Portfolio Index

Hello everyone! Welcome to my portfolio! Each story listed below has it's own blurb but I though it would be nice to point you in the right direction for your story type preferences.

If you are in the mood for something with a bit of humor try Bad First Date.
If you are feeling a murder mystery then Greed is the Master is the story for you.
If you want a mushy love story look at Strawberry Savior.
If you want something with witchcraft and fake dates go to The Ambitious Granddaughter.
Finally, if you are looking for a twisted step-mother vs step-daughter tale check out My Wicked Stepdaughter.

Hope you enjoy the stories!

The Ambitious Granddaughter
This is a tale based off of Adam's first wife Lilith. It is set more modern day and tells of her quests to be a powerful woman and not fall under a husband demanding to be more powerful.

Bad First Date
This story is based off a Nigerian tale of a disobedient daughter who marries the wrong man. It is set on the current day talk radio show Cash and Bradley's Second Date on K 95.5 Tulsa. They argue about how the date went and whether a second chance is in order.

My Wicked Stepdaughter
In the original story a young girl's father got remarried to an evil woman. This stepmother tried multiple times to kill the young girl- each attempt not going as planned. For my retelling, I told the story from the view of the stepmother.

Strawberry Savior
This tale involves a couple who gets in a fight and their love is saved with an amazing fruit called strawberries.

Greed is the Master
A story of greedy men whose end comes in the most unfortunate way.

Famous Last Words Week Twelve

For starters, I loved the reading this week. I had always heard of the Canterbury Tales but never actually read any of it. They were some great stories and I am glad I had the opportunity to read them in this class. I also am excited about the story I wrote for it. I did something new to me. Typically I write love or children related stories. This week I did a murder mystery from the perspective of a detective. I even added a little twist at the end! It was really fun for me. I felt like I was getting to be more creative with my writing then I have been in other weeks.

I have also read a lot of great stories this week. One I really enjoyed was also from the Canterbury tales. It was someone’s storybook. She did a murder mystery as well and had each character play a suspect in the murder. They each had their own background story and interview session. It was really neat and interesting to see how we can take the same concepts and do them so differently! I guess that is what makes writing unique.

This last couple weeks have been super hectic. Last week my car broke down so I was stuck in my hometown all week! Luckily I only have two on campus courses and one was already cancelled because he was at a conference. So I only missed one class and a couple shifts at work. My internship for credit ends this week so that will be a relief. Also I am trying to finish this class and my other online class by the end of next week. I have three final papers to write so I want to leave as much time devoted solely to them as possible. I also am going to a music festival next weekend. So I am bribing myself by saying if I finish my online courses I can go buy a new outfit! Hopefully I stick to that!

A picture of me and my boyfriend from Christmas just for fun!

Growth Mindset: Last Meme

From Laura's Blog

Last meme I swear! I just love them!
This one stuck out to me just not in the aspect of growth with school and career but also with spouses and family. I am at a position in my life where I will (hopefully) soon be engaged, married and then have my own children. I have been in a long distance relationship for the entirety of my college career. I have learned that maintaining a relationship is really hard work. You have to work hardest for the things you love most. I work hard for me, my school, my career. But I also work hard for my boyfriend, my future children, and my family.

Growth Mindset: Meme

Made with Cheezeburger. Photo from personal collection. 

It may be concerning to come the obsession I have with my dogs. Oh well!
This is my other dog Bandit, the baby of the family. I felt I could not post a picture of Axle but not one of Bandit. That wouldn't be fair! I chose this photo because I think Bandit looks very peaceful and wise. I am not sure where I heard this quote from. It just has been stuck in my head for years. I felt the quote matched Bandit's vibe in this photo. The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. I always remind myself of this. I have to remind myself that my future is dependent upon me believing in myself and following those dreams.

Growth Mindset: Make Own Meme

Made with Cheezeburger Picture from personal collection

I love that I now know how to create memes. So today I created one with Growth Mindset in mind.
This is a picture of my dog Axle as a puppy. His feet were green from running around in the freshly mowed grass. Which is currently nonexistent considering he ran the backyard into just a dirt pile. This is also my all time favorite saying "Follow your bliss".With the look of freedom and happiness in Axle's eye and this saying about following your passion. I think this meme encourages you to do what makes you happy and happiness is full of possibilities.

Growth Mindset: Memes

I chose to use the challenge with the memes. Even though memes are sort of an internet trend and typically meant to be funny. I feel like that can have a large impact on people. Sometimes having a picture in addition to meaningful words can help that thought stay with a person. When you have something to associate it too- you tend to remember it better.
When going through the list of memes posted I came across the quote "Big change begins with small steps". This one stuck out to me because I feel it relates to my life right now. I am almost a college graduate, I have a long term boyfriend and I am looking for a big girl job. These are all big changes but I went through so many small steps to get here. First dates, final papers, internships- these steps all led me to the changes I am making within the next month or so.

