Week 1: Famous Last Words

This week I have really enjoyed starting up my blog for this course! I have had some experience with blogging, but not much so it is a bit of a different experience for me to write. Throughout the week and after reading other peoples blogs I think I have finally figured out a couple of writing styles that I would like to start incorporating into my own writing. While I think that I am moderately decent at creating and writing stories I have been very impressed with others ability to be super creative. I am definitely going to try and focus on being even more creative with this course. After all, how often do you have a course where this type of creativity is encouraged! I hope I do not go to far outside the lines! For this week I would say my best or most creative writing was my storytelling post. I felt like I really sat down and created something of my own to go with the Aesop Fables. I enjoyed the experience and am excited for next weeks storytelling.

I like the style of writing I used for my storytelling and I believe I will definitely use it in the future. It seemed to come pretty naturally to me, so for that I am thankful.

During this first week of classes I have really started to notice a parallel or connection to other course I am currently taking. One of my courses if titled Anthropology: Native American Artistic Traditions! Part of the artistic traditions we talk about is storytelling, including creation stories! I have found these to be not only beautiful, but awe inspiring and magnificent.

I am pretty excited for this course and most of my other courses. I recently finished all of my general education classes. I think I am going to have a great time in this course, even though it is my first Online course.

Good luck to you, future Christian. When you look back at this I hope you remember how much fun your semester was. :)



Pacific NW Frog

Week 1: Storybook Favorites

The first project I found and was interested in is titled A Grimm Look at Grimm Tales. This project stuck out to me because I loved the irony of the story its self. The author did a great job of comprising the story with modern technologies. I found the fusion of modern technologies and conveniences with the known Tales of Grimm to be very beautiful and overall witty effective writing style. I would like to try my hand at this type of story writing!

The next project I decided to write about was titled Native Creation Myths: Dreams or Reality? I found this project to be completely different from the first project I choose. It struck me as interesting again from the stand point of the writing style used in the introduction by the author. I was quickly drawn into the story and wanted to know more about what they had to say. I would definitely like to use a writing style of this project to enrapture readers. 

The final project I choose was title The Old Names: Name Stories. This author set up their project beautifully. My favorite aspect of this project was the projects website. I really loved the format. I think the author was very creative in their story and it was definitely a story that I could read again. 

I enjoyed all of these storybooks. I am excited to create my own and get a chance to make read some great storybook projects!

Week 1: An Introduction to Myself

Hello,

My name is Christian Allen. I am a junior at OU majoring in Anthropology and minoring in International Studies. I am specifically interested in Archaeology, (One of the four subfields of Anthropology), of the Pacific NW. I only recently found my passion for Archaeology after taking some anthropology classes on campus. If you haven’t yet taken an Anthropology class I highly recommend it!

I was born in Joplin, MO, but have moved around a lot as a child. Interestingly the hospital I was born in is no longer standing, due to the Joplin tornado and all. I graduate high school from Broken Arrow High in OK and now live in Norman. I have also lived in Kansas and Arkansas.

I am currently employed at Griffin Memorial Hospital here in Norman as a billing specialist and at the Oklahoma Archaeological Survey on campus washing artifacts from archaeological digs here in Oklahoma.

Do NOT be alarmed if you see two of me walking around campus. I have a twin brother who recently transferred here to the University of Oklahoma from OSU. He is studying Public Affairs and Administration.

We now live together and combined have a total of three pets. I own one dog, an English Bulldog named Sargent, or Sarge for short. Below is a picture of him from this summer cooling off in the summer heat. His favorite pass times include playing in kiddy pools, placing your hand in his mouth, and sleeping... a lot. Sargent recently went under the "great snip” and is currently not feeling up to par, but usually he loves going on long walks and meeting new dogs. He hopes to one day bring about world peace, but for now he is content with his life in Norman.

(Photo of Sargent the English Bulldog taken by myself)

My brother has two cats. Nala, pictured below, and Holland. We have had Nala since he was a kitten and he was unfortunately named before we found out the he was not a she. Due to a medical condition neither of Nala’s testicles descended. While my brother and I have had no problem changing Nala’s gender pronouns from female to male our mother still has the hardest time, even after four years!

Nala the King of the House (Photo taken by myself)

In a nutshell, that is my life. I am looking forward to this semester and creating some great memories!

Week 1: An Exploration into the Unknown of the Un-Textbook

Here I am going to list some of the titles from our class (Mythology and Folklore) Un-Textbook. I will say that may of the chapter look fascinating and I am very excited to start this course!

Week 2 and 3: Biblical
For this section I choose Homers’ Iliad and Legends of Noah. I think I was appealed to both of the sections mostly because I have heard of them before I know they are great stories and would love to read them again, but I think I might try to go with something I have not read. Cupid and Psyche looks pretty interesting as well as Jewish Fairytales. I’m not quite sure what to expect out of them, but my the blurb and titles I am intrigued.

