Online Education Review

What I liked most about this particular online class is the ease of having everything in the same place, not having to worry about spending a lot of time studying, and the fact that I was able to do work whenever I wanted to.

(Personal Photo of me working on an assignment)

I tried to take on online class before, the summer after my freshman year.  It was a pre-civil war history class.  The thing that I really did not like about the class was that, the teacher expected us to read a couple of chapters (from a history book) where the print was very small, then we had to take a quiz with only five questions.  I really struggled trying to do well in the class, but I eventually just dropped it because the effort I was putting in was not worth the grade I was receiving.

Gen. Ed. Review

If I am being completely honest, my Humanities courses have helped me in the fact that they have been some of my easier classes, thus giving me a boost in my GPA.  The thing I have liked the most is that there are some very interesting class that I enjoyed taking during my time here at OU.  However, it can also be hard to find a class that you will like but not have to spend a ton of time studying for because you want to focus on the classes that are prevalent to your major.

(Image found from kluv.cbsnew.com)

What I will remember most from my general education courses, is how much I was ready to be done with them due to the fact that it was so hard to figure out which classes to take and which classes would work with my schedule.

College Writing Review

My major is psychology and there is typically a decent amount of writing that goes with the major.  A lot of the time, the writing will deal with writing about studies that someone has performed or write about a critique of a study that has already been performed.  The writing itself tends to be a little bit more straight forward instead of imaginative like a creative writing course would require.

The only other class that has been very writing intensive, that I have taken, was an expository writing class called Music, Sound and Noise.  The class was focused on how music and sounds change throughout time and how different sounds effect us.  We started the class by focusing on the sounds around us and at the end, we learned about Stravinsky's, music the ballet The Rite of Spring which was choreographed by Sergei Diaghilev, a famous choreographer in the dance world.

(Dancers in The Rite of Spring Wikimedia)

I think overall, that I have definitely learned what my strengths and weaknesses in my writing are.  As I have learned about those strengths and weaknesses, I have been able to focus on what needs to improve and what I need to do in order to keep making my writing stronger.

Extra Reading Diary - Russian Folktales

For this reading diary, I am reading Russian Folktales.

The Dead Mother - Well that was a creepy tale.  I didn't want to read about that.  I thought folktales were supposed more happy, not similar to horror movies.

The Treasure - It is so sad that no one wanted to help the old man bury his dead wife.  In the middle of winter too, which makes this tale all the more sad in the beginning.

(Wikipedia)

The Bad Wife - I wonder why the bad wife was so mad and angry all of the time.  She certainly didn't like her husband.  

The Three Copecks - Well the young man was certainly a lucky young man to have all of that good fortune happen to him.

The Miser - This story reminds me of the story of Scrooge, however this is not a Christmas story, nor is the Scrooge story set in Russia.

The Water Snake - The

Week 14 Storytelling: My Bad Luck

“Liz, we are no longer supporting you.  You have to move out and get a job.  You can not live in this house forever.”

I looked up in shock at my parents.  “Wait what?!  You said I had until I graduated, but I am in the middle of my sophomore year!”

“Yes, however, you have showed such adaptability towards college and we now have your sister’s wedding to plan also.  So the timeline has moved up a bit.”

“A bit?!  How about a lot?!  It is SO unfair that you are just dropping this bomb on me!  Besides, Sara has been saving for this for the past for years!  Can’t you help me out any?”  I turned from my mom to my dad, a horrorstruck look on my face.

They looked at each other, sadness in their eyes.  “We can support you until you get a job and start making money yourself.  But as soon as you start getting your paychecks, we won’t give you any more money.  How about that?”

“Fine, whatever.  Y’all always liked Sara more anyway,” I grumbled as I walked out of the living room.

Stunned by the massive bombshell I had just been given by my parents, I went into my room, unsure of what to do.  I stared at my ceiling in shock for about the next 30 minutes.  Panic raced through my mind like the cars zipping past at the Indy 500.  I had no idea what I was going to do.  But I got my stuff together and started to make a list of everything I needed to establish.

Most importantly was a job.  Second was a place to live.  While we lived in a college town, there were still plenty of recently graduated people, many of which I knew.  I could talk to them about the different places to live and what my best options were. 

As I started to make the list and started to plan of what my next steps were going to be, my mind stopped racing and started to put things back into order. 

