Reading Notes: Russian Fairy Tales Part A

For this week's extra credit reading assignment I decided to read Russian Fairy Tales by W. R. S. Ralston (1887). I chose this option because this seems to be a cultural that I expect to be different from many of the others I have read so I am curious to see what tales are told. In addition, I am curious to see if there are any reoccurring morals across cultures. Below are my reading notes:

• There seems to be an interest in peaking emotions then letting them go flat very quickly. At one point I was admiring and at another I was hit with an unexpected sad stance.
• I like the spiritual punishment that was given and the idea of potential corruption and greed are strong writing points. 
• Again, I see the theme of what today's world would perceive as silly stories but are actually stories with strong moral ties and reflections to today's problems.
• Most of the stories have one thing in common and it's a theme of karma/fairness presented in the end of each tale. The bad wife is a good example.
• I find it interesting that the poor orphan boy decided to choose love over greed as that is a very powerful decision and one many of us face in today's world sometimes.
• Occasionally, like in the Aesop's Fables, we see the bad guy come out ahead. Which to be fair is how life turns out sometimes. The good guy doesn't always win and the bad guy doesn't always get punished even if he deserves it.
• Commitment is also a cool moral that I hadn't seen in other stories I've read. This would be a pretty interesting theme to write on.

Wikipedia: Russian Fairy Tale

Wikipedia Trails: From Sioux to Source Rock

This week I decided to start my trail on the Sioux since that is the native american reading I chose. I learned that many of the Sioux Indians lived in north central united states area like present day North Dakota. Being the Energy focus person I am, I then clicked on the Bakken Formation which is one of the U.S.'s largest oil producing basins. Lastly, I clicked on source rock to fact check Wikipedia's knowledge over hydrocarbon generation. It looked on par to me. Thanks for reading.

Wikipedia: General Stratigraphic column of Bakken

Reading Notes: Myths and Legends of the Sioux Part B

This week I decided to read Myths and Legends of the Sioux by Marie McLaughlin (1916). I chose this unit, because I feel like I've often heard of the Sioux tribe in history and I would like to learn about some of their tales and storytelling styles. Below are my notes for part B:

• These stories of Unktomi are somewhat grim and I see the potential to do a "negative" copy of the story, or a positive ending.
• It is interesting how the tricks and tales across cultures can align even when there is no communication between groups. Again these stories of the Sioux seem to be fairly grim in nature.
• I find it interesting how animals and insects of the native american culture can do humanly like tasks or activities such as making arrowheads.
• It is neat that there is an equal opportunity for creatures of each realm to "win" in an encounter. Such as Iktomi and the wolves.
• I am a fan of the morals that are also taught of selfishness and self reliance.
• Trickery is a very frequent topic of storytelling and makes for an entertaining read and potentially an entertaining write.

(arrowhead, by D. Birgenheier)

Reading Notes: Myths and Legends of the Sioux Part A

This week I decided to read Myths and Legends of the Sioux by Marie McLaughlin (1916). I chose this unit, because I feel like I've often heard of the Sioux tribe in history and I would like to learn about some of their tales and storytelling styles. Below are my notes for part A:

• I like that there is a sense of humor in the stories. In addition, I like that the stories are told by animals and they interact with each other. It is interesting that the story teller also used terms like grandmother and grandson when the rabbits talked to each other. 
• I am a fan of how these stories are witty and usually revolve around someone being fooled by a trickster or gamble.
• The reason for why there are so few bears is an interesting tale. This again is similar to other culture's tales in the sense there is a myth which explains something in the present today.
• In addition, I am a fan of the native tongue which the animals sometimes spout off in the stories.
• I found it neat that there was an individualized telling from the Sioux that was similarly themed to Dances with Wolves.
• It's interesting as I have read through these stories over completely different cultures how there is a very similar lesson or theme in them.

(turtles)

Review: New Punctuation Marks

Laura Gibbs: Punctuation marks we should be using

I picked this out of the daily announcements because I found it humorous. You we kind of are pretty limited in how we can deliver tone with ending punctuation. I feel like adding some of the punctuation marks could save a lot of misunderstood text messages. Thanks for reading.

Famous Last Words: Winter is coming

For this class this past week I finished most of my assignments before OU-TX weekend holiday started. Which in turn will pay dividends as I will not have to worry about anything being due. In addition, I was able to finish up editing on my last story telling titled "Sinbad the Sailor". I feel as if it turned out really well and gave a nice background to Sinbad and his fortunate and unfortunate events. Also I added another story to my portfolio this week which I thought was one of my stronger story telling’s as of late. It is titled "The Levels of Storytelling" and its sourced from actually two different stories. One story contributed to the style of the delivery and the other delivered the main plot of the story.

