Week 13 - Unit: Grimm

Reading Diary B: 

The Brother's Grimm is a great Reading Unit!  Everybody should read this one! 

The Fox and the Horse

This was a great story.  A farmer sends his old trusted horse off alone because he has grown too old to be of use.  The farmer said he would only take the horse back when he became stronger than a lion.  The horse is alone and sad when a fox comes to him and asks him what is wrong.  When the horse tells the fox of his plight, the fox says he will fix the situation.  The fox tricks a lion into coming out to feed on the carcass of a horse.  Then, he ties the lions legs up by the horse's tail.  The horse drags the lion back to the farmer and the farmer takes him in to live out the rest of his days in comfort.  

Reading Diary A:

Rapunzel 

OOOOOoooooo .... this is such a good story.  I love the fact that Rapunzel is so beautiful and sweet, with a sweet voice.  And of course, there is the Dame Gothel who traps Rapunzel in the tower.  I first thought the story would end badly, but the Prince and Rapunzel find each other again and live happily ever after in the kingdom.  yay! 

Briar Rose

It's SLEEPING BEAUTY!! I loved this story.  It was so much fun to read.  And, of course, with the release of Maleficent, I had a lot of images to add to this.  

Bibliography:

Reading Unit: Grim.  Web Source: Grimm

Image: Rapunzel.  Web Source: Rapunzel 

Story: Rapunzel.  Web Source: Rapunzel

Story: Briar Rose.  Web Source: Briar Rose

Story: The Fox and the Horse.  Web Source: The Fox and the Horse

Week 11 - Storytelling: Kazoonheit!!

Day 1:

Dear Diary,
It's Monday and I can't seem to stop sneezing.  It's making me crazy.  I sneeze morning, noon, and night!  I don't think it's ever going to stop.  I went to the drug store today to buy some antihistamines and the drug store clerk alerted me to the meaning behind sneezes.  What?  Well, so here we go... day by day.  It's Monday and apparently this is a sign for danger.

Well the drug store clerk wasn't lying.  I sneezed while stepping off of the curb today, tripped, and fell right in front of a car.  LUCKILY the car stopped....the sneezing still hasn't!

Day 2:

Dear Diary,
It's Tuesday, and YES I'm still sneezing.  I mean, it's getting completely ridiculous.  I've used up so much tissue, the garbage man refuses to come pick up my trash anymore.  He says he's not payed to pick up 6 extra receptacle bins.  Yeah, like it's my choice to be sneezing for 43 days straight!!  Well, the drug store clerk said sneezing on Tuesday is a sign to kiss a stranger.  Please, you can just forget about that.

This is such crap.  I was walking home from work today and a complete stranger ran up to me, grabbed me on either side of my face, yelled "IT'S A BOY!!" and kissed me smack on the lips.  This is starting to freak me out.

Day 3:

Dear Diary,
Well, Wednesday is here (day 44 of my sneezing tirade).  I'd better go check my mailbox, because the drug store clerk said sneezing on a Wednesday is "sneezing for a letter."  It better be a letter commending me on my ability to stand up to 44 days of sneezing!!!  I truly think I'm dying....each sneeze takes away 5% of my overall strength.

So, you shouldn't be surprised that I received an important letter today.  I got a letter from my sister.  SHE'S GETTING MARRIED!!!!  (Ok, this is SERIOUSLY starting to freak me out!)

Day 4:

Dear Diary,
Thursday is here and I'm praying I will stop sneezing today.  According to the drug store clerk, sneezing on Thursday is a sign for something better!  Mmm-Hmm... something better than what?  I'm asking every single person I pass on the street to kill me and end this agony.  No one has!  Chickens!!

So something better did happen today, though.  When I got to work, my boss called me into her office.  I thought, "Oh great.  Here it comes.  She thinks I have the plague and wants me to stay home until I stop sneezing!"  But no!!  She gave me the promotion I've been working so hard for.  So, this sneezing thing isn't COMPLETELY bad.  (If you mention that to anyone, I'll deny it and then I'll throw you in the fireplace!)

Day 5:

Dear Diary,
Friday!! Thank God!!! I only have to survive today.  Then I can crawl in my bed and prey for either the sneezing to stop or death to come!! Course, I won't get either.  :(

Well, the drug store clerk said sneezing on Friday is a sign of sorrow.  My husband called and said he won't be able to make it home from his business trip today like expected.  DAMN ... I needed someone to make me soup and then clean off the wall after I spray it down!

Day 6:

Dear Diary,
It's Saturday! Whoopdy doo!  I swear, if I don't stop sneezing ... it'll be the end of me.  I mean, come on, I already have wiped the tip of my nose away.  Seriously! I'm starting to see bone.  Johnson & Johnson called me yesterday to thank me personally for making their stock prices rise.  The drug store clerk said that Saturday sneezing meant I would "see my sweetheart tomorrow!"

Stupid drug store clerk ... he was right, AGAIN!!! My husband called and said he'd be home first thing tomorrow morning.  I'm going to the drug store tomorrow and I'm going to spray down that clerk!  (Aaaaaa-chooooo!)

A Seriously Unfortunate Sneeze - Seriously Profound

Author's Note:
This short sneezing poem was one of my favorites from the Nursery Rhymes reading unit.  I have horrible allergies and I sneeze all the time.  If you've been on campus and had someone sneeze around you, it's probably me!  Anyway, the rhyme says that sneezing on any given day has a meaning.  I thought it would be fun for someone suffering from allergies and incessant sneezing to write a diary about it.  I don't know how well it came off, but I liked writing it.  Here's the original poem below:

If you sneeze on Monday, you sneeze for danger;
Sneeze on a Tuesday, kiss a stranger;Sneeze on a Wednesday, sneeze for a letter;Sneeze on a Thursday, something better;Sneeze on a Friday, sneeze for sorrow;Sneeze on a Saturday, see your sweetheart to-morrow.



