Famous Last Words: Back. To Back. To Back. To Back.

Wow. What a week, and what a semester it's been as well (this actually serves to get me in that A range as my final assignment, so what perfect timing, right?!). Yesterday and today were the biggest emotional swings I've felt in a while, from the adrenaline of beating Texas, to finding out that I get to make my second trip to the Orange Bowl! Along with that, we finally get Bama, who I've been wanting to go against for the past 4 years with the team. Also, fun fact, I now have more Big XII rings than the entire Texas program does. 😉

Selfie with Obie Orange in 2015!

Source: Personal Image

I have just a few more assignments to complete in the coming weeks, and it all starts with a night class final tomorrow, so I get started with a bang immediately. Once that's finished, I have just a few more assignments to complete before finals week, and I'm so excited to graduate in less than 2 weeks. It felt like it would never come at certain points, but now that it's here, I can't believe I went from the last freshman back in August 2014 to where I am now so soon. Time flies like crazy.

I'm so exhausted from Arlington yesterday, watching the selection show in the office today with some of my friends/co-workers, seeing the joy on the first-year people's faces when they announced we were in the playoff. I won't ever forget that feeling I had back in 2015 when I went on my first bowl trip. Orange, Sugar, Rose, Orange. Not a bad run for a kid like me.

We aren't finished yet...

Source: Personal Image

All of that said, I'm so excited to get down to Miami, although it will suck not being able to see my family for Christmas again this year, more than likely. This makes 4 straight years I won't be home on Christmas Day, but luckily my family is so willing to rearrange the schedule for me. My mom is even making the trip to the Orange Bowl in four weeks!

Boomer!

Week 14 Story: Hick Town

A local athlete is a superstar, with offers to many of the best schools across the entire country. However, each time one of the coaches from these schools comes around to visit, the player immediately decides that the school and coach are not good enough for them, and proceeds to mock the coaches and their program for whatever trivial reason he can decide. When most have come and gone, one of the top programs comes along, and even though he loves the coach and the school, he's convinced that the school is in the middle of nowhere, and casts them out for not being perfect, calling the city a "hick town" for being in a more rural state.

After this, the kid's coach gets word that all of these schools have moved on from him, and that they will no longer accept his commitment. When one of the worst schools comes calling, interested in the young athlete, he has no choice but to choose this school, with only weeks remaining until the signing period opens. One of their coaches arrives, and even though he hates the idea of attending such a school, he has no choice and agrees to play for the coach. Distraught, he and his coach decide to make a visit to this school so that he may see where he will be attending. While they are heading to the school, they pass through the town of another university that had come calling.

"Who do these statues along the road belong to?" questions the kid.

"Those belong to the last school you turned down," replied his coach.

"Whose trophies are those? They're impressive."

"Those belong to the last school you turned down."

Heisman Park in Norman

Source: VisitNorman

Distraught, the kid breaks down, aware of the mistake that he made. Not only is the school amazing, but the area around the school is much different than he imagined. Instead of being in the middle of nowhere, it's surrounded by a large city, with many things to do and much fun to be had, both on and off campus. He begs his coach to let him visit the school and check out the area, and after a few calls, they are able to meet up with them and begin a tour.

After a short while, when the tour is wrapping up, they are offered to meet the man who would have been his position coach had he attended the school. When he arrives, he finds that it is none other than the coach who claimed to be with the school he was so distraught to be forced to go to!

"I wanted to humble you some before you walked into our facilities. You still have a spot available if you're willing to take it, but it won't be an easy road," coach stated. Immediately, the kid says yes, and signs at the school he knew he really wanted to be at all along.

Author's Note: In the story King Thrushbeard, the young woman in the story is courted by many suitors, who she immediately declined to go with based on a variety of factors. One man shows up who she likes quite a bit, but she can't get over his beard and mocks him for it, nicknaming him King Thrushbeard mockingly, which angers her father to the point where he gives her to a seemingly poor beggar outside her window. After living with him and being humbled, she finds out that it was King Thrushbeard himself, and finally marries the king she realized had all that she wanted. I wanted to adapt this to a college athlete who waits so long to choose a school, writing off some of them very early, that they have no options towards the end except for choices that are not nearly as good as they once had. At the end, he realizes that one of them hadn't given up on him, and he still had his best option available, but they had to humble him into realizing how fortunate he was.

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

Reading Notes: Brothers Grimm (Crane), Part B

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

The Six Swans
What if the king had refused to marry her once he was out of the woods?

So the inward shudder feeling came true... she did have ill intentions for the children.

Her patience not to say a word is incredible. I know I would not be able to.

Is the new wicked stepmother the same one who turned her brothers into swan?

Did she get the 6th brother's swan wing turned back into an arm eventually?

King Thrushbeard
Good riddance to her if she was so judgmental of every person.

That ballad-singer definitely got more than he bargained for.

Ballad-singer with his new wife

Source: Wikipedia

So King Thrushbeard is the most powerful man in her new land.

What kind of work will she succeed at? Even the selling didn't end well because of the drunk horse-soldier.

So King Thrushbeard was her husband all along? He simply wanted to humiliate her into not being so stuck up?

At least she understands the error of her attitude now.

The Three Spinsters
How embarrassing to have the Queen stop by and ask what you are beating your child for.

What a way to avoid ever having to use a spinning wheel by saying the spinsters were her relatives. I can only imagine her bridegroom's face when she told him of it.

Snow White
Seems that most stories had some form of evil stepmother. I wonder if that was a common fear of people.

The poor huntsman who was tasked with killing Snow White. Luckily his heart wouldn't let him.

The dwarfs were kind to allow her to stay in their home instead of forcing her out.

Instead of an apple, she was strangled in the original version?

Snow White seems to not learn her lesson very quickly.

Okay, so now the apple makes an appearance.

