Portfolio Guide

A Deadly Trickster

My story about the trickster Anansi set in the role of Shelob from LoTR.

Spider's Woven World

A story of the world's creation at the hands of a lonely spider.

Of Snakes and Boys

A dispute between a snake and children escalates until the gods must intervene.

Billy Duffy's Deal with the Devil

The town drunkard makes a deal with the devil, and then manages to outsmart him.

Reading Notes Part A: Italian Popular Tales

In this section I read one story in particular that sounded very familiar. The name of the story is Zelinda and the Monster. In the story, there are three daughters who ask their father for certain gifts as he goes off to the market. One asks only for a rose. The father, unable to find any wild roses, carefully enters a well-kept garden and picks a rose from a rose bush. A terrible monster appears and tells him that he must bring his daughter to the castle. It was at this point that I recognized the connection to one of my favorite Disney movies growing up, Beauty and the Beast. 

Source

From Zelinda and the Monster, a part of Italian Popular Tales by Thomas Frederick Crane. Link to story

Billy Duffy's Deal with the Devil

Billy Duffy was the town drunkard. He was also a blacksmith, but only when he had spent the last bit of his coin at the local tavern. If Billy could find a way to make some easy money that didn't involve sweating out the last of his liquor over a forge, then he would do it in a heartbeat.

One day, Billy was walking home. He was out of money and dreading his return to the hammer and anvil. Loathing the thought of returning to sobriety, he exclaimed to himself, "By God! I'd gladly sell myself to the devil for some more drink."

Just then, a tall gentleman dressed in black with most of his face hidden stepped up and asked, "What did you say?"

"I said I'd sell myself to the devil if it meant money for more drink."

"I see. I think we could settle on a deal. How much would you like for seven years, and the devil to get you then?"

"Well, I don't rightly know at this moment."

"Return home, and in your smithy you'll find a bag of gold filled to the brim. With it, you should never have to suffer through a sober second again. Do we have a deal?"

Billy, realizing he'd never have to return to his forge, readily agreed to the deal.

"Seven years, and the devil will get you then, Billy."

When Billy got home the gold was right where the man had said it would be. There was so much he believed no man could lift the bag on his own. He immediately locked up his smithy and began to squander his money.

Word got around town that Billy had come into a fortune, and so many homeless would beg for a bit of it when they saw Billy walking by. Billy, not knowing what else to do with his wealth, began bringing enough for all of these people while still having money for his drink. 

One of Billy's regular charities was a particularly deformed old man. The old man would show up at his house randomly and ask that Billy give him a meal and a bath. Billy always readily obliged. The man would then rest through the night and leave without a trace for months on end. This went on for several years.

In the sixth year of Billy's deal, the old man returned and said to Billy, "Well, you have been good to me through the years. I will grant you three wishes, and whatever you wish will be sure to come true."

"I must think hard on this," replied Billy.

"I have all the time in the world." said the hermit, "Just you mind they are good wishes."

Next morning Billy told the hermit he was ready.

"I've got a big sledgehammer in the smithy. I wish that whoever picks up that hammer must continue striking the anvil until I tell him to stop."

"Oh, that's a bad wish, Billy." the old man warned.

Billy went on, "Next, I'd like a bag so that no one else can ever take out what I put into it. Finally, I have a chair in the upstairs room of my house that I wish no one could rise from unless I let them."

"Well well, these are very bad wishes, Billy." 

Billy heard the old hermit, but he already had a plan forming in his mind. 

After all seven years had passed, the devil found Billy in his smithy working. "Billy, the time has come for you to fulfill your side of the bargain and join me."

"Oh, of course! But if you wouldn't mind striking this a few times just to finish up my work while I go and say my goodbyes."

The devil obliged and picked up the hammer. He soon realized that he could not stop.

"Billy, what is the meaning of this?" asked the devil in a rage. "You must stop this at once!"

Billy only laughed and replied, "I am not much longer for this world anyway, but I wish that you would continue to supply these people with enough money that they never want for food or shelter."

"That was never part of the deal now put an end to this!" 

"Alright, alright, just turn into a sovereign and the spell will be broken."

The devil  did as he was told and the hammer dropped to the floor beside the coin. Billy picked up the coin and put it in his purse. Billy proceeded to carry around the purse for days to come as the devil cursed him. After a number of days, the devil grew quiet and Billy took the coin out and placed it in his armchair. 

"So, are we at an agreement yet?" asked Billy.

"Never." sneered the devil as he transformed back to normal, "I'm through making deals with you, and you're coming with me." he said as he tried to rise. He soon realized he could not though.

"If you will only make sure that the people I've been helping will live comfortably, this will all be over."

The devil finally relented. 

"Get out of my sight. I'll curse you to walk around sober and in poverty for the rest of your life to ensure you're as miserable as you made me." 

With that, the devil left in a cloud of smoke. From then on, Billy lived his life in sobriety, and with the support of the people he had helped over the years, he was able to overcome his addiction. The people also helped him out and housed and fed him when he needed it. 