Bibliography:
Reading Unit: Nursery Rhymes.  Web Source: Nursery Rhymes
Sneezes.  Web Source: Sneezes
Image: A Seriously Unfortunate Sneeze.  Web Source: A Seriously Unfortunate Sneeze

Week 11 - Essay - The End of the Class is Nigh

Well, I don't know about the rest of you in my Myth and Folklore class this semester, but I've almost reached the 410 point threshold for an "A" in this class.  This, of course, means that I am almost finished with the course.  I am a self-professed nerd.  I love school, I love learning, I love lectures, I'm learning to love writing papers (grad school here I come!), and I ADORE reading.  The more I read, the better in my opinion!!  I've found that not only has my education and vocabulary increased dramatically ever since I became a voracious reader, but so has my insight into other cultures, ways of thinking, etc.  And I can't find one negative thing to say with regards to that.

With that said, this has been a fantastic course!! I've gotten to read a lot of things about different cultures.  This has included their stories, fables, myths, and legends (just to name a few).  I mean, think about all of the different cultures we've been exposed to simply by the reading units Professor Gibbs has selected for this class.

We've had:
Classical & Biblical
Middle East & India
Asia & Africa
Native American (one of my personal favorites)
The British Isle & Europe

That's 9 different cultures.  You can sense the differences in cultures as you read the stories.  Some had legends, others had tales, and they all were steeped in the culture from whence they came.  The African tales dealt a lot with bringing back the dead and wild animals, indicative of the environment. The same can be said of the British Isle unit and the Middle East.

A lot of friends of mine have asked, off and on throughout the semester, what classes I'm taking and which I hate/love.  Well, I've been lucky and I haven't had ANY that I hate thus far and will be graduating in May 2015.  I have; however, had a lot of great things to say about this class.  I've let all my fellow readers know that if they're interested in reading works from cultures we probably will never experience in person, this is the class for you.  I hope you all felt the same way about the course as I did.  And I wish all of you nothing but the best of luck in the future.

Bibliography:
Image: Star Student.  Web Source: Star Student

Famous Last Words - Week 11 - Pride and Prejudice

This is for all those loyal readers out there!!

These are my favorite books of all time.  Many years ago I decided I wasn't going to be that person who never read any classic books.  So, I went out to Barnes and Noble and bought several classics:

• Catcher in the Rye
• Last of the Mohicans 
• The Count of Monte Cristo 
• Pride and Prejudice 
• Wuthering Heights
• Bram Stoker's Dracula 
• Jane Eyre 
• The Picture of Dorian Grey
• Sir Saint Thomas Moore's Common Sense 
• Great Expectations 
• Crime and Punishment 
• Northanger Abbey 
• Mansfield Park 

The list literally goes on and on.  It was an expensive book-buying day.  But well worth it!! Pride and Prejudice became an instant favorite of mine.  Now, I read it every single summer.  And, inevitably, after I read that book, I must read a newly found treasure (several years ago, now) Darcy's Passions.  This book tells the entire story of Pride and Prejudice, but from Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy's point of view.  Sometimes I will read the two books simultaneously just so I can have better insight to the interactions between Ms. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy.  If anyone reads this "Famous Last Words" post of mine, please please pick up one or both of these books and give them a read.  They have truly become a staple in my collection.  I've read them so many times, and each and every time provides me with hours of entertainment.  This is definitely a classic that will get you hooked on Jane Austen.  You just might find yourself buying more of Jane Austen's books or even venturing into Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, which is also EXCELLENT!!! 

Happy Reading Everyone!! 

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

Darcy's Passions - Regina Jeffers

Bibliography:
Pride and Prejudice.  Jane Austen.  1813.  
Image: Pride and Prejudice.  Web Source: Pride and Prejudice
Image: Darcy's Passions.  Web Source: Darcy's Passions

Week 12 - Unit: Celtic Fairy Tales

Reading Diary B:

Beth Gellert

This was HORRIBLE.  It was a good story, but so very sad.  It speaks of a prince who had a very loyal and trustworthy dog.  One day the dog did not answer the call to go on the hunt.  When the hunt was over, the prince turned and saw his favorite dog with blood dripping from his fangs.  The prince ran back to the castle, terrified that the dog had killed his 1-year-old son.  He rushed into the nursery to find it in disarray and blood everywhere.  He could not find his son.  He took his sword and plunged it into his trusty dog.  As the dog lay dying, the prince heard his son and turned over the crib.  As he did this, he discovered a wolf lying dead on the nursery floor.  He had killed his trusty dog who had just defended his son against a wolf.  This is why he missed the hunt.  AWFUL!!! SO SAD!! (Beth Gellert means "the grave of Gellert" - the name of the prince's dog.) 

Reading Diary A: 

The Horned Women

This story begins with a woman carding wool when there is a knock at the door.  It was a witch with a horn growing from her head.  The woman of the house continued to get knocks and continued to answer the door, with a new witch entering each time.  It finally got to where there were 12 witches sitting in front of her fire; each had an extra horn as the one before.  They cast a spell on the lady of the house.  But the Spirit of the Well helped her to break their spell and keep them from returning.  So far, my favorite Celtic story. 

The Horned Women

Bibliography:

Reading Unit: Celtic Fairy Tales.  Web Source: Celtic Fairy Tales

The Horned Women.  Web Source: The Horned Women

Image: The Horned Women.  Web Source: The Horned Women

Beth Gellert.  Web Source: Beth Gellert

Week 11 - Unit: Nursery Rhymes

Reading Diary B:

Love and Matrimony
This section had a lot of nursery rhymes that I'm sure most of my classmates have heard before.  There was Jack & Jill, which I had no idea what curds in whey was until I was about 20 (slight exaggeration) - cottage cheese.

Natural History: Part 2
Ladybird, Ladybird was a very short but very sweet little rhyme.

Accumulative Stories
I loved This is the House that Jack Built. I'm not sure if I've ever read this one before, but it sounds vaguely familiar.  This might be my "storytelling" selection for Week 11.

Reading Diary A:

The Lion and the Unicorn
This was a cute (albeit short) nursery rhyme.  A lion and a unicorn are fighting over the crown.  Of course the lion wins.  I've always been partial to unicorns, though.

