Week 2 Story: Goblin Mountain

Centuries ago on a mountain called Beylon lived a village of goblins.  They were all women.   They were very content living without men but from time to time, they liked to entice them into their community.  Nobody else really lived on Beylon, but it was a popular spot for hiking and camping.  If the she-goblins were looking to attract some men to their village, they would throw a giant party.  They possessed magic powers so they were able to make it appear like there were hundreds of people having a great time.  In reality, this was all a facade because they did not want the party to look suspicious.  Men would be hiking or camping and would hear music and wander over to the village.  At this point, they women would invite them in.  They would even offer them a home-cooked meal and nice place to stay.  This was a lot more appealing to the men than a tent.  The women, however, had a separate agenda for the men.  They would make these men fall in love with them but they did not love them back.  In fact, the she-goblins planned to use their magic to make the men completely obedient to them.  They essentially made them their slaves and would keep them as such until they got tired of them.  Once the women decided they no longer wanted the men, they would dispose of them in an utterly disturbing way.  They would turn them into dinner. 

One day, the she-goblins were planning one of their wicked parties and everything seemed to be going smoothly.  They had all been matched up with men of their choosing and began their routine.  One goblin, Ashla, decided she wanted to wait to cast her spell.  She was curious to see if she could get him to fall in love without doing it deceitfully.  Indeed, he did fall in love with her.  But something else happened.  She fell in love with him too.  Being in love, she could not see herself betraying him.  She reached out to the other women.  She proposed that maybe their way of life was wrong.  Many disagreed, but a couple wondered if she might be right and decided to test the waters for themselves.  Eventually, several she-goblins also fell in love with their men.  Everyone else in the village started to notice and got jealous of the connections of the other couples.  Everyone started to try it.  After a while, no one wanted to go back to their old, evil ways.  The women decided that living in harmony with men was not actually so bad.  They were all equals and could help each other tremendously.  The mountain of Beylon was forever changed.

 

 

"Not your average goblin" (Flickr) 

Authors Note: This story was based on Goblin City.  In this story, there were she-goblins that lived on an island.  They would force travelers to marry them and would eventually eat them once they were sick of them.  One day, a ship wrecked and the she-goblins were going about their normal routines to get these men to marry them.  They would sneak down at night to eat the previous men they had tricked.  Normally, all the men would be asleep, but one man woke up to hearing his wife gobbling down on some other man.  He informed the other men and convinced some of them to try to escape.  There was a fairy that was not such a fan of the goblins.  She decided to help the men out by sending down a flying horse to save those who wanted to escape.  The horse came and saved those who wanted it.  The men that stayed were toast.

Bibliography. "Goblin City" from The Giant Crab, and Other Tales from Old India by W. H. D. Rouse.  Web Source

Reading Notes: Turtles and Goblins

All of these stories were different and interesting to me. I especially liked the one called, Two Turtle Jatakas.  I think it was people can relate to it in a since.  Just because we are smart in one situation, does not mean we are smart in all.  And, just because we make one wrong decision, does not mean we ALWAYS make the wrong decision.  I also liked the story called, Goblin City.  Honestly, this one was just weird.  But it was something that I could see myself recreating so that there is a happier ending for everyone.  I look forward to putting my own spin on some stories.

Goblin cartoon (SketchPort)

Reading Options

I'll be honest...this was initially a little overwhelming! I did get a little confused because there were so many links to so many different things.  After browsing for a little while, I definitely found some things that interested me.  For Weeks 3-4, I will probably choose the PDE Ramayana.  Obviously the first reason I chose this was because it is free online, which makes my life a lot easier, but it also has an audio version which is nice!  Aside from practicality, I did like the different styles and all of the illustrations.  I look forward to diving into that more.  For Week 5, I'm thinking I will probably choose the online film option, Sita Sings the Blues. This is a little different from just reading a long story and sometimes I like to just sit back and watch!  Lastly, my choose in Week 6 will likely be the PDE Mahabharata.  I chose this for the exact same reasons I chose the PDE version in Weeks 3-4.  It's easier and more appealing to me!

Hanuman, Rama, and Lakshmana (Blogspot)

Time Strategies

To manage my time in this class, I plan on working ahead.  If I can stay at least a week ahead, that means I won't have to worry too much if I have a really busy day with no time to work on this class's assignments.  I also love the idea of finishing early so I plan to do extra credit frequently.  I really like the Psychology of Checklists article.  I live by the weekly post-it note checklists I make.  It just feels so satisfying once I check everything off and can throw it away!!

 

Checklist (Pixabay)

Technology

I haven't heard of most of these different technology tools but I am familiar with a couple.  I have used Pinterest, but mostly for just browsing.  I have also used Google Docs a lot.  That is actually one of my favorite tools for all kinds of school work.  It makes anything so easy to share with people!  It is also very easy to use.  This online environment is different because though there are deadlines, I can still work at my own pace.  I also don't have to worry about attending lecture or catching up on notes should I ever miss!  Not to mention, I can do all my work in bed on my computer.

cat meme Flickr

Thoughts on Class Assignments

Reading over the what I will be doing for the semester was definitely relieving.  I like knowing what I am getting into so I appreciated being able to read an overview of the semester.  I must say that I am most intrigued by the storytelling aspect of this class.  I have never really considered myself creative or good at coming up with stories, so this will be interesting...  This class is definitely different from any other class I have taken in that students are graded on whether or not they did the assignment, rather than the quality.  I like this because I feel like students, like myself, have the opportunity to play around a little and not have to worry about being graded too harshly.  As far as extra credit, I seem to be gravitating more toward the "tech tips" because it seems like it might be helpful in situations outside of class.

