Week Eleven: Reading Diary A

Ballads of Robin Hood

I chose this unit because the story of Robin Hood is one that I do not know very well. I wanted to read something that I have not read before. The unit's overview gave me good background information, which I really did need to read. Progress to Nottingham also provided me with a general idea of who Robin Hood was and gave me enough imagery to create a picture in my head. I do like this unit because of the style of writing. I think ballads and/or poetry is more of an entertaining read. I think this unit had stories of a good length. I think I should watch the movie because the trailer looks good.

Robin Hood

Indian Epic Untextbook

Four Short Stories by Rabindranath Tagore

First, I chose this unit because of its title. The number four is my favorite and most lucky number. The background information provided about the author is also good. I feel that whenever I go on a trivia game show, I will know who the first author outside of Europe to win a Noble Prize is. The plays were very entertaining and cool. Once again, I do appreciate the navigation tools that are available. 

Week Ten: Famous Last Words

This has been a great week. A better week than the previous weeks. I have turned in all my assignments for this course. I made an A on a test. Also, I have accomplished a lot of other things in other classes. I am taking 18 hours and I am tired. Blah.

My friend from Saint Louis, MO has surprised me this week. I did not think I would see my friend until May! We are really good friends because we share a passion for great food. That may not be a good thing though. We do not have self control, when we go out to eat. We went bowling at HeyDay! It was so much fun! They have really improved their facility. I like it. I like that they have a bowling area for adults over 21 years old. It was great to bowl in an adult environment. I would suggest that everyone go to HeyDay and enjoy themselves. 

We plan on hanging out again on Tuesday. Hopefully, the circus is still here. Someone just said that they were going today. I have not been to the circus in years. During my twenty-two years of life, I can count on one hand how many times I have been to the circus. It was not something that I looked forward to. The Arts Festival was something that I looked forward to. The fair always has too many people around. Too many things have happened at the fair that my mother rarely let me go anyways. 

My grandmother has always taken me to the fair in Texas. Her job gave free tickets to the employees. On another hand, I really like Six Flags Over Texas and wish we had something similar in Oklahoma. Frontier City is nowhere near as entertaining as Six Flags. Oklahoma needs to step its game up!

HeyDay

Week Ten: Extra Reading Diary

Native American Marriage Tales Unit

The Piqued Buffalo Wife
This was a great story. I appreciate the imagery. I can somewhat relate to this.

Bear Woman and Dear Woman
It really cracks me up that they were searching each other's head for lice. I don't know why but that is so funny and random. This story was somewhat confusing. I am not sure what this story was really talking about.

The Fox Woman
This is very interesting. Did the man not know he had a wife? Was the wife really a fox? What caused her to have such an odor? Too many questions. 

Fox Woman

Week Ten: Reading Diary B

Blackfoot Stories

The Red-Eyed Duck

The title of this story really catches my attention. Some of the feedback on my stories has pointed out my less than creative titles. This is something that I need to work on. Good story.

The Smart Woman Chief

I also like the title of this story. It is always nice, when a woman is in charge. This title gives so much life to the woman. A lot of storytelling ideas come to mind with this title. 

I agree...Lol.

Google Timer Tech Tip

I think the best time management skill to use would be to work ahead of time. I fall short of this many times. It is best t do work, when you have free time. Starting on projects ahead of time is also good. I do like to browse the internet. Timing my internet browsing would help me stay focused on what I need to get done.

Week 10: Reading Diary A

Blackfoot Stories

Two Fast Runners

I like the length of this story. Two Fast Runners reminds me of two high school boys hanging out after school one day. I believe studies have proven that boys are more competitive than girls. In this story, it is safe to say that it has shown that you always do well with home court advantage. 

The Buffalo Stone

This story represents the beginning of a tradition. Folktales are passed down from generation to generation. Many times the story changes over time and  but this story seems to be an original. It clearly states why people pray to the rock.

The Theft from the Sun

You cannot hide. What you do in the dark will come to the light. The Sun is the chief and you cannot avoid the chief. It is somewhat similar to a mother and her children. The mother always finds out what is going on.

The Sun

Indian Epic Untextbook

Bengali Household Tales by William McCulloch

https://archive.org/stream/bengalihousehold00mccu#page/n13/mode/2up

pg. 1

I appreciate how accessible the storybook is. Also, I like the tools provided that help adjust the story's size. You cannot avoid karma. It will come to get you in the most random ways. What is meant to be will be. 

Week Nine: Famous Last Words

First, I would like to say that the feedback that I have been receiving for my storytelling is wonderful. I am really grateful for the comments that everyone has provided. I am also happy that I have been able to create stories. Usually, I like to tell stories to friends and family about the most random things. 

