Week 1-UnTextbook

I looked through the UnTextbook and chose four units that seemed to be the most interesting to me. Below is the units I chose and a few thoughts about each one.

Dante's Inferno: This unit looks interesting to me because I have heard about this story before but I have never quite known exactly what it was. After reading the overview of the unit I feel like this could be one of the more interesting reads.

Homer's Illiad: A story about conflict and war is always interesting! I have read bits and pieces of Homer' Odyssey in high school and was very intrigued. Reading events that happened before this in relation to the Odyssey will make those readings make all fall into place.

Homer's Odyssey: Like I said above, I read bits and pieces of Homer's Odyssey in high school so I would like to read to supplement what I have already read. The monsters described in the overview of the unit sound very interesting to read about.

A Roman mosaic portraying the image of a Cyclops (Homer's Odyssey)

Nursery Rhymes: This particular unit caught my eye because it made me think of all the nursery rhymes I heard as a child. It would be nice to revisit some of the old nursery rhymes I remember and learn some new ones or do not remember.

Week 1 Storybook Favorites

The first project I came across that caught my eye was Monster Hunter. The title itself caught my attention and did a great job of portraying exactly what it was about. The introduction itself was very entertaining as it set the mood for the entire project. I really liked how the old man himself was telling the tale of his life and his demeanor sounded pretty spooky itself! His language sets him up to be an interesting man with plenty of adventures to tell. I liked that the background was a dimly lit room with chairs all around giving off the vibe of sitting around a fire and listening to a great story. It really felt like I was sitting with the old man as he told his tales. Setting the imagery up from the beginning with just his site background is something I would like to incorporate into my project.


The Werewolf who has hunted by the Monster Hunter!

The next project I looked at was Jason and the Argonauts' Quest. I chose this particular project because I had not had any prior experience with the subject. I thought that using a news bulletin was a very creative way to draw readers in. I also thought the use of journal entries was a great way to tell the story within in the project. When reading the new bulletin it makes the reader feel as if they were very far into the future. The layout of the page and the interactive buttons relate to this feeling throughout the reading of the stories. I want to make sure that I can incorporate this feeling into my project.

The final project that drew my attention was Comical Ghost Stories. I chose this because I was very intrigued at the notion of a funny scary story. The introduction was different from the other two projects I looked at because it gave small summaries of each story that was to be told. The website was simple to navigate and did not include to many crazy and distracting colors or animations which made it easy to focus on the stories.

Intoduction-About Me: Will Robson

My name is Will Robson and I am from the town of Ada, Oklahoma. I am the oldest in my family consisting of my mother, father, brother, and two dogs, Boomer and Lil’ Bit. I graduated from Ada High School in 2010 and began college at the University of Oklahoma the following fall semester. I played football and golf all four years while I attended Ada High School. I started at the University of Oklahoma during the 2010 fall semester and am set to graduate this May with a degree in Petroleum Engineering from the Mewbourne School of Petroleum & Geological Engineering. This semester I am taking courses such as Surface Production Engineering, Improved Recovery Techniques, Integrated Reservoir Management, as well as Mythology and Folklore.

Something I expect to see a lot of once I graduate! A pump jack with a beautiful sunset background. (Wikipedia Commons)

 

Some of my interests include Oklahoma Sooner football, Oklahoma City Thunder basketball, golfing, and hanging out with friends. I have grown up watching the Sooners play football and when it came time to choose a college it was an easy decision (also helped by the strength of the Petroleum Engineering program). Saturdays in Norman are like Christmas morning for a guy like me. Like I said I played golf in high school and I have continued playing through college. It is a great way to relax and get some fresh air. It also helps that I usually get to enjoy the company of my mother, father, and brother as they all play golf as well!

    I do also enjoy reading books and watching Netflix. My favorite author is most likely John Grisham. I have read most of his novels and usually once I start reading cannot stop until I have read the entire thing. Regarding Netflix, I can lay in bed all day and watch episode after episode of a TV series. My favorites I have watched thus far have to be Dexter and, of course, Breaking Bad.