Wikimedia: Colder Weather

In my other classes and extracurricular I was not super busy. I was able to fulfill some of my around the house chores before OU-TX.. I am slightly disappointed that I didn't have any time to play golf, but mowing the lawn, for the last time hopefully, was something that needed to be done. I am not really looking forward to getting back into the groove of things this next week, but I guess every small vacation has to have its end. If not, I think it's called retirement. Anyways, I am soon approaching the point total for the grade I want to achieve in this class and I am looking forward to finishing early. It will really help to relieve stress on my other classes as I come into the crunch time of my other classes. In addition, I am looking forward to colder weather. Although I am not looking forward to getting dark sooner. That will eat into the time to practice golf after I get out of class. Thanks for reading.

Wikipedia Trails: From Celtic Mythology to Copper

Since I read some tales out of Celtic Mythology I decided to begin my trail there. From which I encountered what was called the Iron Age, in which was the era the Celts were from. I then learned that after the Iron Age came the Bronze age in Europe and Asia. This occurred with the advancement of blacksmithing and metal working technology. However, it was also noted that in some areas of the world these ages were flipped in time. Lastly, I learned that bronze was a combination of smelting copper and tin.

Wikipedia: Native Copper

Reading Notes: The Celtic Fairy Tales (2) Part A

For the week 8 extra credit reading, I decided to read The Celtic Fairy Tales (2) unit by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John D. Batten (1895). I chose this because I haven't read a British unit yet and I am curious to see how their tales are different. Below are my reading notes:

• There is an interesting sense of jealousy that I have not seen in other tales from other cultures. In addition, I like the use of the poem where Oifa has a few lines of uninterrupted dialogue.
• I am not a huge fan of how long this story is. It seems to drag on for over 1500 words which breaks the short and sweet rule. In addition, I am more of a fan of a to the point storytelling.
• I like the use of frequent dialogue however these frequent epic poems are becoming excessive in my opinion.
• One thing I have noticed is there is very little animal-human interaction. Since I am a fan of the Aesop's fables, this is somewhat disappointing.
• Frequently there is an introduction of a wizard which provides a unique range of possibilities for a storytelling that I might include. I have not seen this exact usage of a character in any other stories. 

(Castle of the Munster Kings, Ireland)

Growth Mindset: Self Reflection

One thing that I take well in this class is feedback on my writing skills. I am very open to this feedback because I know that writing isn't my strong suit. However, in a setting where I consider myself more technically sound I usually have a harder time taking constructive criticism. For example, this past summer I had to do a presentation for work and my public speaking skills aren't my strong suit. However, once I got passed my personal pride I was able to receive that feedback and ultimately turn myself into a better speaker and presenter. Continual self development is a key component of growth mindset and a healthy mind and it starts with receiving constructive criticism. Thanks for reading.

Wikimedia: Public Speaking

Week 8 Reflections

Over the semester I think my favorite reading assignment thus far has been the classical units. I really enjoyed reading the Odyssey and Aesop's Fables. One thing I felt like I have done well is focused more on the delivery and presentation of the story versus the actual content. Reading like a writer is something that takes training of your eye and mind to do. My favorite story I have written thus far is The Lone wolf. It is themed after the wolves that appear in Aesop's fables. I was able to also include the suspense delivery which is characteristic of the fables. One thing I want to continue to improve on my writing is my use of dialogue throughout the story. I feel that one thing that has helped me in this class is to see the different writing styles of everyone. It gives a good diverse look at the ways to deliver a story. Thanks for reading!

W.H. Drake: The Two Jungle Books

Famous Last Words Week 7: Planning Ahead

This past week was especially tough and stressful. For one, in my other classes I had a pretty difficult test. In addition, I found it stressful that our teacher would not let us ask any questions during the test, because some of the problems were not absolutely clear on what they were asking. Instead you have to state all your assumptions. So in that aspect, I guess I just have to hope I got lucky and made all the correct assumptions for the test. Besides that test though, I received a few of my other test scores back from my formation evaluation class and my structural class. Both of which I was fairly pleased with and let off a great deal of anxiousness off of my shoulders.