It's neat to see all the variations that Disney made from the original.

Reading Notes: Brothers Grimm (Crane), Part A

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

The Fisherman and His Wife
The wife seems to never be content with what she has. She wants people to give her more at her whim.

The man seems very happy and grateful for what he has. It's interesting his reluctance to ask the flounder for favors.

Why does she desire so much power that she wants to be a king? Will the fish eventually stop making these wishes reality?

I say the husband needs to leave and find a new wife if she is going to consistently want more and more power, showing less respect to him in the process.

When will this fish quit granting wishes? What is his line that shall not be crossed? Even the Pope position is not too powerful for him to intervene.

Looks like power over the Sun and Moon was his line. It's nice to see her back in their simple home at the end.

Lesson: Be grateful for those things which you have and do not take them for granted, or demand what you do not deserve.

Fisherman catching the Flounder

Source: AmericanLiterature

Aschenputtel
Immediately, this story seems like another version of Cinderella.

The twig that became a magical tree is a neat touch. Though it's help still didn't make her stepmother keep her promise.

 Weird how you don't recognize people when they dress up sometimes as in this story.

I never knew older versions of the story involved mutilating their bodies to try and pretend to be the bride.

The Robber Bridegroom
What reason did the father have to offer his daughter to the first decent man?

Life Tip: If they say their house is in a secluded area and you've never met them before, DO NOT GO.

The finger flying onto the bride's lap reminds me of the Mr. Fox story.

I'm surprised her father let the bridegroom near her the next day when she told him of her experience at the house.

Week 13 Story: The Three Brothers

Many years ago, three brothers graduated high school, and decided to attend three different colleges. All of them were extremely smart individuals, bright futures and vast opportunity ahead. However, despite these possibilities, they did not all achieve the same heights.

The first brother was relatively lazy, and even though he was able to achieve A's and B's without much effort in high school, he received a shock when he failed his classes freshman year. Over the next four years, he worked harder than he had ever worked before to bring his grades up. Despite his best efforts, when his college tenure reached its end, he found that his GPA was below the graduation threshold. Dejected and disappointed, the first brother was unable to graduate with his degree, the first victim of the university.

The second brother, learning from his older brother's mistake, started strong, finishing his freshman year with a 3.8 GPA and on the President's Honor Roll. Because of his early success, he began to fall into the same lazy ways of his older brother, and saw his GPA slip to a 2.9 by the end of his junior year. Desperate to regain his former glory, the second brother was caught cheating on an exam during his final semester, and was expelled from the university for academic misconduct. Because of this mark on his record, the second brother was also unable to graduate with his degree, the second victim of the university.

Now the third brother had seen both of his brothers suffer their fates, and was determined not to fall into the traps that both of them were victim to. Similar to his second brother, the third brother finished his freshman year on the President's Honor Roll with a perfect 4.0 GPA. Unlike his brother, however, he avoided the temptation of laziness, and continued his hard work, keeping his GPA above 3.5 for his entire college career. Because of this, when the time came for graduation, the third brother was able to successfully complete his degree and graduate. He would not fall as the third victim of the university.

When you're the one who got your degree

Source: PxHere

Author's Note: I wanted to create a modern take on the Three Little Pigs. In the original story, the first little pig built his house out of straw, but because of the lack of rigidity of straw, his house was easily blown down by the wolf, who ate him. The second little pig built his house out of sticks, which while slightly stronger than straw, was still no match for the wolf, who blew the house down and ate that pig as well. The third little pig, in his wisdom, built his house out of bricks, which the wolf was unable to knock down, rendering the third little pig safe from harm. I turned it into three brothers going to college, where the first two are unsuccessful at their attempts to obtain a degree, while the third one was able to complete their degree, not becoming victim like the first two did.

English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John D. Batten (1890).

Reading Notes: English Tales, Part B

English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John D. Batten (1890).

Henny-Penny
The gullible nature of all the animals with the fox is interesting. But it should be expected since they believed the sky was falling.

The fox is cunning to be able to get them all to follow him into the cave. How did he kill the first three, but not cocky-locky?

Henny-Penny and friends

Source: Wikipedia

Molly Whuppie
The giant seems to fit the stereotype that the cyclops/giant isn't very smart. You'd think he'd be smarter once all his possessions keep being stolen.

The King seems fairly greedy, asking a young girl to go get treasures for him.

Mr. Fox
Mr. Fox's castle seems like a very weird place, being hidden and all.

How many marriage contracts had Mr. Fox signed to get so many girls?

Was there not a trail showing him where the hand traveled to?

Johnny-Cake
Foxes are very cunning creatures in these old stories.

So a Johnny-Cake is a cornmeal pancake... A bear got outrun by a pancake?

The little boy needs to learn to pay more attention to his tasks.

Mr. Miacca
Mr. Miacca is both good and bad, as the note says. He's good for being able to get boys to behave and not cause as much trouble, but eating them isn't the right way to do that.

How did Tommy get the sofa leg out when the sofa was in use?

The Laidly Worm of Spindleston Heugh
The "worm" is actually a dragon, not a worm as we think of.

Why is every stepmother jealous?!

What makes the rowan-tree so powerful against magic or imps?

Childe Wynd is strong to be able to still complete the mission despite the attacks on him due to the magic.

The Ass, the Table and the Stick
This reminds me of one of the African tales I read a few weeks ago, at least from the stick.

The innkeeper deserved the beating he ended up receiving.

What killed Jack's father?

I appreciate the ending, since he didn't abandon his sweetheart due to her lack of wealth.

Reading Notes: English Tales, Part A

English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John D. Batten (1890).

Tom Tit Tot
This story seems quite a lot like Rumpelstiltskin, in the way that the girl must spin something under the threat of death, and an unusual fellow comes and does the work for her.

