Week 6 Story: A Story of Montages

There once was a kid named Sun who lived up in the mountains. He was the biggest and strongest of all the kids up there. You know how it goes, everyone follows the biggest guy and he thinks he's totally invincible. Big fish in a little pond and all that. Sun lived it up like this until one day a man from the city was passing through and happened upon Sun and his posse. They all acted as tough as they could, trying to impress and intimidate the man, but he just laughed at them. Sun thought he was big and tough, but he had nothing on the guys from the city.

Sun's friend tried to tell him the guy was crazy; there's no way anybody could ever match up to Sun, but Sun was never the same after that. He'd always have a nagging feeling that he wasn't the best and that drove him crazy. Finally it got to the point where he couldn't take it anymore. He was going to go to the city and prove once and for all he was the best. The entire village came to see him off and wish him the best of luck and with that, Sun was off.

Cue travel montage

On the Road Again, Source

After travelling for several days, Sun found himself in the biggest city he'd ever seen. Immediately, he tried to start picking fights with everyone that passed him by. They all just gave him a look like he'd lost his mind and kept on their way. Sun thought this meant that all of them were afraid but soon he realized they just didn't care. He eventually got one person to stop. He told them why he was there and how he wanted to prove he was the strongest. They gave him an odd look and told him to go talk to the Old Man. The Old Man, known by all by only that name, ran a gym and was the most respected man in the entire city. Sun immediately set off to find this gym, overjoyed at the idea of testing his strength.

He arrived at the gym and was greeted by two of the largest people he'd ever seen. They easily had a foot and a half on him and fifty pounds a foot. Sun asked to see the Old Man and the two motioned inside. The Old Man already knew why Sun was there. Countless numbers had come to him to test their strength and to become the best. Sun tried to throw the first punch, but just the aura about the Old Man made him back down and fall to his knees. He begged to learn the Old Man's ways, saying he'd do absolutely anything. The Old Man agreed, however he warned that the training would push Sun to his absolute limits. The training consisted of three parts. First, the body must be trained, then the mind, then the spirit. After that one can achieve true strength.

Cue training montage

Rocky Theme Song, Source

Entirely too eager, Sun started right away. He trained night and day, hurling tires, lifting boulders, doing whatever task the Old Man set before him. Finally, after lifting a bookshelf above his head, the Old Man said his physical training was done.

Next came the mental training. Sun was tasked with reading every book in the entire gym. This didn't seem like an incredible task, until Sun saw the back room. There were boxes upon boxes of books, easily numbering in the thousands. Still undeterred and overly determined, Sun set to work.

It took nearly two months, but Sun finally completed the task. This brought the final training. It is both the simplest and most difficult. Sun would have to sit on the roof, unmoving, until he realized the answer to the question. That was all the Old Man said before he left. Bewildered, Sun went to the roof and sat, and sat, and sat. Rain, snow, sleet, he sat there without moving. He was on that roof for so long people thought there was just a new statue up there, but eventually he realized the question and the answer. He told the Old Man his revelation and the Old Man congratulated him; Sun had realized the meaning of true strength. With that, the Old Man had nothing left to teach Sun and sent him on his way and Sun went back to his mountain, forever changed.

Getting Zen now

Rocky during his training, Source

Author's Notes:
This is the story of Sun Wu Kung, the Monkey King from Chinese legend. He came from a mountain where he lived with his tribe of monkeys and sought the means for eternal life. He searched in a city but found nothing. He eventually found the monastery of a Saint master who taught the ways of Tao. Sun learned all he could from him and was eventually sent home.

The original story skipped over a lot of the training or treated it in a very mystical way. I thought it'd be entertaining to relate the training to the type of training we do in everyday life, while still showing the scale of the tasks. I also thought this type of training fit well with the Rocky motif. There's also the added fact that Sun Wu Kung was born from a boulder and is actually a stone ape, which would make him a pretty good Rocky.