As far as this class was concerned I was disappointed that I did not think of a good continuum for my Sinbad the Sailor tales for my portfolio. This was due to my heavy obligations in my other classes, but I'm still upset to not finish. However, since that I felt that the week went fairly well. My storytelling this week I felt like was some of my better writing for the semester still yet. In my opinion, the story is as if you took a negative copy of a photograph. If you have ever seen an original "negative" copy of a photograph, then you know it is the complete opposite of the regular photo. This was the approach that I took for this week's storytelling. It turned out really well and gave the original story a great twist. In the week's upcoming I hope to continue to explore new writing styles. The one I did this week seemed to just spur upon me as I did not receive the idea prior to writing it.

On a completely separate note I am looking forward to spring break coming up even though it is still far away. My friends and I are trying to plan a cruise and will probably book it soon so that the fares are still reasonable. It will be nice to take a break from school and relax for my senior year. I am hoping everything will work out for the trip and looks something like this picture. Thanks for reading.

Wikipedia: Norwegian Dawn

Reading Notes: The Key of Gold Part A

This week for the extra credit option I have decided to read The Key of Gold by Josef Baudis. I chose this option because I wanted to dive into a European themed tale. Below are my reading notes:

• There is an interesting sequence of events that all build on each other by happen stance to John. All which lead back to his root cause of sleeping in places he shouldn't.
• I am a fan of the fact that there are no boundaries between human and animal interaction. This allows for unlimited avenues for story telling.
• There is a mysterious ending in the story about the gambler that leaves the reader wondering if the people ruling the realms are still alive, because if they are then they are still ruling.
• The story of Kojata is a refreshing happy ending as many folktales from various units can be somewhat grim in nature sometimes.
• A very interesting theme of the golden keys prevents many of the ones who strive to be the king of the palace from obtaining the goal. The keys of gold definitely have a symbolic and potential spiritual power.

(basilisk, by F.J.J. Bertuch)

Storytelling Week 7: Creation of Starfish

There once was a king and queen who lived in the greatest Kingdom of Laos. For many years the king and queen have come from a similar lineage of ancestors which had ruled before. One day the queen asked the king if she could have a star. The king replied how am I supposed to get you a star if it is in the heavens above? The king not wanting to displease his queen decided to think about how he could accomplish such a feat.

So the next night the king and queen lie awake on their balcony gazing at the stars above. The king wished for the power to be able to grant his queen with whatever she wanted, especially a star. As he prayed to the great Gods he wished for some way that she could be hold a star of her own. Each night the king continually lie awake on the balcony gazing at the stars above in awe. And each night the king of Laos prayed to the gods for a way to grant this queen her wish. The queen began to grow sad at the fact should would probably never get to hold a star or have one of her own. On the night of the new moon, as the king lie awake on the balcony in his kingdom he saw a shooting star.

Upon sight of this he thought it may be a sign from the gods, so he closed his eyes and made a wish. The next morning came around and the king and queen went on their walk down by the beach where the trading Port was. The servants of the kingdom were steady at work hauling in the new spices from nearby countries and offloading their goods to be traded. As the king went to talk to his chief sailor, the sailor told the king of an interesting new species he had spotted along the shore upon his arrival to the main land. The king and queen were somewhat uninterested at first, however decided to take a walk further down shore to the other side of the beach.

Along their walk they saw a species of sea creature that they had never seen before. The king and queen were astonished at the sight of this creature and had never seen such a thing. As the king reached down in the sand to pick up the sea creature he realized that it resembled the shape of a star. It had five points and was almost perfectly symmetrical. He then gave it to his queen and said this is a gift of the Gods and he has now blessed us with the opportunity to see the sky and the stars above and see the stars from the ocean below. We shall name this the starfish and we shall have our great Queen be blessed to be surrounded by so many stars on Earth and in the sky above. The queen was in disbelief and was enlightened that her wish came true.

Wikipedia: Royal Starfish

Author’s Note: This story was inspired by Laos Folklore and tales. Mainly the goal of this story was to emulate the creation of something we know today in the world with a story that is somewhat unconventional. A story that comes to mind from Laos folklore is why a grain of rice is so small. Thanks for reading.

Bibliography: Laos Folk-Lore by Katherine Neville Fleeson, with photographs by W.A. Briggs (1899)

Review: Motivational Garbage

Laura Gibbs: Oscar Garbage Can Quote

I picked this announcement because I usually pick something that is humorous. In addition, I like that it is motivational. Also Oscar is a great character in general. Thanks for reading!