I like her feigning ignorance on the last day by purposely guessing wrong the first two times, causing him to believe she'd never guess it.

The Rose Tree
It seems like many English Fairy Tales involve a jealous stepmother who will do anything to slight or harm their stepdaughter.

Was the white bird born from the tree? Or did it learn the song from the flowers?

I half expected the items the bird gathered to be used to reincarnate the girl who died. I'm just as satisfied that the stepmother got what she deserved for her actions.

Red Rose Tree

Source: Wikipedia

The Old Woman and Her Pig
Why didn't the woman pick the pig up and carry it over the stile? It likely wouldn't be a very large piglet.

That's a lot of retracing she had to do in order to get the pig to jump over on its own.

Binnorie
What caused William to become so smitten with the younger of the daughters? Was it purely looks, or was it also attitude?

Seems jealousy extends to siblings as well, not just stepmothers.

The harp sounds similar to the white bird in The Rose Tree. Do these stories share the same root narrative?

Mouse and Mouser
The writing style is very poetic, like a call and response duet song.

This seems like the definition of a "cat and mouse" game. The cat is distracting the mouse so it stays until it gets the chance to kill and eat it.

Cap o' Rushes
I'm surprised he threw her out for her comment, especially since he realizes it was the strongest love of his daughters.

I get a little bit of a Cinderella vibe, where the lowly servant captures the heart of the prince.

I'm amazed he didn't recognize his daughter until she pointed herself out. Maybe he'd forgotten about her for a time after he cast her out?

Not the response Cap o' Rushes expected.

Source: WisdomTales

The Three Little Pigs
This was one of my favorite stories growing up, and I also enjoyed the alternate versions, such as the wolf's point of view.

I'm assuming furze is what other versions called wood, or is at least similar. Basing that solely on the placement in the story.

Older fairy tales are definitely darker. This is the first time I've read it where the pig ends up cooking the wolf and eating it.

The Master and His Pupil
The book seems too powerful to simply leave it locked to the table. Why not travel with it to ensure it isn't used improperly?

The pupil doesn't seem like the type of person to trust in the house. Why did the Master choose him?

I find it funny to imagine the devil himself watering a flower. Seems very menial for such a powerful creature.

Week 12 Story: Dad Jokes

"Dad, I'm hungry."

"Hi hungry, I'm dad!"

"No dad, my name is Jake, and I'm hungry."

"But you said your name is Hungry, and now you say it's Jake. Which is it?"

"Jake!"

"Okay Jake, what do you want?"

"I'm hungry!"

"Hi hungry, I'm dad!"

"AHHHHHHH!" Jake storms out of the room, screaming. His six year-old mind doesn't quite get the humor of dad jokes quite yet. But it will come in time. He just needs to learn that all dads are goofy and make terrible jokes around their kids.

"Hey Jake, come get dinner. You like spaghetti, right?"

Jake immediately jumps up out of his bed and runs into the kitchen. He's "starving" (he ate only 5 hours ago), and sits at the table, waiting for his dad to bring the food out. Except there's no spaghetti, only broccoli and chicken. "Where's the spaghetti?"

"There isn't any."

"But you said there'd be spaghetti!"

"No I didn't. Would you like me to get you some?"

"Yes! I want spaghetti!"

"Well, there isn't any."

"Then why did you ask me if I wanted some?!"

Jake's dad laughs, having some fun messing with Jake. However, this only serves to frustrate Jake even more. All he wants is his spaghetti, not broccoli and chicken. Why can't his dad understand that he doesn't like these jokes?

"Dad, I'm really hungry!"

"Hi really hungry, I'm dad!"

"You're mean!"

"I'm not mean, I'm dad!"

"Whatever." With that, Jake leaves and goes to bed, angry at his dad for the constant jokes that make no sense. Pouting, Jake lays down and goes to sleep, hoping that the jokes will be gone the next morning.

"Morning Jake. Do you remember what time your dentist appointment is today?"

"Wait, I'm going to the dentist?"

"Yeah, your appointment is at tooth hurty."

"I'm going to mom."

"She's not here right now. I swapped the bed for a trampoline last night and she went through the roof." Dad has the biggest grin on his face from this last joke. He feels like it might be the best one he's ever said. Jake, on the other hand, thinks otherwise.

"Fine, let's just go to the dentist then if that's what we're doing today." Jake storms to the car, upset that his dad is still making the same jokes he made the day before, only worse. They hop in the car, and begin the drive to the dentist.

"Jake, I turn left here, don't I?"

"Right, dad."

"So I turn right at the light?"

"No, you turn left."

"Soooooo... left?"

"Right."

"Okay, we're turning right."

"NO, YOU TURN LEFT!" But it was too late, as they'd already turned right and started to go the opposite direction. All this for a little amusement for his dad. Jake is in the backseat, buckled into his car seat, pouting and angry that he's forced to deal with his dad's "humor" today.

"So I turn left here now?"

"Right."

"So I turn right, Jake?"

"No, turn left."

"So I turn left?"

"Yes dad, turn left." After enduring this for the entire car ride, Jake finally figured out how to neutralize his dad's turn jokes. Satisfied that he thwarted his dad, Jake smiles, happy to get on with the rest of the day.

After putting up with these jokes for his entire childhood, Jake is finally 18, graduated from high school, and moving on to college. When his parents are getting ready to leave him at school, he looks back at his parents and calls out to his dad, "Hey dad. What did the buffalo say to his son when he dropped him off at school?"

With tears in his eyes, dad replies, "Bison." He knew then that his work was complete.