Bibliography:
The Monkey King Sun Wu Kung from Chinese Fairy Book by Wilhelm , Link

Reading Notes: Sun Wu Kung Part B

Throughout out this section the gods try to get Sun Wu Kung to follow their rules and conform, but they never actually get him to change. This could be changed to either a guy from the country comes to work at a big fancy business or someone that wins a prize and gets to go to a super fancy dinner or show and doesn't fit in with all of the high society people there.

I also like the idea of doing a training montage focusing on his training from the first reading. I haven't done that kind of story and it could be good to have some change.

Wu Kung fights a demon, source

Bibliography:
The Monkey King Sun Wu Kung from Chinese Fairy Book by Wilhelm , Link

Reading Note: Sun Wu Kung Part A

Wu Kung is an interesting character. He acts like a child in many ways. He complains and throws a tantrum when he doesn't get his way. He uses force to make others do what he wants. All throughout these stories he just does whatever he wants without a care in the world. It'd be pretty easy to do a retelling of Wu Kung as a little kid and everyone is just humoring him.

There are also several training sequences or times where he goes on a journey. It might be fun to treat these like a training montage and turn it into a Rocky type story.

Wu Kung and the waterfall, source

Bibliography:
The Monkey King Sun Wu Kung from Chinese Fairy Book by Wilhelm , Link

Portfolio Index

Jupiter: Playboy, Billionaire, Deity

Jupiter re-imagined as a modern day man, but still complete with all that old school Jupiter awfulness.

Storytelling: That No Good Sinbad

There's one particular inn in Balsora where all the captains like to gather and tell all the stories from the most recent voyages and tonight, with storms brewing that don't seem like they'll ever let up, has brought in an especially large crowd of sailors.

The first captain started, "You will not believe the luck we've been having this last month. It seems like the sea itself is trying to kill us! It's been one storm after the other and they just seem to be getting worse."

The next chimed in, "I know what you mean! It all seemed to start about a month ago too. Before then it was all smooth sailing."

"You know, I seem to remember picking up some odd traveler about a month. Somebad, Sinbush, Sungood, I can't remember his name," another captain added.

"Wait, are you talking about Sinbad? I've taken him on my ship too! He's the oddest man. He'll just drift off to sleep on a random island and get left behind but then he'll have the most insane stories when he finally turns up again," the first captain replied.

"Hey, at least your ship actually survived! When I took him on my ship we were hit by storms and I lost half my crew. Sinbad went overboard and maybe two months later he was back in town claiming to have narrowly avoided being eaten by cannibals, taught an entire kingdom how make saddles, was buried alive in a cave full of jewels, and finally escaped by following some kind of animal through the cave. I swear, this guy is the luckiest person alive but he curses everyone around him," remarked the second captain.

"Seriously? I don't buy it for a second! I bet he just floated around and got picked up by some boat!" another shouted.

"I don't know. He's just the luckiest idiot in the world. I took him on my boat ages ago and the idiot just had to get off and check every bit of land we went past. Well finally one day he goes on an island and decides it'll be a great idea to light a fire. We were only there for an hour; why would you light a fire? Anyways, he starts to light a fire, but it turns out it's a whale. The idiot gets flung off out of sight, but I say good riddance, you know? Well, about as soon as I say that he turns up at the port we're trying to pawn off all his crap at. He says he drifted for days, climbed a cliff, and became the guest of the king of the island," yet another captain added.

Sinbad and the whale, Source

"When are we just going to ban him from setting foot on anther ship?" one captain asked.

"Oh that won't do a thing!" said one bemused captain, "If you try to ban him, he'll just buy his own damn boat! And you know what happened? First voyage, he's says it got crushed by a giant rock dropped by an even bigger bird. Then, he says he was stuck on an island with an old man crushing his neck. You know what I say? He crashed his ship and got a stiff neck and now he's covering for it."

"Yeah, that's probably it," all seemed to agree.

"Let's just all agree, we are never, ever, going to let Sinbad on a boat ever again," the first captain said.

Author's Notes:
Throughout the story of Sinbad, something bad happens to everyone but Sinbad somehow makes it out okay. I thought it'd be interesting to look at it from the captains perspective, where Sinbad is actually this awful bad luck charm that you can just never get rid of.

