Review: Week 14

I really liked this picture from the announcements.

I think that its a fun way to think about how to view life. I really like how it was illustrated as well. Its really cute.

Link to picture here.

Learning by H.E.A.R.T: Empathy

I chose Empathy.
I read through PostSecret this week. I thought that is was a really cool website. Some of the posts were kinda sad, but some of them were really happy and hopeful.


One secret

Growth Mindset: How to say the right thing

I am usually really hard on myself when it comes to school. When I don't understand something, or don't pick it up as fast others, I usually get really down. I liked this chart because it gives me a different way to think when I am having a hard time motivating myself.

Tech Tip: Weather Widget

Today I added a weather widget to my blog. Now you can check what the temperature is in Norman, Oklahoma. If you want to add a weather widget to your blog as well you can follow the instructions that are in blog post that is linked here.

Storytelling: Cinder-Elliot

Hi everyone, my name is Cinder-Elliot. Today I am going to tell you the story of my life. Many of you have probably have heard the Brothers Grimm story “Cinderella”, that story was a lie. They decided that my story would be more appealing if they changed me to a girl, and that’s not the only thing that they changed. So today, I am going to set the record straight and tell you the truth.

First of all, it was my father who died, not my mother. He died when I was nine, and my mother remarried soon after. My step-father was a jerk to me. He made me do all of the chores around the house, and never let me go outside to play. Meanwhile his two sons got to live a life of ease, lounging all day and ordering me around. I never got any breaks, and only stopped working when it was time for bed. Since I wasn’t given my own room, or bed for that matter, I slept by the fireplace to keep warm. On breezy nights, I would always end up being covered in cinders, hence the name Cinder-Elliot.

One day it was announced across the village that the King was going to hold a ball so that his only daughter may find a suitable husband. I of course wanted to go, a ball sounded fun and it never hurts to put yourself out there, but my step-father wouldn’t allow it. He said that I had been slacking on my chores the past week and this was my punishment. I couldn’t believe it, I had been working my hardest this past week and deserved a break.

The day of the ball my mother tried to convince my step-father to allow me to go, but he stood firm on his decision and told her not to bother him about it again. So, after they left, I ran to my father’s grave. I was too upset to do any work and needed to get out of the house. When I got to his grave all I could do was cry out to him and ask for help. I just wanted to live a normal life, not one where I was forced to work all day.

What happened next still blows my mind to this day. A white cloud descended from the sky and from it a woman dressed in a glowing white ball gown emerged. (At least some retellings get my fairy godmother right.) She walked up towards me and I couldn’t decide if I should be amazed or scared. Quickly I realized that she meant no harm and I asked her what she was doing here. She told me that she heard my pleas and that I was going to go to the ball. After that she did some magic and the next thing I knew I was at the ball in the nicest outfit I had ever seen. My suit was spectacular and my gloves were top notch. She did make sure to impress upon me the instructions that I needed to be home by midnight because the magic would wear off by then.

As the night rolled on the princess, whose name I discovered was Amber, and I really hit it off. She and I danced the whole night away and we learned so much about each other. I quickly lost track of time and before I knew it the clock was striking five till midnight. I knew I needed to be out of there before my clothes changed back and my step-father and brothers discovered I was there. I wrapped things up with Amber rather abruptly and ran out the castle gates. She was quick to follow and tried to grab me to get me to stop. She got a hold of my gloves which I was able to slip of easily and get away.

The next day I found out that Amber had created a search party to find the lost prince from the night before. She was going to every house in the village and trying the glove on each male’s hand. When she arrived at my house my step-brothers where ready to have their shot at trying the glove on. They greased their hands before they put it on, thinking that it would slip on much easier. When they failed to get the glove on, Amber was ready to leave, but my mother at the last second told her that I was up in my room and hadn’t tried on the glove. Even though my step-father protested the need for me to try on the glove, Amber insisted. I came downstairs quickly and was eager to try the glove on for myself. It slipped on easily and when Amber looked me in the eyes she knew I was the one.

That lovely story happened well over 25 years ago. Amber and I got married a month after that day, and are still happily married now. As for my step-father and step-brothers? Well, they tried to get me to give them some of my newly acquired riches, when I refused to do so they swore never to speak to me again, and I was totally fine with that.


Prince Elliot and Princess Amber

Bibliography:

Europa's Fairy Book by Joseph Jacobs and illustrated by John Batten (1916).