    This is just a little about me and my interests. I am excited to finish this semester up, graduate, and see what the real world has in store for me!

Week 1 Storytelling: The Lion and the Mouse: A Tale of Reciprocating Kindness

Once there was a small mouse that was traveling from his home across the plain to his visit a friend for a few days. The mouse was always careful when traveling on the plains as he knew that great dangers lurked at every turn. He had awoken at sunrise that morning to start his travels.

After some time of traveling, the mouse came across a lion lying directly on the only path available. The massive lion was snoring loudly and seemed to be sound asleep. The usually timid mouse weighed his options in his head and made a daring decision. He would tiptoe around the lion in order to reach the other side and continue on his path. As the mouse crept in front of the lion, his tail grazed the lion's snout. This caused the Lion to snort, scaring the Mouse. The mouse scurried across the lion's snout in his hurry to escape the impending danger. The Lion, now being fully awakened, reached out his mighty paw and trapped the tiny mouse.

    "Please do not harm me!" shrieked the Mouse. "If you grant me this one wish I promise to make it up to you!"

"To think a tiny creature like you could help me!" laughed the Lion heartily. "For making me laugh I shall let you go this time. Don’t let this happen again."

    The Mouse hurriedly scurried and finally made it to his friend’s house shortly before dark. After a few days of fine food and drink the Mouse had mostly forgotten about his dangerous encounter with the Lion. As his friendly visit came to an end, the Mouse once again set off across the plains towards his home.

    On the eve of the first night of traveling home the Mouse decided it was time to find camp for the evening. He came across a large camp with a large fire with multiple hunters surrounding it. As the Mouse, looked for a place close enough to the fire for warmth and a few scraps he came across a familiar foe. The Lion was trapped underneath a net!

“Fancy seeing you in a predicament such as this,” whispered the Mouse.

“These hunters caught me as I was napping! Now get me out of here!” exclaimed the Lion.

So the Mouse nibbled on the net until the Lion could free himself. The Lion and Mouse scurried off to a safe place.

“Thank you, Mouse. I thought I was never going to escape,” explained the Lion.

“Well my promise to repay you doesn’t seem so silly now does it?” questioned the Mouse.

With that, the Lion helped the Mouse climb onto his back and the Mouse rode in style back to his home. It had been quite an eventful couple of days for the Mouse!

 

 

The Mouse helping the Lion escape (Wikipedia Commons)

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Author's Note: This is a short story that is based upon the fable "The Lion and the Mouse". This story can be found in Aesop for Children, by Anonymous, illustrated by Milo Winter (1919). The story is about a mouse who accidentally wakes up a lion who is sleeping. The lion decides he will not ultimately kill the mouse after the mouse promises to repay the lion some day. The lion finds this to be such an amusing thought that he lets the mouse go. Some time later, the lion is trapped in a net and the mouse happens upon him. He chews the net until the lion is freed and thus makes good on his promise to repay him.

I decided to give the story a little more background to show why the mouse was traveling through the plains and how the lion came to be trapped. I thought this would be a good way to give the reader a greater appreciation for both the mouse and lion's situations. Also, with the added dialogue I thought the lion's amusement at thinking the mouse could ever help him would be better conveyed.

The image I selected was straight from the book where the story was found. It illustrates the moment of truth within the story where the lion finds out that indeed the mouse could be a helpful friend in times of need. 

Favorite Place-Puerto Aventuras in Quintana Roo, Mexico

Puerto Aventuras is a tiny community located in Quintana Roo, Mexico. My family has been going here for years on vacations and it is one of my favorite places to visit. This particular picture isn't actually from Puerto Aventuras so I chose another picture of one of Mexico's sightly beaches that was similar!

Image of a seaside at El Castillo in Tulum, Quintana Roo. Source: Wikipedia.