/lit/ - Literature

too long?

“I don’t know. Then she’ll beat me.”
“Shut the fuck up, you pussy.” He shoves me out of my bench. The only way not to look awkward is to pretend I was getting up, anyways. I laugh at him and notice Pam’s staring at the two of us.
“You guys, hush.”
“Yeah!” Trisha laughs and tosses her head back, “Quiet on the set.”

The end so far.
taking suggestions as usual.

We’re interrupted by Trisha’s guffaw. She waves her hands up in a ‘What-can-I-do?’ gesture and begins towards us.
“It didn’t work!” she says.
“It’s going to be hard the first couple of times.”
“Bah. But I was doing pretty good from between my knees.”
“You’ve got two more shots. It’s the last frame of the game.” Carl motions her away. How the fuck do you motion girls away, Carl?
“Oh, okay. Thanks.” She spins around on her toes. The shoes make movement so fluid here. I wiggle my toes and wish I were Carl.
“You got this, Trisha! Little to the left, now!” Pam is leaning forward now with an elbow on her big knee. “I don’t think you’re in too much trouble now.”
“You never know,” I say.
“Unless she spares it up.” Suddenly, she looks up at Trisha, who looks almost ready to roll. “Spare it up and you’ve got a chance for second, doll!”
“Really?” she asks.
I furrow my brow and look up at the scoreboard. It’s useless—I never knew how to read those things right. I guess she’s right.
“Buddy, trust me,” he says. He’s stronger and older and owns a car and if I have to say it is pretty good looking. He dresses like a hipster but wears it well. We’ve only been friends for about five months. He could be a serial killer for all I know. Fucking trust me. “You look pissed. Go up there and help her.”
“What do I say to her?”
“The opposite of what I said."
My cheeks burn.
“And hurry. She’s only got one ball left.”
“I don’t know. Then she’ll beat me.”
“Shut the fuck up, you pussy.” He shoves me out of my bench. The only way not to look awkward is to pretend I was getting up, anyways. I laugh at him and notice Pam’s staring at the two of us.
“You guys, hush.”

Porker leans back and stretches her spine against the bench. The bench moans.
“I almost got that spare. You saw that?”
“Yeah, I saw it.”
I look up and Carl’s bouncing towards me in the way bowling shoes make people bounce in bowling alleys. He sits at the score-keeper’s bench and when he sits down his elbow nudges my side. When I look at him, though, he’s watching Trish.
Trisha has the ball up by her chest.
“I told her to aim to the right and ignore the little arrow things. While you were getting drinks, I was trying to show her how to bowl with one hand, with the walk-up instead of between-the-knees.”
“That’s what was so funny?”
“What?” He turns his body to me and Trisha’s ball makes a thundering noise down the alleyway.
“Go, go, go!” Trisha squeaks over the thundering. It sounds like she’s trying to convince it.
“Go, go!” says Pam with Trisha, moving her hands like she’s trying to force the ball off its course.
“Nothing.”
“Guy. Do you think-“

I place one drink in the holder next to Porker, one beside her for Carl, and two on either side of the score-keeper bench. Porker starts sucking down the coke. I sit at the score-keeper bench with my legs out the side. Carl’s beating me. Pam’s in fourth, and I’ve got second pretty well under wraps. Trisha’s a close third, though.
I look at the electronic scoreboard, then away. There’s a couple playing at the other end of the hall. I hear a bunch of pins clatter, and a lady pumps her fist on her way back to the bench and high-fives the next guy, who shuffles to snatch up a ball of his own.
The way Trisha’s cupping the bowling ball from underneath and rubbing its glossy top wouldn’t be so sexual if she weren’t staring up at him the whole time. There’s hardly a foot between them. I can’t stare.
I look down at my bowling shoes. Fucking Carl. What’s he telling her? Why’s she laughing? Stick to your own goddamn tax bracket, Carl. Stick to your own age.
“Almost.” Porker leans forward and her red v-neck rides up at the bottom. I can imagine the whole material of her shirt surrendering at the same time, breaking like an elastic band, loud like a stick snapping, like a gunshot. A slice of her side peeks out between the bottom of her shirt. Goddamnit, almost what?
“Almost what?”
(cont)

>wrote this awhile ago and wondering what /lit/ thinks:

There’s no grip on them and it changes the way I walk on smooth surfaces. I have to walk tall and in big smooth steps, which is hard when you’re carrying four cokes and someone’s change. They’re made for someone else, tan and simple brown stitching that wave along either side of them. I hate tan and I hate stitching. The few stairs I come down have dark orange carpet and the soles of these shoes are so thin I can feel it under me.
Look at this shit. How Carl can act so smooth with her is beyond me. He’s three years older than me, so it’s not even fair. When he said taking Trisha and Pam bowling would be a great idea, I thought he was being a buddy. I thought he was being a wingman. I’ll occupy Porker Pam while you and Trish make small-talk. Pam claps.
“You can do it! Go, Trish!”
Carl and Trish stand by the foul line—just what the hell are they doing up there?

(cont)

>>1437409
Ok, she's a whore to you.
>>1437403
I also agree with you.
And I'm pretty sure Jake is a big part of the not-wanting-to-be-a-part-of-holding-her-back lifestyle. It's not just her not wanting to marry him now, but both sides wanting it and both sides finding it impossible to lever their hopes with their reality.
Does that sound like a rant? I hope it doesn't. I just liked this book.

>>1437347
I can totally see this being true. My sister, who is in med school, has books that probably make mine look inexpensive.
>>1437392
Thank you. VERY MUCH. googling now.

>>1437221
This, sadly (and happily), is my final semester.

>>1437216
Interesting. Is it ironic that one might become eccentric if they teach logic?
(Probably a false friend--something that looks like it would be ironic, but then, upon closer inspection of, say, the definitions of key words, isn't ironic at all.)
I don't mind an eccentric professor, or tough classes, but I do like things that challenge my mind and may be useful in real life (I apologize to all of /lit/ for that last sentence; it leaves such an awful taste in my mouth).

>>1437205
Hm. Dude. You just made this harder! Both of those options sound really interesting, right?
I've read (parts of) books on Formal and Informal logic and have toyed with the both some very basic symbolism-based deductive arguments, and also have touched on the idea of fallacies and the different ones there are. Which class do you think you'd find more interesting?

>>1437180
>>1437169
I went to the Critical Thinking course and have found the professor to be funny and informative. He apparently used to work in corporate computer-type stuff. Nerdy.

I haven't heard of the other professor nor the class. I haven't sat in on it, either.
Has anyone done either of these classes before?
>>1437173
Thanks. That's an easy-to-understand way to put the gist of both courses.
>>1437182
Final year of my degree. maybe I went a little adjective-happy on "exorbitant", but they are expensive. i guess expensive is relative to not only the other classes, but to the students who buy them.
i know compendiums and anthologies are often pricey. but pricey, they are. for me, at least.

>>1437187
I was leaning towards this, too, tbh. If you don't mind, why would you go for this over logic?

OK, I have to choose between Philosophy class called "Logic" and Philosophy class dubbed "Critical Thinking".
Help.
Both texts are exorbitantly expensive (Logic: Techniques Of Formal Reasoning, 2Nd Ed. -90-something, and Practical Study Of Argument -120-) so that doesn't factor in.
I ask for your brains on this! Which class has the chance of being more interesting?

Would this change your interpretation?:

My little horse must think (that it is) queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

>>1330919
write a satire about you coming to /lit/ for help with homework and how helpful we were.
META-SATIRE

disagree

>>1329441
lol what?

>>1329436
lol oh you.

>>1329427
I agree, then want to disagree with your last point, but don't know how to proceed with it. Anecdotally, I've chosen not to pursue teaching, but have had no problems getting a lil somethin somethin (job-wise): assistant editor of a magazine, transcription . . .

Disregard that, I am a faggot and my original post's picture is faggoty. Good day.

>>1329425
I'm sorry to hear you think it's stupid.
English is a specialization, and as you go on in your degree, you narrow in your study on courses of your choosing.

Mornin', /lit/.

How do you feel about English degrees? To those who dislike it/find it useless/say it's easy, how do you justify your belief? To those who are self-haters (those who majored in English and now hate it), what did you expect from it that the program didn't fulfill?

I don't like people who hate on English.

aright guys
im going to sleep
thanks again
hopefully ya'all will be on in the afternoon tomorrow.
cheers for now.

>>1328550
I recommend an English degree. They're awesome.