Untitled (sneezes)
There was a short poem under the "proverbs" section of the Nursery Rhymes unit that I particularly liked.  It talks about what sneezes mean on particular days of the week.  My allergies are horrific all the time, so I enjoyed getting a little proverbial insight into my daily sneezing and meanings.  ha!

Riddles
This was a particularly good section of the Nursery Rhymes unit.  I love riddles.  There are a lot of different ones here that I have never heard before.

Games
This was a cute section of Nursery Rhymes as well.  It has my favorite (& it was my daughter's favorite when she was tiny) - "This Little Piggy."

Diddle, Diddle, Dumpling, My Son John

Bibliography:
Reading Unit: Nursery Rhymes.  Web Source: Nursery Rhymes
Image: Diddle, Diddle, Dumpling, My Son John.  Web Source: Diddle, Diddle, Dumpling, My Son John
The Lion and the Unicorn.  Web Source: The Lion and the Unicorn
Untitled (Proverb) - Unit: Nursery Rhymes.  Web Source: untitled (sneezes)
Nursery Rhymes: Riddles.  Web Source: Riddles
Nursery Rhymes: Games.  Web Source: Games
Nursery Rhymes: Love & Matrimony.  Web Source: Love & Matrimony
Nursery Rhymes: A Natural History: Part 2.  Web Source: A Natural History: Part 2
Nursery Rhymes: Accumulative Stories.  Web Source: Accumulative Stories

Week 10 - Storytelling: Spread Too Thin

There was once a woman who was all alone in the world.  She wandered through the desolate streets of Colorado Springs, Colorado.  She was a beautiful woman.  She had long blonde hair and a beautifully fit body.  And her shoes were the second love of her life; Prada, Jimmy Choo, Manolo Blahnik.  She still waited for the first love in her life.  She wanted some kind of companionship, but there was no one around for miles.  The movie theaters still ran, but there was no allure in attending a movie alone.

One day, while wandering the streets, looking for something to do, she heard a noise.  It startled her and she hid behind an abandoned car.  When she peeked around the bumper of the car, she saw two figures.  Could they be people?  Wait, were they men??  TWO OF THEM??  She slowly crept out from behind the car, wary of what their intentions might be.  They both approached her slowly, looking quite curious and dubious.

The two men looked at each other.  It seemed as if they were considering each other...rivals perhaps?  Oh, no!!!  They both sprang upon her in one fell swoop.  They began tugging at her...at her arms, at her legs, all at once.  Finally, there was a loud rip and she was literally torn in two at the waist.  She wanted companionship, but this was completely ridiculous!!! What was going on?  As soon as the fight over her had begun it was over.  Her upper half was being carried West to the abandoned city of Los Angeles and her lower half was being carried East to the abandoned New York City.  The most optimistic way she could think of looking at this situation was that she had a DD-size bra cup that was heading to the former entertainment capital of LA and the bikinis and her fantastic heels were heading East to New York City.

Many, many years later, as the world became populated again a very definite difference could be discerned between the women of the West and the women of the East.  The women of the West had wooden legs, but they had long beautiful blonde hair, tan skin, and generously sized bra sizes.  The women of the East; however, had wooden arms and breasts, but their legs were long, sleek, muscular, and adorned with some of the most beautiful shoes the world had ever seen.

Woman on Stone Beach

Author's Note:
This was my own little retelling of the story The First Woman from the Alaskan Legends reading unit.  In the original story the world is populated by only men and they fight over the lone woman.  They eventually pull her apart.  One man takes her upper half with him to the South and one man takes the lower half with him to the West.   Which is not very different from my retelling, but I thought I might give it a more modern feel by making it within a large city and taking her halves to Los Angeles and New York.  I also tried to tell it from the woman's point of view.  I'm not 100% sure if it worked, but I liked this style/form.

Bibliography:
Original story:  The First Woman.  Reading Unit:  Alaskan Legends.
Image: Woman on Stone Beach.  Woman on the Beach

Week 10 - Essay - TAKE THE GRE??????

Well, this past week was just as busy, if not worse, than the previous weeks were.  It's getting closer to deadlines for applying to graduate school and there's a heap of things that still need to be done.

• study for the GRE 
• write my purpose statement
• pull together my academic accomplishments/resume
• get my enrollment for AKD Honor Society (Sociological) completed 
• study for an upcoming Stats Exam
• study for an upcoming Violence in America Exam 
• and then all my daughter's stuff ........... 

I've scheduled my date for the REAL exam, asked for letters of reference from 3 great professors, and have completed most of the actual online application.

I do have a hard time deciding when is a good time to go through my GRE practice book.  I mean, I've got Cherokee exams every couple of weeks and Stats exams every 3-4 weeks.  So while they're both important to my future academic career, I find it hard to decide which "test" gets my attention when.

It's reasonable to say I am feeling like there are not enough hours in the day, days in the week, weeks left before deadlines to get everything done.  I usually handle stress pretty well, but this is just PUSHING IT!!  lol --- Grad school will be much worse.  

I took a practice GRE exam today and I did extremely well on the Verbal section .. in the 83rd percentile, which is awesome.  But my quantitative analysis needs some work and I still need to practice the writing sections for the essay portion.  

Something that I have found funny/ironic while completing my Bachelor's is how much I enjoy the learning aspect as well as juggling these many facets of my life.  I seem to thrive on it.  When I'm bored, I'm miserable.  So, I truly believe this aspect of my personality is conducive to completing a Masters program.  Yippy!!!! 

Week 10 - Unit: Alaskan Legends

Reading Diary B:

The First Woman
This story is my favorite in the Alaskan Legends unit thus far.  It talks of the world being populated by men.  There is one woman and two men go to claim her.  They fight over her and rip her in 2.  The top half of the woman is taken to the North and the bottom half of the woman is taken to the South.  The North and the South begin to make wood carvings to "complete" their woman.  The woman in the South was a good dancer because she had legs, but was poor at needlepoint because her hands were wooden.  The woman of the North was a poor dancer, but was excellent at needlepoint because of her real hands.  So it was like this universally - women in the North were good at needlepoint and women in the South were good dancers.

