Reading Notes: Cupid and Psyche, Part B

(1 Corinthians 13:4; online source, lifehopeandtruth)

I really like the portrayal of true love versus obligatory love in this section of stories.

In Venus and the goddesses, Venus clearly doesn’t show devoted love for her son; rather, she makes it known that her love through the years has been more obligatory than heartfelt. At the idea of her son Cupid’s love interest somehow devaluing her (Venus), she snaps. No maternal love is shown; rather the harsh backlash of a goddess betrayed by a servant. That’s kind of ironic, considering she is the mother of the god of love himself, right?

Then, the opposite extreme is displayed in Psyche’s Prayer. Psyche was left completely alone, exiled by her betrayed lover. With her sisters’ true motives revealed, she was left with nowhere to turn, wandering about and wrought with grief. Yet, she still yearned to please her husband, either with a wife’s affection or at the very least a prayer of devout love from his wife.

I like the use of conflicting emotions in Venus and Psyche. The goddesses feel sorry for Psyche and they wish to help her but they also feel devoted to Venus and obligated not to go against her wishes by doing so. I think this would be a great opportunity to use internal dialogue; to display this type of conflicting emotions. I learned a new use for the word mistress. I’ve only known this term to be used for a woman that was involved with a married man that wasn’t her husband. In this context, I guess it would be a woman of authority, such as Venus.

I'm still struggling with a precise idea for my story this week but I've got a pretty good idea of what I'd like to write about. I'd like to write a very powerful love story but I'd like there to be more than romantic love involved. Friendly love, maternal love, romantic love, child-like love... I think these will all be included somehow. I like my stories to really send a message, so I'm still working on the bit about what my important message will be. 

Resource. 
Cupid and Psyche by Apuleius, online source. Translated to English by Tony Kline

Reading Notes: Cupid and Psyche, Part A

I was actually shocked by how much inspiration I found in this story. I decided to read this set as a way of challenging myself but this story really kept my interest and inspired me to move out of my comfort zone and write something of this sort. 

(The Importance Of Leaving Your Comfort Zone; online source, cobrinhabjj)

I really love the idea of a compassionate criminal, such as that found in “The Captive Woman”. I think it could be fun to write something of the sort, where a criminal commits his / her bad deeds out of necessity; not want or greed. Since this is something I rarely see in stories, I think it would be a unique story to tell.

I also really enjoyed the metaphorical writing I found in “Her Dream”. I’d like to try to do this, although I’m really uncertain of my abilities in this area. Also, this particular one employed very detailed writing that brought about rather vivid imagery. I would like to improve my creativity in this area, presenting a more picturesque style of writing.

I also found a style of writing I may try soon, in “Oracle of Apollo”. The author writes in both 3rd person narrative and 1st person dialogue. I like this, because it gives a unique perspective of the story. One side from some all knowing story teller in the sky (maybe I’m weird but when I read a narrative writing style, that’s how I perceive it; as if someone in the sky that can see all aspects of a story is communicating the details.) and another from the inner dialogue of the character(s). I think writing in that manner would open up some doors and allow me to be freer with my writing, because when something is in one’s head, I don’t think it’s necessary for it to be censored, so to speak.

I haven’t completely come up with a specific story I’d like to write yet but I’m hoping that I can come up with something pretty cool using these stories. I really like the idea of writing about a god / gods but I’m just not sure that I have the knowledge and creativity in me to do so YET. I haven’t read much of this sort of writing (biblical or mythical) and it’s very out of my comfort zone but I’d like to give it a try anyways. I love the idea of a mystery lover that can’t be seen and I also like the idea of a secluded refuge, somehow disguised by magic, to outsiders.

Resource.
Cupid and Psyche by Apuleius, online source. Translated to English by Tony Kline

Feedback Thoughts: Negativity starts within you

(Feedback; online source, forbes)

When I think about the topic of feedback (both giving and recieving it), there are some things that immediately come to mind. For example, I feel that feedback should include thought provoking advice, rather than destructive criticism. I despise the term constructive criticism because I have never believed that such a thing exists. For me, once a bit of advise has become "constructive", it's no longer criticism. I do understand what the phrase means. I just think criticism is a "dirty" word and I tend to avoid it all together. I associate it with superiority, negativity, and judgement and I find that we can give feedback about something that is slightly negative without it coming across as actual criticism. I like the idea of a positivity "sandwich", where you give something positive, then something that could use some work, then something else positive. So, something less positive sandwiched between two completely positive things. I've found that this works very well.

There are some things I never actively thought about before reading articles in preparation for this post that make a lot of sense to me now that I consider them. I found as I read different information that most aspects of giving and receiving feedback can be reversed and applied on the other side of things, so I'm going to point those arguments out here.

First of all, I like the idea that having room for growth is indicative that we haven't reached our full potential. If we have room for improvement, it means that we are still growing and we can still be better! If our skills are perfected already, then we're maxed out. We can never improve. So, when someone hands you some advise for something they think you can improve, appreciate that. Take that as a sign that you're not "washed up"! Take that as a complement and realize that they're seeing potential when they look at you and / or your work. This can work in the opposite direction too. When we are giving feedback, we should attempt to show confidence in the person's ability to grow and reach higher.