Over the next few days, I messaged all of my friends about potential apartments and then sent my resume to as many places as I possibly could.  My future seemed like someone had tossed everything into the air, and I was just waiting for it to land so I could put everything together again. 

(Wikipedia)

Soon enough, I got a job at a bagel place and found an apartment where I could live with one of my friends.  The nice part about the job was that I could work early in the morning and then be able to take my classes during the day and then do homework at night. 

A little while later, after I had finally gotten a routine down, I realized how much I had been able to accomplish in such a short period of time.  “Maybe my parents were right,” I said to myself one day as I got ready for work, “I can handle just about anything that gets thrown at me.”

Author's Note: I wrote this story based on the first half of the story The Dirty Shepherdess.  I read the story, and I was just inspired to take the and change it so it was more fitting for this day and age.  I also wanted to change the setting a little so that is was more appropriate towards our age group, i.e. college age people.

Reading Diary B - European Fairy Tales

For this reading diary, I am finishing reading European Fairy Tales.

I Know What I Have Learned - Well it certainly is silly that a troll could knock some of his own head off in order to have some meat for a broth.  But if that is what trolls are able to do, then let them do that.

(Wikipedia)

I Know What I Have Learned (cont.) - I was very confused how this story ended.  The whole thing seemed to be a jumble of multiple story lines all happening at once.

Lovely Ilonka - I do think that the king had the right idea having his son wait to marry.  But it also seemed like the son just wanted the idea of marriage without having someone to actually marry.

Lovely Ilonka (cont.) - All is well that ends well.  It is certainly true in this case because the right maiden married the king and the wrong maiden was found out.

The Death of the Sun-Hero - People who get a big head and think they are better than everyone else always end up getting what is due to them in some way or another.

The Giants and Herd-Boy - The herd-boy certainly had it easy.  I am surprised that the Giants didn't miss the load of bread since it gave out gold coins to whoever tried to eat it.

The Voice of Death - I wonder what the man's wife thought about her husband going on the crazy journey to find a place where there was no death.  I would certainly think it was crazy if it was my husband that said he wanted to go.

The Goat's Ears of Emperor Trojan - I wonder why the Emperor wanted to hide his goat ears so much.  Or why the emperor always killed the barbers who said he had goat ears.

Reading Diary A - European Fairy Tales I

For this reading diary, I am reading European Fairy Tales I.

Puss in Boots - I enjoyed reading this story.  I had heard of the character of Puss in Boots before, however I had never read the actual story of Puss in Boots before.

(Wikipedia)

Puss in Boots (cont.) - I liked finishing the end of this story.  For some reason the story sounds familiar to me, yet I know that I have never read this story before.

The Dirty Shepherdess - This is an interesting story to read.  It is rather sad that the King kicked out his own daughter for saying she saw him similar to the salt on her food, which seemed to me that it was an expression of how much she loved him.

The Dirty Shepherdess (cont.) - This story reminds me a lot of Cinderella, except the main character was first rich and royal and then became a commoner.  I guess you could say Cinderella was the same way because she was rich in happiness first and then became a maid to her step-mother.

How the Dragon was Tricked - I wonder why the young man became such a trickster.  Because there really was no need for him to be so many to so many different people in the kingdom.

How the Dragon was Tricked (cont.) - This was certainly an interesting story.  But the poor king, all he was doing was ruling his kingdom and he was killed by the dragon that he wanted.

The Young Man Who Would Have His Eyes Opened - I really did't understand this story.  I thought it was weird and confusing overall.

Kisa the Cat - Well the giant in the story was really mean.  He captured a young girl, and he didn't expect her to cry?  Clearly he never had to deal with a lot of living princesses.

Kisa the Cat (cont.) - I really liked the ending of this.  Kisa was so helpful to the princess that she deserved to get some sort of reward, which of course she did.

Extra Reading Diary - Grimm (LibriVox)

For this reading diary, I am finishing reading Grimm (LibriVox).

The Queen Bee - I liked this story and it shows why it pays to be nice to people.

The Twelve Huntsmen - I liked this story, though I wonder why the Father would promise his son to some other bride when he was already married.

Jorinda and Jorindel - I wonder what made the old fairy so mean that she locked up many maidens in cages and forced young men to stay away from her castle.