The Boy In the Moon
This is another nice story.  It explains how the moon and the sun came to be.  A lazy little boy has fallen in love with a girl.  While unwatched, the little girl climbs a ladder leading into the sky.  The boy chases after her, but he was too late.  The girl became the sun and the boy became the moon.  He chases the sun, but is never able to catch up to her.  He is without food, so gets hungry and wanes.  Then, the sun stretches out a platter of meat and berries to the moon, and the moon becomes full again.  I love stories like this...creation-type stories.

The Wolves and the Deer
This story explains why the deer are afraid of wolves.  They are both invited to a feast where the wolves tell the deer to laugh with their mouths wide open because no one laughed with a closed mouth.  So, the deer laughed and the wolves saw that they had no teeth and attacked the deer.  Only a few deer survived.  Now deer are afraid of wolves.  (if it's got wolves or sharks in the story, I'M IN!)


Reading Diary A:

The Origin of the Tides
This was a great story.  There is a recurrent theme throughout our Myth & Folklore class....the stories generated by these indigenous peoples was their way of explaining the occurrences in nature.  In this story, Qa is always shaping rocks.  He finds a rock in the middle of the world and creates a home underneath it.  He then carves a lid for this and twice a day a man opens the lid and twice a day the man closes the lid.  This opening and closing of the lid explains high tide and low tide.

Raven and the Seals
This story was interesting, but a little confusing.  Not because I couldn't understand what was going on, but I guess because I expected a moral to the story.  This story explains a raven who comes upon a man and his house.  He tells the man he will be his friend.  The raven proceeds to eat all the seals on the beach and then eats the man (some friend).  He takes his canoe and goes out and catches more seals to eat.  He asks a stump if it is envious of him (the raven).  Then the stump sits on the seals so the raven can't get to them to eat.  He is always hungry.  WEIRD, but interesting!

Inside Passage Alaska - National Geographic Expedition

Bibliography (Diaries A & B):
Reading Unit: Alaskan Legends.  Web Source: Alaskan Legends
Image: Inside Passage Alaska - National Geographic Expedition.  Web Source: Alaskan Wilderness
The Origin of the Tides.  Web Source: Origin of the Tides
Raven and the Seals.  Web Source: Raven and the Seals
The First Woman.  Web Source:  The First Woman
The Boy in the Moon.  Web Source: The Boy In the Moon
The Wolves and the Deer.  Web Source: The Wolves and the Deer

Week 9 - Essay - Busy, Busy, Busy!!!

Well, I must tell my fellow students that these meta-essays have been very cathartic for me.  Getting out my frustrations and my stress into an essay makes everything appear a bit clearer afterward.

I've got another Cherokee exam this week; it'll be the third one.  I haven't studied much for this one yet, but I will begin tonight.  I mean, it's only Monday, right?!  I also have a quiz in stats tomorrow which entails a numerical problem that has six (that's right, you heard me, six) different formulas to be used to obtain the correct answer.  OH, and we don't get a formula sheet ..... must do from memory.  AWESOME!!!  I also have a homework assignment due in stats, which I hope I did correctly.

So, I've discussed Cherokee and Statistics.  Now comes my Sociology of Violence class.  I took my first exam in there a week or so ago and I aced that baby!!!  So that's a real shot to my confidence that I'm getting things down, my studying strategies are effective, and I'm going to be an amazing graduate student and Sociologist-Criminologist.  I've also got a short paper due in Violence on Thursday over a book we had to read.  So I'm procrastinating on that one!! But it's my next item on my "to-do list."

See......so by getting out all of the things that I have accomplished, and accomplished well I might add, I feel better.  I know I have been tackling my education with determined gusto.  Furthermore, writing down all of the many things I still need to do makes it feel a little less hectic and a lot more focused.  Now, I can sit down for the rest of this evening and get in studying for Cherokee and start my paper for Violence ......... When it's all said and done, I'll look like the little toddler in my chosen image below!!!!!  Keep pushing through everyone!!!!!!

So Exhausted!! 

Bibliography:
Image - So Exhausted!!  Web Source: So Exhausted!!

Week 9 - Storytelling: It's Not the Speed, But the Endurance !!!

Dear Diary (day 1),
The love of my life, Arora, has challenged myself and the hummingbird to a race around the world.  The winner will be her husband.  I can't tell you how very much I wish for this, you already know.  We leave in the morning.  Hopefully I will be victorious.

Dear Diary (day 2),
We gathered in the center of the village today to begin the race.  All the animals of the small town were there.  Some were in my corner, but most were betting on the hummingbird.  At this point, I too may take the side of the hummingbird.  When they blew the whistle for us to leave, hummingbird was out of sight before I could take off.  Worried.  But will not abandon my determination.

Dear Diary (day 3),
I do believe all is lost.  I've been flying the entire day and still have not managed to catch up with hummingbird.  For all I know, he may have won the race already.  I will stop for food, but then will be on my way again.  Even if I don't win, I must cross the finish line.

Dear Diary (day 4),
Today's turn of events was most extraordinary.  I stopped at a lake for a quick bite of fish and continued on my way.  In the night, I passed the hummingbird!!!  He was sleeping on a branch high in the trees....I feel confidant he did not see me.  I shall make a final push for the finish.  Victory is near!!!!!  (ahhh, Arora)

Dear Diary (day 5),
I MADE IT.  I actually crossed the finish line, and far ahead of the hummingbird too!!!  It is a bittersweet victory, however.  My beloved Arora was certain the hummingbird would win and set this race just to end my pursuit of her.  How can this be?  I thought her to be so virtuous, alas.....she has a cold heart.