The 2nd article I read (Silence the Critical Voices in Your Head) surprised me a little. Self confidence and being overly critical of myself is something that I've always struggled with. I often feel like I'm alone in this but this article hit several aspects of this problem and it makes me believe that I'm not so alone after all. After all, if this weren't a somewhat common issue, there wouldn't be need to write about how to deal with it, right? The biggest take home message for me is to be confident in my own abilities and accept positive feedback as truth, rather than condescending dialogue.

I also really like the idea of "feedforward". This is a concept that entails giving feedback that looks to the future, rather than taking a retrospective approach. So instead of saying "you didn't do this well", we can say "maybe in the future you could...". It gives us a way to point out things that may need some work without directly pointing out negative actions. I do however think that both ways are important for improvement. We have to be able to look at our past actions critically and accept the faults in them in order to actively make changes towards improvement now or in the future.

I think the overall message in all of this is that we have to be critical of ourselves and others in a way that emanates positivity and self confidence in whomever is under the metaphorical microscope. We should be careful to point out the good, along with any bad when we're asked to give someone feedback. Then, on the other side of it, we should be careful to seek out the positive message intended with any negative reaction we receive. We also need to be self critical in a way that allows us to grow from our mistakes while maintaining our own confidence. It's all just a balancing act, in my opinion, between negative feedback, positive reinforcement, and overall self-confidence. When we receive advise, we have to remember that it's most often intended to be helpful, not hurtful. The negativity we take from feedback often begins within us, with our own negative thoughts. Work hard to take the negative voice in your head and drown those thoughts out with positive ones.

Resources
5 Tips For Taking Feedback Like a Champ
Silence the Critical Voices in Your Head
Try Feedforward Instead of Feedback
7 Key Characteristics Of Better Learning Feedback

Week 2 Story: The Tangled Web of Love We Weave

(Zig Ziglar quote; internet source, anonymousartofrevolution)

Jacob Crutchfield would often daydream about meeting the perfect woman to take as his bride. More often than not he thought "Maybe there is something about me that deters women." for he always wound up alone. In fact, alone was basically all he'd ever known. Although he'd had many love interests throughout the years, something always seemed to get in the way of his love life moving forward. Marietta had moved away with her parents before he got up the courage to ask her out, the girl at the local coffee shop "wasn't interested in dating right now", and Charlotte's father supposedly forbade her to see boys until she was forty (although oddly, he fully funded her nuptials to a rich entrepreneur whom she had known for only 9 months before taking the vows). The more Jacob's love life stagnated, the more he would dwell on the future and the idea that he may never have a woman to call his wife; may never have a child or children to carry on his legacy. Jacob began to feel bitter about his situation, which would eventually prove to aid in his own self destruction.

Nola was a beautiful young journalist, traveling in hopes of finding the inspiration she needed to write.  She was beginning to believe she wouldn't find the ingenuity she was looking for when she stopped in at a small town grocery store on the way to her hotel. There just behind the store was a calm, steady flowing creek tracing the outer edge of a quiet quaint little park begging for a visitor to pilfer the radiant beauty of the surroundings. It was an odd little place with features screaming of antiquity but Nola instantly knew that this was what she had been searching for. She would sit out on the rickety little bench by the creek and listen to the song birds sing and she would see the characters of her novel spring to life before her eyes. Walking around the outside of the store in a daze, she didn't see the young man she would wind up bumping into. Awkwardly, she walked right into his arms without realizing what was happening until the mortification had set in.

Jacob saw Nola at the little park behind his regular grocery store frequently after their ignominious first encounter. She would come into the store occasionally and Jacob would say hello and crack a joke about her first day in town and the way they first met. They formed a friendship of sorts before long. Jacob began to recover hope and decided that maybe he would take another shot at love. Nola soon realized that she couldn't afford to live out of a hotel here for much longer, but didn't want to leave this place where she had finally found the inspiration she had been searching for. She decided to take a chance and ask Jacob if she could stay with him for a while. Jacob, thinking that this was a chance to spin things in his favor agreed, with one condition. Nola had to agree to go on a date with him. "In fact, I'd like you to go on one date a week with me as long as you stay here." he added.

Weeks let to months and somewhere along the line, their arrangement turned into a more serious thing. Jacob wanted nothing more than to have a woman to call his wife. Nola wasn't completely opposed to the idea but she wasn't sure she was really looking for a serious thing either. However, she needed a place to stay and Jacob was willing to provide that place so she went along with the arrangement. Soon enough, she found herself feeling obligated to accept his marriage proposal because he had done so much for her in the beginning. Jacob, began to feel comfortable and didn't show Nola the affection he did in the beginning. He allowed his bitterness of being alone for so long to effect the way he treated his wife and he didn't appreciate her as he should. Eventually, Nola feeling underappreciated, began to think her marriage was a mistake and Jacob was taking advantage of her. Finally having the wife he'd always yearned for, Jacob no longer worked to earn her. Their marriage would soon fall apart but each would leave with a harsh lesson learned.

"You can only reap the goods of the seeds you have sown." Jacob realized. "Perhaps if I had continued to show her the affection she deserved, I would have kept my wife happily by my side."