Bibliography:
The Voyages of Sinbad, Source

Reading Notes: Sinbad Part B

I am going to do Sinbad is super unlucky for everyone else and a bunch of captains complaining about him.

Rocs, Source

Bibliography:
The Voyages of Sinbad, Source

Reading Notes: Sinbad Part A

Sinbad could actually be an incredibly dumb but lucky guy. Everything bad that happens is either him being dumb and messing everything up or just a result of him sucking the luck from everyone else. I could tell it as a bunch of captains complaining about this one guy that's the worst luck to have on a ship.

Sinbad, Source

Bibliography:
The Voyages of Sinbad, Source

Week 3 Storytelling: To Get Her Back

The gods are as cruel as they are kind. I finally held my love in my arms, but just as soon as I was able to hold her were we torn apart. Twice was our fate repeated and I hardly had the will left to live.

This was just the beginning of my journey though. The gods gave me another task. Just as I've told a thousand tales and sung a thousand songs, so too would I need to live a thousand lives, searching for clues to get my dear wife back.

The first time I woke up, I was a man, a sculptor, and I spent day and night perfecting my craft, thinking the gods be merciful if I could create a gift pleasing enough to them. The gods had something else in mind. My greatest work was a statue so lifelike you could almost see the air enter and leave its chest and its nostrils flair with every breath. The marble woman was so real I forgot about my love in another life and, instead, fell in love with my own work. The gods planned for this and made marble give way to flesh. The statue that seemed to move soon began to actually move. I held my new love in my arms and that's the last I remember of that life.

Pygmalion. Source

Several lives passed and I eventually found myself in the body of a young girl. Light of foot, nothing could match my pace. Thus, I sought to please the gods by remaining pure and vowed only to marry they man who could best me in a contest of speed. In order to deter more suitors, I added the condition that any man whom I defeat will have their life taken as punishment. This did little to stop the torrent. Just as the number of proposals grew, so too did the number of lives I'd extinguished. This continued until one day a man came bearing three golden apples challenged me and proposed, all in the same breath. I agreed and the race began. I will admit, he put up a good fight, but he was no match for my legs. That is, until he threw the first golden apple. I don't know why, but I was completely compelled to retrieve it and carry it with me. I caught the man despite the delay but, just as I was passing, he threw the next apple. The whole sequence took place again, and with the third godly fruit, my fate was sealed. I married the man and we lived our lives. The gods were not done with this life, however. They compelled my husband and I to do various insane things, including angering an old goddess in her most sacred temple. In her rage, the goddess changed us into lions to continue carrying out her rage.

My journey through lives continued, each raising and destroying my hope for freedom. I thought I'd finally be free when I woke in the body of a man in the prime of his life. Surely I'd meet my love again now, since even the goddess Venus herself loves this man more than anything. Alas, my fate is not so clear. This life, too, was cut short, this time by a boar's tusk. I laid there dying and the goddess of love could do nothing but change the blood flowing from my body into a flower, so all the world could remember.

I have told a thousand tales and sung a thousand song and lived twice as many lives, and I'll continue to do it just to get her back.

Author's Note:
All of these classic stories (Pygmalion, Atalanta, and Adonis) are narrated by Orpheus, so I thought it'd be interesting if it was actually Orpheus in the story. He's telling his own history, not just stories he's learned over the years.

Bibliography:
Metamorphoses by Ovid, Link

Reading Notes: Ovid's Metamorphoses III Part B

I really liked the story of Atalanta and Hippomenes. It's about running so of course I like it. I could expand on it and change the setting and that kind of thing. Maybe a space race or battle of some kind.

I could also use the story in a story in a story aspect and do some Inception type stuff. The transformation is the key to get out of the dream or to do down a level deeper.

The Foot Race. Source

Bibliography:

Metamorphoses by Ovid. Link

Reading Notes: Ovid's Metamorphoses III Part A

Looking ahead, there seem to be several very strong people throughout the stories, so maybe a wrestling match type thing.

It could also be something focused on pride and greed.

Archelous. Source

Bibliography:
Metamorphoses by Ovid, Link

Tech Tip: Reverse Image Search

Yamato no Orochi. Source

The painting is Yamato no Orochi.