P.S.  I do take great comfort in the fact that I beat that hummingbird!!! hee hee

Author's Note:
This story is from the Myths of the Cherokee unit from our un-textbook.  The hummingbird and the crane were both in love with a beautiful woman.  The woman liked the hummingbird because it was gorgeous like she was.  But the crane was so persistent she challenged them both if they were to win her and her love.  She said she would marry whomever could fly around the world the fastest.  While the hummingbird was gone in a shot, he tired quickly and needed to rest for the night.  The crane, on the other hand, could fly all night.  And he did.  This is how he won the race because he could fly all night he always passed the hummingbird. However, the woman refused to marry something as clumsy as the crane and therefore remained single.  I have seen/read many people's storytelling posts that read from the diary perspective and I thought this would be a good story to try that style out on.  I hope it carried over well.

Bibliography:
Reading Unit: The Myths of the Cherokee.  Web Source: Myths of the Cherokee
Story: The Race Between the Crane and the Hummingbird.  Web Source: The Race Between the Crane and the Hummingbird
Story Retrieved from James Mooney's Myths of the Cherokee.  (1900).
Image: The Hummingbird.  Web Source: Hummingbird
Image: The Crane.  Web Source: Crane

Week 9 - Unit: Myths of the Cherokee

Reading Diary B:

The Terrapin's Escape from the Wolves
I liked this story so much that I included it in my Storybook.  A possum and a terrapin (basically a turtle) are retrieving persimmons when a wolf comes along and snatches them in the air and eats them.  The possum throws down a bone, which he reportedly always carried, and ended up choking the wolf.  After the wolf died, the terrapin went and cut the wolves' ears off to use for spoons.  When the other wolves learned of this, they abducted the terrapin.  They were trying to decide how to kill him, but the terrapin kept tricking the wolves; telling them that this way or that way would be impossible to kill him.  They then decided to throw him into the river.  Of course, the terrapin could swim so he swam away and escaped the wolves.

The Crane and the Hummingbird
This is another good story.  The hummingbird and the crane were both in love with a beautiful woman.  The woman liked the hummingbird because it was gorgeous like she was.  But the crane was so persistent she challenged them both.  She said she would marry whomever could fly around the world the fastest.  While the hummingbird was gone in a shot, he tired quickly and needed to rest for the night.  The crane, on the other hand, could fly all night.  And he did.  This is how he won the race because he could fly all night he always passed the hummingbird. However, the woman refused to marry something as clumsy as the crane and therefore remained single.

Bibliography:
Reading Unit:  The Myths of the Cherokee.  Web Source: Myths of the Cherokee
Image: Endangered Species.  Web Source: Endangered Species
Story: The Terrapin's Escape from the Wolves
Story: The Crane and the Hummingbird

Reading Diary A:

The First Fire
I've read this story several times now and I think it's one of my favorites (out of all the units thus far).  It tells of a tree catching fire and a myriad of animals working together trying to figure out how to retrieve the fire.  As each animals attempts to get the fire, something occurs that changes the animal's appearance.  So, this story tells of how the animal came to look the way that it does.  The Owl, the spider, the snake, etc.

The Origin of the Pleiades and the Pine
Ok, this is another great story.  It's about this group of boys who seem to always be getting into trouble.  They have a sort of treehouse that they like to hang out in.  One day, they decide to play a trick on their mothers by placing stones in the soup pot.  When the moms discover what the boys have done, they decide to teach the boys a lesson and tell them that the stones shall be their dinner.  The boys, upset and hungry, return to the treehouse, hold hands in a circle and begin to chant.  Before they know it, they're rising into the air.  When the mothers realize the boys are still not home, they head to their treehouse and see them floating away.  Six of the boys floated away and became the constellation, but one boy was grabbed from the sky by his mother.  He hit the ground so hard that he sunk into it.  The mother cried over the earth here and her tears created a pine sprout to grow.  In Cherokee, the constellation is called Anitsutsa ... which you say like anichuja (Ani-makes it plural and achuja is boy) Anitsutsa - The Boys.  GREAT STORY!!

Endangered Species - ISIS World Wildlife

Bibliography:
Reading Unit:  The Myths of the Cherokee.  Web Source: Myths of the Cherokee
Story: The First Fire
Image: Endangered Species.  Web Source: Endangered Species
Story: The Origin of the Pleiades and the Pine

Tech Tip - URL Shortener

http://goo.gl/09uDkR

So That's My Shortened Link

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holocaust#Involvement_of_other_countries_and_nationals

And Here's the Really Long Original Link

YouTube Tech Tip - Don't Ever Touch Me (vine)

Don't Ever Touch Me - Vine

Did You Just Touch Me?

Famous Last Words - Week 8 - Just Life In General

So, as any of you who have read my introduction post know, I'm a 37-year-old single mom of a fantastic 13-year-old daughter.  Most of the time life swims along just fine with no problems.  She's a great kid, very smart, always a people-pleaser, and involved in a lot of school activities (track, honor choir, archery, community service, etc).  Well, she's had a lot of emotional things going on with her over the last few months and she's had a really rough go of it.  She's usually such a happy kid, seeing her so distressed just breaks my heart.  And as a mom, you want to be able to "kiss it and make it all better," but when we can't do that, it just makes you feel helpless.  On top of all of this, I've been trying to maintain a 4.0 through my classes (I'm a senior-and you all know the classes just keep getting harder) and sifting through all the things I need to have completed to successfully apply to the Sociology graduate program at OU.

BUT..... finally, my daughter seems to have found a nice balance with the high emotional things and dealing with teenage angst!! So, she's back to being my cheerful daughter again, which means I can be happy again!!  What's so funny is that you find out how great your family and friends are when you go through rough times.  They're there to help you get through the tough times, give you a shoulder to cry on, and give you the emotional support you need to maintain your sanity!!

As much as your family may get on your nerves, tick you off, or just generally irritate you, you always come back to the realization that no matter your differences, when you really need them, they're there for you!!  I'm so happy that my daughter and I are so blessed in friends and family that we'll never have to go through anything on our own!!! I hope all of you who read this (and even those of you who don't) are just as blessed with great people in your lives to make the rough spots not so rough!!

Reading Diary Assessment - Week 8

I went back and read my reading diary posts and I can see a pretty big difference between my diaries now compared to the diaries from the beginning of the semester.  I must've misread the instructions at the beginning of the semester because my very first reading diary post is excessively long.  I even remember Professor Gibbs commenting on the fact that those were pretty extensive notes and cluing me in to the fact that I only needed to make notes on my favorite stories from the reading unit.  So that first diary post is pretty darn long.  Additionally, I've found that doing both reading diary posts at the same time works better for me than doing A & B at separate times.  