"If you allow a man to use you for your own benefit, he will also see fit to use you for his." was Nola's realization. "Maybe I should not have used Jacob for my own benefit when I wasn't ready to accept his side of commands. I could have found a happy life with a husband by my side if I had shown myself the respect I expected from him."

Author's note. My inspiration for Jacob came from the Dog and the Wolf (6th story, here). I really like the message that you need to put in the work and effort for the things you want in life. In the original story, by Joseph Jacobs, a starving wolf wants the spoils afforded to his canine friend. The dog kindly agrees to show him the ropes, working for his master and share his rewards. The wolf agrees, however, as soon as he realized that he would have to be chained up at night and would be required to do work for the master, he decides that he would rather starve and be "free" than to live the way of the dog. Then for Nola, my inspiration came from The Horse, The Hunter, and The Stag (1st story, here). In this story, a horse has a disagreement with a stag and wishes to get revenge. So, he goes to a hunter and asks him for help. The hunter agrees to help the horse if only the horse will allow him to saddle him and use a bridle to control him. After conquering the stag, the horse wishes to be freed but the hunter now has control over him and uses the horse for his own benefit. So mostly my story took inspiration from the broad message that I took home from these two stories.

Biography. "The Dog and the Wolf" and "The Horse, The Hunter, and The Stag" from Aesop's fables by Joseph Jacobs

Tech Tip: Embedded Pin

I used this tech tip to embed the below pin in my blog post, Reading Notes: Aesop's fables (Jacobs), part B. It is pretty neat that you can do this!! =)

pinit.js

I had a hard time figuring this one out. The instructions were a  little confusing to me and the screen shot in the description looked a little different than what I see on my screen when I go to the widget builder site. So I decided to break it down for anyone else that has the same trouble I did. First, open a browser tab with the pin you want to embed. Then, open a second tab and go to the pinterest widget builder web site. Your screen should look like this...

(Personal photo; embed pinterest post screenshot 01, taken by me)

Click on "Pin" as shown here...

(Personal photo; embed pinterest post screenshot 02, taken by me)

Now you should be at this screen and you can copy the url from your pinterest post and past it here...

(Personal photo; embed pinterest post screenshot 03, taken by me)

That should place a preview of the pin you've chosen here...

(Personal photo; embed pinterest post screenshot 04, taken by me)

Now, this is where it looks a little different than the "Tech Tips" instructions showed and where I started to get a little confused. I wasn't sure which link to paste. I tried just the top, then just the bottom, and finally both. None of the above worked. I started doing some research on how to embed a pin, because I was getting really frustrated. I found this site that gave me a little more insight but their explanations were about the same and  I was still unable to get it to work. I did however find out from this source that the links have to be by themselves, meaning there cannot be any other text included on the line where the code is pasted or it won't work. So, you have to use BOTH links (pointed out with red arrows below), paying particular close attention to the highlighted text here (because that was part of why mine wasn't working initially)...

(Personal photo; embed pinterest post screenshot 05, taken by me)

First, you can copy the top link...

(Personal photo; embed pinterest post screenshot 06, taken by me)

and past it into the HTML area of your blogger post. If you aren't starting with an empty blog post, you'll need to label where you want the post to show up. You can place several random symbols or a phrase in all caps that will stand out, like "I WANT MY PIN HERE". That way when you click into the HTML area you have an easy reference to look for. Just make sure to delete this text from the HTML area once you've got the code in place, because this will keep it from working. Also, note the added text (highlighted below). This will NOT work if you forget this step!!! 

(Personal photo; embed pinterest post screenshot 07, taken by me)

Now, copy the second link from here...

(Personal photo; embed pinterest post screenshot 08, taken by me)

and paste it into the HTML area as well. I tested it and it seems to work if you paste them end to end or if you place the second 1 line down from the first.

(Personal photo; embed pinterest post screenshot 09, taken by me)

Now you can go back to compose and you should see this. 

(Personal photo; embed pinterest post screenshot 10, taken by me)

I was getting rather frustrated when I saw this, because I thought I was doing something wrong (another part of why it "wasn't working" is because I thought this meant I had failed to do something important. Then I realized that this is just how it shows up in the editing phase). The pin has been embedded at this point. Go ahead and click "preview" and you should see your pin embedded in your preview! 

(Personal photo; embed pinterest post screenshot 11, taken by me)

Now you should be ready to publish your post or continue with your editing!! Hopefully this is helpful for some of you!

Reading Notes: Aesop's fables (Jacobs), Part B

These notes are related to Aesop's Fables by Joseph Jacobs (which can be accessed online, here). These are all from the part B reading. I honestly think I found more inspiration in the part A reading but there were a few things I took from today's reading as well.

In The Crow and the Pitcher (3rd story, here), I really enjoyed the rhythmic style of writing. I would love to write something in this fashion. I'm just not certain I would do well with it, because I'm not as witty as I feel that usually requires. 

I also think the message behind the Cock and the Pearl (4th story, here) could maybe be included in my story idea from my part A reading this week (which I really think I'm going to attempt)! Something like "love is a prize only to one that appreciates it" or something. 