Learning by Heart Time Management Week 9

Matt Haig, Reasons to Stay Alive

I liked this learning challenge because I am always a fan of the Time Management related ones. This one was unique to the others and wasn't related to procrastination. I found it interesting how it incorporates all of the senses into different senses of the word "time". Thanks for reading.

Wikipedia Trails: From Laos to Tarrifs

This week since I read over the Laos folklore tales I decided to begin my trail on Laos. From there I saw that the country was apart of Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA). I then learned that this was the oldest preferential trade agreement between any countries within the Asia-Pacific region. I then further learned that this agreement is a means for giving access to participating countries to certain products at reduced tariffs.

Wikipedia: Storck Harbour Scene

Learning Challenge Week 8: Time Management

Time Management (Courtesy of Laura Gibbs)

A lot of my learn by HEART challenges are about time management, but I think that is because it is my favorite at this point in my life. I like to try and remind myself to live in the moment. I feel as if this meme emphasized not living in the past, but trying to live in the present. Thanks for reading.

Learning Challenge Week 7: Time Management

Courtesy of Laura Gibbs

This was a post that really caught my eye. The time to start breaking a bad habit or start something new in your life doesn't have to wait. You can start anytime you want and that time can be now. Many people always wait for New year's to make resolutions, but that's not necessary. Anytime is a good time to start. Thanks for reading.

Growth Mindset Week 9: Because I practice, I do better

Because I practice, I do better! (Laura Gibbs)

I like this meme because it is like the old saying of practice makes perfect. I truly believe that practicing anything can make you improve any facet of your life. This is a good rule to live by and something to always remember. Thanks for reading.

Growth Mindset Week 8: The bigger the challenge, the more you stretch

Stretch yourself thin is a good thing (Courtesy of Laura Gibbs)

As humorous as the picture is, it holds much truth. The bigger the task, the more you have to try to accomplish it. I think there is a healthy balance on stretching your mind with big tasks. It helps me to continue to learn something new everyday and expand my knowledge. Thanks for reading.

Growth Mindset Week 7: Geniuses work hard too

Genius work hard (cheezburger)

This meme was really inspiring to me for one reason. That being that not everything comes easy to people that are good at something. In other words even geniuses have to work hard to continue to stay a genius. Hard work is a must to become good at almost anything. Thanks for reading.

Tech Tip: Cheezburger Meme

This week I decided to learn how to make a meme on cheezburger.

Tech Tip: Embedding a Playlist

For this week I decided to learn how to not only embed a video but a compilation of videos from youtube. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the tip!

Reading Notes: Laos Folklore Part B

This week I decided to read an Asian themed folktale. I chose to read Laos Folk-Lore by Katherine Neville Fleeson, with photographs by W.A. Briggs (1899). Below are my reading notes for part B:

• I like the repetitive build up to the punch line as shown in The Wizard and the Begger. This reminds me of Aesop's Fables and I like the suspense it gives to the story.
• I also like the no boundaries between which species can communicate to each other. As the dog and the buffalo both talk to humans.
• The story of why rice is small is a great moral telling of being greedy and also teaches patience. As I also mentioned in part A, I would like to tell a story similar to this but end it with a moral relating it back to everyday life.
• I like the story which shows to be open to change and grow your knowledge outside your boundaries as shown in The boy in the city streets.
• I found it pretty meaningful when there was the quote about lazy poor people vs lazy rich people and the public perception of each. I think that is an interesting double standard.
• As in all of these stories, I think the tales all get at trying to teach a main principle or value one should instill in themselves. I will attempt to tell a story which captures this them for this week.

(fig tree)

Reading Notes: Laos Folklore Part A

This week I decided to read an Asian themed folktale. I chose to read Laos Folk-Lore by Katherine Neville Fleeson, with photographs by W.A. Briggs (1899). Below are my reading notes for part A:

• It is interesting that this child one day felt the need to go into the woods, because of his hate to humans. In addition, it is a neat ending of how his time in the woods paid off when he went back to the village and the beasts did not bother the cattle anymore. I would like to include this risk reward theme in my story this week.
• The faith to believe in without using human senses is an interesting tale as well to inspire children or people to believe in myths or legends.
• It is interesting how they describe that even the powerful spirits kept away white foreign explorers.
• The explanation for why the elephants lip droops down is kind of humorous. I feel as if it describes a potential interaction that can happen in everyday life, but is retold to fear people to not do a certain thing or they will end up like the elephant. I would like to relate a common story like this, but incorporate it to explain why possibly there are four seasons instead of one.
• The man and the moon reminds me of a story of not wishing for to much. Along with the faithful spouse stories seem to instill good principles of how people should live.