The Fox and the Horse - This was a sweet story because in the end, the horse was able to stay with his master until he lived a long and happy life.

The Twelve Dancing Princesses - This was a rather mystical tale.  I would certainly like to visit the wonderful, sounding place that the princesses went each night.

(Wikimedia)

The Turnip - This story is a good example of what happens when one becomes spoiled.  The person always wants to have the money and be as rich as possible.

The Willow-Wren and the Bear - I felt that this story was a little silly for everyone in the story was so worked up over a little bit of miscommunication.

Storytelling Week 13 - My Diary

Dear Diary,

You would not believe the crazy things that have just happened!  It has been about a year since I have last written!  Can you believe it?  Me neither.  I am now 16 years old.  Let me tell you everything that has happened in the past year. 

It all started with my 15^th Birthday.  I was wondering around the castle, just enjoying the day, when I found a passageway that I had never seen before.  I went down the passageway and found a room that I didn’t recognize.  In the middle of the room was this weird contraption.  I had never seen an object like it before.  There was an old woman just sitting there working with it!

It was such a curious looking object, that I took some steps forward to take a closer look.

(Wikimedia)

“Why hello there!” I spoke out, curious to know more about the object she was working with.  “What are you doing there?  I have never seen such an object.”

“Why I am spinning sweetheart!  I am surprised you have never seen one of these before.  Every young girl should know how to use a spinning wheel.  Come here, how about I show you.”  She looked up at me, smiled, and stood up as she offered me her hand.

I took the hand, and sat down, unsure of what I needed to do.  “Here dearie, you take the thread, bring it around and it will be collected over here.”  She took my hands and showed me how to pull the thread around the contraption and then let me have a turn at using it myself. 

I started to feel more confident as I pulled the thread from the wheel and around the little spinning parts and then to where the thread was brought together.  Then suddenly, I felt a prick on my finger.  Not a sharp pain, but enough to make me take notice.  Suddenly the world started going dark and I was out.

I had no idea what happened next.  All I knew was that suddenly I opened my eyes and there was this GORGEOUS man standing next to me, smiling down on me.  I looked around me, confused as to what was going on.  I was back in my room and lying in my bed!  I took a closer look at the man and he was wearing princely attire!  He helped me up out of bed, though it took some effort.  He explained that I had been asleep for many years and he had come to rescue me!

Can you believe it diary?  A prince to rescue little ol’ me?  Oh!  I almost forgot to tell you one of the most incredible parts!  He also told me that he fought a dragon to rescue me!  I just simply couldn’t believe it!

That is it dear diary.  I mean, I am glad there isn’t anything else.  It sounds like a story out of a fairy tale!  I am off to go enjoy some fresh air.

Until next time diary,

Briar Rose <3

Author's Note: I chose to write a diary entry from Briar Rose after she learns about everything that has happened.  I thought it would be interesting to write a diary entry about what had happened.  I also changed the story to make the amount of time she is asleep be only for a year.  I also changed the dialogue a little for the sake of the story.  The final change I made was that I changed the interaction between Briar Rose and the old woman to provide a little more suspense and to make a better story overall.  

Reading Diary A - Grimm (LibriVox)

For this reading diary, I am going to read Grimm (LibriVox).

The Frog Prince - I was expected this story to be like the princess and the frog, the disney movie that was recently released.  While I did notice some similarities, there were some differences between the two.

(DisneyDreaming.com)

Rapunzel - This is the same story that I have heard about Rapunzel beforehand.  There was nothing new, or different in this story.

The Straw, the Coal, and the Bean - This was an interesting story to read and it was certainly one that I had not heard before.

The Mouse, the Bird and the Sausage - This was a neat little story to read.  I did find it humorous to picture a little sausage walking around with a bird and a mouse.

The Travelling Musicians - This story reminds me a lot of the typical story of someone who goes off to a big city to try to become famous for music.

Clever Elise - If Elise was so clever, then why did she become so confused about whether or not she was herself?

Briar Rose - I have always liked this story of Briar Rose.  I don't know why but I always liked the happy ending it had.

Storytelling Week 12 - My Secret

                  I hated my wings.  I was apparently born with them.  When I was born, they more like little nubs sticking out from my back but as I grew older they became more and more clearly defined as wings.  My father had a special brace made for them.  I always wore it, unless I was positive no one would see.  As I grew up, I became rather reclusive because I didn’t want people to find out my secret.  I was scared that people would make fun of me or have me thrown into a weird science lab for experimentation. 