The king of dad jokes

Source: ForeverInMomGenes

Author's Note: Much of Alice in Wonderland seems very disconnected from each other, and the different characters that Alice interacts with ask her confusing questions that make zero sense. They often are all over the place in what exactly they're trying to get her to say, and occasionally are belittling her. During one section, the Mad Hatter offers her wine, even though he knew there was none for her to drink. I wanted to take this into the realm of the disconnected jokes that our dads often decide to tell for their own amusement, much like the Wonderland residents told to Alice. However, instead of simply becoming combative and angry as Alice did at times, I wanted to end it on a happy note where Jake finally learned the dry humor behind the jokes and appreciates it.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865).

Reading Notes: Alice in Wonderland, Part B

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865).

A Mad Tea-Party
Every character in Wonderland seems to be full of riddles and confusing comments that ridicule Alice. I wonder what exactly causes this, if it's those people who go there or if it's how they're raised in Wonderland.

The Hatter's watch shows the date instead of the time, does this mean that days pass by faster in Wonderland?

Why did the Hatter ask a riddle if he doesn't know the answer? I'm trying to figure out what all of the questions they ask mean and what they are related to.

So now we understand the time conundrum. It's been 6 o'clock for a long while. Do days not pass during this time, or does it simply stay 6 o'clock in terms of daylight, but actual days are counted?

Alice has very little patience with them, which I can understand with their attitude towards her. The mouse needs some help with his storytelling.

Why were they trying to put the dormouse into a teapot after Alice left? The tea party seems very unorganized and filled with confusion.

The Queen's Croquet-Ground
Why didn't they plant a new tree when they realized that it was producing the wrong color roses? They could also say it changed on its own after some time instead of continually painting the roses.

I'm pleased that Alice saved the three gardeners, even though everyone else has been so mean to her during her journey so far.

How does one play croquet with hedgehogs and flamingos?

The Queen has a very short temper. I now understand why they painted the roses instead of trying to explain their error.

Her response to everything is "off with his/her head" when it doesn't please her. How would she be able to behead the cheshire cat though? It can disappear whenever it pleases.

And my question was answered. Their entire debate was about whether they could behead a cat that only has a head showing, and the distraction gave it time to disappear.

Who Stole the Tarts?
The court seems just as uncoordinated as the rest of the land. I'm surprised they picked jurors who don't even know their own names very well.

The Hatter is still just as confusing, although he comes off as nervous and scared in front of the King and Queen. Hopefully we don't see him executed.

I appreciate that our courts of law are not as menacing as these. The King definitely rules with an iron fist. I can see why the Hatter is scared.

That dormouse is obsessed with treacle. He talked about it at the tea party, and now he burst out with "treacle" during the trial.

Wait, Alice is a witness?

Trial in Wonderland

Source: Carnegie Mellon

Alice's Evidence
Alice is still growing as she gives her testimony. Although I'm unsure why they called her up. Will her growth cause any trouble with the court?

Is it really a rule that being too tall means you must leave the court? And at any rate, how large is the courtroom if Alice is more than a mile tall?

I feel bad for Bill, the lizard. He just can't catch a break this day.

The entire thing was a dream sequence... That's a rather anti-climactic way to end the story all of a sudden.

Reading Notes: Alice in Wonderland, Part A

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865).

Down The Rabbit Hole
The quote "In another moment down went Alice after it, never once considering how in the world she was to get out again" really sticks out to me. It seems to hit on impulsive actions that we may undertake without considering consequences.

It baffles me that she was falling so quickly, yet also slowly enough to grab a jar off of a shelf. Or are the shelves falling at the same rate as her? How exactly would that work?

The white rabbit is always hurrying. What about this intrigues Alice so much that she follows him without thought of what could happen?

Life isn't like a storybook, Alice. Just because it doesn't say "poison" on the bottle doesn't mean it's safe to drink the entire thing.

I'm confused. I thought she unlocked the tiny door before she drank the liquid from the bottle. Why did she neglect to do so and leave it on the table?

I wonder if Alice regrets drinking the entire bottle now, considering that after she ate the cake, she is now much too large to enter through the tiny door. I am assuming that she found more to drink eventually.

Advice from a Caterpillar
Considering she followed a rabbit into a random hole, I shouldn't be surprised that Alice is listening to advice from a caterpillar this time.

The caterpillar seems very confrontational. He doesn't want to give any straight answers, and is constantly belittling Alice. I'm surprised she has managed to mostly keep her composure.

Caterpillar smoking Hookah

Source: Wikipedia

I wish we knew what pieces of "You are old, Father William" Alice got incorrect. I'm starting to become irate with this caterpillar. Someone needs to put him in his place.

That mushroom has incredible power if a tiny piece made her grow that quickly. I wonder what the exact formula is to get a specific height from the two sides would be.

Why was her neck left so long when the rest of her body was a normal (I think?) size? I can see why the pigeon must have been terrified of her and what she could do to its eggs.

I feel bad for Alice, not being able to truly find the happy place in this new world. What would happen if she went to the little house without shrinking herself? She seems to be constantly changing herself in an attempt to fit in.

Pig and Pepper
Apparently the caterpillar isn't the only creature that speaks in riddles and trivial ways. They all have some piece of diction that makes it difficult to follow at times.

Alice is extremely determined, barging into the house the way she did. When will some of her actions come back to haunt her? Especially saying the food has too much pepper in it when it isn't meant for her.

The Duchess is very snarky. Also oblivious of all the chaos going on around her. It seems like the entire world is a chaotic mess.

Maybe Alice would be best served to let the chaos happen instead of trying to fix it. She seems so out of place in this world. Especially trying to care for a pig that's treated like a baby.

I like the cat's attitude. "I'm mad. You're mad." It seems to hit on the theme that everyone has little things about them that seem crazy to someone else, so we're all crazy to someone.

Cheshire Cat Disappearing

Source: Wikipedia

I wonder why she went for the hare's house if she was going to be deterred so easily. This lends to my theory that she's constantly trying to fit into this strange land.

