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Showing posts from January, 2020

Reading Notes: Homer's Iliad Part B

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http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/iliad-rousing-of-achilles-cont.html I had a bit of trouble finding something other than fables that interested me in the reading choices. The main reason is I have a hard time reading the older language styles, but it's also something I wish I was better at.  One thing that struck me funny about this story was how the gods and goddesses have their favorites among the mortals. It's almost like they play chess with the people.  Also, I know it's just a story but it bothers me how Hector could speak so eloquently with a spear through his neck. Props to him.  I was often confused with the characters since names were brought up with little to no reference, shows you just about how much I know about anything mythology. I saw the name Achilles' and remembered the famous Achilles' heel situation so I'm a little bummed none of that went on. Nor did the Trojan horse come about.  And why is Zeus so pissy about

Reading Notes: Aesop's Fables (Jacobs) Part A

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http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/04/aesops-fables-foxes-part-2.html I picked Aesop's Fables for my reading this week. The last time I read Aesop's fables were the kid's version in grade school. For awhile, I thought they were cute stories made up by adults to implicitly teach bits of life lessons across to children. Reading them now, I enjoyed reading both the narrative version and the prose version. Honestly, I would've been caught up in the language of the prose alone, but reading the narrative first helps for a quicker understanding of the prose--and then you realize how witty the short poems are!  A fun thing about fables that I've thought I had forgotten but is oddly stored idly in my memory: the symbolic nature of each animal. For example, a lion is a majestic king. The Ass is gentle and dumb. The fox is snarky and sly. Each animal has a character that many people would be familiar identifying with due to stories like Aesop's. I wonder how

Feedback Thoughts

Why Rejection Hurts So Much https://ideas.ted.com/why-rejection-hurts-so-much-and-what-to-do-about-it/ This article stood out to me the most because naturally, I feel like the rejection queen. Just in 2019, I was rejected by all three of the people I was dating. Needless to say my self-esteem is fairly shot. In fact, I've always been rejected in any romantic relationship. It can be mentally and emotionally draining trying to reflect on all the ways I could've been better or different, so hopefully this year I can apply more positive reactions to rejection. Rewire Your Self-Critical Brain https://hbr.org/2016/12/silence-the-critical-voices-in-your-head I can relate to this article since I've also struggled with my weight all my life. Twice in my life I've lost 60 pounds. I hated being overweight so much that I'm always worried about what I eat and getting enough exercise. It definitely effects my mood enough to drain me and demotivate me, causing me to give u

Topic Brainstorm

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The Dark Side of Fairy Tales https://sites.google.com/site/thedarksideoffairytales/home I began looking at the Grimm Brother's stories, as they're German stories. I really enjoyed the entire setting of these stories. It's like taking a cave tour with Disney's underground lair of villains. Or even similar to a Disney Alcatraz. I didn't even know the original Rapunzel story had a witch in it. It would be fairly plausible if Disney World wanted to profit off of an idea like this. Modern Day Dante's Inferno https://sites.google.com/site/macsmythologystorybook/home I've never heard the original story of Dante's Inferno, but this story is hilariously captivating. I think it's fairly common to write modern-day stories on ancient stories but this was the best one thus far. I liked the use of Kanye West as a main character and really using his real life behavior throughout. A bit of political banter was sprinkled in there and was done tastefully so. I

Reading Notes: Week 2 Anthology

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https://sites.google.com/view/mythfolkloreanthology/metamorphosis?authuser=0 I enjoyed reading the Metamorphosis the most among the readings. I'm not too familiar with Greek mythology so it's fun doing a little background reading on the characters. Basically, none of the women in Propoetus suited our main guy, Pygmalion. He's not bothered one bit because he has this insane skill to sculpt the perfect babe for himself. Although he was quite passionate about his artwork, he remained a bit unsatisfied. Calling matchmaker Venus! She shoots up three flares and shakes her crown around to help out our bachelor get the girl of his dreams. He casually comes home to kiss his statue, only to realize she's real! Leave it to Venus to have the new couple wed and with child ASAP. -- Why am I reminded of Disney's Pinocchio? Except now instead of turning a wooden puppet into a real boy, we're turning ivory statues into real women!  These Greek gods have got it fig

Week 2 Reading Overview

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Choose from CLASSICAL and/or BIBLICAL units for Weeks 3 and 4. Week 3: _ Ovid's Metamorphoses III ________ Week 4: _Jewish Fairy Tales________ Choose from MIDDLE EASTERN and/or INDIAN units for Weeks 5 and 6. Week 5: __Ancient Egyptian Myths_______ Week 6: ___Arabian Nights______ Aladdin was stuck in our old van's DVD player at one point so you better believe it's etched into my brain.  https://www.pinterest.com/pin/110830840817747066/ Choose from ASIAN and/or AFRICAN units for Weeks 7 and 9. [Week 8 is review week.] Week 7: ___Stories from Congo______ Week 9: ____Tibetan Folktales_____ Choose from NATIVE AMERICAN units for Weeks 10 and 11. Week 10: _Eskimo Folktales________ Supernatural stories from the Inuit? I'm in. Week 11: _Pacific Northwest________ Choose from BRITISH and/or CELTIC units for Weeks 12 and 13. Week 12: ____Beowulf_____ Week 13: ____Celtic Tales_____ Choose from EUROPEAN units for Weeks 14 and 15. Week 14: __Brothers Grimm (Ashliman)__