Feedback Thoughts

I read:
5 Tips For Taking Feedback Like a Champ
Using Harsh Feedback to Fuel Your Career
Presence, Not Praise: How To Cultivate a Healthy Relationship with Achievement
Be a Mirror: Give Readers Feedback That Fosters a Growth Mindset

They all had similar ideas about feedback. When receiving feedback don't take anything personally, try to actually make improvements, and don't focus on what you can't do and make use of what you can. When giving feedback, especially to kids, focus on the process and not the end result. Your presence with the child is more important than praising them. This all lines up with the Growth Mindset philosophy.

One thing I try to do when giving feedback is phrase it as something they can improve on, not something they're doing wrong. Instead of saying, "That's not how you do that," say "Next time why don't you try doing this instead. I think it could help." That way you're helping them improve and they won't see it as an attack on them. It's also good to say something they did well before saying what they can improve.

Students in a classroom. Source

Week 2 Storytelling: Jupiter: Playboy, Billionaire, Deity

You've heard stories of Tony Stark? Bruce Wayne? Errol Flynn? Bah! Mere peasants compared to me! I run the multi-billion-drachma company Olympus Inc. and I'm basically the most amazing person ever. I can tell you stories that you wouldn't even believe.

Ooh just look at that definition. 

Jupiter of Smyrna from the Louvre. Source

Of course, it's not all fun and games being the biggest boss of all time. I remember one time, right when we were starting off, my brother Neptune and I decided to liquidate our starting company so we could start over. I went in and just told everyone to get out right then and there! Oh man you should have seen their faces! But that's not even the best part. Nep was waiting outside..... with a house! He completely drenched all of them and I think some guy even climbed a tree! It was hilarious! We did keep the two best employees, Deucalion and Pyrrha, though, and let them help start the next company, a stone processing company.

I also have to put out everyone else's fires too, since I am the biggest, greatest person of all time. My stupid son Apollo decided it'd be a great idea to let some random kid who claimed to be his son take over our entire marketing division for the day. How dumb can you be! The entire company almost went up in flames because that kid doesn't know how to take the reins! We would have been in serious trouble if I hadn't stepped in and kicked the kid out of here so fast it looked like he went up in a puff of smoke. I like to call that one the Ol' Lightning Bolt, cause I fire people so fast they're gone in a flash. Apollo got super mopey after after that though and refused to go back to work for the longest time. I eventually got him back on schedule though.

This may seem like a lot of work, but don't worry, your man Jupiter knows how to play. My wife Juno always gets in the way though and ruins all the fun. There was this one girl, but I can't remember her name. (Phoronis? Io? Phoronio? Eh, who cares?) She was the daughter of the guy in charge of my water transportation division and, boy, was she something else. So much so that I just had to go and try the goods for myself if you know what I mean. I was really smart about it too. I did all my usual sneaking out and I even set up smoke machines outside all our windows. A literal smokescreen! Genius, I know. Juno just had to get suspicious though. I can't believe she can't trust me anymore. Why won't she just let me go out and have some fun! Anyways, I had a feeling Juno would come looking, so I had Phoronio or whatever her name was put on a cow suit and I told Juno I was going to open a steakhouse or something for her and this is the mascot. know, I know, my genius really knows no bounds.

That's not the end of it either! There was this other girl from our Hunting division, working under my daughter Diana. Callisto I think her name was. Really, how could I not hit her up? Call is right there in her name! So I do just that. I pretend to be Diana (I'm amazing at impressions too) and meet up with her and you know how the rest goes. Diana kept the girl around for a while, but eventually she had to lay her off. And, OF COURSE, Juno knew about my little bit of fun and just had to have her revenge. She made the girl wear a bear costume and wander around our sports and outdoors stores! It was pretty funny, but I guess I did feel a little bad for her so I made her a star in our late night TV series, Ursa You Thought.