Reading Notes: Apache, Part B

Jicarilla Apache Texts edited by Pliny Earle Goddard (1911) = New York: Anthropological Papers of the American Museum of Natural History, Vol. VIII.

The Supernatural Person in the Lake
I am curious why the old woman cursed the boy when he said he had already delivered her gift. He clearly has some powers if he was able to work at corralling so many antelope, as well as the fact that he moves to live at the bottom of the lake. It was also interesting that he requested an all-black horse from the warriors after they won their battle. What makes this horse so special?

Solid Black Horse

Source: Wikipedia

Coyote Steals a Man's Wife
I'm surprised that the man didn't take his wife on the rock with him. Why did Coyote want to steal his wife? He must have known that the man would eventually come back, seeking his wife and punishing the one who took her away. Or was it maybe a mutual decision? It also seems cruel to kill Coyote by making him eat hot stones, burning him from the inside and being that much more painful.

Coyote Tries to Make His Children Spotted
Coyote seems like a very naive character from the many stories that involve him. How would burning your own children under a fire cause them to become spotted? The only thing Coyote achieved was killing his children, not causing them to be spotted. The only reason he did this is because he didn't believe that Deer's children were born with the spots on their backs, which is more plausible than the fire method.

Porcupine and Coyote
How does Porcupine come back to life? Coyote killed him twice, and each time, he manages to come back and somehow attack Coyote or his children. Does the porcupine have some supernatural powers in Apache history that causes this? I'm also surprised that Coyote didn't make sure that Porcupine was truly dead or gone before he left the area, although this could also be the naive part that he's displayed previously.

Coyote and His Hosts
Coyote is constantly trying to do the same things that his hosts are able to do, which only makes him look like a fool. He kills himself trying to get food from a frozen river, bleeds by sticking sticks in his nose, and even burns his own house down. I am constantly waiting to see if there is a story where Coyote is able to redeem himself and shake off this notion of being very naive and lacking smarts. I had always thought that coyotes were relatively intelligent creatures.

The Animals Race
The Heron wasn't a part of the race? I figured he would be just as eager to marry the girl if he was also flying along the same path. I'm also surprised that he helped the mole win, although it is a better alternative to helping the coyote win. What did the mole do to be able to gain this advantage compared to everyone else?

Reading Notes: Apache, Part A

Jicarilla Apache Texts edited by Pliny Earle Goddard (1911) = New York: Anthropological Papers of the American Museum of Natural History, Vol. VIII.

The Emergence
I like the contrast between the Apache creation story compared to the Great Plains story from last week. This one focuses on them coming up out of the ground, rather than being created by the sun and moon. I wonder what caused the difference between each tribe's creation story.

The First War
I like the continuation this story has from the creation one. I had to reread the story because I was confused about why the chief had been shot, as well as by whom. I wonder why he refused to attend the feast when everybody else went. Maybe this is why the first war was a disaster, due to the apparent dysfunction.

The Killing of the Monsters
This story definitely takes a lot of time to dissect. The beginning is easy enough to understand, as the man kills the elk and wears its hide, but it begins becoming very complicated next. At first, where it says the eagle digs its talons into the man and carries him to its nest, it seems to infer that the man is dead, yet he is alive and avoids being eaten by the eagle's children. The man then kills both the mother and father eagle, making me wonder if the monster isn't the creatures that he is killing, but is him instead. I mean, he tells the young eagles that they will essentially be servants to man, inferring their feathers will be taken as man "will like your feathers." His interactions with grandmother bat seem to avoid these same actions, as he tries to help her as long as she follows directions, but he also becomes vindictive when she keeps returning as she was unable to follow his commands, leading bats to become the featherless creatures they are today. This does make me wonder where his motivations truly lie, and whether he is a good or bad character.

Elk on Apache Hunting Land

Source: SCAT Recreation

Naiyenesgani Rescues the Tao Indians
This is the second story that includes 4 different pieces of the same thing, each a different color. The Emergence had 4 ladders, while this has 4 hoops, with one black, one blue, one yellow, and one multi-colored. I'm wondering what kind of symbolism these 4 items have when together, and why these colors are important to the Apache. The fact that they are all used in the same fashion makes it even more interesting.

I also have noticed in other stories that the number 4 is very prevalent. For example, the phrase "making motions four times" and other similar variations are commonplace in these stories. Since they make 4 motions, and with the colors, it is 4 items that vary only in color, this number must have had significant value to the Apache.

Coyote Secures Fire
The coyote was the only creature that did not have its hide restored by jumping in the river after losing it in the hoop and pole game. Is this because of the coyote's ultimate actions where it set almost every tree on fire, or is it related to him simply being a coyote? The making fire with a drill being due to coyote is an interesting little tidbit. That was one area that I never thought about how people might explain why it works. I guess a coyote is as good an answer as any.

Coyote

Source: IndigenousPeople

Week 10 Story Lab: EmpoWord

EmpoWord Chapter 2: Telling a Story

The very first page is such an interesting and powerful beginning. The idea that in the end, we're a huge collection of stories is a great way to begin, pondering the different stories that we have to tell, as well as what everyone else could tell. However, while telling our stories, we need to remember to write them in a way that keeps people intrigued, as there are many portions of our stories that may not interest everyone else.

I like the example that the author uses to explain why we want to only include the highlights of the stories if the goal is to keep people interested. One way they say to do this is to consider it as a few photographs, rather than 24 frames per second video. By mixing in the interesting portions and leaving out some of the monotonous details, we can write a better and more captivating story. Despite it making for a good story, I question how good of advice this is. These techniques feel like the reasons we see social media being criticized, as we see only the highlights of other peoples' lives, and it makes us forget that they don't always have these incredible moments. It can create a false perception about the person and their life. Although the example is a good one for why we would want to write this way, I wonder what kinds of effects it has in the real world.