I really enjoy reading, so this class has been a perfect fit for me in that respect.  As any of you who enjoy reading knows, when we're in school we really don't have time to read for pleasure.  We pretty much only read what we have to for classes and if we're LUCKY we enjoy the material.  So our myth and folklore class has kind of given me an opportunity to read things other than textbook or scholarly journals.  I've also found through my diaries (and just reading the units in general) that I've gotten exposure to other cultures through our readings, which makes me happy.  This class has been great and I've already recommended it to several friends of mine.

Blogger Templates Tech Tip

So I went into the Templates section of my blog and played around with a variety of colors.  As anyone can see by my blog, my favorite color is purple, with green being a close runner-up.  I had a few problems when changing my template settings and colors.  Sometimes, regardless of how many times I attempted to change a color, be it to purple, green, blue, or any other color, the template would not change.  So I saved the changes I made and left it alone for a couple of days.  I went back to it, and it still wouldn't change.  Needless to say, I kind of gave up on that one for awhile.  I also love the feature that you can slide and change the width of the sidebar....I hate the way some blogs look with half of the title "Reading Diary" or the like being on one line and the rest on another.  It makes it difficult to read, in my opinion.

I did eventually get the color to change for the blogger title, but it took a few times and quite a bit of irritation before it complied.  All in all, though, I like the fact that you can customize the blog to fit your own personality.

Happy Blogging, All!!

Week 7 - Storytelling: This Time, They Make It!

There was once a young man named, Alexander.  Alexander was one of those rare men who worked hard his whole life for the things he wanted, was kind to all those who deserved kindness, and loved only one woman.  The woman he loved was Cara.  She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.  Despite her wealth, she was also one of the kindest women he had ever known.  Everyone adored her.  They had been friends since they were children and used to get in the worst sorts of trouble together.  As they grew older, though, their friendship grew into something more.  They loved each other, truly and deeply.  One would die for the other.  They hoped to one day be married, but Cara's father said that would be impossible.  Her father, Amun, told Cara that she deserved better than Alexander.  She deserved someone who was wealthy so the families could combine their fortunes.  Cara argued this point for months, telling her father they had plenty of money as it was and she would rather marry a man who was true, honest, loving, and loyal than one with money.  But Amun would hear none of it.

One day, while Cara was walking through her favorite field, down by the river, she saw her beloved, Alexander.  He came to her and told her again of his love for her.  He told her that regardless of what her father said, he would never love another but her.  Cara was so moved by Alexander's words and she began to weep.  Alexander caressed Cara's chin and told her he did not wish for her to cry, that he came to ask her to run away with him.  He knew he didn't have nearly the money she deserved to live as comfortably as she had grown accustomed to.  But Cara didn't care about these things.  The ONLY thing that had ever mattered to her was love and trust.  She agreed to run away with him.

As they made their way through the forest towards Alexander's horse, they heard a group of men screaming Cara's name.  And they knew.....they knew Amun was searching for Cara.  They hurried through the forest and mounted Cerberus, Alexander's trusted stallion.  They flew through the forest and came to a great crevice in the mountains.  Their only chance was to jump.  They kissed it each other one last time, just in case Cerberus wasn't up to the jump.  Alexander backed Cerberus up and then willed him forward as fast as he could possibly go.  They closed their eyes and waited for death.....

Then, quite unexpectedly, the felt Cerberus's hooves make purchase with the ground on the other side.  They had made it!!!! They turned to see Amun and his men standing on the other side of the crevice, dumbfounded with nothing to do but watch them ride away.

Alexander and Cara found themselves a tiny little village where no one would know who they were and settled there.  They were married shortly thereafter and had many children together and lived content, quiet lives without money, just love.

Star-Crossed Lovers -- Raymond Haddad

Author's Note:
I adapted this story from the reading unit of Folklore of Laos.  The story was called Lovers Leap.  It's such a tragic tale.  Two people who love each other very much are not allowed to marry because of the girl's father's disapproval.  It's a story we all know so well and we all know it never seems to end well, which I think is very unfair for the two young lovers.  Therefore, I decided to tell this tale where the lovers actually got to be together.  Call me a hopeless romantic, but there is nothing greater on this earth than to find that one person you are meant to be with.  The one who fills you with joy and happiness.  And to have love like that impeded upon by a father's will, just never seemed like a good ending to me.  So, I rewrote it, the way I thought it should end-with them leaving together and starting a beautiful life together.  So there, take that .......

Bibliography:
The Lover's Leap.  Reading Unit: Folklore of Laos.  Web Source: The Lovers Leap
Image: Star-Crossed Lovers.  Web Source: Star-Crossed Lovers

Famous Last Words - Week 7 - My Writing This Week

Well, I'm not really sure where this past week went!! Oh, YES I DO, I was studying for 3 exams all week long.  So, needless to say I got a wee bit behind on staying ahead in this class; I spent today catching back up again and getting started on week 7.

I've always thought that I did my best work when I was "under the gun," so to speak.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not a procrastinator.  It causes me pain to wait until the last minute to get assignments or readings done.  But you all know how it is, some weeks are just so stinking full of things to do for all of your classes, that you have to prioritize.  The first test I had, got precedence over the other classes, etc.  Well, being under the gun this weekend to get assignments in before the deadline got me writing a new 1st story for the storybook and I got the reading diaries completed for week 7 as well.   I think I did some pretty good work this week.  As any of you who have read any of my blogs probably knows by now, I don't think I have a very good gift for writing, not creative writing anyway, but this week I feel like some of my creative juices were really flowing.

I'm experimenting with different styles of writing and trying to find styles that suit me best, but also suit my stories best.  I had to do a rewrite on one of my stories for my storybook this weekend and I think I did a pretty good job.  Of course, I won't really know until the comments start coming in!!!