Week 4 and 5: Middle East - India
 Instantly I saw the title Life of Buddha and was excited. This would be something I am definitely into reading. A story such as this would probably get me thinking about life and new perspectives which is exactly what I like to do. Twenty-Two Goblins also caught my attention, I love riddles and think this story would interest me!

Week 6 and 7: Asia/ Pacific and Africa
I have always been enchanted by Tibet and I hope to travel there one day. I think my next choice would be Tibetan Folktales, not to mention so far I am missing out on the folktales thus far. This part is hard. I love African history and I think many of these titles are jumping out at me. If I have to be honest, I have an obsession with Zombies or "Zombie Culture” so I would choose Tales from the Congo

Week 8 and 9: Native America
Fantastic! I am very excited for this section. Pacific NW is number one for me. I love the area and the anthropology of the native cultures from the Pacific NW, it just makes sense for me. I would probably choose Indian Fairy Tales next. It seems like a good place to get a somewhat general overview and I like that it is told for children (that will probably help me understand it better)

Week 10 and 11: British Isles
In this sections I would probably choose Beowulf I love the story and I would like to actually read it.
Next I would choose Celtic Tales, I have never read Celtic Tales but I like Celtic Knots and it seems like an interesting culture... I would like to learn more.

Week 12 and 13: Europe
I would choose Czech Folktales. I have family that is from the Czech Republic and I would love to know more about the culture there! I would also choose Grimm! I love these tales and think they would be a great read!

Week 1 Storytelling: The Boy who Planned on Getting a New Toy

Timothy was a very young lad and had a fruitful mind. He knew exactly what he wanted and he was very careful about planning out how to get what he wanted. For two whole weeks Timothy had his eye on a brand new toy car that had just come out. During this time he had created a plan to get what he wanted. He asked his mother if he could clean the house for some allowance. She was hesitant at first because the family did not have much money to spare on frivolous items such as toys.

"Why don't you help me set the table, and then go and play with your friends? You don't need a toy to be happy" She said.

“Oh, please mom, the whoooole house,” he begged.

She could not say no to her precious boy and he was soon at work cleaning the house. While his friends played outside he found himself sweeping and mopping, dusting and scrubbing and worst of all changing the cat's littler! All the while he cleaned he could only think about the brand new toy he would get, but first he had to come up with a plan to make enough money for even cleaning the house was not going to be near enough to afford the new toy.
 

He planned to buy an apple from the grocery store and plant the seeds in the into the garden of his backyard. When his apple tree was grown he would then sell the apples and make a very large profit, enough to buy many toys.  

“Soon,” he exclaimed “I will have that toy.”

He was given his allowance, as promised by his mother, and ran as fast as possible to the grocery store. As he walked into the entrance he was stopped by a beautiful gum ball machine. With money in his hand he wasted no time and was soon happily chomping on a bubblegum flavored gum ball. Continuing on his journey to buy an apple his dream of owing this brand new toy was unknowingly cut short when the cashier said, “That will be thirty-eight cents please.” Panicked Timothy had just learnt of his mistake, he had spent all but a nickel of his allowance. With the purchase of the gum ball vanished his apple seed, tree and all hopes of every owning that new car toy.

Kids at a Gumball Machine

Authors Note: Don’t count your chickens before they hatch!
This story was about a milkmaid who planned to use her milk to make butter to sell to then buy eggs and hatch chickens and then sell to buy a dress and look good for potential suitors. Unfortunately for her, the milk spilled and he dreams and plans were washed away and she could no longer find a suitor.

Bibliography:

The Aesop for Children. Aesop. N.p.: n.p., n.d. The Project Gutenberg. Rand McNally & Company, 2 Dec. 2002. Web. 13 Aug. 2014.

Week 1: Favorite Places (Table Rock Lake and The Pacific North West)

After some debate I have narrowed down my favorite places to just two different places. One is from my past and the other is somewhere I want to be.


Table Rock Lake, Missouri: As a child I grew up on Table Rock Lake. It is a place that has so many good memories for me including boating, spending time with my grandparents and camping! It is a beautiful place surrounded by Missouri wilderness and fun activities, such as the Branson Belle shown below.

(Showboat Branson Belle: Wikimedia Commons)

 

 

North West Pacific Coast, US: As an Anthropology major in the Archaeology discipline there is a tremendous amount of pressure to try to decide what area of study you want to do before you get to graduate school. Most graduate schools for Archaeology are specialized in two or three areas. Last year I fell in love with the area along the NW coast of the US known as the Pacific North West. In my future I plan to go to a graduate school in this area and start my journey as a post undergraduate there!

 

 

 

 

(Crooked River in Smith Rock State Park: Wikimedia Commons)