Week Two Story: The Man, The Moon.

Portfolio Link:

https://sites.google.com/s/0B9KPoiJoit0jX2JyYndWZjhHWWc/p/0B9KPoiJoit0jNHR1ZnN5bW42TEE/edit

The Man, The Moon.

     Once Upon a Time, there was a humble blacksmith living in a small village at the base of a great mountain. Every day the blacksmith took a break from his tedious labor by the fires to get a drink from a stream that flowed from the mountain near his shop. On this break the blacksmith would admire the cool and rigid stones of the mountain."How strong and cold the mountain is," the blacksmith would sigh; "If only I were as strong as these stones my labor would never tire me, and if I were as cool, I would not need to rest so often."

     One hot summer day a young girl was walking by as the blacksmith took his rest, and  she overheard his sigh. After hearing of his admiration of the mountain she approached the blacksmith and said "It saddens me to see you tired and weary, I only wish that you could be the mountain: strong and cool." In that instance the blacksmith was transformed into the stone of the mountainside, and the girl was gone.
   
     Years went by and the blacksmith remained stone, unable to speak or move. One fall evening the girl returned, now a young woman. She walked to the stone by the stream and reached a hand out to feel the cold rock. "I see that you are still cool and strong, blacksmith, how does this mountain suit you?" The mountainside rumbled as the blacksmith found words, "I am strong and I am cold, but I miss my labor. Day by day I admire the stone-cutter and his purpose, as he chisels and carries large parts of me to home-builders and artist."
"I understand that you long for your labor," the woman replied, "I will turn you into the stone cutter so that you can work once again and find purpose." Once again the blacksmith was transformed, and once again the woman was gone.

     A few more years passed and the blacksmith continued to labor as a stone-cutter, until one winter day the woman returned again. "Hello, old friend." said the woman, "I see that you have found purpose in your labor, how does stone-cutting suit you?" The blacksmith thought for a second before he replied, " I have found purpose, but this labor is hard and I have aged into an old man. Every day I climb high on the mountain to cut stone and I look to the sun for warmth." The woman replied, "The sun is warm and good, so the sun you will be." and was once again gone.

     More years went by and the blacksmith thought he would never see the woman again, until one spring day she returned, now an old woman. "I see that you are still filled with the warmth of the sun, blacksmith, but how does being the sun suit you" the woman said tiredly. The blacksmith almost did not want to answer, since the woman had already done so much for him but he knew he had to be honest. "I do enjoy being the sun and encompassing it's warmth, but warmth alone cannot sustain me." The woman thought for a moment before replying, "I have grown old, and in my age I have grown wise. For years we have tried to find the perfect version of you and it has never been so clear. Now you will be the moon, you will be cool and strong, yet warm on the side the sun touches you, you will have purpose in pulling the waters of earth without the labor being too hard." For the final time the blacksmith was transformed, to where he is today, the moon.

(The Man, The Moon. Credit to rkarkowski at pixabay)

Authors notes:

This story was based off an origin story from southeast Asia about a fickle man who could not decide what he wanted to be, and after switching many times a wise man chose for the man to stay the moon. It seemed to me that the story could be improved by making the man grateful for being able to change, and wanting to change out of respect and admiration for something else. Essentially, this story is about trying to find the best version of yourself and adding positive characteristics as you travel through life. 

Bibliography:

"The Man in the Moon" from Laos Folk-Lore by Katherine Neville Fleeson, Web Source

Readings Notes: The Moon

The Moon:

Before reading all of the stories on the Myth-Folklore Anthology I was sure that I would choose to retell a story that I enjoyed, but it turned out to be quite the opposite. The story The Man in the Moon originated in Southeast Asia and is about a very fickle blacksmith whom constantly wishes to be something else until a wise man decided that the blacksmith will stay the moon. In my opinion, this story is meaningful and beautiful and deserves more detail than it was given in this telling. In accordance to this, the writing style of this story was short and choppy and could be more eloquently written.  I look forward to retelling this story with more detail and a different perspective!

(Man on the Moon, credit to Dunk at pixabay)

Reading Options

Reading Options

Never have I ever been in a class where I can choose what I would like to learn about, and I must say I am excited! The UnTextbook has so many options and resources that it is definitely going to be a challenge to narrow down which I am  most interested in. 