Author's Note:

When I saw that the story I read for this week included a rendition of Cinderella, I knew that I wanted to take it and give it my own twist. I wanted Cinderella to actually be a man, and I thought it would be funny to have the Brothers Grimm purposefully change him into a woman when they wrote their story. Since I was giving the "real" version of the Brothers Grimm story I wanted to change some of the elements of the story, not just the characters gender. So I changed the glass slipper into a glove and I changed it from an evil step-mother and step-sisters, to an evil step-father and step-brothers. I kept the fairy godmother which I know isn't in the Brothers Grimm story, but its in other renditions.

Reading Notes: Crane Unit, Part B

A king got lost in the woods. A witch came and told him that she would help him get out if he married her daughter. The king said yes and followed the witch home. The daughter was beautiful, but the king shuttered everything he looked at her. The king didn’t trust his new wife to be kind to his seven children from his previous marriage. So, he hid them in a castle hidden deep in the woods. The queen was angry at home much time the king spent away from her, so she bribed some servants to tell her where the king went. When she found out about the king’s children she went to the castle to see them. She had used some of her mother’s magic to turn the six sons into swans. She didn’t learn about the king’s daughter and left without changing her. The next day the king came around and asked where his sons were. The king didn’t think that it was his wife who did such a thing and wanted to take his daughter with him. She refused and staid at the castle to look for her brothers. She found her brothers in the forest, and they were only able to stay in human for 15 minutes. She wanted to help them become human again, but they told her it would be too hard. She couldn’t talk or laugh and she must make six shirts out of aster-flowers. The daughter set her mind on helping her brothers. The daughter wouldn’t speak when hunters found her sleeping in a tree. When she wouldn’t give an answer, they took her to another king. The king couldn’t get her to talk either but fell in love with her beauty. He took her home with him and made him his queen. The king’s mother didn’t like his new wife and tried to get rid of her. The daughter gave birth to a son and the king’s mother tried to make her son think that his wife ate their baby. The daughter didn’t care and went on sewing the shirts for her brothers. The daughter gave birth to two more sons and the queen did the exact same thing as before. After the third time the King couldn’t ignore the evidence and ordered her to be put to death. As she was about to be put to death she finished the shirts and gave them to her brothers. After that she was able to speak and told her husband about his mother’s treachery. They lived happily ever after.

The six brothers

Bibliography:
Household Stories by the Brothers Grimm, translated by Lucy Crane and illustrated by Walter Crane (1886).

Reading Notes: Europa, Part A

A noble man had a daughter with his first wife. When his first wife died, he married a new woman who had two other daughters. The step mother and step sister hated the man’s daughter. They made her sleep by the fire every night, which led them to call her Cinder-Maid. One day the king made a decree that all the noble daughters of the land shall come to a ball so his son may choose a princess. Cinder-Maid’s step sisters started to pick out an outfit, but when her father suggests that Cinder-Maid go to, they tell him that she is a disgrace. After they left for the ball, Cinder-Maid wept under the Hazel tree that grew at her mother’s grave. All she wanted was to go to the ball. Her wish was granted and she was given a beautiful dress and carriage from the hazel tree. A little bird called out to her and told her she must be back by midnight. When she got to the ball the prince only wanted to dance with her. As midnight approached though, she fled home. A great mist came and hid her so that the guards couldn’t follow her home. Since the prince couldn’t find Cinder-Maid after the first ball he threw another one. Again Cinder-Maid got her dress from the hazel tree and went to the ball. She got there and the prince would only dance with her. He had his guards put honey on the stairs so her shoes would stick. However, when she ran away she didn’t stick. At the last ball Cinder-Maid left a little too late, and as the clock struck midnight her shoe got stuck on some tar on the stairs and her clothes changed to rags. The prince went around with the shoe having everyone try it on. The first step sister tried it on but it was too small. So she cut off her toe and the prince believed her. However, he soon saw the blood coming from her shoe and knew it wasn’t her. The next step sister tried it on and cut off her heel to fit. The prince started to take her home until he saw the blood coming from her shoe. When he got back he found out about Cinder-Maid and when she tried it on he knew she was the one.

A father sent his son to school to learn about great things. Every time he would come back he would claim that he knows what animals are saying. His father wasn’t satisfied and kept sending him back to learn about more useful stuff. After three years of this his father wanted to see if what his son was saying was true. When is father didn’t believe what his son was telling him that a bird was saying, he called upon a robber to kill his son. The robber instead let the boy go, and he ran off into the woods. The boy came upon a castle and after listening to a dog bark, informed the lord that he would be attacked that night. They put up extra guards and sure enough they were attacked. The lord gave the boy a reward for saving their lives. The boy moved on to another castle where the king’s daughter was ill. The boy was able to listen to the frogs and tell the king how to save his daughter. One of the frogs swallowed her holy wafer, and all they had to do was get it back. When they finished the boy was given a reward for saving the girls life. Then the boy and his two companions travelled to Rome. The pope had just died and the boy heard from the birds that one of them would become the new pope. It turns out the boy was elected to be the new pope. He then travelled back home and met up with him mother and father again. When he got there his mother and father were very sorry for what they had tried to do to him. He forgave them and took them back with him.