They also discuss different ways to explain the plot, and different plot arcs. One of my favorite arcs that we see today is in medias res, where they begin with the middle of the story to create some suspense and interest, before going to the beginning. The first example I can think of that uses this arc is Breaking Bad, where we find Walter White in his underwear in the middle of nowhere. Another way to play with the plot arc is to slow down or speed up certain segments, dependent on how important you or your audience see them.

Walter White

Source: TVOverland

We also look at how the point of view affects the story. Dependent on not only who tells the story, but also what way it's portrayed, such as tone and the mood, the point of view can determine so much as far as how the reader interprets the work. In the story The Three Little Pigs, simply switching to the wolf's point of view can dramatically alter how the story is seen.

Overall, combined with everything else in the chapter, I found it to be a very fun and interesting thing to read. While I may not have to consider all of the information provided while I write my stories in this class, I will likely write them again at some point in the future. I do worry that promoting this type of storytelling, at least for our own personal stories, can create the same issues we see today on social media and how we share our lives, but outside of this critique, I believe it was a very useful article to read.

Each Day is a New Story

Source: QuoteFancy

Reading Notes: Great Plains, Part B

Myths and Legends of the Great Plains by Katharine Berry Judson (1913).

The Man Who Shot a Ghost
A man is traveling, and hunts several rabbits. He builds a fire that night and cooks a rabbit to eat, when he hears the ghosts coming. He leaves and hides under a tree, listening to the ghosts. They end up surrounding the man, and when one of them kicks him, he shoots them through the head. They run away, and he goes to where they were screaming from. One of the bodies buried there has been unearthed by a wolf, and has a hole in its skull.

The Indian Who Wrestled With a Ghost
A man is traveling, and stops in the woods for the night. He hears a woman, and pretends to be dead when she comes near, only showing life when she's about to remove his foot. The next night, he stops in the woods again, and after feeding and sharing tobacco with a ghost, wrestles him, having been told if he wins, he will be successful in battle. They wrestle all night, and eventually wins, using the fire's ability to weaken the ghost to gain the advantage. He then wins the battle, gaining horses and killing the enemy.

The Wakanda, or Water God
A man and his wife lost their only child, a son when he drowned. This left the man depressed, and two men who were sacred were sent on a journey to find him. They found him alive, but were told he would die if he left the water, as he ate the food of the Wakanda. The father still wished to see his son, so they exchanged for the boy, who died when he left the water, and was buried. Later, the same couple lost their daughter, however, she lived as she did not eat the Wakanda food.

The next few stories focused on how things came to be. They included a crow sowing pebbles that became mountains, dust that became the land, and twigs becoming massive forests. We also learn why possums play dead when they sense danger. It's always interesting to see how others interpret the creation, and why animals have the instincts they do. The following story explained the dangers of snakes, and how even the smallest things we cannot feel can be the most deadly. This was followed by explaining why different animals are lean or fat, based on how the creator decided they looked in each state.

Is this Possum dead or alive?

Source: Flickr

How the Rabbit Killed the Giant
The rabbit travels to a village, where people are afraid of a giant that takes all of the food. He visits the giant, and eats there, but in the following days, was unable to get his own food, as hunters were afraid of the giant and would not take the meat for themselves or split it. After a few nights, he convinces an insect to bite the giant while he sleeps, and he later dies from this bite.

Legend of the Head of Gold
A man sends one of his sons with Wakantanka to attempt to give him something to do, rather than staying idle. He is given a job tending to the horses, and told not to look into the little house. One of the horses tells him to look into the house, and dip his head into the gold. He does so, and they escape while Wakantanka chases, saying they will die for their actions. They end up successfully escaping, and were able to defend against all future attacks from others.

Ictinike
The first story about Ictinike involves a turtle that he comes across, and he questions why it stays where it is. He convinces it to travel with him, and tricks it into sticking its head out farther than normal, and beats it with a bone, killing it. He cooks the turtle, and falls asleep before eating it, and a coyote eats all the meat while he is asleep.

Drawing of Ictinike

Source: Wikipedia

In the second story, Ictinike visits the beavers, who feed him their youngest son. Ictinike breaks one of the toe bones while eating, and when the youngest is reborn in the water, he now has a toe that appears broken. Ictinike left his tobacco pouch when he left the beavers, so they return it to him, and he wished to eat one of his children, which beaver refused. Ictinike then goes to visit the muskrat, and is fed wild rice that came out of a pot instead of rice. He asks for the same thing from the muskrats after leaving his tobacco pouch there as well, and attempts to turn water into rice, but is unable to. He does the same thing with a Kingfisher, with similar results.

Reading Notes: Great Plains, Part A

Myths and Legends of the Great Plains by Katharine Berry Judson (1913).

The Creation
The people were created by their parents, the Sun and the Moon. When they first came to Earth, it was covered in water, but the most trusted animal, the elk, was able to coax the winds into removing the water and revealing the soft ground below. The excited elk rolled on the ground, and from his hairs that were left sprang all sorts of foods and plants. The people also found footsteps, and followed them to meet who they belonged to.

Sacred Legend
Over the years, the people became more and more resourceful. They replaced grass clothes with animal hides, created pots to cook the meat in, and built the first tepees, to name a few of their creations. The legend shows the resourceful nature of the Native American people, and how they evolved as the time came.

The Legend of the Peace Pipes
The Chief calls together a council, and adds the owl and woodpecker to it when they come near as if to join. He has a servant go and collect a specific tree, on which an eagle lands and drops a feather. However, it is not the feather he wants, and when he finally gets one from the proper eagle, an imperial eagle, and made peace pipes with its feathers. These pipes were used to settle disputes within the tribe.