Readings of Interest

After browsing the types of readings I have found a few options that I believe I will really enjoy reading.

The first section that caught my attention was the Brothers Grimm units because Grimm's Fairy tales are already something I am familiar with. I am particularly interested in the Ashliman unit of the Brothers Grimm section since it is translated into contemporary English and has both familiar and unfamiliar stories.

(The Brothers Grimm, by Elisabeth Jerichau-Baumann)

The second unit that caught my attention was the Robin Hood unit. The story of Robin Hood is familiar, but it will be interesting to read, and even listen to,  the ballads that inspired the legends of Robin Hood.

Unlike the other two units that caught my interest, I am not as familiar with Ancient Egyptian Myths and Stories. It is one of my life goals to visit the Great Pyramids of Egypt so I think it would be a great experience to read and learn about the Myths behind Ancient Egyptian culture.

Time Strategies

Throughout the semester it always seems like there is an staggering amount of deadlines for multiple assignments in multiple classes, and these deadlines can quickly make even the brightest student feel overwhelmed. What I have found is the best way to deal with this sense of being overwhelmed is to find a time management system that works for you. To manage my own time I have adopted using a planner religiously. At the beginning of the semester I write down every exam and assignment from each syllabus so there are no surprises (in theory). In accordance to this I write down daily list and goals that need to be completed at a certain time in the order of importance. Although this system works for me, it is far from foolproof and things can still be forgotten or overlooked on accident.

(Deadlines Everywhere, credit to Murial Hayden)

Since I already utilize checklist in my current time management system I really enjoyed the article, The Psychology of Checklist. Another article I found helpful was Realistic Study Plans by Amanda Collins. this article also encourages the use of a daily planner, but it had an emphasis on scheduling by the hour in order to add structure to study times. I am definitely going to try to use this strategy in accordance with my current use of my planned to try to use my time more efficiently.

Thoughts on Technology

Blog Post are Coming!

Before this class, I had never had a blog or even considered blogging so this is a completely new experience for me. So far I have found that blogger is a very useful technology tool and I look forward to learning more about it and becoming more comfortable as a blogger. There are some technology tools in this class that I have utilized before; such as, bookmarking and image editing. As for the course website I have never had an assignment page in the format of a blog but I like the concept of using resources outside of canvas since canvas is only something that can be used while I am at the University.

(Blog Posts are Coming, Credit to matthewbeale)

Thoughts on Assignments

(Blog, link)

Being a chemical engineering major, the format of this class as well as the structure of class assignments is completely new to me. I definitely have never taken a course in which almost all assignments are in form of a blog. I am especially interested in the storytelling part of the assignments because I hope to be able to use some imagination and creativity, something not required in my other classes. Also, I am pleasantly surprised at all the extra credit options, particularly the extra commenting since it will give me the opportunity to meet and socialize with my fellow classmates.

Growth Mindset

Not yet:

Anyone who has ever failed a class, or anything for that matter, knows just how devastating it can be. It seems like no matter how much effort you have put in or how much progress you have made that one word erases it all. Because I have failed a class, my favorite concept from the video was the idea that instead of receiving a failing grade, one school employed the term "not yet." to signify the student still had more to learn. If any of my grade-school teachers had used this concept, I feel as though I would have developed a growth mindset much sooner. Throughout my time here at the University, I have unknowingly developed a growth mindset after realizing that in order to truly understand and do well with a class one must struggle through it. For me personally, if I do not struggle with a new topic at first I wonder if I really understand it.  That being said I was initially very impressed with the Growth Mindset and the concept of rewarding effort and progress rather than intelligence.  Being an engineering major here at the University I am constantly challenging myself to master difficult course work, and even though I have had no previous knowledge of the growth mindset I feel as though it is already something I employ, at least at a basic level. 

(Growth Mindset, credit to John Golden, Math Hombre Blog

Introduction to a Future Chemical Engineer

The Basics: 

Why, hello there! My name is Sarah Stuart and I am a "senior " here at the University of Oklahoma. Wondering why I put quotes around senior? Well it turns out chemical engineering is pretty hard, so it is looking like I may end up being a fifth year senior next year.

(OUr Campus: Wikipedia Commons)

Why Engineering?