The Bat, the Birds, and the Beasts (7th story, here) was kind of sad. I don't truthfully believe in the moral of this story, if I'm taking it for what it is meant to be. I think something of this sort could be used for a more positive moral teaching. We should embrace EVERYTHING that we are and I would like to think that there are still good people out there that accept us just that way, without any modifications or exceptions. I might try to write a fun story along these lines with a more modern spin. I think the presidential election is a terrific breading ground for this type of lesson. Recently I have seen a lot of angry people bashing those that may not agree with their candidate. I think an in depth story centered around an election and persons on opposing "teams" could be fun and have a powerful message behind it; something like "accept others for the similarities we share with them and the differences that set us apart from one another". 

The Frog's Desiring a King (1st story, here) didn't really hit me for the reason I think the author wanted it to but I like this story as a basis for an entirely different lesson. When I was a child I was often told, "Never, ever, give up!" I had this poster printed out for a long time with a frog, prey to a crane, was choking the bird from within its beak. 

pinit.js  

For some reason that was a very inspiration thing for me and I often thought of it when I was feeling discouraged. Truth be told, I still do (thanks mom, for a life long lesson not soon forgot). =) 

Finally, I really enjoyed the writing style in the Ass and the Enemy (3rd story, here). I like the longer, more in debt stories but I also really like the openness in stories like this, that allow me to add my own thoughts and details to the story without feeling as if I'm betraying the original author. 

Reading Notes: Aesop's Fables (Jacobs), Part A

Reading Aesop's Fables by Joseph Jacobs (which can be accessed online, here) was a bit different than most readings I have done but it was also pretty fun. I really enjoy the almost humanistic characteristics shown in some of these stories. Many are told in such a way that animals aren't portrayed as mere beasts but instead as rational beings that are driven by reason and careful thought at times (although they sometimes can be fooled by their own lack of knowledge or perhaps ignorance) rather than by pure instinct. Androcles and the Lion (third story, here), for instance, I think does a good job of portraying the lion as a creature that has the power of thought and a deep appreciation for good deeds done unto him. This particular one also does a good job of showing that sometimes when we push past our fears as human beings, we can find something of worth when we persevere on the other side. I also think the The Lion in Love (second story, here) does a good job of portraying an animal that is typically viewed as being very instinct driven in a different light. Over come with love, the lion removes all that makes him "what" he is to show the one he loves "who" he is. Although it doesn't end well for the lion in this story, I still like the light the lion is pictured in.

Two stories in particular in this set really inspired me to write.

First, The Dog and the Wolf (sixth story, here) mostly because I really like the message about reaping what you sow. I think I could write a pretty fun story along these lines with a very powerful message. Maybe with animals, just for fun, or maybe with humans (I haven't quite figured out who my characters might be yet). I think my story will be less about physical gain and more about emotional gain; a desire for romance with no will to earn the rewards sought, perhaps.

Next, I really liked The Horse, the Hunter, and the Stag (first story, here) and I think I could tie some inspiration from this story into my idea listed above. I'm thinking that maybe the love interest in the story initially allows her suitor (or suitress [I mean, we women can be ignorant too, just as men can sometimes blindly follow love with no regard for self worth. So why not have a man in search of love taken advantage of by a woman looking out for her own interests?]) to take advantage of her kindness and treat her poorly for her own personal gain (the notion of having love) but eventually she realizes that by allowing the disrespect from her "lover" for her own gain, she opened the door for continued disrespect from him as a means to his own gain (IDK... her doing his laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc.? I'll have to think up some more details obviously, especially if my characters are animals and not humans).

So overall I'm thinking of writing a story with kind of a double moral message involved. "You reap what you sow" and along the same lines, "you receive from others, the same respect you give yourself"... Well, its a work in progress, for sure but I think it will be kind of a fun tale!

(Zig Ziglar quote; internet source, anonymousartofrevolution)

*If you're as moved by this quote as I am, you can learn more about Zig Ziglar, here!!

Famous Last Words: Confessions from an exhausted college student, week 1

(Sometimes coffee is the only way I can make it through
my week; personal photo, taken by a class mate)

(Napping in the library also helps me get through
the week; personal photo, taken by me)

Week one of the semester is coming to a close for me. It’s after 2:00AM on Saturday, January 21. I’m currently at work, wishing the clock would move a little bit faster. I thought I was done with school work for the night but I just decided to try to fit in one more assignment before my shift is over.

Since this is the first week of class, we didn’t have the regular reading schedule. I had fun picking through different fables in search of inspiration for my first story though. I was a little disappointed in myself this week. I had a very difficult time sparking my creativity. I wasn’t extremely impressed with my first story. It was alright, I suppose. However, I don’t feel it ranks anywhere close to some of my best work. I was writing while at work and trying to multitask, so that could have something to do with it. That’s the typical situation for me when I work school work though. I work full time and commute, driving anywhere from 50 – 100 miles per day on average. So, I’m very rarely working on just one thing at a time.