This last one I do actually feel kind of bad about. This one girl, Semele, somehow got it in her head that she could keep up with my crazy lifestyle. One day she asks me for a favor. Being the kind, generous, amazing person I am, I of course oblige. She says she can handle whatever I throw at her and wants to see me at my absolute best. I knew it was a bad idea, but I'm a man of my word. I went up to my penthouse at the top of the Olympus Building and did my best to tone the partying down, but she just couldn't handle the lightning. She ended up completely burned out and left and she left her kid. Being the kind, compassionate, fatherly man I am, though, I decided to raise him myself. Man, that kid could really party too. Even as a baby he could drink more wine than most adults. Bacchus always was a party-fiend.

The fiend in all his glory.

Bacchus as a Child, Source

Author's Notes:

This is a retelling of a few of the metamorphoses stories from Ovid's Metamorphoses. These stories are Deucalion and Pyrrha, Io, Phaethon, Callisto, and Semele. In all of these stories Jupiter is a monstrous jerk, which I decided to run with. A modern image of this is the super pompous rich guy who just does what he wants. 

In Deucalion and Pyrrha's story, Jupiter is angry so he and Neptune flood the planet to wipe out all life, except for two people. These people are Deucalion and Pyrrha, the oldest and most loyal humans. New humans are then created from stones they threw.

Io's story is less uplifting. She is raped and turned into a heifer by Jupiter. She is later returned to normal after Juno's rage has subsided.

Phaethon was a boy who claimed to be the son of Apollo. Looking to prove this he goes to Apollo's palace and asks for proof. Apollo agrees and Phaethon asks to drive the chariot of the sun across the sky. Very reluctantly, Apollo agrees. The boy immediately loses control and threatens the whole earth.

Callisto was one of the huntresses that ran with Diana. Jupiter disguised himself as Diana, raped, and impregnated her. The actual Diana finds out about this and exiles Callisto. After Callisto gives birth, Juno gets her revenge and turns Callisto into a bear. After 15 years Callisto and her son meet again and Jupiter turns them into the Great and Little Bear constellations, or Ursa Major and Minor.

Semele, another mistress, was already pregnant when Juno found out. As revenge, Juno convinced Semele to ask Jupiter to show his true self to her. Semele is burned up as a result. Her child survives, though, and is raised by Jupiter. This is Bacchus, the god of wine. 

Bibliography:

Metamorphoses by Ovid, link to reading page

Reading Notes: Ovid's Metamorphoses Part B

Not much more to add for Playboy Zeus.

Could use Perseus as Zeus bragging about his son.
Can talk about Mars and Venus as gossip or something.

Perseus and Andromeda. Source

Bibliography:
Metamorphoses by Ovid, link to reading page

Reading Notes: Ovid's Metamorphoses, Part A

Space version of Phaethon maybe?

Zeus is a boss cleaning up everyone's messes/ playboy with some responsibility. All of the transformations are him giving people random other jobs to get them out of the way.

Metamorphoses:
Deucalion and Pyrrha: earth floods, rocks to people (liquidate one company, start another one)

Io: Io into heifer (mascot costume), maybe something with Argus

Phaethons: rides chariot (spoiled kid, uses connections to get job at company?), dies (gets fired), sisters turn into poplar trees(?), Cycnus into swan (costume? or some "promotion")

Callisto: Callisto into bear (mascot costume), Callisto and Arcas into constellations (retirement?)

Semele: Zeus shows true form, Semele burns up, Bacchus survives (shows her his true party lifestyle, she gets burned out on it, Zeus raises party baby)

Apollo and Phaethon. Source

Bibliography:
Metamorphoses by Ovid, link to reading page

Week 1 Review

A quote from Tyrion Lannister Image Source

I love Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire. I've read all the books and seen all of the show. I can't wait for the story to finally wrap up.

Tech Tip: YouTube in Blogger

I already have some videos embedded in some of my posts.

Week 1 Wikipedia Trail: Lord Byron to Turing Complete

I've heard Lord Byron referenced a lot recently and he happen to be the first thing on the class twitter feed, so I decided to start there.

Lord Byron Lord Byron was a British poet, politician, and Romanticist. He is considered one of the best British poets of all time and still often read today. He was also the father of Ada Lovelace, which I did not know.