                  Everything changed when I met Annabelle.  She was so kind and caring.  No matter how much I wanted to withdraw into my little world, she always brought me back into the real world.  She didn’t care what I did, she just wanted to love me and be with me.  And that was all I needed from her.  After dating for quite a few years, I finally got up the courage to propose to her.  I kept thinking that she was going to turn me down and laugh in my face.  But true to herself, she was so excited to marry me!  She started wedding preparations as soon as possible, and next thing I knew we were married.  However, we got married without her knowing my big secret. 

(Wikipedia)

                  Annabelle never pried into the things I wanted to keep secret, and I loved her even more for that.  I finally got up the courage to tell her.  I sat her down and began to tell her.

                  “So . . . I know that we have been married for a little while now.”

                  “Yeah, and?”

                  “Well, you have always been good about not asking me why I always wear a shirt.”

                  “Well, you have never wanted to talk about it, so I wanted to let you tell me when you were comfortable with it.”  Goodness, she was so patient with me.

                  “And I decided that today I will tell you what is going on that.”  I started to un-button the shirt I was wearing as I was talking.  “You see . . . I have always been hiding this huge secret.  I want you to promise that you won’t do anything when you find out this secret.  Like, give me over to a science lab or something like that.”

                  “Oh of course I wouldn’t do that sweetie!  Do you think I would be that cruel?  Now what is this secret?  You are making me nervous.”

                  “Well, the thing is, I was born with these . . . . “ I ripped off my shirt and the brace to allow my wings to reach their full span.  “What do you think?”

                  “Oh my goodness, John.  They are beautiful!  I think they fit you perfectly!”

                  “Really?  I have always wanted to get rid of them”

                  “Oh don’t do that!  Your secret is safe with me.  They complete you.  I wouldn’t want you without them.”  And with that, she threw her arms around me and gave me one of the most loving kisses I have ever received from her.  I returned the hug, knowing my secret is safe with her.

Author's Note: I chose to use The Unknown Bride as my inspiration from this story.  I took the idea of King Midas' ears in the story and created a story from that idea.  In the story, King Midas has donkey ears that he hides under his crown.  The only person who knows this is his wife.  She is told not to tell this secret, but because she cannot hold this secret in.  So she goes to the swamp to tell the swamp the secret.  The story then has a knight come along and hear the secret, and then the story goes on into following the knight in his quest for his queen.  However, that is not important to the story that I am writing.  The Unknown Bride has three different parts to it and the part I chose, the first part, is the only part that has King Midas mentioned in it.  I also decided to add in a little X-Men flair as well, for those of you who are fans of the series.  I am not the biggest fan so if I get any details wrong, please forgive me.

Reading Diary B- Canterbury Tales

For this reading diary, I am finishing reading the Canterbury Tales.

Little Hugh -There was once a widow's son who was named Hugh, and he was very reverent in his prayers that he said every day.  An older boy taught Hugh a hymn that he was learning.  The devil had the Jewish community turn against him and they hired a murderer to kill the boy singing the hymn.  His mother tried to find him but no one would help her.  Even though the boy was killed, he still sang the hymn.  The boy was found and many people wept.  There was a beautiful funeral for him.

The Cock, the Hen and the Fox - There was once a poor woman who was able to survive on the little amount of money that she was making.  She had a rooster who was very happy and there were seven hens as well.  One day the rooster had a terrible dream that he was hunted down by a terrible being.  One of the hens, Dame Partelote, told him not to be afraid and to have courage.

The Cock, the Hen and the Fox (cont.) - The rooster set about telling a story about two men who went on a pilgrimage together.  The two men stopped at a ox stall one night.  One of the men dreamed, three different times, that the other man said he would killed in the ox stall.  In the man's dream he said his body would be in a rubbish cart, which turned out to be the truth and the innkeeper was arrested for the murder.  The rooster said this to prove that sometimes dreams tell you the truth.

The Cock, the Hen and the Fox (cont. again) -The next morning the rooster was as happy as could be but a fox was sneaking up on him.  The rooster saw him and was terrified.  The fox said he only wanted to hear the rooster's singing.  The rooster was so pleased with the compliment that he started to sing and the fox snatched him up and took him into the woods.