Source

Author's note: Billy Duffy and the Devil was a story that caught my eye a few weeks ago. I wanted to follow the story pretty closely, but instead of the same old thing going on for Billy, I wanted to show some change. In the original story Billy was not selfish, as he kept an open house for the most part. He did squander most of his money though. My story is pretty true to the original until about the point that the Devil comes to him. In the original, Billy uses each of the three objects every seven years to gain more time and money to spend on drinking.  As I was reading the original story, I kept thinking that there would be so many ways to spend that money that would be better than just keeping the tavern's doors open.  In my version I thought that it would be pretty fitting to end poverty and suffering at the Devil's expense. I also chose to show the change in Billy by showing how the devil's "punishment" was actually a blessing for him. The people he had helped over the years were able to return the favor, and instead of living a life of addiction Billy was able to lead a somewhat more normal life. 

Inspired by Billy Duffy and the Devil from Welsh Fairy-Tales and Other Stories by Peter Emerson. Link to story

Reading: The Brothers Grimm Part B

Source

The second half of the storybook was a little less violent it in my opinion. It also housed less common stories than the first half. There was, however, one story that has many versions. The Hedgehog and the Hare was about a race between the two. The hedgehog tricks the rabbit in a race, and the rabbit eventually runs himself to death. In most iterations of the story it is a turtle that races the hare. Another story that caught my eye was the one about the animals' years. When multiple animals go before the Lord he dishes out a fair amount of life to each one until the human comes up. Not satisfied with the measly thirty years that he is offered the human asks for more and more. God finally relents and gives him the years he subtracted from all the other animals. The story ends by explaining how the years are not always a good thing for the human.

From Dan Ashliman's Grimm Brothers' Children's and Household Stories. Link to story

Reading Notes: The Brothers Grimm Part A

Source

This section contained the darker versions of a lot of stories many people heard as we were growing up. A weirdly common theme in the stories was the cutting open of wolves' bellies and placing stones inside (WHILE STILL ALIVE!!). I think the most interesting story was The Singing Bone. It had some traces of Cain and Abel, although the circumstances of the story were much different. I believe that I could add a little Macbeth and really make it fun.

Based on The Singing Bone from The Grimm Brother's Children's and Household Tales. Link to Story 

More Reading: Nursery Rhymes

This was my first time reading many of these nursery rhymes. Most were just simple little jingles about nothing at all, but some were actually kind of deep. I really just found myself reading them for the flow and simplicity. I guess that's why they've been a favorite of young kids for a long time. They're easy to understand and memorize.

From The Nursery Rhyme Book edited by Andrew Lang. Link to rhymes

Unicorn and Lion

Reading Notes: Billy Duffy and the Devil

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Billy Duffy and the Devil. It's always kind of cool to see the ways in which the characters fool the Devil or Death in order to prolong their lives and such. It usually catches up to them, but Billy was able to fool him until the very end. I thought that once he reached hell the Devil would have something extremely bad worked up for him to do for eternity, but instead Billy put him in his place one more time. I also found it funny that the Celts owned their affinity for drinking and expressed it by saying Billy was typical in that he only worked until he had enough money to buy his booze. If Billy had been less self-centered and instead of squandering everything on booze and gambling, he may actually have been able to help people out. 

From the story Billy Duffy and the Devil, and excerpt from Welsh Fairy Tales and Other Stories by Peter Emerson. Link to story 

A man and the Devil
Source: Wikimedia Commons

Reading Notes: Welsh Fairy Tales and Other Stories Part A

This reading was predominantly about fairies and their battles against witches and other evil-doers. I think that it's awesome that the Welsh decided to give a phenomenon that they noticed such as fairy rings such an awesome back story. In most cases, the fairies could only use their magic to reverse curses and such, but require a human to actually inflict harm on the bad people. I wouldn't mind seeing a fairy taking on a more prominent role.

Man-made Fairy Ring
Source: Wikimedia Commons

Growth Mindset: Growth Beyond School

While being in school I have really only ever focused on the part of my growth actually relating to school. I haven't taken the time to think about how I am growing as a person outside of the classroom. I have gone from an eighteen year old with culture shock to a twenty two year old man in the blink of an eye. I have grown in my faith to God, and in my maturity over the past four years. Now, as far as I've come, I also realize that I have a looong way to go. I don't believe we can ever really stop growing as a person if we work at it. I think this growth is what we call wisdom. The only way to achieve this wisdom is through the passing of time. This way we can look back to what we once were and see the progress which we have made.

Scrabble Progress
Source

Backup and Review: Draco

Something I had never heard of was the root of the word Draconian. I knew that the word "dragon" came from draco, however I didn't know that this word came from the Greek lawgiver Draco, who was pretty severe. Crazy to think that a single person could be the cause of the creation of so much more.

Draco, a Greek Lawgiver
Source

Learning Challenge: Empathy

Empathy is a wondrous thing. It allows us to consciously place ourselves in someone else's position and see things from their point of view. In a way, we can feel what they feel. Now, we can't always know everything that's going on in their lives, or what past experiences could be contributing to the way they are feeling, but we can just try and understand the place they are coming from a little bit better. When you understand a person's motivations, fears, and feelings it is much harder to disregard them as a person. If everyone in the world showed a little more empathy, I believe we could make our world a truly better place.