If you ever want to know what type of engineer someone is, all you have to do is ask them why they chose to become an engineer. The mechanical engineers always have some variation of the answer " well I like to work with my hands and tinker with things." The industrial engineers say something a long the lines of "Well, I have always been able to see how things could be more efficient ." The chemical engineers say something like, "I really enjoyed math and chemistry in high school." If you would have asked me this question a few years ago I would have said the same thing, that I chose chemical engineering because of my strong interest in chemistry and math. As I have matured, I have found that the true purpose I have in choosing chemical engineering is to use the skills and knowledge I am taught to help people that do not have access to the resources that we do here in the United States, and to focus on environmental sustainability. Specifically, I hope to use my degree to help design and develop better systems for water usage, storage, and filtration in the United States as well as developing countries.

Things I Enjoy (when I am not studying):

Favorite Books & Movies:

It is really hard to narrow down my favorite books and movies because there are so many to love! My favorite novel, arguably the best novel ever written, is The Picture of Dorian Gray  by Oscar Wilde. It is the only novel that Wilde ever wrote and I choose to believe that is because he said everything he needed to say in the one novel. For those unfamiliar, the novel follows the story of Dorian Gray, a young aristocrat that makes a wish for a painting of himself to age rather than his body. 

My favorite movie is Star Wars: Episode IV, but to be honest I enjoy all of the Star Wars movies. Among my other favorite movies are the Harry Potter series, Ocean's Eleven, and Jurassic Park. I love going to the movies and I don't have a specific genre that is my favorite.

Hobbies:

When I am not busy I love to hang out with my friends, play guitar and piano, and travel. Most recently my best friend and I took a trip to Mexico Beach, Florida to enjoy some sun and sand before a tough semester went underway. 

Pets:

Growing up on a ranch east of Norman, I have had a wide variety of pets growing up. I grew up riding horses but I especially love my dog Bella. Bella-bear is a 9 year old rottweiler with a heart as big as she is (approximately 80lbs). 

(My Bella, personal photo)

Thanks for reading!

Storybook Favorites

   

 

My Storybook Favorites:

The absolute favorite storybook I read had to be Oscar Wilde's Tales. The title of the storybook immediately caught my attention since my favorite book, The Picture of Dorian Gray, is written by Oscar Wilde. Although I am primarily familiar with Oscar Wilde's one and only novel, I have some acquaintance with his short stories as well. The introduction is written as though Oscar Wilde is speaking directly to the reader, which I found both interesting and entertaining. The introduction does a good job at explaining Oscar's history as well as intriguing the listener into what will come next. In general I thought the design of the storybook was easy to follow and utilized links that were helpful.


(Oscar Wilde. Web     source: Wikipedia)









Another one of my favorite books is Alice in Wonderland, and because of this I was immediately interested in storybook titled Lost in Wonderland. The format of the introduction was in the style of an old fairy-tale book which I thought was very clever and fascinating. My favorite part of this story book was the style in which the introduction was written. It was from the perspective of the White Rabbit and was written in the very way he is portrayed in the novel and movies, which I thoroughly respect.

(White Rabbit. Web Source: Alice In Wonderland Art)

Finally, my third favorite storybook was Tales of Grimm. The title interested me because, you guessed it, I have previously enjoyed reading Grimm's Fairy tales. The introduction did a good job at explaining the topic and out of the three I chose this story book did the best at prompting me to read the stories. The introduction was written in the perspective of the innkeeper, who would be the one telling the stories. The overall design was not as interesting as the previous storybooks but the writing definitely made up for that.

(Storybook Inn. Web Source: Houzz)

Favorite Place

My Favorite Place

 A few years ago I had the opportunity to travel with a friend to the beautiful country of Belize, a small country in Central America. The country itself is not very developed and because of this there is an amazing preservation of the natural wonders. Throughout the trip I was able to snorkel in the second largest coral reef in the world, zip-line through the rain forest, explore Mayan ruins, and hike to pristine waterfalls in the Maya Mountains. From the mountains to the beach there is always something to explore in Belize.

(Snorkeling in Belize Barrier Reef, personal photo)

(Rain-forest Waterfall: Web source: Wikipedia Commons) 

(Evening view of the beach: personal photo)