Growth Mindset

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I wish I had heard of Carol Dweck sooner! I can attest to my own performance not being where I want it to be because I'm struggling with a fixed mindset. I dread hard assignments and keeping a consistent study schedule, nearly convincing myself to not enjoy what I do and doubt why I'm doing it! I treat it like a nuisance hindering me from living life when it could be a good opportunity to reflect on how the challenge may drive me. I always feel really great whenever I have my "eureka" moments in any difficult class. Even if I scored horribly on the final, I can say I was happy with my progress and perseverance in the class. Implementing the state of "yet" in my everyday life is something I'd like to begin doing. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/282319470378192963/

Time Strategies

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Eat the Frog First Thing in the Morning https://medium.com/@alltopstartups/eat-the-frogs-first-thing-in-the-morning-and-other-better-work-habits-7070f9e79822 This strategy was basically just as the title sounds. I clicked it first because my biggest weakness lately is hitting the snooze button and working at snails pace for the first half of my day. On the off chance that I hit the ground running in the morning, the better I feel about my day spent. Consistency is just not a key that I've found yet! 3 Steps to Recapture Time https://sheownsit.com/3-steps-recapture-time-joynicolem/ I ask myself way  too often what I would give to get back the time I spend wasting it, especially when I'm doing assignments and learning material in the late hours of the night. The strategies weren't as much helpful as they were informative, but now I know I've been in a prolonged "Pruning Season". Also, "the Art of Saying 'No'" might be situation based in

Technology

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I'm having a lot of fun using a blog as our main platform for this class. I've never made a blog and it had always been one of those "I should start one" kind of deal. Ironically, as an aspiring engineer, I'm pretty delayed when it comes to technology. My classmates are usually ahead of me on things as simply as organizing and sharing information. I'm hopeful to become better at being tech savvy but I'm not entirely pressed about it!  https://www.google.com/search?q=ok+boomer

Assignments

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I enjoy the flexibility and the consideration of our interests of the assignments described for this class. It's a stark contrast to all of the math and science courses I'm currently taking, so this doubles as a place of mandatory self-reflection or however you want to call it! I think it's important to check in with other things that intrigue us and hopefully spark new interests. So far I've enjoyed reading some of the storybooks from the last assignments so microfictions had a nice ring to it. https://medium.com/@ha_coverley/microfiction-a-beginners-exercise-420224ceb029 A microfiction^^^😉

Introduction to a Chemical Engineer

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My previous blog about my favorite place is pretty close to where I was born. I was born Gelnhausen, Germany on December 14th. Gelnhausen is a really small town founded in the Middle Ages, about 40 minutes east of Frankfurt. My mother's side of the family had lived in the northern part of Germany in Schleswig-Holstein until my mother left home to work in Frankfurt for a number of years. She met my dad while he was stationed in Germany on active duty. Shortly after I was born we moved around the States from Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, then finally Oklahoma where my dad decided to retire. Lawton, Oklahoma has been my home for roughly 10 years, making it the longest place I've stayed thus far. https://www.nina-travels.com/gelnhausen-germany-best-things-to-do-and-see/ The Church of St. Mary Whenever people ask me where I'm from, I have to make a split decision if I should just say I'm from Lawton or give them the whole spiel of where I was born versus w

Storybook Favorites

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Stories from the Wizarding World https://sites.google.com/view/hogwarts-tales/shrieking-shack?authuser=0 This story caught my eye first since I'm a huge fan of all things Harry Potter. I grew up watching it and before that, my mother was reading the books in German! Hands down one of the best mythical stories on the planet. I absolutely loved the first story on here, The Shrieking Shack. Some of my favorite parts of the original movie and book were past recounts of other characters, especially Harry's father and his friends. Bringing Remus's son, Teddy, into the story made it feel like an extension of the original story. I would definitely want to read more of the other characters of the wizarding world so I can keep living the Harry Potter dream. This one also had the best design, it looks like it's a part of Rowling's Pottermore. https://www.wizardingworld.com/writing-by-jk-rowling Sorting Hat Ceremony Alice's Friends https://sites.google.com/vie

Hamburg, Germany

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My mother's side of the family have lived in northern Germany for generations, until my mom met my dad. She followed him to the States to wherever he'd be stationed next. Well, we've landed in Oklahoma indefinitely. We visit our family in Germany every six years or so. They live in a small town just an hour and a half from Hamburg.  Hamburg, Germany has always been a place I see myself living a fabulous life in. There's limitless joys contained here, even in the most simplest of things. Whether it's the historic Innenstadt or the surrounding suburbs, there's gems on every corner. The heart of Hamburg has a mix of stunning neo-Renaissance architecture that has stood for centuries, like the Rathaus, and modern, sleek buildings like the new Elbphilharmonie. I've spent hours walking the streets and being overwhelmed at all of the trendiest shops: designer brands I've never heard of, local boutiques, old cafes, outdoor restaurants littering the sidewa

Pilot

Starting off the new year to a great start; and also really sick. So first post will be nice and short. Cheers.