Empathy
Source: Flickr

Tech Tip: Twitter Follow

This week I chose to do the "Twitter Follow" tech tip. In this, all we had to do was go to our twitter and find someone to follow who we were not previously. I chose to follow David Boren. There's nothing really funny on his timeline, which is usually the reason I follow someone, but I've respected David ever since I read his book A Letter to America. His Twitter probably won't be used as quite the outlet the younger generation uses it for, but hopefully it will still be helpful.

Wikipedia Trails: From Robin Hood to Anthony Munday

I started off on the Robin Hood page because I had just read about him. I was curious to find more information on his "merry men", so that's where I went next. This led me to Will Scarlet, who was apparently the most skilled swordsman of the group. I saw the name Anthony Munday and read up on this English playwright from the 1500s.

Reading Notes: Ballads of Robin Hood

The tale of how Robin met Little John has been told and retold, and every now and then changed to a humorous story. Reading this reminded me of "Robin Hood: Men In Tights" when Little John falls into the brook which may be four inches deep at most, and thinks that he's drowning. It's fun to read the original tale without any embellishment.

From The English and Scottish Popular Ballads by Francis James Child. Link to story

Robin Hood and Little John
Source

Reading Notes Part B: Tales of the Round Table

I've been interested in middle English writing ever since I read The Canterbury Tales in high school. The stories of King Arthur and his knights of the round table are just as great, if not better, in my opinion. The story of the White Knight and Sir Galahad was a little confusing. I wasn't sure if the White Knight was supposed to represent an angel or not, but it seemed that he was otherworldly because he told a knight that no earthly being should know his name. After telling Galahad he should wield the shield, he leaves. From there, Galahad returns to the Abbey and confronts some sort of fiend. However, the fiend can't attack him because it sees angels around him. I'm not sure if this is because Galahad is very pure, or the shield wields the power of angels. These stories are really inspiring me to write a story of knights.

Sir Lancelot and an unkown knight
Source: Wikipedia

Reading Notes Part A: Stories of King Arthur

Vivien sends Merlin underground
Source

One story in particular stood out to me from this unit. The Passing of Merlin is a very sad story. It details him falling so hopefully in love that it eventually kills him. Rather, the woman he loves kills him to be rid of him. I just think that it's so sad that we as humans have so many emotions that we can't control. A lot of the time, acting solely on emotions alone leads to one's undoing, as evidenced in the story. However, it's these experiences colored by emotions which we can't control which give events and situations in our lives special meanings.

From King Arthur: Stories of the Round Table by H.J. Ford
Link to story 

Back Up and Review: Lizards and Crocs

Source

This proverb really caught my eye. I'm not sure if it is referring to the fact that it still has a long way to grow, and thus could still turn out to be a crocodile, or if the smaller it was, the more it dreamed of becoming a croc. Either way, it really made me think.

Tech Tip: Canvas Notifications

I recently tried turning on canvas notifications to be sent to me whenever I have something due. It seems like a great tool for times when I would have forgotten, or just don't have time to log on to canvas with my computer.

Wikipedia Trails: From Stags to Tiger Quoll

I started off with going to the Wikipedia page for "stags" since I had always known they were deer or deer-like, but not why they were called that. The page wasn't very helpful, so I quickly moved on to stag beetles. I think they're some of the coolest looking insects with their giant mandibles. From there I saw the word "allometry". I was curious, and discovered that this is the study of relative size of body parts when compared to the rest of them. Every species is a little different proportionately. Next, I saw a picture of a Tiger Quoll and went there. They are cute little marsupials that I had never known existed.

Extra Reading Week 10: Saints and Animals

This was pretty new because I don't think I had ever read a ballad about saints and such before. It was very entertaining, and surprisingly descriptive at the same time. I can't believe what some people can do while rhyming at the same time. Athracta's stags was a very fun story to read.

Based on the reading Athracta's Stags from the Book of Saints and Friendly Beasts. Link to reading

Stags
Source

Storytelling: Of Snakes and Boys

Rattlesnake poised to strike.
Source: Flickr

A long time ago, when we could still talk to the other animals, there were three children playing outside of their house. All of a sudden, the youngest of the three froze with fear and gave a little squeak, as that was all she could muster. The other two boys followed her eyes, and saw for themselves a brown snake with diamonds running up and down its length. The eldest boy yelled at the snake, demanding to know why the snake was so close to their land.

"Your land?" the snake replied snidely. "My ancestors and I have inhabited this land since long before your people decided to cut down the trees and make your wooden caves, and not that it's any of your business, but you disgusting creatures often attract mice." This angered the two older boys severely, as their father and all of the elders of the village told them of how they would one day inherit the land for their own.

Thinking quickly, the younger boy told the snake of a spot just around the corner he had seen many mice scurry into. Warily, at first, the snake began to make its way around to the backside of the house to the place the boy described. When the snake was finally out of sight, the boys began to converse hurriedly. The older boy took off to go find a forked tree branch while the younger of the two sprinted inside to grab their father's hunting knife. By the time they were able to get around to the back of the house with their tools, all they could see of the snake was a portion of the tail protruding from the hole which they described to him. As the hole housed only mice, it was extremely narrow, and the snake had a difficult time maneuvering in and around. Just as he turned a corner and saw his prey, he felt pressure on his back and then a burning pain shooting up his body. Because of the tight quarters of the burrow he had nowhere to go but forward. There he hid alongside his prey for a good while, as the pain had driven all sense of hunger from his mind.