Meme from Laura's Blog

Tech Tip: Cheezburger

Made with Cheezburger


Made my first ever meme! I picked this puppy because he was just so cute and I love puppies!

Tech Tip: Embedded Youtube

Here is a fun older country music video I thought everyone might enjoy! Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy by Big & Rich!

Tech Tip: Blogger Profile

Today I did some rearranging on my Blog Profile and Template. I moved my labels to the top of my page for easier access. I also added a picture and my college to my profile information. Establishing a good online presence is crucial as we enter the business world. Having my name and University on this blog could be beneficial for me. It can show potential employer some of my classwork and writing skills.

Week Twelve Review

From the announcements

This week's item that stuck out to me was the word colossal. In the announcements Laura talks about the Greek meaning behind the word colossal and I found it very interesting. She said  "The Greek word meant a gigantic statue, originally the Colossus of Rhodes." I feel like sometimes words we take from other languages do not really make sense but I felt like this one did!

Tech Tip: Pinterest Widget

This week I learned to add a pinterest board to things! I am adding one to this post and also to my blog page! Yay more puppies!!

Storytelling Week Twelve: Greed is the Master

Greed is the Master

I was sitting at home reading the paper, smoking on my pipe, when I got the call.

"Holmes, I have some bad news. The town drunks went out the other night and have not returned. Their excursions never last more than a day and the townspeople are getting worried. Would you mind taking a look into it?" said the soft voice on the phone.

"Of course," I said shortly as I hung up the phone. I was getting sick of chasing after these boys. Their drunken "adventures" were getting out of hand. As much as I didn't care to find them- it was my job. Even in a town this small there is still some detective work to be done. So I set out to their usual bar to ask around.

I went straight to the bartender. He watches over his customers like a hawk- surely he knew what happened.

"How's business?" I asked as I took a seat at the counter.

He replied wearily, "Oh, just the usual. Scraping by in this small town. If the Wilson boys don't show back up I may just be out of business."

"Funny you mention that- it is actually why I am here. I heard they have been gone from town a few days and nobody seems to know where they went."

"Yeah, they haven't been in here since...oh, Tuesday night I believe."

"Did they do anything out of the ordinary that night?" I asked as I pulled out my notepad.

He paused and looked to be trying to remember. He is getting older and struggles more to recall nightly events.

"Not really. They were mouthing off about taking on some punk a town over. They are always getting into fights and looking for trouble. I believe the person they referred to was named D if I remember correctly."

As I was jotting all this down I heard a voice from behind me.

"One of the boys came to see me that night," a cracked voice sputtered.

I turn to see the town's medicine woman. She was an old, frail lady. She walked the line of medicine and witchcraft very closely. So I was instantly intrigued. "What on Earth could he be purchasing?" I thought to myself.

I quickly asked, "Can you tell me what he was buying? Which boy? Was he alone?"

She replied, "It was the young one with the blonde curly hair. He seemed to be alone- he bought a vile of rat poison. He claimed he had a rat infestation at his home."

I thought to myself, "It is the middle of summer- usually rats don't try to come inside unless it is cold weather. It is strange that he would be having a problem with them right now."

I nodded to her and thanked her and the bartender for their help. I set out through the door. My next stop was the youngest Wilson boy's home with the supposed rats.

I knocked- no one answered. The door was unlocked so I let myself in. In a quick sweep of the room I could tell there were no rats here. So I decided to look further. I entered the bedroom and saw the closet had been rummaged through. I looked in to see if something was obviously missing. I noticed there were no bags. He could just not own any- or that could be a clue. It seemed too soon to tell.

As I was headed to the next room I noticed a receipt on the dresser. It was dated late Tuesday night. He purchased three loafs of bread and three bottles of wine. The medicine woman did not mention any supplies on him.

I sat on the edge of the bed thinking about what my next step should be. I figured my only option was to find the man called D in the next town over. I set off in that direction.

I was about halfway there when I noticed a circling of vultures over the woods. I did not think much of it at first considering animals are always dying there. I walked a bit further but I had a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. I felt like something was just not right.

I thought to myself, "I need to see what these birds are after. It is probably nothing but I have time to check. I am sure the Wilson boys are just drunk in the next town. They can wait."

I ventured into the woods- following the sound of the vultures. Not too far in I came to the most gruesome sighting.