"Not Bad" Flickr

Growth Mindset

I had heard of Carol Dweck before this class in many different instances, including other classes.  I had also heard of the growth mindset but I guess I did not associate the two together.  I think I fall somewhere in the middle on the spectrum of growth-fixed mindset.  In school,  I think I definitely lean more toward growth because I know I have a great capacity to learn and get better.  At OU, I have learned that I learn better when the subject matter is interesting to me.  If it is not, it is so much easier for me to tune out.  So, it is difficult to learn and retain when I am in a class that is of no interest to me.  I can see myself excited about learning more about growth mindset.  Maybe it will even influence me to be more optimistic.  For this semester, I really have the same goals I always  do--to work hard, perform well, and learn a lot.  I am taking my senior capstone in Psychology and I am both very excited and very nervous about it!

goofy cat (Cheezburger)

Introduction to LL

Hi there! My name is Logan Lawton and I am starting my senior year here at OU.  I am double majoring in Psychology and Criminology.  The coolest part about my major has been all of the interesting stories my teachers have told.  Also, I have pretty much enjoyed all of the classes I have taken because of my major (once I got past gen-eds of course).  The material is never really dull and I feel like I always learn a lot.  The best class I took last semester was my Juvenile Justice class.  I took it with Dr. Hill, who is just about the nicest man ever.  His lectures were riveting and he also found cool videos to show us that were still very relevant to class material.  From time to time, he brought in speakers to talk to us about all kinds of topics in juvenile delinquency.  I was always excited to go to that class.  I would highly recommend that class to anyone that has the opportunity to take it.

This summer break was a little bit different for me.  I usually get a part-time job so that I have a lot of time to catch up with people I have not seen in a while.  But this summer, I worked from 8-5 every day.  It definitely took some adjusting but it is a lot easier to manage when you enjoy what you are doing.  I got lucky enough to be able to intern with the U.S. Secret Service in Oklahoma City this summer.  I basically process all of the counterfeit money that comes into the office.  But, I have also gotten to do things like go to the gun range, attend presentations, and even go to Portland, Oregon on a temporary assignment.  Fortunately, they are allowing me to continue my internship through this semester.  This kind of leads me into my career goals.  I would love to be able to work at a government agency.  I am not exactly sure what I want to be doing, but I think that is because I would be happy doing a variety of jobs.  So that is really what I have been up to lately!  I’ll save my list of “favorite things” for a later time.  But I will show you cute pictures of my dogs.

 (personal photo of my oldest dog, Sasha)

 (personal photo of my middle child, Sully)

 (personal photo of the baby, Shay)

Storybook Favorites

Zoo Animal History

This specific storybook stuck out to me simply because of the title.  I tend to like animals, especially of the zoo variety.  From the outside looking in, it appeared like I might have a little prior knowledge on the topic of "zoo animals."  The title did a relatively good job of informing me what the storybook was about, though it might have been beneficial to throw in that it was about animals of Hindu importance.  After reading through the introduction, I had a better idea what the storybook was about.  It kept me interested.  I liked the writer’s style and use of questions.  It made me feel like it was an actual conversation.  I enjoyed the overall design, as it was very playful and inviting.  I can see myself doing something similar in my own project.

Darkness Diaries

Upon reading the title of this storybook, I really had no idea what I was getting into.  Of course, I thought it would be somewhat...dark.  This is what caused me to click on the link! I tend to enjoy this type of genre.  Once I read the introduction, I had a general idea of what the stories might be about.  The author gave very brief and vague details.  I assume this is a tactic to get people to continue reading the stories.  Nobody would want to give everything away in the introduction! I liked the design of this storybook.  It is simple, yet visually pleasing.  The design makes the text very easy to read.

The Adventures of Sita

To be honest, I just randomly clicked on this storybook.  I had no idea what it would be about, other than someone named Sita.  I have no idea who Sita is!  Luckily, I was glad I chose this one at random.  I really liked the introduction.  It gave enough information to give the reader an idea of what was going on, but not too much.  This makes me want to keep reading! I liked how the writer gave a quick little summary on each of the stories.  It lets me know what I am getting into.  The design is very aesthetically pleasing to me.  I enjoy the colors and the font.  It's a style I probably would have chosen myself.  I also liked the picture on the introduction page, which I included below.

Sita, the beautiful goddess. Source: Sita

Cancun...my favorite place

I am not one that is very well-traveled so this was not too difficult for me.  Though I have loved many places in the United States, my favorite place I have traveled to is Cancun, Mexico.  The water is so clear and the beach is so peaceful.  It was one of my favorite trips I have been on.  A lot of my joy  could probably have been attributed to the all-inclusiveness aspect of the resort. :)

"Sunrise in Cancun" by Sakeeb Sabakka

Source: Flickr

Number One

My first post