Upon seeing the cruelty of the two boys, the gods began fervently discussing what to do about the situation. It was decided that because the snake had incited the boys with his speech, humans would no longer be able to communicate with the other animals of the world. The gods also saw fit to replace the end portion of the snake's tail with a rattle. That way the snake could remind humans that not every piece of land is theirs, and if they tread too close to the snake's territory, there would be dire consequences.


Author's note: My inspiration for this story came from The Rattlesnake's Vengeance. In the story, a mother hears a commotion outside where her children are playing, and rushes out to find a yellow rattlesnake. She abruptly ends its life. Later, her husband is walking back from hunting when he hears the strange noise of the other snakes lamenting over the loss of their leader. Once the man hears of the terrible thing his wife had done, and fearing worse retaliation from the snakes if he does not agree, he decides that he will help the black rattlesnake kill his wife. When the man returns home, he requests fresh spring water from his wife who goes out to retrieve it. The black snake had been waiting outside of the door for this moment, and struck her down. The man then comes out to see what had happened, and the black snake informs him that their tribe was now satisfied. I loosely used the same setting, but instead of the mom coming out whenever the children saw the snake, I decided to let them handle it. Humans are greedy by nature, and normally do not think about the other creatures that once inhabited or still inhabit the space they claim, so I tried to show that in my story. I also wanted to show how angry they got whenever the snake told them that they had no claim to the land. Originally, the story was going to be about the snake's revenge, but I found that it felt to flow better if the snake never retaliated in the story, Instead, the snake gained a way to hurt the human's pride by claiming its territory with the rattle.

Inspired by The Rattlesnake's Vengeance from Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney. Link to story

Reading Notes: Myths of the Cherokee Part A

Possum  Source

I always enjoy reading the stories about how each animal came to be the way it is. This time, I found the story of the (O?)Possum very amusing. I guess that the rabbit grew tired of hearing how great the tail was, and finally decided to do something about it. As much as the Possum gloated at the dance I can't say I blame him. In my story for the week I may write about how a certain animal came to be the way it is because it seems fun.


Story from Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney (1900) Link to story

Back Up and Review: Atlas

Atlas Source

While browsing through announcements that I may have missed this week, I came across this picture of Atlas. I'm also in a Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy class, and we learned that the bone at the top of the spine attaching to the head is named the atlas as well. I think it's really cool that we use the analogy of Atlas holding up the world to that bone holding up our world. 

Growth Mindset: Thinking is Part of Doing

"Thinking is part of doing." Source

While I don't believe this is necessarily always true, unfortunately, I believe that most good things happen when they are well thought out. You are much more likely to succeed if you have a plan for whatever you are going to do, rather than flying by the seat of your pants.

Tech Tip: Canvas Mobile App

So, I recently downloaded the Canvas mobile app, and I found it really easy to use! I think it's a great way to be able to see when things are due and check on your class grades without having to log onto a desktop computer. I highly recommend it!

Wikipedia Trails: From Lucifer to Roman mythology

I began with Lucifer because I had just read a story about him and his fall from grace. I next went to Dante's Inferno because I've never read the book and really would like to. Dante was led by the ancient roman poet Virgil, who I had never heard of, so I went there next. Finally, I ended up at Roman mythology.

Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome   Source

Reading Notes: Biblical Stories

I have read the book of Genesis a few times, and it's still one of my favorite parts of the bible. The fall of Lucifer, who was once perfect, and the Lord's favorite angel, is one of the deepest stories in the bible in my opinion. It is almost like one of Aesop's fables regarding ambition. Because Lucifer believed himself to be so perfect he could rival our Creator himself, he was cast away from heaven. 

From The Legends of Jews by Louis Ginzberg   Link to Story

The Fall of Satan   Source

Reading Notes: Myths and Legends of California and the Old Southwest Part B

It's really funny to me how most of the folk stories that we read use animals as the main or supporting cast with human qualities. Sometimes when they are telling the story I imagine "crow" not actually being a crow, but a person with the name Crow. Wind is another example from The Children of Cloud. I wonder if the author was trying to say that there was a man who controlled all wind, or if there was only wind at the house. Either way I don't really understand how a cloud can have a child unless they mean that his children were literally lightning and thunder.

Notes on The Children of Cloud from Myths and Legends of California and the Old Southwest 

Link to story

Lightning   Source

Reading Notes: Myths and Legends of California and the Old Southwest part A

Earth Wikimedia Commons

While reading through part a of the reading notes this week, I came upon Spider's Creation. There were some really strange parts such as the parcels that he sang into people and the fact that the spider sang everything into existence. I plan to go a route that uses a spider's actual talents instead of weirdly singing.