It was the Wilson boys. I could tell by the blue tattered ball-caps they were always wearing. They were half decayed and picked apart by the vultures. My stomach turned over and I immediately puked. The smell was almost unbearable. I did not want to get any closer but I needed answers. A million questions ran through my head. "Was it murder? Was it a group suicide? Was it of natural causes?"

There was only one way to find out.

I approached the bodies with caution- hoping no wolves would come out and fight me for their dinner. It was nearing dark and I could hear their eerie howls in the distance.

There was one boy off by himself. I went to him first. It was the youngest Wilson boy. His blonde curls stuck slightly out of his ball-cap. He was the one who bought the rat poison. He was covered in stab wounds.

Then I went over to the other two boys. They seemed unharmed besides of course the damage done by the vultures. I then noticed a reflection of light coming from the bushes behind them. I moved back there and found three bottles of wine. They were completely drained. With the boy's drinking problem I assumed they finished them all themselves. I also noticed bags full of gold coins. It all started coming together.

How they ended up in the woods we may never know. But my guess is they found the gold then they sent the youngest boy back to retrieve bags to carry it with while they stood guard. The youngest must have gotten greedy and wanted it all to himself so he made a plan to poison them through the rat poison and wine. They must have had a similar greedy plan and stabbed him to death upon his arrival with the bags they needed. Then they drank the wine unknowingly and died shortly after.

"Is that the whole story, sir?" asked the man debriefing me.

"Yes," I replied sternly.

"What did you do with the gold?"

"I turned it over as evidence of course."

"Alright, sir, that is all we will be needing from you. Thank you so much for your services."

As I shook his hand and left the room I smiled slyly to myself.

Little does he know I only turned in about a fourth of the gold I really found.

The Gold

Author's Note: This story is based off of a story called the Revelers from the Canterbury Tales. The original story included three drunk men who went off the kill Death. They meet an old man who tells him he just saw Death in the woods and points them that direction. They come across the pile of gold and that is when the greed sets in. The plans of the three men follow the story I just told. One poisoned the two and the two stabbed the one, even though at the beginning of the story they all swore to always be loyal to each other.
I decided to do a murder mystery this week because I have not done a story like this yet. I felt like a story about greed would be a perfect opportunity to do it. Greed got all three friends killed. Then in the end greed prevailed again with the detective stealing some of the money. Greed can be a dirty devil and stories like this can help to show the consequences of your greed. I tried to keep most of the plot the same but just tell it basically backwards to show the process of the detective.

Bibliography: The Revelers. The Chaucer Story Book by Eva March Tappan (1908).

Week Twelve Reading Diary cont.: Canterbury Tales

Little Hugh
-This story was really sad but magical. Any time a child is killed it is sad. Especially for such a silly reason as singing a song they didn't like.
Cock, Hen and Fox
-The Cock had a dream a fox ate him and the hens told him it was silly. The next day a fox tried to eat him but he narrowly escaped.
The Priest
-Basically a trickster convince a priest he could make copper into silver with a magic recipe and got the priest to pay him for the recipe that was fake.
Story source:The Chaucer Story Book by Eva March Tappan (1908)

The Canterbury Tales

Week Twelve Reading Diary: Canterbury Tales

The Unknown Bride
-A man is sentenced to be hung unless he properly reports on what women want most. An old wise woman gave him the answer that women want to rule their husbands and then forces him into marriage. After some advice about having an old ugly honest wife over a hot rich and unfaithful one she turns into a beautiful young woman.
The Story of the Summoner
-A summoner is basically a trickster who tries to get people to pay him money in false court cases. He meets the devil who he believes to be his new thieving friend. The first man they try to loot calls out to God so the new friend says he isnt worth looting. Then the old lady tells him basically to go to hell so the devil takes him!
The Promise of Dorigen
-Wow this was a great story. At first I hated the squire because I felt it was so rude to go after another man's wife and try to deceive her like he did. But I am glad he repented in the end. I am also glad that her husband was such a great and understanding man and she such a truthful wife. And the magician I was sure to be a pig but he was also very good. It is not often you have a story with so many good men.
The Revelers
-This was an interesting story. The ending was quick. I thought it would go through the fight more. but it is funny how they set out to search for death and their greed led them to it.

The Canterbury Tales

Story source:The Chaucer Story Book by Eva March Tappan (1908)

Week Eleven Review

While skimming through this week's announcements I saw this image that I found to be so accurate. Except instead of being why I write- it is why I read.

Why I Write

Also here it today's announcements!

Tech Tip: Pinterest Button

For this week's tech tip I added a Pinterest button to my browser bar. I am always looking to save pictures I come across on the Internet. I use Chrome and adding this button was SUPER easy! Just a couple of clicks.
Here is a pic that I save with my new button!

Puppies!