This semester has already gotten off to a rough start for me. Initially, I was excited and proud of myself because I got a head start in Mythology and Folklore (thanks Mrs. Gibb’s for that opportunity) and I was an entire week ahead before the semester actually began. Unfortunately, I ended up coming down with bronchitis and an ear infection on Tuesday (the first official day of class because Monday was a holiday [Martin Luther King Day]). Due to my illness, I had to miss class Wednesday and Thursday and fell behind in two of my classes. I also technically “fell behind” in this class but thanks to the early start I had, I’m just “on schedule” instead of behind. I’ve been on antibiotics for 3 days now and I’m feeling a little more human again. I worked hard this afternoon to catch up on my assignments and I completed quite a bit. I believe by Tuesday next week I will be caught up in and, with any luck, ahead in all my classes. That’s how I prefer to keep it. I typically try to stay ahead by AT LEAST 3 days on all my assignments. Things aren’t quite in full swing yet, so I’m not sure how things are going to come together just yet but I think the semester will be fun once I get myself into a routine!!

Tech Tip: Embed Facebook in Blogger Post

Hello. I have never embedded a Facebook photo before, although I've used an embedding feature for other things before. I'd like to note that it can be a bit tricky to get this feature to work property. For example, I keep my profile on Facebook set completely to "private". My photos do NOT have an "embed" option. I had to share the photo to my timeline with a "public" privacy setting for this to work! I even tried to "share" my photo and make the new post "public" and that would not work either! Learn something new everyday, I suppose!! Obviously I eventually figured this out, so just for fun, I'd like to introduce you to our "fur" babies!!! =)

This is one of our "puppies", Bandit... He loves the snow and always has!!

He isn't such a "puppy" anymore though...

These two are Sam (left) and Rolo (right)...

This was my chinchilla, Kronk. Unfortunately he passed away recently. =(

These guys are Peach (top), Boozer (bottom, left), and Nugget (bottom right)...

This is our newest (and with any luck LAST) addition, Fury... He was named by an 8 year old that felt "Fury" was fitting, because he furiously attacked my sister's shoelaces when they came over.

And, last but not least, this is Oatmeal... He's a Quaker Parrot and he's hilarious! He keeps our guests entertained when we have company.

Wikipedia Trail: Galápagos Islands to the House Sparrow

(North Seymour Island; web source, Wikipedia)

1. In her introduction, a fellow Mythology and Folklore student, Kasandra Schemel talked about visiting the Galápagos Islands when she lived in Ecuador. I have always loved to travel and see beautiful places, so I thought this was a perfect opportunity to explore another area that I may want to add to my “must see” list. I learned that the official name is Archipiélago de Colón. I also read that the islands are recognized for a number of endemic species that happened to be studied by Charles Darwin and subsequently contributed to the creation of Darwin’s theory of evolution! This was of particular interest to me, as I started my college “career” as a biology student and even now, as a biological anthropology student, my studies are pretty grounded in biology. So, I chose to click on “endemic species” and jump over to the Wiki page about “endemism”.

2. An endemic creature is one that is unique to a specific location or habitat type. If a species can be found in multiple habitats or geographic area, it is not considered endemic. Endemic animals are also known as precinctive animals. I then chose to explore the opposite of endemism.

3. Cosmopolitan distribution refers to a group of organisms that can be found across all or most of the world, within appropriate habitats. Cosmopolitan distribution can be applied to a species or a subspecies and many factors, such as temporal variations may be taken into account when considering whether a species falls within this definition or not. Next, I chose to jump over and learn about a specific species that falls within cosmopolitan distribution; house sparrow.

4. You are more than likely familiar with this species. The house sparrow is a very common bird seen all over the world. I know I have seen sparrows quite frequently in different parts of Oklahoma (although I can't be 100% certain that I've ever actually seen the "house" sparrow subspecies). I learned that the males are typically a bit more colorful, as are the younger birds in the species (fun fact, that’s a pattern I’ve noticed among a good portion of the birds around the world)! Another not so surprising fact about these birds is that one of its major predators is the domestic cat. Something that may be slightly more shocking though, is that there are other predatory birds out there that have deemed the house sparrow as valuable prey. 

(Male house sparrow; web source, Wikipedia)

Growth Mindset

I have never heard of the growth mindset before but I really like the idea and I feel like I've always held this thought process. Why wouldn't we want to encourage people to think in a way that elicits growth? That's what the growth mindset is all about, in my opinion; thinking in a way that encourages personal cultivation as opposed to promoting stagnant progression. My reaction to the growth mindset is pretty positive. I'll use a personal example to better explain my point of view. 

I did competitive gymnastics for about 10 or 11 years when I was younger. Quite often at a competition, they would give out ribbons up to 15th or 20th place. Depending on the event, 1st place would get a gold medal or blue ribbon, 2nd place received a silver medal or red ribbon, and 3rd place was awarded with a bronze medal or yellow ribbon. Then depending on the venue, 4th place might have received a pink or purple ribbon or some other color they chose to give out. Often, 4th place and up would receive a rainbow colored ribbon. I always felt disappointed in myself when I would receive those ribbons - Well, okay, if I'm being honest here, I was slightly disappointed with anything less than a gold medal or blue ribbon. If I placed lower than 5th though, I didn't feel worthy of an award. The reason I felt that way was because I knew that I was capable of better. 