From "Spider's Creation" from Myths and Legends of California and the Old Southwest by Katharine Judson    Link to story

Famous Last Words: Home for the Hallowdays

Pumpkins: a Halloween tradition.  Source: Wikipedia

This weekend I was able to go home for the first time in a couple months since working and school often put a constraint on my ability to do so. Two of my younger cousins had birthdays in the same week and decided that they would like to have their party at my house because my mom loves to entertain and throw awesome parties for the kids. It surprises me how much spunk kids have at 7 and 9. They are constantly running, playing, going at full speed. It tires me out watching them and I'm only 22. After roasting hot dogs we put on a haunted hay ride for them and all of their friends. It's funny how brave those kids are after screaming at the top of their lungs moments earlier. After taking off our costumes and cooling down a little we built a fire and roasted s'mores for a bit. As much effort and as much as it tired me out it was all worth it when my cousins thanked me for a great party at the end of the night.

Review: Grammar Humor

Comma vs. Apostrophe

This was posted a couple days ago and I found it pretty amusing. It's crazy how we can differentiate ourselves by our roles even if we look the exact same.

Wikipedia Trails: From Web Widget to Fight Club

Fight Club    Source

So I had just done my tech tip for a weather widget when I realized I had no clue what a widget actually is or does! Thus began my wiki trail. Next, I saw a link to blogs and was curious about how they were started, so I went there. On this page I saw a link which said "Zero Hedge". It turns out this is a financial blog with tons of information which goes over my head. Interestingly, many of the posts are signed with the signature of a character from the movie Fight Club. I ended my wikipedia trail on the wiki for the movie.

Tech Tip: Weather Widget

I added a weather widget to my blog! I'm not sure how practical it is, but if you're ever curious about the weather and need an excuse to come to my blog, you know where it is!

Storytelling Week 9: Spider's Woven World

In the beginning, there was but a single being. An ancient spider by the name of Susstistinnako. He lived in darkness as spiders love. However, uncharacteristically of a spider, he became lonely. He did not know what this sensation was, nor how to respond to it. This feeling began to burden him heavily. To take his mind off of it, he began to weave his web. Not in the traditional way which he always weaved, but in a way such that there were now protrusions out of the dark earth. Everywhere there were fields of his web, and in some places massive columns. When he had finished weaving these, he noticed that the feeling had not gone away, so he began to weave his web into new shapes. He weaved his silk as strong as steel into masses of all shapes and sizes filled with all the intricacies his imagination could fulfill. He worked in this fashion for eon upon eon, still fashioning shapes which he had no name for, but felt right for him to create.

Spider web     Source: Pinterest

Finally, Susstistinnako realized that he no longer possessed neither the capabilities for weaving in his ancient limbs, nor the will to go on. And so Susstistinnako returned to his home and silently passed away. Susstistinnako's spirit left the earth to a place far above in the sky. It split into two pieces, one much larger than the other, but the other so bright and powerful that it lit the earth as far as the eye could see. The part of his spirit that had become the sun illuminated a sea of silvery structures. As the light began to warm these structures something very peculiar happened. Wind began to blow on the surface of the earth, and the structures began to move. Not with purpose in the beginning, but rather letting the wind take them where they would. After a time, the bright part of Susstistinnako's spirit had sent so much of itself to the earth that these forms began to come alive. Instead of merely flowing with the wind they were able to go against it. The heat from the sun had melded the fields of hairlike protrusions into grass and the tall columns into trees. His most intricate creations had become all sorts of animals and insects. Humans, fish, and all manner of life now inhabited the earth.

The moon had been taking in light from the sun for some time as well and awoke. This was Susstistinnako's consciousness. From his new perch high in the sky he could see all of his creations wandering the earth. He realized that in order to keep moving they would need moisture, and so using the power of the moon he drew the water out of the earth and towards the surface toward him. He realized that this is what he had been missing all that time in the dark. Watching his pale creations take on all the colors of the rainbow filled a place he had never known was empty. And so the moon, the sun, and all of the inhabitants of the earth were made.



Story inspired by "Spider's Creation" from Myths and Legends of California and the Old Southwest by Katharine Judson    Link to story

Author's note:

Spider's Creation was a story in which a spider sings the world and all of its living things into existence. The story was a bit different to me, as it began with the spider setting two "parcels" at opposite ends of the world. After stringing a line across the world connecting the two parcels, the spider began to sing. Eventually, two people come out of the parcels. These people go on to become the sun and the moon. This was perhaps the strangest part of the story for me. I just didn't think that any of this really had anything to do with spider. Also, the original story never really tells what happens to spider, so my story focused on him more. I was inspired to try writing a story like this myself, and in a way that actually utilized the amazing talents of the spider. I also knew that many spiders died soon after giving birth to a new generation of spiders, so I thought that was a good way to explain life coming about the earth. I imagined a silvery world shrouded in darkness before spider became the sun and the moon. I really enjoyed writing this story since it was the first that I have written of this type.

Week 8 Growth Mindset

Throughout this class thus far, I have mainly focused on doing exactly what I can to get by. I admit, that's the entirely wrong way to go about it, and as I find myself doing more I can tell I am enjoying the class that much more. It's true that what you get is in direct correlation to what you put into most things in life.