(Indian elephant)

Reading Notes: Folk Stories from Southern Nigeria

For this extra credit reading assignment, I decided to read the Folk Stories From Southern Nigeria by Elphinstone Dayrell (1910). I chose this reading assignment because I wanted to stick with african themed tales. Below are my reading notes over part A:

• I like how the stories are very explanatory of how certain things on Earth came to be.
• I am a fan of how non-living beings are personified throughout these tales to explain why things are the way they are. I think it would be neat to include a story or compilation of stories that explains why things are the way they are.
• I find it interesting how almost every story in some shape or form relates back to the king. It makes you wonder what kind of person in royalty influenced the telling of these ancient stories.
• The explanation of why fish live in water is a humorous story to me. I guess because I'm very left brain oriented so I am looking for that scientific explanation and this is more of "just because the king said so."

(leopard)

Tech Tip Week 6: Google Reverse Image Search

Ravana 10 headed mask (Ceylon Vintage)

This was the picture I reverse image searched. You can find it on many different websites in original size. Using the Bing search engine I found it on this Pinterest site. This is a really neat tool and is very easy to use. Thanks for reading.

Review: Tom Gauld Humor

Tom Gauld: Three Scientists and Big Bad Wolf

I chose this post from the daily announcements, because I am a fan of Tom Gauld. I enjoyed the first weeks assignment using his adventure map. In addition, I found this illustration/story very humorous too. Thanks for reading!

Wikipedia Trails: From Brer Rabbit to

I read the African tale of Brer Rabbit so I started there. From which it was natural to learn about hares. I learned that hares do not use burrows for the young , but rather shallow depressions. Lastly, I learned that burrows are a hare or rabbits natural defense against predation. Which is the act of a predator going after prey.

Wikipedia: Hare 

Famous Last Words: On to the next

This week has been a very up and down week. In my other classes I had a test on Monday and project on Wednesday which made for a hectic studying situation. I feel as if I did better on my geophysics test on Monday however intuitively the project should have been easier. I guess I really wont know until I get the grade back in both classes but those are just my initial gut feelings. Nonetheless I am glad to be done with them and next week should contain a lighter load, as I only have one test on Wednesday in my reservoir engineering course.

Wikipedia: Be Like Bill

In this class I was happier with the assigned readings. I decided to read Brer Rabbit and it reminded me of a Cajun style Aesop's fables in a way, even though it was an African Tale The plot really was similarly setup and had a somewhat similar delivery of the story. In addition, I was a fan of the use of animals throughout the story. I find it to usually be a much less complex story, which is more of my liking. Also this week I felt that my storytelling wasn't the best I've had on initial writes, but it was definitely not the worst. I would say "Brer Rabbit Adventure" will eventually make my portfolio after a few edits and maybe a few more developing plot lines. This story was a little more difficult to write because I attempted to write the story using a combination of a moral ending like the Aesop's fables.. I struggled with whether or not to add dialogue, but I ended up not putting any to maintain different than "The Lone Wolf". I was pleased with the different view it gave on my story and it helped provide more detail of the events than just a first person narrative. I am looking to possibly expand and try another technique next. Thanks for reading and have a good weekend.

Learning Challenge Week 6: What kind of Reader are you?

Learning by HEART Memes (Laura Gibbs)

I chose this meme because I thought it would be fun for the different people of the class to comment on what type of reader they are. Laura Gibbs commented that she was an Altruist reader. I myself am a Neurotic reader. My challenge for myself is to merge into one of the other groups as I grow older. What kind of reader are you? Thanks for reading! (haha)

Growth Mindset Week 6: Ponder you potential

Cat in Deep Thought (Laura Ritchie Inspired)

Ritchie writes: "an ideal learning situation where students consciously take responsibility for the processes of monitoring, reflecting, and eventually achieving their potential."


I chose this growth mindset meme for the week because reflecting on self progress is really something good to do. When someone can monitor their progress through life or a certain task it helps with goal setting and feeling accomplished. And as Ritchie says, you can find and release your true potential through this process. Thanks for reading.

Portfolio Introduction

The Lone Wolf
A naive wolf cannot figure out why he has no friends

W.H. Drake: The Two Jungle Books

Sinbad's Journey

Sinbad presses his luck and ends up where he started

The Voyage: (Roc, by E. J. Detmold)

The Levels of Storytelling

A dad tells his son a story through the changing of story characters

Wikimedia: Father son Fishing