Lord Byron Source

Ada Lovelace This then led me to Ada Augusta Ada King-Noel, Countess of Lovelace, otherwise known as Ada Lovelace. Daughter of Lord Byron, she is more well known by some as the first computer programmer. Her work on Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine is what earned her this title.

Analytical Engine The design for this machine, although it was never built, is on of the first designs for a general purpose computer. Unlike computers today, it used an entirely mechanical system for storing data and performing arithmetic. These controls and properties, among others, make it the first computer that would be considered Turing Complete.

Turing Complete This a term, named after the mathematician Alan Turing, that is used to describe things in computability theory. Although it seems tautological, something is Turing complete if it can simulate something that is Turing complete. These ideas start getting really weird after a while.

Growth Mindset

I have a hard time telling where on the spectrum of growth-fixed mindset I fall. Growing up I remember being complimented for being smart and that kind of thing a lot, but I don't think that put me into the fixed mindset. It might have done that if it weren't for a few outside factors, however. I am the youngest of three so I've always been used to bringing up the rear in a lot of ways, but I think that's made me value the little bits of growth and improvement here and there. One of those ways that really sticks out in my head was literal growth. Being the youngest, I was always the smallest so I treasured every inch I grew and distinctly remember when I passed each of my family members in height. Now I'm the tallest in my family.

Sports also helped encourage this mindset as well. I've competed in two main sports in my life, swimming and running. I started both of these relatively late, starting both some time in high school. There was no way I could be faster than the people who have been swimming since they were 10, so all I could do was try to be faster than I was before, improve that little bit every year. Running has been entirely self-motivated for me and not done with any kind of team. Every goal, race, or challenge I've done has been solely because I wanted to test myself and see if I could do it.

Now that I think about it, I've done this kind of thing a lot. I do things because it seems like a challenge that not many people will have done. I've run a marathon because I wanted to see if I could. I biked 700 and some odd miles through Europe because it seemed like a fun way to spend two weeks. I enjoy doing difficult research and projects because the outcome is fun and cool and I can make cool stuff happen. I enjoy taking on challenges, but I think this is in spite of having the fixed-mindset type praise in school.

This whole post feels like I'm tooting my own horn, but really, who wants to admit to being on the side of the spectrum that the video said isn't as good?

This is the attitude I try to take with challenges. From the Growth Mindset Cats blog. Source

Time Strategies

My semester is pretty full, making time management very important. I'm in class most of the day Tuesday through Thursday, so I'll be doing most of my work on Mondays and Fridays and over the weekend.

I read this article 10 Entrepreneurs Share Their Secrets to Staying Focused and I found that they do a lot of the things I already try to do, but am not always successful at. One thing they mentioned that I do a lot is going outside and exercising. I work on a lot of difficult projects that require a lot of focus and problem solving and whenever I inevitably hit a wall, I'll just stop, go for a run, and then come back to the problem refreshed. Often times I'll come up with a solution or new idea when I'm not actively thinking about the problem.

Another thing they mention that I'm not very good at is working on one thing at a time. Currently I have four browser windows open, each with obscene amount of tabs, and three other applications open, all for different projects I'm bouncing between. This works for another strategy I use though. I like to make myself work on a project for 40 minutes, or complete so many problems, and then let myself wander for 20 minutes and get on Facebook or Reddit or YouTube. This keeps the stress levels down and I can focus more when it comes time to work again.

There are a couple TED talks that I like on this subject. They are Inside the mind of a master procrastinator and The surprising habits of original thinkers. They go into why some people procrastinate and some strategies to get around that and different thought processes of different people. One particular idea I like from the second video is that it's best to start early but finish late. This gets the idea into your head early on and gives it as much time as possible to think about it and come up with the best idea possible.

The mind of a procrastinator. Screenshot at 3:52 from Source

Reading Options

Week 1: Ovid

For my week 2 reading I've decided to read two parts of Ovid's Metamorphoses. I've decided on this because I'm only vaguely familiar with Greek stories and I feel like it'd be very interesting to dive in and read some of the less well known myths. It'll also give a very good background for many of the story telling methods we use today, since so much was derived from the ancient Greeks. We still tell these stories today for a reason.