I have always been one to try new things. I don't like staying in my comfort zone for too long, and will normally go out of my way to meet new people, see new places/things. Sometimes that comes with a cost, but for the most part it has led to positive experiences in my life. 

One of my weaknesses is my ability to take criticism. Like many I can sometimes get defensive of my actions or work and be reluctant to make the changes suggested, especially if they are suggested in a way I don't appreciate. I could definitely work on my openness to criticism for the rest of the semester. I believe that would help me far beyond the classroom.

Archer    
Source: Relatably

Week 8 Reflections

Source: Tumblr

I think that I've done a decent job picking stories to read so far. I've enjoyed nearly all of them, and my favorite so far has been 1001 nights. A look ahead makes me think I'll really enjoy stories from California and the Old Southwest. I've learned to manage everything over the course of the semester even though I got off to a rocky start.

In the writing I've done so far this semester, I've learned that it's rather easy to do mash-ups of stories you love and new stories. I believe that the practice is making me grow as a writer. There are many talented writers in this class. I've read a lot of their stories, and have enjoyed many of them thoroughly. Some have incorporated poetry into their stories, and some have had a tendency to twist their stories in ways I would have never imagined. A few of the writers seem to be a little repetitive at times, however, I probably am as well every now and then. I can criticize others' grammar much easier than I can my own. I think that I have been able to give useful constructive criticism in much of my feedback. I could probably make more suggestions in my feedback, but I don't want to seem too pushy.

Famous Last Words: Surviving the Red River Rivalry

There is one weekend every year when the students of the University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas in Austin meet up in Dallas. It's a special time filled with carnival rides, corny-dogs, laughter, smack talk, and just about any other thing you can name. The state fair is something else. If you ever go, think of how many tickets you could ever POSSIBLY need, then double that number. you'll find plenty of things to spend them on, trust me. Even if you don't use them all, you'll be a legend when OU wins the game and you buy a celebratory round of corny-dogs. If you haven't met Big Tex you should as well. He's a great guy who doesn't mind you running around his feet. He's just happy to be there soaking up the atmosphere as you should be as well. If there's one thing you don't want to forget for the game, it's your trash talk. If you don't bring your "A" game then chances are you could take an L from the Texas fans in the stands, as well as your team losing. Another possible loss you could take is a sunburn. Standing in the blinding sun for 4 hours while the teams go to battle is nothing at the time, however when you can barely crinkle your nose without crying the day after, you'll be wishing you had brought that sunscreen. One last thing, if OU wins, you go to the bars after the game. If OU loses, you still go to the bars after the game.

Big Tex   Source: Wikipedia

Back Up and Review: Week 7

Proofreading on FB vs. Essays      Source: Mythology and folklore

This week this meme was posted to the announcements page. I identified with it immediately. I'm not sure if it's because hundreds of eyes will be seeing and judging my posts, or because my social media posts are generally muuuuuuuch shorter than my essays, but I usually neglect to proofread essays.

Tech Tip: Blogger Template

Hey! I just changed my Blogger template. It was extremely easy and added a very personal touch to the blog in my opinion. I like it a lot more than the old orange and white template. If anyone hasn't changed theirs I really recommend it!

Wikipedia Trails: From Leopards to Australasia

I started out with the leopard because I had just done my reading notes on a story involving it. From there I went to a page concerning habitat loss. Actually, it was titled habitat destruction and outlined many of the ways in which humans are consciously or unconsciously destroying habitats. This led me to the page called urbanization. From there, the word "Australasia" caught my eye. Apparently, it is just the portion of the world which includes Australia and Asia, shortened into one word for convenience' sake.

Mumbai  Source: Wikipedia

Reading Notes: The Fish and the Leopard's Wife

At the beginning of the story I found it quite funny that the fish originated on land. The story has some betrayal that I don't really have any biological explanation for, namely the goings on between a fish and a leopard's wife. I would probably change the setting to undersea and have the punishment that they had to go on land, thus populating the land.

From The Fish and the Leopard's Wife by Elphinstone Dayrell Link to reading

A Spotted Leopard   Source: Mythology and Folklore

Reading Notes: Japanese Mythology Part B

Yamato is obviously a great hero and such, but unlike Heracles/Hercules I don't really understand why he's doing the labors. He begins by trying to win over a siren by finding a golden apple for her. However, when he fails to do that he seems to forget that and starts running around and doing other things. All the while, he leaves his poor wife to waste away in loneliness. Another classic example of someone chasing things they can't have while the things that they love suffer. This is a very common theme in stories from all over the world it seems. I may change things up and make a duo out of Yamato and Tacibana that do most of these labors, not because they want to win over a siren or anything like that, but because the king charged them with the responsibility because Yamato failed him in some way.

Yamato and the Fire.   Source: Mythology and Folklore

Reading Notes:Japanese Mythology Part A

The beginning of the story is a jumbled mess of how the world was created. I always kind of dislike the beginnings of these when one goddess gives birth to hundreds of offspring. It just makes it a little hard to keep up with. Izanagi's pursuit of Izanami's soul after her death is a really cool part of the story. It really speaks to his love for her. Maybe I could expand upon that chase in my story. Another cool thing would be setting the chase in Greek mythology. The chase could take inspiration from the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. In the story Orpheus travels all the way to the underworld and asks permission to take his wife back. I feel like Izanagi would go to drastic lengths  to make sure this happens seeing as how he is a god himself.