Week 7 - Unit: Folklore of Laos

Reading Diary B:

To Aid a Beast
This was a great story about a hunter who aided a man, a tiger, and a snake.  All of whom promised not to forget his good deed and to help him if ever the time came that he needed their help.  One day, the man called to the tiger and the tiger came, brining a golden chain.  This chain, unfortunately came from the daughter of the Chow whom he had killed the day he was freed.  The hunter took the chain to the city (not knowing of where it came) to try to sell.  The man he attempted to sell the chain to was the very same man he had freed and promised to help.  Instead, the man turned the hunter into the Chow as the murderer of the Chow's daughter.  He was blinded and thrown into chains.  He begged for 7-days reprieve.  While he was chained, he called to the snake who came to his aid and restored his sight.  He then blinded the wife of the Chow.  The Chow wanted someone who could restore her sight.  The hunter said he could through herbs, etc.  After helping, the hunter told the Chow, "I am not the one who murdered your daughter.  The man I had freed from the pit promised to return the kindness, but instead falsely accused me."  Upon hearing this, the Chow had the ungrateful man put to death and he released the hunter and gave him half the provence.

The Magic Well
The chow of a provence was dying.  He was lying in his bed one day when I man asked to see him.  He told the chow that he had been visited by a spirit who showed him the way to what looked like a well.  The spirit told the man that this water, and only this water could heal the chow.  The man and the chow along with some of the chow's men journeyed to the well.  This water truly was healing.  The chow drank of the water and poured it on his head and hands and was healed.  To this day, it is said, that the well and the water are used to heal the people.

Bibliography:
To Aid a Beast.  Web Source: To Aid a Beast
The Magic Well.  Web Source: The Magic Well

Reading Diary A:

Spirit-Guarded Cave
This was a great story.  It spoke of a people who were terrorized by their enemies.  They decided to pack up all of their belongings and leave; their cattle, food, and anything with any value.  The journey was long and all the rice and cattle had been consumed before reaching the end of their journey.  They decided to use their jewels and valuables to purchase food.  When they did, the people around them began to covet their fortunes.  Therefore, the people decided to stash their belongings and jewels and riches in a cave in the mountains.  This cave was guarded by the spirits of the people.  Many have tried to enter the cave to retrieve the riches within, but all have failed thanks to the constant guarding by the spirits.

Why the Lip of the Elephant Droops 
Twelve maidens were discarded by their parents in the jungle.  They sought refuge with a beautiful woman.  The woman had a garden, but she told the maidens not to enter.  One day while the woman was away, the maidens inspected the garden and found many human bones.  She was a cannibal.  The maidens ran away seeking help from animals along the way.  They came upon an elephant and asked it to hide them from the cannibal.  The girls jumped in so fast, that the hem of her garment hung outside the elephant's mouth.  Once the cannibal found the elephant with the hem hanging from it's mouth, she cursed the elephant to always have a drooping lip.

Elephant Species - WWF

The Lovers Leap
This was the story that I think is alive in every single culture around the world - that of star-crossed lovers.  Two people were in love and wanted to be joined, but the girl's father would not hear of it.  They saw each other infrequently, but this did not diminish their love for one another.  One day, the father of the girl thought she had forgotten all about her lover and decided to hold a feast.  During the feast, the girl wandered outside and suddenly saw her lover.  He asked her to run away with him and become his wife.  She agreed and mounted his horse with him, but just then a servant came outside, witnessed this, and raised the alarm.  The young lovers were chased by her father and the men.  They reached the crest of a cliff, the horse was weary, and they decided to try to jump the distance.  However, the horse was too tired and the jump to far and they fell to their deaths, crushed upon the rocks.

Bibliography:
Reading Unit: Folklore of Laos.  Web Source: Folklore of Laos
The Spirit-Guarded Cave.  Web Source: Spirit-Guarded Cave
Why the Lip of the Elephant Droops.  Web Source: Droop of the Elephant Lip
Elephant Species - WWF.  Web Source: WWF - Elephant
The Lovers Leap.  Web Source: The Lovers Leap

Week 7 - Essay - My First Memories of Reading

My first memories of reading stretch back all the way to the age of 5 or 6.  Growing up (and even now as an adult) my mother and I did not have the best relationship.  She was very distant and cold, which are traits she learned from her father.  But when she would come in to tuck me into bed at night, it was like she was a totally different person.  She would tell me to go and pick out a book to read and then to hop into bed.  I knew this meant she'd be coming into my room to read me a story and then tuck me in.  We also always played the "bed plumps" game, which got me giggling every single time.  I still think it's funny 30 years later.

One of my favorite books was Are You My Mother? written by P.D. Eastman.  The little scrawny bird was just so adorable and all of the animals he encountered along the way to find his mother were so endearing.  I've always had a soft spot for animals.  Another one of my favorites was Disney's The Magic Grinder.  These stories were my favorites and were selected for reading many nights of the year.  Then, my mom would tuck me in and I would smell the blankets and stroke the soft fabric of my bedding.  Then she'd throw the blankets over my head and play "bed plumps!"  I'd curl up under the blankets and she'd pretend I was a lump of laundry and sheets under there that needed flattening.  It tickled so much and always made both of us giggle.

Those are fantastic memories I still cherish from my childhood.

Are You My Mother? - P.D. Eastman

The Magic Grinder - Disney

Bibliography:

The Magic Grinder.  Web Source: Magic Grinder

Are You My Mother?  Web Source: Are You My Mother?

Week 6 - Storytelling: Three Blind Congo Mice

Once upon a time, there were three blind mice; Trance (the dreamer), Pilot (the guide), and Necromancer (raiser of the dead).  These mice depended on their friend, Pal, to retrieve food for them.  One day, Pal was out in the forest gathering food for Trance, Pilot, and Necromancer when he was startled by a hawk.  The hawk winged down and pierced Pal's chest with it's beak and killed him.  As the hawk was flying off with its' prize, he dropped Pal into the long dry grass and could not find him again.  And so, there lay Pal and his lifeless body.