The frog

Bibliography:
Europa's Fairy Book by Joseph Jacobs and illustrated by John Batten (1916).

Famous Last Words: How am I not dead yet.

Reading was rough this week. Other class projects took over my time and I wasn’t able to get any reading done. I did accidentally write an extra story for last week, so I was able to use that as my story for this week. That saved me some time and allowed me to work on other homework instead. I read some really great stories this week. My favorite story book so far was The Lost Princess. It was a really fun read, and I’ll need to go and check in on it at the end of the semester so I can finish the story. My other classes are getting a bit overwhelming! With the end of the semester just right around the corner I have a lot of big projects that need to get done. I feel a bit stressed and I am not handling it well. I am trying to take things one day at a time. It will be over soon. Outside of school has been hectic too. Bad news and good news have come pouring in all around, and while I want to be really happy and excited for the good news, the bad news needs to be addressed as well. I just hope that the bad news will turn into good news within the next few days, but all I can do is wait and see. Next week is dead week, which means I’ll be dead by the end of the week. One final, two large projects, and a billion other little things need to get done all at the same time. I hope this weekend will provide a little bit of stress relieve before the chaos ensues. The semester is almost to an end, which means summer is so close. That also means for me that summer school is close as well, but I’ll deal with that later.

I need to manage my stress better!

Week 13 Review

This picture I really liked from this weeks announcements.

Imagination

I think that the illustration is really cute, and the quote is fun too. I love being imaginative, and find motivation to stay creative in this quote.

Wikipedia Trail: From Cinderella to Clades

For my first wikipedia I started with Cinderella. I chose this because for my reading this week I read the Brother's Grimm story Aschenputtel, which the Disney Movie is based off of. I wanted to learn more about the different variations on the story of Cinderella.

One take on Cinderella

My next article was about the Aarne–Thompson classification systems. This is a system that classifies different folktales. It gives each folktale a number to signify the central motif found within the story. I saw that the story of Cinderella was given the classification 510A, and I wanted to exactly what they meant so I clicked through to the article.

After that article I clicked over to an article about Phylogenetics. This deals with studying the evolutionary history and relationships of an organism. This method was used to study the folktales and group them together. I didn't know much about this concept, but I thought it was interesting that they used a biology concept to help sort through stories.

The last article I looked at dealt with clades. This is essentially a family tree, where you group together organisms that descended from the same ancestors. This is used in phylogenetics to help visually sort the organisms that they are studying. I didn't know what a clade was beforehand so I was interested to see how it related to this biology concept.

Learning by H.E.A.R.T: Time Management

This week I read the Time article "5 Secrets to Managing Your Time, Backed by Research" by Eric Barker. In it he gives five pieces of advice on how to manage time better. First he broke down the concept of work into two categories, "Shallow work" and "Deep work". He says that shallow work is what we spend most of our time on, but deep work is what really needs to be done. His first piece of advice is to schedule time to do deep work. You need to set aside time to focus your attention on the important projects you got going on. His second point is to keep track of how much time a day you spend on deep work. Mark it on your calendar so you can see your progress. Saying no to shallow work is his third piece of advice. Save your time for deep work, and say no to the unimportant work. The fourth point is to have a routine or ritual in place so that you can signal to your brain that you are about to get focused and do deep work. Having these routines can help you get into the zone when you have to do intense concentration. The last piece of advice was to ask your boss how much time they want you to commit to doing deep work and shallow work. By doing this you can show your boss that you are really using your time wisely and that you are an asset to your company.

I think that this was a great article and very useful for not only school, but work life. I never really thought about how much time is wasted doing tasks that, while useful in some sense, aren't useful to the overall picture. I think that applying these tips to school and work life will help me to cut out unnecessary tasks.


Time management

Growth Mindset: Time Management

I think that the only common denominator with all of my classes is that I have a lot of homework in all of them. A challenge I have with all of my classes is time management. I have so much homework due all at the same time, that I have to figure out how to do everything on time. I know it's close to the end of the semester, so this is something I should have figured out a long time ago, but better late than never. I have slowly been finding a rhythm for how to organize my life, which will be very helpful once I get out of school as well.


Time management

Tech Tip: Reverse Image Search

Rama

This picture is of a Hindu god called Rama. He is considered the supreme being. He is one of his most popular incarnations of Vishnu. He is the seventh avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu.