From Romance of Old Japan, Part 1: Mythology and Legend by E.W. Champney and F. Champney

Izanagi stirs the sea with his magical spear, creating land.  Source:Mythology and Folklore

Review: Edit Ruthlessly

In my opinion it is extremely easy to fall into the habit of using more words than needed just to try and hit a specific word count for the class. In retrospect, this probably does much more harm to our work than we think. As the old adage goes, "quality over quantity".

Doing away with unnecessary distractions is often a help.  Source: Online Course Announcements: October 2

Reading Notes: Ovid's Metamorphasis part A

The very first thing I noticed is that if one doesn't have a very solid basis on who each character is in Roman mythology, it is going to be very hard to stay with the stories. If the stories could be put in layman's terms for us non-8th century philosophers, I believe it would help quite a lot. Things get really intense really fast with the rape of Persephone. Persephone's mother is absolutely mad for much of the story. It seems that she's also a bit mad at her daughter for some reason, even though everything happened against her will. If I were writing a story based on this, I would probably still try and stay away from the romantic route, but also make the story a bit less harsh.

From Ovid's Metamorphoses, translated by Tony Kline (2000). Link to source

Persephone breaks her fast.  Source: Mythology and Folklore

Wikipedia Trails: From Heracleion to Gravity

Two-dimensional analogy of spacetime distortion generated by the mass of an object. Source: Wikipedia

I started off  looking up Heracleion because it was on the class Twitter page. From there, I saw what I originally thought was a wall. After reading the page I found out that it is generally a stone or wooden slab erected for commemorative or funerary purposes. They can be carved such as an obelisk, or even a plain slab. Another example is the Rosetta Stone, which many are familiar with. Next, I clicked on a link to the Tang Dynasty. The Tang dynasty was the major power in china during the 7th to 10th centuries, and many innovations and cultural influences came along during this period. Buddhism became more widely spread during this period. Last, but certainly not least, I came upon gravity. Of course I know a lot about it already, however I was curious to see what more I could learn from the page.

Tech Tip: First Tweet

I have been on Twitter for a very long time, however, I left my account relatively untouched for a really long time. It just got a little old for me, and I wasn't that interested in seeing ads in the form of "you won't believe what number 12 looks like" anymore. If I have a purpose for the thing, then I'd probably use it more often.

A Deadly Trickster

The days had been darkening for quite some in the lands near Mordor. Some had attributed it to Mount Doom becoming increasingly agitated, seemingly on the brink of an eruption. Still others blamed the Deceiver, as every inn from the Blue Mountains to the Mirkwood held stories whispered with great care taken not to be overheard by the passing trader or shrouded Ranger. These whispers carried with them the chilling news of a dark entity rising in the far west. Everyone had noticed the shapes moving through the trees at night, or heard of the villages razed overnight with no survivors to relay a warning to the outside world.

 It was in these times that a creature older than the first men found a home in Torech Ungol, a winding, twisting cave in the pass of Cirith Ungol. The creature’s name was Anansi. He had eight wretched legs connected to an abdomen covered in silvery gray hair. Numerous eyes kept watch of everything that happened in the cave, and a pair of fangs longer than most daggers lay in wait to sink into the flesh of anyone who came into the lair.

The orcs in nearby Mordor often played a game. In the fashion befitting an orc, the game was less about fun than it was cruelty. As much as orcs love inflicting pain on others, they also relish the feeling of receiving it, mostly because it removes them from their piteous world for a split second. When the game started they would begin giving their opponent superficial cuts, taking great care to not slip and slice too deeply. This would continue until either one of the contestants lost consciousness from loss of blood. The loser would then have the wounds received cauterized and be taken to the steps of Torech Ungol. It was in Anansi's nature to be particularly greedy, oftentimes ensaring a bearer of the loser as well. The creature loved to play with its food, however, and a silky smooth voice emanated from somewhere in the dark mandible coaxing the orcs to play a game of life or death. Anansi promised that if at least one orc could find a way to the pool of water in the very center of his lair, both would be free to leave. He would also give his word that he would not attack the orcs until he had solved a riddle given to him by the orc. Now, most orcs were well known to be exceedingly dim-witted, but in this particular case the loser happened to be an older guard in the torture chamber, and he had heard one prisoner consoling himself time and time again with one riddle. It read:

I come like a thief in the night.
I take everything, but at the same time nothing.
You know me, and sometimes even welcome me at your bed.
I am at once a gateway and a wall.
What am I?

                Anansi had never gotten a riddle so eloquent from an orc. Often it was a nasty curse or a crude laugh he received. The orcs stumbled through the darkness for a good while as Anansi mulled the riddle over. The older orc heard the splash of a water droplet into a larger body and began heading towards it. Just as he reached the edge of the pool there he heard the clicking of fangs, and a whisper. Death.