I do want to clarify here that I feel this mindset should be adjusted accordingly for the individual. If a child has struggled really hard in a certain area in the past and they make an improvement, that should definitely be celebrated. I just personally feel that we encourage mediocrity by doling out awards for just showing up and filling a spot. We should encourage greatness on an individual level for everyone; child, teenager, adult, etc. I'll go further even, to say that we should expect greatness from our children, family members, and friends (meaning that we expect them to live up to their own full potential). We should explain to our children how proud a big accomplishment that took hard work to achieve can make them feel. Why should we sugar coat it when our loved ones fail (I can't reiterate enough that when I say fail, I mean that they have not lived up to their own full potential). Why is it a faux pas to tell them they didn't do their best and encourage them to try harder next time? I for one would rather be told the full truth than to be told an altered version of it that someone thinks will make me feel better. When I was in gymnastics, for example, I used to get angry when my parents would tell me "You did your best and that's what matters." when I knew I hadn't done my best.

Recently I've heard stories about "participation" awards. I'm going to be very frank here and say that I believe these awards are ridiculous. Even as a child, I understood that they meant nothing except to send the message, "Here's an award. Please don't be sad that you didn't win". The very definition of award negates the idea of a participation award. "award: (noun) something that is conferred or bestowed especially on the basis of merit or need. (Merriam-Webster)" I honestly believe no good will come from giving out these "awards" because they eliminate an incentive for working hard to achieve a goal.

Overall, I strongly agree with the idea of keeping a growth mindset. I see no reason not to think this way and behave in a way that reflects a desire for ultimate personal greatness. I think we should encourage our children and everyone around us to think the same way in anyway we possibly can. I feel like I did a pretty good job of this already, even before I knew what the "growth mindset" was. For instance, there have been semesters where I was told a particular teacher was a "sure A" and I took a different section, because I wanted to actually challenge myself to learn. I really wish more people would maintain this mentality and challenge themselves and others. Just imagine what kind of place this world could be if everyone strove to be the very best version of themselves. 

As I was writing this post an episode of Spongebob SquarePants came to mind (yes, I am almost 27 years old and I still watch SpongeBob). Patrick Star, Spongebob's best friend accidentally received an award that was meant for Spongbob but he didn't realize it wasn't for him. Once Patrick found out the award was for SpongeBob, he was very disappointed and decided to start copying everything SpongBob did in order to win an award. Eventually, SpongeBob tires of Patrick trying to imitate everything he was doing and encouraged Patrick to be himself, instead of copying someone else. Although what Patrick figures out he is best at is "doing nothing", I think the message applies very well here. The idea of the growth mindset is to strive to be the best possible version of ourselves by pushing our boundaries and reaching beyond our comfort zone. 

(Outstanding achievement in achievement; web source, ifunny)

Time Strategies; My planner obsession!

Time management is a struggle I think most people understand. Whether it is for day to day life or a specific project, I bet everyone reading this has struggled with feeling like they didn't have sufficient time to complete a task at one time or another. There are so many elements that go into poor time management. Some people, for example, have no motivation to start a project. Others may have no idea where to start. Some people have a poor concept of time, feel like they have "plenty of time" to finish a task, and end up rushing to complete it before their deadline. 

For me, time management is a struggle because I have such a busy schedule that it often feels like I don't have enough time in my days or weeks to complete everything I set out to do (often because I literally don't have enough time). I work full time and I'm a full time student. I live in Tuttle and commute to Norman for school and to downtown Oklahoma City for work. I work 10 hour shifts, with an 8 days working and 6 days off schedule and I usually have classes 5 days a week. My husband and I are also currently in the process of buying a house, so now I've got to find time to pack and take care of all the details involved with that (there are a lot! Lol). So, my lifestyle demands a very meticulous schedule to keep everything sorted out. The only way I can survive my week is by laying out my week in a very detailed fashion so I know exactly what I need to do when! I'm kind of a craft junkie and I fell in love with fancy planners a while ago, so I started combining the two. I customize my planner and do a bit of scrap book decorating throughout to make it fun and give myself a reason to want to open it every day (photo example below)! My favorite is the Erin Condren planner (check out these products, here). They are a bit pricey but I think my sanity is worth the price. :) There are also other cheaper versions if you're on a more strict budget. The cheaper, very similar version to the Erin Condren that I really like is the Happy Planner or create 365 Planner (check out these products, here). What I really like about both of these planners is that they're very customizable, so it is really easy to make them perfect for your own needs. I break down my planner into "reading", "homework", & "studying / review" and I write exactly what I need to do for an assignment. For example, I may write "Sam Noble Museum write-up; complete rough draft". Then, I don't mark off the assignment until I am 100% done with it or have made a choice to move the work to another day and noted it down. I also put any due dates on the monthly overview for double assurance that I don't miss anything! Finally, I color code my planner. Each subject has it's own color and I highlight anything for a certain class in its specified color and test days are blocked in red as well! I have misplaced my planner in the past and joked about my entire life depending on finding it. 