Reading Notes: Brother's Grimm (Crane), Part A

A fisherman and his wife lived in a gross house by the sea. One day the fisherman went out and caught a flounder. The fish said he was an enchanted prince so the man let him go. When he told his wife, she made him go and find the fish again so he could wish for a better house. So, he went back and found the fish and wished for a little cottage, and his wish was granted. They lived in this cottage for many months, when one day the wife told her husband to go back to this fish and wish for a castle. The fisherman was quite content with his house, but his wife insisted that he go. So, out the fisherman went.

So, the man went to the sea and called upon the flounder again. The fish came and when the fisherman told him what his wife wanted, the fish granted his wish. He went back home to find a castle standing there. The wife was so happy. The castle had many nice things inside and many servants as well. The next day the wife decided that her husband should be the king. When he refused, she made him go ask the fish to make her the king of the land. So out the man went reluctantly, and asked the fish to make his wife the king. The fish granted his wish and the fisherman went back home.

When he got back home, he saw his wife sitting on the throne. She wasn’t happy though. She wanted to be the emperor. The fisherman didn’t think that the fish could do it, for there was only one emperor. However, he had to go and ask the flounder. So off to the sea he went. He didn’t think it was right, but he asked anyways, and the fish granted his wish. When he came back he found out his wife was the emperor, but again she wasn’t happy. She now wanted to be the pope. The fisherman now really didn’t want to do it, but his wife threatened him. So back to the fish he went, and again his wish was granted.

When the fisherman went back home, he saw a great church where is little hovel once stood. He went up to his wife and asked her what she wanted to be now. She couldn’t think of a response, but she knew she wouldn’t be content until she came up with something else to wish to be. By morning she decided that she wanted power over the sun and the moon, so the husband went out to find the fish. He granted her final wish, and in the end, she ended up becoming a part of a cuckoo clock.

A rich man had a sick wife. As she lay dying she told her daughter to always be kind to others. After the mother died the father remarried, and she brought along two very mean spirited daughters. They forced her to work for her food, and they made her dress like a kitchen-maid. One day her father went to a fair and asked what his daughters would like him to bring them. All his daughter wanted was the first twig that touched his hat on his way home. She planted that twig at her mother’s grave and I quickly sprouted a fine tree, and whenever she wept and wished, her wish came true. The king of the land invited all the young maidens to attend so his son could pick a wife. The girl’s stepmom would not let her attend because she was all filthy. The stepmother said that only if she could pick out all the lentils from the ashes in the fireplace in two hour, then she could go to the festival. The girl went out and cried and wished at her tree for help, and two birds came to her rescue. After she was done, her stepmom made her do it two more times. Even after that she still wouldn’t let her go. She went to her tree and wished for a dress to wear. When she got to the festival her stepmother and stepsisters didn’t recognize her. The prince wanted to marry her. The girl kept getting away from the prince and wouldn’t let him know her true identity. The prince got her shoe and decided to try it on all the maidens. When the girl’s oldest stepsister tried on the shoe it didn’t fit. So, she cut off her toe and shoved it on. It almost worked, but the prince saw the blood. Then the next stepsister tried and had to cut off her heel. Again, it almost worked, but he saw the blood. Finely the girl was able to try on the shoe and it fit. The prince found his maiden.

Aschenputtel

Bibliography:
Household Stories by the Brothers Grimm, translated by Lucy Crane and illustrated by Walter Crane (1886).

Story: Behind the Veil of Beauty

For the past four years Jessica Anderson has won homecoming queen despite the entire school population absolutely hating her. I, Natalee Germaine, head reporter of the high school newspaper had to get to the bottom of this. First things first, time to talk to the nerds. Everyone knows that Jessica loves to terrorize them every day, so why in their right mind would they vote for her.

“So tell me, what made you decide to vote for Jessica for homecoming queen this year?”

“Oh, um, well I just think that Jessica was the most qualified, you know? She is just such a great role model and a great student.” Tanner managed to stumble out.

Jessica and her King

I knew that Tanner was lying to me, I have seen the things that Jessica had done to him and his friends. I tried to push a little harder on the topic, but Tanner wasn’t budging. I didn’t want to waste my time any farther, so I headed over to my next source. I headed up a little higher on the school food chain and decided to interview Heather Wilson, the captain of the girls’ soccer team. Jessica and Heather have had a long standing feud going on ever since Jessica stole her boyfriend and convince everyone at school that she had herpes.

“So, Heather, I would love to know what made you decide to vote for Jessica for homecoming queen this year? I am sure that the history you have with her would have persuaded you to vote for someone else.”

