. I love reading but when it gets to the point that you're discussing how a character breathed it gets annoying.

[Geek King]

I don't mind literature but just the idea of dissecting it is a pain in the ass. I love reading but when it gets to the point that you're discussing how a character breathed it gets annoying.

Yes! This is what I hated. Nothing was ever done just because it sounded good, or because the author felt they needed a little more detail. Every word was written by the author for a deeper purpose.

Balogna!

One of the worst arguements I ever got into with a teacher was about, "Maybe they wrote it because it was a good story."

[Shabo]

Sure, dissecting literature takes the joy out of the story, but these people aren't complaining about that. They're complaining about having to read "so much". It's really not reading that much. At all. And no one is required to take this class for their major. It's purely an elective, which means you get to choose it. I'm sorry, but if you don't like reading, stay away from lit classes.

[MystyGlyttyr]

I know when I'm writing my stories, I include lots of little details and hidden clues and things of the sort that seem like total red herrings until you've finished the story, and then when you go back and read it again, you go "Ohhhhh, so that's why THIS happenened." It adds to the re-readability and enjoyment of a story or series of stories (to me) if you discover something new or see a familiar inside-joke (making a person feel like part of a special club, yay psychology) every time you read it.

But then again, I also write the story so that you can still understand it and enjoy it even if you're not clawing through each paragraph for a deep meaning. Sort of an Animal Farm kind of thing with two levels of story..."snobby pretentious metaphilosophical" and "I just want to read a story about something neat, dumbass."

[cinema guy]

I am still the only person I know that enjoyed reading the unabridged version of Great Expectations. And that was in 10th grade.

I've read it and enjoyed it. In my 30s, not in school, though.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

And no one is required to take this class for their major. It's purely an elective, which means you get to choose it. I'm sorry, but if you don't like reading, stay away from lit classes.

No, it probably isn't just an elective. It's probably a required gen-ed course.

Generally speaking, when you're in your first year or two of college you're doing your gen-eds, which require you to take some form of math, English, science, maybe public speaking or a computer course or something like that. At least that is how it worked for me. You're required to take those courses to have a more "well-rounded" educational experience.

In your later years, you pick your major and work on those courses. It's likely you won't even be able to get into those courses until you're at least a sophomore or junior.

I did my gen-eds at a community college and then transferred to a 4-year school near me. My first semester at the 4-year school, I could only take one course that counted toward my major--the rest I could have taken were full by the time I was allowed to register. I had to take some other irrelevant courses to fill up the time.

I too detest deconstructing literature. I want to read for enjoyment, not to find the hidden meaning behind some passage in the story or to formulate some interpretation of something in the story.

[MamaMootz]

My only nemesis was Nathaniel Hawthorne and the Scarlet Letter.

They made me read it in high school.
They made me read it in secretarial school as an elective.
When I got to college, it was one of the required books in my Lit. class.

I would have gladly burned the book since I couldn't stand the man's writing style and just could not get into the story.

I've never had problems with any other classic literature though, not even Beowulf. Hey did you guys see they made a movie about Beowulf? I saw the previews for it today.

On a side note: the title of this thread just made me think of this quote:

"The Waterboy's a cheater! Cut his f***ing head off!"

[JustADude]

My only nemesis was Nathaniel Hawthorne and the Scarlet Letter.

GAH! No! Get it away! Please! No! Not again!!!!!!!!!! MOMMY!!!!


But, seriously, I agree with you. That is the one piece of literature in the history of the world that I haven't been able to get interested in... and that includes fine print on ads, instruction booklets, and the ingredients panel on candy-bars.

[MamaMootz]

GAH! No! Get it away! Please! No! Not again!!!!!!!!!! MOMMY!!!!

exactly what I said when my college prof introduced it and told us we had to write a paper on it. At least I had saved my secretarial school paper on it and just submitted that one, so no extra work. But when we had to go over the book in class, my eyes bled. Seriously.

And I'll read most anything once. Twice, even. But not ever that book again.