(Personal photo; Scrap book create 365 planner, taken by me)

This morning I read "The Psychology of Checklists" (check it out, here), by Lauren Marchese. I chose this article, because I use checklists very often to help organize things in my life and I thought it would be interesting. Occasionally my planner will even have layers within a page. I have sticky notes that are sized proportionally to fit the squares in my planner so, sometimes when I have too many things to do in one day I will use them with, you guessed it... CHECK LISTS!! I can't honestly say that I got any new ideas from this article but I'm okay with that, because I have a pretty solid grasp of how to manage my time at this point. It did however, give me some insight into what chemical processes are going on that make my methods for time management a success. People often ask me how I manage my hectic life and I tell them that diligent organization is my secret! 

For this class in particular, I think I will use the same organization that I've been using for a while now (described above), because it is what works for me. I really like that our weekly assignments are laid out in a very specific manner, because that makes it easy for me to break down my daily work and keep up with the course work. 

Reading Options

For the week 2 reading, the first unit that jumped out at me was Aesop's Fables (Jacobs). Mainly because I had seen several of them when I was searching for a good piece to base my story on this week and I liked several of them but couldn't think of a good story right off of the top of my head to write, so I passed over them. Before this week, I hadn't heard of these stories but I enjoyed reading them and would like to read more. The stories don't particularly interest me because of any connections to art that I enjoy. I think with most of these stories, my attraction is to the animal aspects involved in them. As previously stated, I'm a very big animal lover and I tend to connect with animals on a spiritual level a lot more than I do with human companions!

I had a slightly harder time choosing a second unit of interest for week two, because I don't care much for biblical stories and I wanted to find something that was different for my second unit (I didn't want to choose both Aesop's Fables, for instance). I decided to use the "Types of Units" section to help me figure out what second unit I'd like to explore. I thought the idea of a continuous story might be fun, because it's more like reading a slightly longer book, instead of many short tales. I think I may have an easier time remembering things about a longer story than remembering any details about several short stories. I found Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche interesting, so I think that will be the unit I use for my week 3 reading. I have never seen this material before but it is similar to many books I've enjoyed in the past and movies I like to watch. The stories seem to have some mystery mixed in as well as romance. I think this will be fitting for me as a romance and fantasy fan.

(Psyche revived by Cupid's kiss; online source, musee)

For week 9 and 10, I picked Eskimo Folk Tales. I think I'll find this unit challenging but I also believe I'll enjoy it. I chose it, because the stories within this unit seem like something different than anything else I'm familiar with. I've learned a lot about Christian tales and a fair amount of Native American tales in the past but I haven't really heard any for Inuit peoples. The writing styles seem similar to those I've seen in Native American stories but also different in a way I can't quite explain. In doing research for other classes, I have learned much about Native tribes and their beliefs and traditions. I'm fascinated by some of the shaman stories I've read most of all and I'd like to see what comparisons can be made between those I know and these unexplored ritual accounts.

(Tupilak; web source, sacred-texts)

Also from week 9 and 10, I decided that Native American Marriage Tales would be of interest to me. As I said above, I've read much about Native American traditions and I really enjoyed learning about a very different culture than my own. Most of what I've learned however, was spiritually based. One tradition that I've been intrigued by ever since I read about it is that of the beardache in certain tribes. From what I recall, these are men that are spiritually guided to act the part of women; cooking, making jewelry, etc. I have not on the other hand, read much about marriage traditions so I think it will be interesting to read these stories. 

(Stairway of dreams; Web source, josephinewall)

Storybook favorites; The Brother's Grimm, Alice's Journey, & Mermaid CSI

I had a hard time just picking three storybooks, because a lot of them seem very creative, just from the titles. I wanted to pick out three that I felt would be personally intriguing to me; something I’d like to read for pleasure and not just because I have to for an assignment. I think this class gives us a lot of leeway to make the course our own personal experience and I'm going to take full advantage of that!


The first storybook that caught my eye was "The Brother's Grimm" (You can view the storybook, here). I remember doing a project in a theater appreciation class that I used a Brother's Grimm story for and I really enjoyed the story, so the title was familiar to me. So, when I saw this one, I was intrigued and wanted to check it out. I thought the title was a little vague but after reading the introduction, I think the title works. It would be difficult for the author to be more specific about the storybook in the title, since he/she used several different stories instead of one continuous storyline. The author did a terrific job of encouraging interest in the storybook through the introduction. I really love the idea of bringing in surprise characters from other well known stories to add some mystery to the tales. Honestly, I just like the idea of the storybook presented in this one more than any particular style used in the intro. The overall physical layout of this one is very plain in my opinion. I think I would like to use a little more creativity in the physical design of my storybook. I do however like how the stories are in a straight forward list off to the side. It is obvious which one was intended to be below the intro, which is below that, and so on. I liked the picture below for one of the stories because I feel like the artist was very creative with the expressions on the animals' faces and how he / she showed that the goats were shocked and / or afraid and trying to get away from the wolf.




(The wolf and the seven young kids, novatale)

Another one that caught my eye was "Alice's Journey...Through social media?" (You can view the storybook, here). I never really read the stories, but I'm a big fan of the Alice movies, so the title was familiar to me. I really like how this storybook is more modern than most tales you will find out there. I think the title was very fitting for the storybook. As I read the introduction, it was exactly what I was expecting from the title. I really love the creativity put into this one. The white rabbit's social media post was hilarious to me.