Eastern Imperial Eagle

Source: Wikipedia

A Tradition of the Calumet
The Mysterious One told the northern nation of a nation to the south. The northern council decides to attack the southern nation, which angered the Mysterious One, who appeared as an eagle over the chief's daughter. She said that they must not harm the First People, so they cleansed themselves of their actions and made peace with the First People.

The Sacred Pole
While multiple tribes were having a Great Council, a man discovers a powerful tree, and tells his father of it. After the council concludes, the father tells the chief of the tree, and after it is found by runners, has it chopped down and placed inside a special tent. They designed it in the shape of a person, and prayed to it for help, as well as to become a chief.

The Buffalo and the Grizzly Bear
A grizzly bear is walking along a river, and finds a buffalo. He attacks it, claiming it would attack him instead. The buffalo thinks it should attack the bear, and the bear knows it thinks this, and attacks it again. The buffalo then attacks the bear in return, although the bear thought at first that it was scared. They later realize they should be friends due to their similarities.

The Eagle's Revenge
A man heard an eagle eating the deer he had shot, so he shot the eagle. He took the deer home and told the story of the eagle, and his tribe began a dance. A strange man showed up, and began telling how he killed a man, and when he said "Hi!" at the end of the story, one of the men with rattles for the dance died. He did this until all of them were dead, avenging his brother, the eagle.

Unktomi and the Bad Songs
Unktomi is traveling and sees many ducks, geese, and swans on a lake. He tells them he has bad songs in his backpack, and they beg him to sing them for him, which he does while they dance with their eyes closed. He goes around killing them while they dance, but when one doesn't die immediately, it squawks, and the rest escape. He boils the ones he did kill, and leaves them to cook while he sleeps. A mink comes and eats all the meat, and replaces the bones in the pot, leaving Unktomi with nothing but his bad songs.

Old-Woman-Who-Never-Dies
The old-woman-who-never-dies has 6 children: 3 sons (the sun, the day, and the night), and 3 daughters (the morning star, the evening star, and The Striped Gourd). Each spring, she sends birds that signal to the Indians what crops to plant. They build scaffolds to feed these birds each year, and perform rituals. They do this again in the fall so as to bring the buffalo to them.

Legend of the Corn
A young man goes hunting, and finds a buffalo standing on top of a hill. He decides to wait for it to move before he kills it, but each day, it stays in the same spot. After a few days, he finds it gone, replaced by a plant, but no signs of where it ran to. He tells his tribe, who see what he does. They defended the plant, believing it to be a gift, and when it is ripe, the young man tries it, and when he does not die, they conclude it was a gift from Wahkoda for them to eat. They shared this gift with other tribes in the following years.

Tradition of the Finding of Horses
The Ponca traveled the river, and found the Comanche. The Comanche had horses, which the Ponca did not, and the Ponca were scared of the horses once the Comanche learned how to fight. After many battles, a Comanche speaks to the Ponca, and they become friendly, sharing their fighting technology and knowledge of horses. However, the Ponca later attacked the Comanche, stealing most of their horses and taking them back home with them.

Comanche atop horses

Source: LegendsOfAmerica

The Ghost's Resentment
A young man died, and his parents had a grave scaffold made for him. Another young man, who is married, hears his father and his friends planning to rob the scaffold for clothing, and they do not listen to him trying to dissuade them. He covers himself in clay and acts like a ghost when they arrive, scaring them off and making them return home terrified. When they get home, he is asleep and they are unaware it was him. He makes fun of them for failing in their mission, and they don't return to the grave.

Week 9 Story: Therapy Sessions

Kweku Tsin never thought he would have to be here, but his mother was making him come. His grades were slipping, his mind constantly wandered, and his family was becoming concerned. If only they knew it was because of them that these issues occurred.

"When would you say these issues began?" questioned his therapist, Dr. Milli.

"It's been nearly my entire life. My father is not a good man, he is constantly getting into mischief and I've had to cover up for him, trying to make things right. Sometimes I wonder if he does these things because he wants to torture me." replied Kweku Tsin, a sigh escaping from his body as he speaks. He looks over to see his doctor scribbling on his notepad. He's always writing on that notepad, making Kweku Tsin wonder if he's truly listening, or just drawing something. His answers rarely amount to more than "I see."

Dr. Milli looks up from his notes, reading the body language of his patient. He can tell the young man doesn't want to be there, and is doing the bare minimum to get through the session. He's not surprised by this; most patients seem to share this attitude, especially the younger ones. "Kweku Tsin, I'm here to try and help you. I understand the pain you're dealing with, that your father is causing you so much grief. What are some examples of the things he's done?"

"He tried to keep the rest of the world from acquiring knowledge once. The only reason he failed is because he was unable to climb a tree to hide the jar inside. Another time, he killed his friend Nothing simply for having a larger fortune than him and having a better life. He also withheld the food he had found from me and my mother during a famine. These aren't even all of the stories, these are just some of the ones that stick out the most in my mind."

"Have you confronted him about these things before?"

"Once. He swore to stop these actions and live an honest life, but this didn't last more than a few weeks. I'm not sure how to fix him and make it livable with him."

Kweku Tsin pouring his heart out

Source: 123rf

Seeing Kweku Tsin open up brings a smile to Dr. Milli's face. He sees a new person, an anger and frustration that he knew existed, but hadn't been able to tap into until now. He looks at his patient with a new outlook on these sessions. They continue these discussions until they hear a loud ringing sound. They both look to the source of the sound. It's the clock on the wall signaling the end of their session. "I think we made some good progress this week. I'd like to see you the same time next week. My assignment for you this week is to record what your father does to frustrate you this week, and why it made you feel this way. Think you can do that for me?"

Kweku Tsin looks at his doctor warily, but realizes this is the best he's felt in months. "I can't promise it will be perfect, but I'll do my best. See you next week, Dr. Milli!"

