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.