It gives me the opportunity to have control over something and express my creativity. 

Friends and family can always laugh with me and listen to my stories. They kind of have to listen because I am going to tell it anyways. *Laugh out loud* I know that someone has to read my story for a grade but I do like that someone else enjoys it. 

Sidenote: I am currently watching Millionaire Matchmaker and would like to be on the show. I am not looking for love but I think it would be fun. Oklahoma does not have speed dating that I can attend. I just like to socialize. I would have to work really hard to have the income to get on the show. Anyways, that is my random fact for today.

Millionaire Matchmaker

 Outside of school, I am have made progress on some of my personal goals. I am really happy about that. I am currently looking for a job, which seems to be a full-time position itself. I know more of what I do not want to do versus what I would like to do. I have a few options but nothing that says, "This is life." I am sure that it would just come to me one morning. Hopefully, that morning is some time within the next two weeks. I feel like there is just so much out there for me to choose from. Can you tell that I may be a little indecisive? Yikes!

YouTube Tech Tip

Week Eight: Reading Review Week

I have learned that it is easier to focus on a few stories rather than focus on all the stories. For the longest time, I would write a review over each story in the book. Now that I write about a few key stories, I really enjoy the material more. Also, I like taking notes as I go versus waiting until I finish all the reading. I do like to read but not the genre used in this course. This genre is nice but I would not like to read it for pleasure. I enjoy stories that have a little more drama or suspense. For future students, I would suggest that they work ahead of time. Commit to a certain amount of hours a day.

True Friendship

A story that I have really enjoyed this semester is The Woman, the Ape, and the Child. I appreciated the length of this story and its storyline. It was a great story. I could definitely see it as a movie.

Indian Epic Untextbook

Twenty Jataka Tales retold by Noor Inayat

http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=inu.39000000078449;view=2up;seq=12

pg.63

I most enjoyed The Empty Lake. It was a great story. It was short and to the point. Also, I liked the narration of the story. I chose this particular story because of the title. The Empty Lake seemed to have a deeper meaning to it; therefore, I was curious. It was very easy to read and entertaining. I also like being able to flip through the pages.

Week Seven: Famous Last Words

I believe during the first week or two that I wrote about starting a personal blog. My friend has been encouraging me to create one, so that, I can express myself more. Well, I created one earlier this semester but never posted anything. During this past week, I was inspired by an old friend. 

I realized how fast time flies by. When we were little, we could not wait for the next step in life such as: going to high school, getting our driver's license, joining the cheer squad, and having a boyfriend. We were crazy for wanting all of those things coming so soon! I can say that now that I have experienced all of those things. I can say that now that I can look back to elementary school and know things were so simple. 

My friend Jessi, also known as Biskit for whatever reason, called me crying and I was shocked. I had not spoken with Jessi in almost two years. We did not have a huge disagreement or anything of that nature. We just seemed to grow apart and I no longer felt comfortable. She moved to California our sophomore year of high school, which was hard on us both. Luckily, she returned to Oklahoma to attend college at a local junior college. I was so happy that she was back and believed that everything would begin exactly where it ended two years prior. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Jessi was a completely different person. She was drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana, and had had several boyfriends. On the other hand, my mother did not let me do anything outside or school, work, and sports. I did not really have time for anything outside of those focuses. I claimed to have had a boyfriend in high school but it was not like having a boyfriend now that I am older. 

Jessi and I hung out and conversed in moderation. Everything was going great until she dropped out of college. She had a full ride sports scholarship and dropped out! She began to date this guy, which I have known for years and do not really care for, and moved closer to where we both grew up. The two lovebirds moved in with each other and began to play house. I tried many times to warn her of the path that she was on; but she would never listen. We began to talk to each other less and less as the days went by. I was too busy to consume myself with a friend that was not as focused on school as I was. 

During the summer before my Junior year, she calls me and asks that I be her maid of honor. Lol. I was shocked but said yes. She was really about to marry this guy. If it made her happy, then I would be happy for her. So, fast forward to about two years later, which is present day, and I get her call of her hysterically crying. She found her ex-fiance cheating on her with some other girl.  After calming her down, she catches me up on everything else going on in her life. She still is not in school, she has a job but is actively seeking another, and she does not plan on going back to school. She says that the LPN program, 15-18 months of school, is just too long. 

My point is that I am really proud of myself. The group of friends that I had from middle school and high school have fell off the wagon. Out of the five friends, I am the only one still in school. I do not have a baby. I do not have a record. I do not feel that I am better than any of them. I just appreciate my mother. I was always teased for having a strict parent but it has gotten me this far. I have had the senioritis this semester but that phone call has helped. I'm appreciative. 

Which do you choose?