Author's Note: In many of the stories throughout the West Africa unit, Kweku Tsin is having to deal with his father's mischief, often being the one to stop him from performing terrible deeds or making other people's life worse. I wanted to take the idea of his father's constant actions wearing on him to the point that he is unable to live a normal life, and the covering for his father and putting up with his antics has caused him to suffer. This reaches the point that his mother believes he needs to work with a therapist to even have a chance of clearing his mind and becoming a normal person again.

West African Folktales by William H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair, with drawings by Cecilia Sinclair (1917).

Week 9 Reading: West Africa, Part B

West African Folktales by William H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair, with drawings by Cecilia Sinclair (1917).

The Moon and Stars
During a famine, Anansi and Kweku Tsin found a deer, and Anansi left to find a basket to carry it. Tsin fears his father might not return, so he calls for him, which only summons a dragon, causing him to run and hide. When Anansi gets back, he wishes to see the dragon, who comes and captures them. They are taken to the dragon's home, and defended by a rooster. They distract a rooster with grain, and with the other prisoners, build a ladder, and escape to heaven, Tsin using bones and music to distract the dragon so they may climb. The heavens make Tsin the sun, Anansi the moon, and all the others the stars.

How the Tortoise Got Its Shell
The great Mauri planned a party for Friday, and sent off his messengers to invite everyone, and his servants to gather food and drink. He sent Klo to get wine from Koklovi, who makes Klo fight for the wine and palm trees, as that's the only way to get it. Klo wins, and fills his pot with the wine, and drinks what remains once it is full, and leaves with the trees and wine. While he returns, there is a great storm, and he arrives late and is unable to get in the party. He dies outside as the rain lasts for 2 months. When everyone goes to leave, they find him outside, and powers bring him back to life, but he now has the pot for a shell.

The Hunter and the Tortoise
A hunter hears a song, and surprised to hear it sung by a tortoise. After returning many times, he asks to bring her home, and she agrees, but she will only sing in front of him. He tells others of the beautiful music, but is scorned when he says it comes from a tortoise. He says she will perform for them all, or he will let himself be killed the next day. The next day, the tortoise refuses to sing, and he is killed. Once he is killed, the tortoise talks, and says his fate was all his own for telling the world of her.

The Leopard and the Ram
A ram and leopard unknowingly decide to build a house in the same place. They complete work opposite each other, and think fairies are helping when they are not there, and finding it wasn't fairies, decide to live together. They both have sons, and leopard is curious how the ram gets meat, so he has his son ask one of ram's son to show him. They show each other how they do it, and young leopard warns his father of ram backing up, as this means he charges. One day, the senior ram slips and falls back, and leopard is scared, and runs away, leaving ram with the house and leopard in the woods.

King Chameleon and the Animals
The animals have grown tired of the lack of order in the kingdom, and decide to have a race to see who will be king. The hare gets there much faster than anyone else, but is thwarted by the chameleon, who clung onto him the entire race, and sat in the throne before he could. This meant the chameleon had to be made king. However, none of the animals were happy with this, and dispersed, leaving the chameleon alone.

King Chameleon Watching the World

Source: San Diego Zoo

Elephant and Wren
The king wanted a giant tree to be cut down, and whoever did so with a wooden axe would receive an elephant. Anansi tricks the servant watching him into leaving for some time, and cuts it down mostly with a steel axe, and finishing it with the wooden one. He receives his elephant, but does not want to share it with his family, so he hides it in the forest and tries to capture a wren for them to eat. He fails, but when he goes to get his elephant, he finds that it has run off, leaving him with nothing.

The Ungrateful Man
A poor hunter comes across a man, a rat, a serpent, and a leopard stuck in a hole in the forest. He frees them, and all but the man promises to repay him, even though he invites the man to live with him. The rat brings him valuables to gain him riches, the leopard brings him food, and the serpent gives him an antidote to snake venom. The man becomes jealous, and falsely accuses the hunter of theft from the king when the king is robbed and offers a mighty reward. The hunter is about to be executed, when the king's son is bit by a snake, and the hunter offers the antidote, which must be mixed with a traitor's blood. He tells the king, who knows the man framed the hunter, kills the man, and saves his son.

Why Tigers Never Attack Men Unless They Are Provoked
A man and a tiger befriend each other, and live with each other for some time, alternating between each's home. The tiger is scared the man's friends will kill him, but the man assures him they will not. The man's father dies months later, and the tiger leaves his home to console the man, bringing his cub with him, but is shot by hunters. He is scared that the man sent them to kill him, so he feigns death, which leaves the man distraught when he finds him. He watches the cub all night, and the next day, the tiger says he is alive, and that he will not harm man if he is not attacked first.

How Mushrooms First Grew
Two brothers have made bad decisions, and have much debt. After being robbers, the decide to grow crops to pay off their debt. After planting, a bushfowl comes and eats the seeds, so they capture it and transfer the debt to it. Dismayed, it tries to lay eggs to pay off the debt, which are destroyed by a tree, transferring the debt to the tree. This continues on and on, to an elephant, then a hunter, then a tree stump, and finally ants. The ants buy pure linen thread, and weave it to sell for profit to pay off the debt. The completed product is what we know as mushrooms.

Farmer Mybrow and the Fairies
Farmer Mybrow finds a place for his field, and when he begins to clear it, the fairies ask what who he is, and when he tells them, they help clear the field. This continues, from burning brush, to planting, and growing the crops. Mybrow's wife wants to know where this field is, and he reluctantly tells her, but that she must not answer questions. She does not heed this warning, and speaks to the fairies, who pluck the unripe crops and leave them on the ground, ruining the good harvest. She does not tell her husband, who shows up the next day and is angered by the sight that all his crops are now worthless due to his wife.