(The rabbit's rude post; web source, simitator)

I enjoyed how the story is told from a first person point of view, rather than the typical 3rd person style of writing used in many fairytales. I also like the brightness of the page itself on this one. I think the writing style throughout this storybook is a bit juvenile but I don't think that's a bad thing. Alice is supposed to be a young girl and I think her story would be told in this way, rather than a more mature fashion. I think the page is well organized and it is very easy to navigate. I really like how this storybook was a continuous story with the same characters and I think I would likely do something similar for my storybook.


Finally, although the title wasn't familiar to me, "Mermaid-- CSI" (You can view the storybook, here) caught my attention. When I was a child, I loved the Little Mermaid. It was one of my favorite shows and I have always really liked the idea of mermaids. I'm also working towards a career in CSI, so when I saw this title I thought "I have to check this out!" I'm not sure what, if any, story this is based off of because I can't recall reading anything of the sort before, but I really love the story line. I think the title could have been reworded a bit, because when I read it I thought the storyline was going to be about a mermaid CSI and the story would mainly be an underwater tale. The introduction did a very good job of grabbing my attention and making me want to read more. I would have liked to see a little more creativity in the page design itself. I'm not fond of the plain, one or two colored pages like this one. I really like the idea of using more intricate designs. Overall though, the page is well organized and easy to navigate, so that's a plus!

Introduction to an outgoing introvert...

Hello there,

(Personal photo; The after effects of
dental anesthesia, taken by my husband)

(Personal photo; Good hair day!!, taken by me)

(Personal photo; Fun sunglasses!!, taken by me)

(Personal photo; Oops! Failed attempt to get out of a very
messy truck filled with obstacles, taken by my husband)

This is me. My name is Chrystal Brehm. I’m a pretty introverted person, so I find bonding with people difficult at times. I tend to enjoy the solitude of losing myself in a good book or movie (mostly fantasy and romance). Some of my favorite fantasy series are Harry Potter, Divergent, the Hunger games, and Twilight. I really love any kind of book or movie that I can get emotionally involved in. The more I feel I personally know the characters, the better. I love a book (or movie) that makes me hate the writer (LOL), because it feels like real life when things don’t go exactly how you’d like them to in your fantasy world. I’m also very musically grounded. I listen to a wide variety of music, but my favorite is classic rock. My all time favorite band is Blue October (check them out, here)! I've had the pleasure of meeting them on multiple occasions and they're incredibly nice and down to earth in person too!!

(Purchased photo; Meeting Blue October, Taken at Brady Theater in Denton, Texas)

I also love Metallica, the Offspring, Nickleback, & a lot of others! I’m a huge animal lover and my family likes to call me Elly May sometimes. We have several pets and we also foster kittens from time to time. Plus my husband and I work with several rescue groups to help get animals adopted.

(Personal photo; Our dogs, taken by me)

(Personal photo; 3 of our cats, taken by me)

(Personal photo; Our youngest cat [foster "fail", also seen below], taken by my husband)

(Personal photo; Some of our previous
foster kittens, taken by me)

I’m almost 27 years old and I’ve been married to the love of my life for over 6 years (we have been together for over 10 years)! I have an almost 11 year old step son named Hayden and I’m blessed to have a good relationship with his mom (my husband’s ex wife). We all get along really well and we often have gatherings together, such as Hayden’s birthday celebrations. My husband and I are currently in the process of buying our first house, which is pretty exciting!! I’m the youngest of 11 children and I’m a really big family person. Holidays around my family are never a bore.

I currently work full time as a 9-1-1 dispatcher for the Oklahoma City police department. People often ask what exactly that entails, so I’ll give you a brief summary. Basically, when someone calls 9-1-1 in a crisis, I’m the voice of reason that helps to calm them and guide them through giving the most important information to help me get emergency assistance to them in a timely manner. I’m also responsible for the safety of 15+ officers’ at any given time. Its part of my job to make sure they have the pertinent information to maintain their own safety, as well as the safety of any citizens involved in a given situation. There are days where my job can be rather emotional and others where it’s very frustrating (people occasionally call 9-1-1 for silly reasons or they’re sometimes extremely disrespectful when speaking to me because they’re upset about their own situation and don’t appreciate that I’m not the cause of their hardships). Still, there are other days when my job is very rewarding. Those are the days that keep me going in my job; the days where I go home at the end of my shift and I know that I’ve made a difference in someone’s life. My job is mostly thankless but when I’m able to help someone in a way that I know has significantly impacted their life in a positive way, that’s all the thanks I really need.

I’m also a full time student, working on a double major (Biological Anthropology + Forensic Science) as well as a minor (Spanish). I would like to work as a crime scene investigator (CSI) for the department I currently work for and eventually I’d like to go on to work with the FBI as part of the evidence response team (basically the same thing as CSI, but on a national scale). I’ll graduate with my first major and my minor in spring of 2018 and as long as things go as planned, with my second major in spring of 2019. The next few years have a lot of new adventures for me and I can’t wait to experience them!

I don't believe there is much else to add about me, so I'll just leave it there!