An illustration of Phaethon, taken from Ovid's Metamorphoses. Source

Future Reading: Ramayana

I think this one will be very interesting because I've learned about many aspects about how this story is told, but never the story itself. I've learned about the music that accompanies the story and how it plays a role and I've also seen many of shadow puppets used in the traditional shadow plays that tell this story.

Future Reading: Japanese Mythology
This is another source I've often seen referenced or re-imagined, but have read the source material itself. Many of the shows I watched growing up took a large amount of inspiration from traditional Japanese mythology, so it would be interesting to see how the actual stories differ. There are also some video games I've played that have done the same thing.

Storybook Favorites

Homer and Garden Television

This storybook retells four stories from classical Greek tradition in a way mimicking modern TV shows. The title, which is a fantastic pun, does a good job of both giving you an idea of what the story will be about, while still making you curious and creates a desire to read more. The introduction, like the title, shows a lot of creativity and gives the reader several hints about what will happen, but never actually says, which is the job of the television commercials it's imitating. The overall design of the pages is very good and fits well with the HGTV style. It's also easy to navigate with all the directions off to the side.

The logo created for this storybook. Source

Creatures of Irish Lore

This storybook tells four stories from Irish tradition. It starts with an old man entertaining some guests who stumble into his inn, which is not a far fetched thing in Ireland. The title does a good job of describing the overall contents of the book, but not the introduction however. The introduction sets the scene well. It seems to be a familiar type of story, where one character tells stories around a fire to both entertain and frighten the others. This familiarity can be good, as it can draw the reader in since they already have an idea of where the story is going and would want to know more. The design is good, with the navigation tools off to the side and not taking away from the text itself. 

The Villains' Side

This one tells the three traditional children's stories from the perspective of the so-called villains of those stories. The title does a good job of conveying this idea. The introduction also does a good job feeding the reader hints of what is to come without spoiling any of the details. This makes the reader want to read more. This is a good creative take on several well known stories. The overall layout is good. The reader is immediately drawn to the text but still knows where the navigation tools are and can easily navigate the book. 

We Stand David-ed: An Introduction

Yes I know my title is an awful pun, yes it was intention, and yes I'm absolutely leaving it. I know some people absolutely can't stand puns. They say they're boring, silly, immature, or not that creative.

And to those people I say, "Fooey!"

Puns are a fantastic way to make anything and everything more fun. You pay more attention to the little things when you're constantly looking for another awful pun to make. You'll eventually find puns in the most obscure things and make everyone around you moan and groan and roll their eyes, and you'll eventually start thriving on these reactions. One of my favorite thing to do is see the best/worst reaction I can get out of people with puns.

This attitude towards puns largely comes from just being around my family and it all stems from my dad. He will make the cheesiest puns and most awful jokes, all while beaming and snickering at our reactions. Eventually, my siblings and I started joining in and now the holidays are just continuous streams of puns, with each person adding their best/worst to the growing mountain.

Some may say puns are cheesy, but I just don't think life would be as Gouda without them.

Ba dum ts Source

Okay, I'll stop talking about puns and actually talk about myself now.

Hi! I'm David Mitchell. I'm a senior Electrical Engineering major and I will (hopefully) be graduating in May. My favorite things to do are running and cooking. I started running in 2010 after doing the Warrior Dash for the first time (I've done it every year since then) and now I've done one marathon, I'm signed up for two more this year, and I've gone through more shoes than I care to count.

All this running then led to my second hobby: cooking. It was a rough surprise the summer after my freshman year of college when I realized I was running even more than before without the endless supply of food at the Caf. It would have cost a fortune to feed myself with only fast food, so I decided to start cooking my own meals to save money and keep my stomach full (a much more difficult task than it would seem). I started with very basic crockpot meals, but now I've worked my way up to pretty dang fancy food like coq au vin or french madeleines or gnocchi with ragu. It's also a fantastic form of stress relief and catharsis. Nothing is better than pounding away on a ball of bread dough on a Sunday afternoon. What started as something to fill a basic need has changed to something I couldn't live without.