“Are you taking about what happened between us last year? That was just a big misunderstanding! Jessica and I are on good term now!” I could see the anger in Heather’s eyes as she gave me her answer, but no matter what I asked her, her answer never changed.

I couldn’t figure out what was going on. I knew that something must be going on between Jessica and her so called “friends”. I couldn’t leave this story now, I still had so many questions. I went around the school and I asked a dozen more people, who I knew had bad blood with Jessica, why they voted for her, and every person said the same thing. Why are these people who I know hate this girl, saying all these sweet and nice things about her? It wasn’t until I asked Jessica’s little sister some question, that things started to unravel.

According to Lilly Anderson, Jessica’s younger sister, Jessica has a folder of black mail on at least of the students at our high school. She collects secrets and stores them away to use for her own personal gain. Lilly informed me that this has been going on since the start of middle school, and her stash of knowledge has grown quite big since then. Every year Jessica makes her rounds to all the people on her black list and reminds them of the dirt she has on them. In exchange for her silence, the person has to vote for her for homecoming queen. Lilly told me that everything Jessica said about Heather was true. Jessica found out that Heather didn’t vote for her last year and so she got her revenge.

I can’t wait to write up my article and post it in the school newspaper. When everyone finds out what Jessica has been doing, they won’t be singing her praises any longer.

“The Veneration that is paid to Great and Powerful Men, is but from the Teeth outward, not from the Heart; and more out of Fear then Love.”

Bibliography:

Fables of Aesop and Other Eminent Mythologists by Roger L'Estrange (1692).

Author's Note:

I took inspiration from a fable that has to do with fake praises. It talks about this eagle who claims that she is the most beautiful bird there is, and a peacock replies and tells her that she is. However, it goes on to say that the eagle had talons and a beak that would have hurt anyone who tried to disagree. So when I read that I thought of a high school homecoming queen. Usually the most beautiful girl or the most popular girl in school wins. So I wanted her to black mail her classmates into voting for her out of fear of her telling their secrets to the whole school. I wanted to write it from the perspective of a journalist because they always get to the bottom of a juicy story.

Reading Notes: Canterbury Tales, Part A

Back in the day there use to be a lot of fairies. The fairies don’t exist anymore. There was a knight who vowed to treat all women with respect, but one day he was rude to a woman. Since he didn’t stick to his word he should have been put to death, but he was loved by all that they pleaded for his life. Si King Arthur said that the Queen would decide. The Queen wouldn’t let him off without some sort of punishment. So he had a year to figure out what women wish for the most. So he traveled the world to find his answer, but no two woman agreed on an answer. He had to go back to the Queen without an answer. On his way he ran into an ugly old woman and she agreed to answer his question in exchange for a favor, which the knight agreed too.

The knight's bride

The old woman told him the answer and he was off back to the palace. He told the Queen that woman want to rule their husbands most of all. The Queen and all the other women in the court agreed so the knight left with his life. After he was set free the old woman who helped him came to claim her favor. She wanted the knight to marry her, which he didn’t want to do. However, since he vowed to do so, he married her. He was sad and glum on his wedding day. His new wife scolded him saying that just because she was old doesn’t mean she wouldn’t be loyal. When the knight saw that she made good points, he gave himself over to her. At once she became a beautiful, young, and charming wife.

Bibliography:
The Chaucer Story Book by Eva March Tappan (1908).

Reading Notes: Celtic Fairy Tales, Part A

The king of Lir thought he would be appointed king of all of Ireland. But one of the other king’s eldest sons was elected. He was angry and left the assembly. The other kings would have harmed him because of this but the new king wouldn’t let them. The king decided to join their two kingdoms by marriage to bring peace. He sent the king of Lir three maidens to pick from. He chose the oldest maiden. They had a set of twins, a boy and a girl, and then two more boys after. His wife died giving birth to their last son, and the king mourned his loss. After her death, the high king sent the maidens sister to keep the peace. His new wife loved his children at first, but then grew to hate them. She took the four children out to the lake one day. The kings daughter had a dream that her new mother was going to harm her and didn’t want to go, but she was pressured into joining. She told the people that lived by the lake to kill the children, but they would not. So she attempted to kill them but didn’t have the strength. She made them bathe in the lake, and turned them into swans. The king of Lir had suspicion that his new wife had done something to his children.

The king of Lir found the swans upon the lake, and since they would speak they told him what happened to them. The king then turned his wife into an air-demon as punishment. The king declared that no swan should ever be killed. The children got hurt and separated in a heavy storm, but they soon found each other again. They were so hurt and cold that they just nestled against each other for warmth.

The Children

Bibliography:
More Celtic Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John D. Batten (1895)