Back at the home of the three blind mice, Trance sat straight up from bed and cried out to his brothers, "Pilot, Necromancer!  Come at once.  Pal is dead!"

Pilot and Necromancer ran to Trance's side and said, "Trance, are you sure?"

"Yes, of course I'm sure! I saw his body lying in the field!", said Trance.

"Well, then," replied Pilot, "we must go and find his body at once! Come brothers, you know I know the way."

So Trance, Pilot, and Necromancer set off to find their friend's body.  They found him, lying exactly where Pilot said he would be.

Pilot turned to Necromancer and said, "Alright Necry....do your stuff!!  You MUST bring back Pal!! We are lost without him!  We will starve!!"

Necromancer replied, "well thanks a lot, Pilot, Trance, nothing like a little pressure to motivate the raiser of the dead, huh?"  Necromancer sighed and began to speak the words to raise their lost friend. "Cheese-Bread-Berries-Wheat-Barley-Corn-and-Oats-All Kinds of Pies.....Bring back our friend, Pal, or the three blind brothers will die!!!"

Pal spasmed a bit, his whiskers twitched to and fro, and suddenly his eyes shot open!!!  He sat up and looked around to find who had brought him back to life, as if he didn't know!  He turned to the brothers and said, "Oh thank heavens for you, Trance.  If you had not seen me die in your dream, you would not have known I was gone.  And you, Pilot, if you did not have your guiding spirit, you might not have known where to find me.  Finally, Necromancer, if you did not have the gift to raise mice from the dead, I would have lost my life permanently!  I thank you all, for if one of you had been missing from this tail, it would have had a very different ending!"

(P.S. - I did mean to misspell tale.... thought it was kind of punny)

Three Blind Mice - Deviant Art

Author's Note:
I used the story How the Wives Restored Their Husband to Life from the Congo reading unit.  In this story, it was three women who had special gifts; The Dreamer, The Guide, and The Raiser of the Dead.  The women in this story had voracious appetites and were never satiated.  The husband went out to find more food and was killed by an ox.  The Dreamer dreamed of his death and told the other two wives.  The Guide guided the wives out to where to find his body.  Finally, you guessed it, The Raiser of the Dead revived the husband.  The three women argued over whose bed/hut the husband would visit first and decided the way to settle the argument would be to serve him food and whichever pot of food he ate from first, it would be that wife who he visited first.  He told the wives, while you dreamed I was dead and you guided the others to my body, it was The Raiser of the Dead who gave me back my life.  I will eat from her pot.  I decided to change it up a bit because I felt, as I showed in Pal's final words of the story, that it was not the act of one person (or mouse), but the effort of the group that brought about a happy resolution to the plot!

Bibliography:
Image Source: 3 Blind Mice
Story Unit: Congo.  Web Source: Congo Unit
Story: How the Wives Restored Their Husband to Life.  Web Source: Congo Wives

Famous Last Words - Week 6 - My Writing This Week

I was working on my storybook earlier this weeks (it's going to be a collection of Cherokee stories) and I rewrote a story that I've heard from a few different Cherokee sources.  However, this story did not come from the Sacred Text Website and therefore was not a part of Cherokee histories.  So, even though I can't use this story in my storybook, I'm still looking at it as a good writing exercise.  As I've said several times throughout our blogging, I'm not the best storyteller.  My imagination in this area is limited.  Every time I write something, it's definitely an exercise, beads of sweat even pop up all over my forehead!! lol

It's hard for me to come up with interesting ways to retell a story in my own words.  I tend to retell them in the 1st person, which can get a little redundant and boring.  I'm going to try to find that link that Professor Gibbs has posted for us to give us writing ideas and play around with new ways in which to write.  Seriously how do writers continually come up with amazing literature?

I took this class because I've always liked mythology and folklore and it also filled an upper division requirement, but that wasn't really the driving factor.  I also ADORE reading.  My mother was an avid reader and now so am I, of course I don't really get to read for pleasure anymore, only for classes lol.  I had no idea what to expect, but I'm pleasantly surprised.  I like the fact that I not only get exposure to several culture's mythology and folklore, but I also have to go outside of my comfort zone and try something I've never tried before.  Getting my education at OU is definitely providing me with a wide range of subject matter, which will no doubt make me a well-rounded individual as well as a fantastic criminologist!!!

Mary Wollstonecraft - by John Opie

Bibliography:
Mary Wollstonecraft - by John Opie.  Web Source: Mary Wollstonecraft

Week 6 - Essay - Reading Glasses Cartoon

I find this cartoon to be very, very cute.  First of all, lets just put it out there that children will do just about ANYTHING to get out of long drawn out processes of things they do not want to do.  This list includes, but is not limited to, chores, long car rides, and anything involving schoolwork.  And although little girls are guilty of employing ingenious methods to get of doing work, I believe that little boys have created a cornerstone on the market.  They work together in groups, each little boy adding his proposed method of getting around the dirty work.  Together, these boys manage to come up with resourceful means for fooling mom and dad as well as schoolteachers.  However, there are just some things that there is just no getting around and learning how to read in grade school is one of those things.  Some children pick it up faster than others and some children enjoy reading more than others.

Now, imagine, if you will, two little boys wandering through the store with their mothers.  We all know kids find shopping painfully boring and they can find entertainment in the weirdest things.  My daughter and a friend of hers once played under an empty clothes rack at Wal-Mart for 35 minutes!! What was so entertaining???  Must have died within me when I got older.  So back to our two little boys, they come upon this display of hundreds of glasses.  I’m sure the first thing that occurs is that they begin trying them on, upside-down even, and making fun of each other and how silly they look in them.  Then, they happen to look up at the top of the display, which reads “Reading Glasses.”  The boys have an epiphany…We could have used these "magical spectacles" instead of going to that dumb class and learning to read!!!!!!! Ahhh, out of the mouths of babes.  That’s why I love children.  They are so complicated and complex and yet sometimes they just keep things simple and straightforward.  Their little minds are forming concoctions all the time, some good and some bad. 

Cartoon by Dave Coverly

Bibliography:
Image Web Source: EyeGlasses Cartoon