(How Stuff Works)

The Cock, the Hen and the Fox (end) - Everyone was sad about the rooster.  And everyone wanted the fox to be gone.  The rooster tried to convince the fox to let him go.  The fox went to taunt the people and the rooster flew away.  The fox tried to convince the rooster to come back and he would not.

The Priest Who Learned to be a Philosopher -There was a priest who had very little expenses so he had a lot of money saved.  One day a man asked for a loan.  The priest was happy to do it because he felt that he was helping the man.  The man said that he would show the priest how to go about with philosophy as a way to pay him back for the loan.  The man then told the priest to use a crucible for ounces of silver.

The Priest Who Learned to be a Philosopher (cont.) - The priest followed what the canon said.  So he heated the coals and put the crucible in the fire.  After a while the canon went to stoke up the fire and put a specially made coal on top of the fire.  The canon then tricked the priest to think that silver filing appeared on the crucible from the fire.

The Priest Who Learned to be a Philosopher (end) - The canon told the priest to stoke up[ the fire again, so he immediately went and did that and the canon played another trick on the priest.  The canon convinced the priest that he could turn cooper into silver.  The canon gave the priest the recipe in exchange for 40 pieces of gold, which the priest did, but it never worked again.

Reading Diary A - Canterbury Tales

For this reading diary, I am reading the Canterbury Tales.

The Unknown Bride - A knight was challenged to find what it is that women want the most.  King Midas' wife could not keep his secret under wraps and went to tell the marsh.  The knight was there and the Queen promised to help him if he did something for her in return.

(Wikipedia)

The Unknown Bride (cont.) -  The knight came back the court and told the Queen that women wished to rule their husbands.  The woman who had helped him said that he request to him was that she become his wife.  The knight refused but he still had to marry her all the same.  And because the knight committed himself to her, she turned into a beautiful young woman.

The Story of the Summoner -  A summoner went out to get some money.  He met a stranger who promised to help him.  The two men were talking about how to best keep their money.

The Story of the Summoner (cont.) -  The two men passed a cart where a man was yelling at two horses.  One of the men said that they could take it based on what the man said, but then the man changed how he spoke so they could not.  The men then tried to trick an old woman to have her give them money.  They got the money but then the stranger took the summoner back with him to hell.

The Promise of Dorigen - A knight named Arviragus was trying his best to win the love of a noble lady.  The noble lady then came to love him.  The knight had to leave after a year for business and the lady was very sad.  While the lady was with her friends one day, a young lad fell in love with her.  He then one day proclaimed his devotion to her.

The Promise of Dorigen (cont.) -Dorigan said the Arviragus was her only love.  The young lad wished that he might win Dorigen over.  But then Arviragus returned home.  The lad's brother was sad because he knew the pain he was in.  But then he remembered a magic book.  Aurelius and his brother then set off to find the book.  The brothers then found the magician who had the book.

The Promise of Dorigen (cont. again) - The brothers explained why they were there.  The magician said he could do it for a thousand pounds.  The magician performed the spell and Aurelius went straight to Dorigen.  Aurelius told her that since all of the rocks were gone, she now had to come to him and leave her husband.  While this made Dorigen very sad, she agreed.

The Promise of Dorigen (end) - Aurelius saw that Dorigen had come and that Arviragus would rather have her keep her word than stay with him, he told her to go back to her faithful husband.  He went to go pay the magician.  When he explained the story to the magician, then the magician released him from his debt.

The Revelers - There was a group of men who partied all the time, day and night.  One day they were in a tavern in the morning, and they heard the story about how one of their companions died last night.  The men then decide to confront this thief named Death and kill him.  They started walking up the road when they ran into an old man.

The Revelers (cont.) - One of the young men asked him why he was so old and the old man replied that he could not find someone to give him their youth and to take his age.  They then talked about Death and the old man told them where to go.  They went along the path and found a pile of gold.  The men decided it was best if they brought the gold back at night to prevent any suspicion.

The Revelers (end) -They drew lots and one of the men went back to town.  The other two decided that they would have more money if they split it up between the two of them.  So they plotted to kill the third member.  The third man planned to poison the other two men.  Both plans went as planned and soon all three met death.