I guess I've gone from needing it to kneading it!

Ba dum ts Source

Week 1 Story: Peep the Wanderer

I have a little sister, they call her Peep, Peep;

She wades the waters deep, deep, deep;

She climbs the mountains high, high, high;

Poor little creature she has but one eye.
(Riddle from The Nursery rhyme Book)

This is the story of my long lost sister. Before humans even thought about leaving their caves, my sister wandered the planet, looking for everything and nothing, without knowing why. She didn’t know why she started, or what she was even looking for. She just awoke one day without any memories of her previous life. The only thing in her head was a simple sound: “Peep.” Nothing could stop her in her search as she sought the wisdom of those at the most extreme places of the world. She went to the greatest depths of the oceans to meet the ancient creatures that live there.

At the bottom of the deepest, darkest trench, there was no light but for the tiny amount given off by Peep herself. After ages of stumbling and bumbling around, she finally found the one she was looking for, the wisest creature of the ocean. The creature was a wall to Peep, going on in every direction for eternity, and all of it a deep shade of blue. A gigantic eye met Peep’s and a booming voice, deep as the ocean itself, resonated in Peep:

“What is it you want, child?”

“Peep,” Peep declared confidently.

“Peep?”

“Peep!”

Clearly confused, the ancient one then closed its giant eye and continued on, leaving Peep alone in the dark.

Never getting discouraged, she continued her long, unending journey. She climbed to the highest peak of the tallest mountains. There she met the ancient hermit, who’s sat on that peak, unmoving, since the mountain itself was just beginning to form. Despite not seeing the hermit move in the slightest, Peep heard a voice:

“What is it you want, child?”

“Peep,” Peep declared confidently.

“Peep?”

“Peep!”

The hermit sighed and said, “Child, you must seek in yourself the answer to your question.”

Peep did not like this answer, and so she continued on her journey, forever looking for the answer to her question.

This is the story of my long lost sister. Poor little Peep only has eyes for one thing. She searches the earth for something, but she doesn’t know what. Poor little creature, if she’d just look up she’d see the heavens filled with her family.

Stars over a mountain Source

Author's Notes:

This short rhyme is a riddle from the Nursery Rhymes book. The answer they give is a star, so I imagined a small little creature wandering the earth, not knowing who it is or where it's going, but only looking down, looking for that answer. The answer is really above its head, but it will never find that since it is so focused on its journey.

Bibliography:

Riddle from The Nursery Rhyme Book by L. Leslie Brook. Source

Baby Went To Amsterdam

Amsterdam! The Venice of the North, and actually the superior Venice in my opinion. It's the perfect balance of old world charm and modern comfort, with every building being similar but unique and all the canals and roads being laid out in a way that actually makes sense. I first visited Amsterdam as the capstone of a tow and a half week bike trip following the entire course of the Rhine river, all the way from the Alps in Switzerland to the North Sea in The Netherlands. I've visited many more cities before and after Amsterdam, but it will always have a special place in my heart. 

This comes from a special balance of the old and new, the local and the touristy. You can walk around Amsterdam and see countless buildings seemingly untouched by time, but then turn a corner and find yourself in some of the best modern facilities in the world. Similarly, you can spend your entire stay in the center, walking around the red light district and taking boat tours, or you can cross a few canals and find yourself in the Jordaan district, an absolutely gorgeous area with some of my favorite local bars. You'll also see photos all the time that look super photoshopped, like this one:

Canals in Amsterdam. Source: Pixabay

 But that's actually how the city looks. Here's a random photo I took:

Personal Photo of the Canals in Amsterdam from August 2016

The city is just full of character and feels like home despite being a completely foreign place. The lyrics of the Peter, Bjorn, and John song "Amsterdam," from which this post got its title, still ring true. They go: 

And I tried to go away to a place of my own

Working hard, fill my time

But from early on till I hit the bed

Amsterdam was stuck in my head

"Amsterdam" by Peter, Bjorn, and John. Source: YouTube

One day I'll return to Amsterdam and spend more than 4-5 days by the big canal (another reference to the song).

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