Author's note: 

I love The Lord of the Rings, so whenever I got the chance to write about a spider I compared Anansi to Shelob, a large dangerous spider that guards a passageway into Mordor. For those who don't know, Mordor is the home of the main antagonist of the trilogy. Anansi is a spider from many West African folktales. He is a known trickster who regularly uses his smarts to get things that he wants from others. I tried to incorporate some of the cunning which Anansi shows in folktales such as Anansi and Nothing. In the story, he convinces a rich man that lives nearby that it would be fun to trade clothes while they go into town and find wives. Anansi tricks women into believing that he is the rich one while the other man struggles to find a suitable wife. Finally, they return to their respective homes with wives, and all is made clear. By adding a chilling characteristic in which Anansi plays with his food a la the riddle game, I incorporate some of Anansi into the cold-blooded killing machine of Shelob in the LoTR setting. I have included a link to the Wikipedia page for Shelob in case anyone reading is interested in learning more about her. She is one of the creepiest things the protagonists face in the books, and also one of my favorite parts of the movies. 

Partially inspired by Anansi and Nothing in West African Folktales by William H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair.

Setting inspired by the book The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkein--Shelob

The Two Towers        Source:Wikipedia

Reading Notes: Anasi and Nothing

The One Ring  Source:Wikipedia

This week I read the short stories of the trickster spider Anansi from the West African Folktales. I am thinking of crossing the story of Anansi with that of Shelob, a very large and very frightening spider from one of my favorite trilogies, The Lord of the Rings. Anansi's tricks are relatively harmless when compared with the single-minded killer Shelob. However, I believe that it would not be all that hard to put a really dark twist on the folktales that would better reflect the enormous predator.


West African Folktales by Barker and Sinclair: Link to the reading online

Reading Notes: Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp

Walt Disney's Aladdin   Source: flickr

I was pretty fascinated by this version of the story. I loved the Disney movie Aladdin when I was growing up, but this had a lot darker tone to it. I think that I might replace the magic lamp with some other "magic object". I was also confused whenever the genie became angry and referred to the roc as his master. I'll do a little research into that topic and maybe use the roc's egg instead of the lamp. I may also use an Aladdin who was rich previous to discovering the object, and the magician may be someone who intends to take over his palace and/or riches. I may decide to start my story many years after the happenings of the other story. A possible setting is Aladdin is an old man and afraid of dying, and the genie can't do  anything for him. He then hears of something which could restore his and his wife's youth. He starts out on a journey and realizes how dependent he has become on the genie to do things for him. If I take this route I may place this "fountain of youth" or whatever I choose somewhere in North Africa or maybe South America.


From Arabian Nights by Andrew Lang Link to the reading online

Growth Mindset

Prior to this post I had never heard of Carol Dweck or her Growth Mindset. To me, it seemed to be just an optimistic outlook on things at its roots. Not to oversimplify, but she mentions looking at challenges as an opportunity to grow in ways that you normally would not in your comfort zone. I think that really requires optimism. I believe that I move up and down the fixed-growth mindset spectrum with each of my classes. In the classes that I wholeheartedly enjoy I will look at a challenge as an opportunity to learn a lot more about something I am interested in. However, if it is in a class which I do not enjoy as much I will sometimes look at a challenge as an inconvenience. I would really like to try and apply a growth mindset for all of my classes this semester. I believe if I take a more optimistic view on classes from Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy to Native American Philosophy I'll enjoy my work and the classes a lot more. Who knows, I may even do better work in these classes.

By Laura Gibbs. Inspired by Bob Dylan's Forever Young. Source:Growth Mindset Memes

Starting the Semester

In order to start off the semester on a good note, I usually look ahead in the courses I'm taking and create a schedule so I know when tests and other important projects are due. Next, I buy a binder where I keep all papers, notes, or handouts I have for that class. 

Source: Flickr

Introduction to a Cotton Headed Ninny Muggins

Hey! My name is Chris Dillahunty, and I'm a senior here at the University of Oklahoma. I am originally from the small town of Mangum, OK. Don't be ashamed if you have no clue where that may be or have never even heard of it before. Believe me, you're not alone. My major is biology, and I hope to one day dig around in peoples' mouths for a living. As you may or may not have gathered from my blog's title, I'm a bit of a nerd. I wholly enjoy every minute of Game of Thrones (yes, even the Arya storyline), and am in the middle of reading the books now. I'm usually opposed to watching a show/movie regarding a book I intend to read before reading said book, but there are just some things that you have to make exceptions for. I am currently a server in a restaurant here in Norman. I laugh at jokes that aren't that funny. Most of my attempts at humor are sub par, and I regularly hear "It's not a good joke if you have to explain it." My hobbies are somewhat typical of a soon-to-be twenty two year old man. I spend a lot of my weekend nights during the school year at Seven 47, although I recommend Logies if you're ever up during the summer and are looking for a good time. Hiking is one of my favorite things to do outside. The physical challenge is a large part of the reason I love it, but the beautiful views, feeling of freedom, and general lack of cell service are nice as well. I consider myself pretty well-versed in most things music. Growing up, I listened to a blend of music from Billy Joel to Barenaked Ladies, the good ol' non-pop country, and most things R&B.

The original cotton headed ninny muggins. Source: YouTube