Storytelling Week Ten: Strawberry Savior

Strawberry Savior

"Hey, Miss Lynn!” said Ryder hopefully.

"Yes?” replied Lynn mildly annoyed.

"Can you please tell us a bedtime story tonight?” Ryder asked while the other children giggled and agreed in the background.

Lynn hesitated, knowing she had way too much paperwork to get done. She could not possibly spend the time to tell the children a story. The babies would surely be up by six which gave her hardly five hours of sleep anyways. Add in story time and she might barely squeeze in four! She looked around at their begging faces and, as usual, she gave in saying, "Okay, but just one!"

The children all cheered. She blushed and took a second to rejoice in the moment. She loved when she got that butterfly feeling. The same one she had when she first started this orphanage. Helping children is not always easy but it is moments like these that keep her going each day.

"What story would you like to hear?” Lynn asked the group.

Molly's hand quickly shot up in the back. She was one of the eldest children here. She had heard all of Lynn's stories.

Molly replied, “Can you tell the one about when you knew you were going to marry Mr. James?"

Lynn smiled- this was one of her favorites. She and her husband James had been married for 25 years now. He always supported her and her dreams. Without him this orphanage would not have been possible. She always knew he was going to be hers for life.

"Of course, I love this one,” Lynn replied. The kids all cheered and then quickly settled into bed for their story.

Lynn began, “I met James in the Farmer's Market back in 1989. I was looking for strawberries and he was looking for potatoes- or so he said. I will never understand why he thought potatoes would be next to strawberries. Oh well, that will be a question for you guys to ask him!"

She rolled her eyes and giggled a bit as the children all looked at her with eager anticipation.

She continued, "We hit things off immediately. First we grabbed coffee, then dinner, then started seeing movies. We fell so madly in love and everything was moving so fast! I was in school at the time and he was working a couple towns over from me. We did not get to see each other as much as we liked but we were so in love that it did not matter. We were determined to make things work. All was going well until one day a few weeks out from my graduation."

Lynn paused and looked around at the small faces all wide-eyed and full of anticipation.

She started in a softer tone saying, “We had plans one weekend- a big date out on the lake. We had rented a cabin and it was going to be beautiful and romantic. I get to his house and find a note on the door saying, 'Sorry, went to the lake with the boys see you next week sometime!’ Obviously I was furious. We had all these plans and he just finds something better to do! I felt so unimportant. I decided I would wait for his return until I heard rumors about there being other girls on the trip but I was just not invited. I then felt so betrayed. I convinced myself that he wasn't worth my time and returned back to school. The next few days went by. He called and called but I never answered. One day I got a letter. I opened it not realizing it was from James. It claimed he had totally forgot about our trip and how sorry he was and he wished I would just answer his calls so he could explain. Being the stubborn woman I am I still did not call him. The next day I received a beautiful bouquet of flowers. I still did not call. The day after that I received a gorgeous necklace. I put a return stamp on it and sent it back. Then I received a human-sized teddy bear! I gave it to my dogs to play with. All of his efforts were wonderful but I was still not ready to forgive him. Then the very next day I received a massive bouquet of chocolate-covered strawberries with a note saying, 'Without strawberries I would have never met the woman of my dreams'."

All the girls giggled and the boys just rolled their eyes at such a corny line.

Lynn smiled and continued, "With that last gift I was done. All the old feelings came flooding back and I knew he deserved forgiveness. I ran to my door to get in my car and to my surprise he was standing there! I wrapped my arms around him and told him how much I missed him and he was forgiven. He apologized over and over and we just hugged. I knew right then that this man would do anything for me. I knew in my heart that he was the one."

Lynn stopped and looked around smiling at the children. They all started to clap and exclaim about how beautiful the story was and they wished for a love like Lynn and James have.

Lynn looked lovingly at the kids and said, "You all will find loves. You just have to wait for the right one and then never let them go over silly fights! If you do fight, don't be afraid to make up and be happy again... so you can enjoy the strawberries!"

My Favorite

Author's Note: The inspiration for this story came from a Cherokee tale about how strawberries were invented. In the tale a husband and wife fight and the wife leaves. The husband tried to chase her but can't catch up. He receives help from a god who places fruit in her way to try and get her to stop. Nothing catches her eye until the god places a never before seen fruit, the strawberry, in her path. Then she stops and she and the husband meet back up and solve their problems.

I know I went a bit off track for this story but I kept the overall concept of a couple fighting and being resolved with the help of strawberries. I made these strawberries chocolate-covered because that is just always better. I then added more background to the story with how the two met and their lives now at the orphanage. My first thought was to do a bedtime story but instead of going with once upon a time I decided this direction would be more fun. I also pulled this story from a real life situation. A similar event happened with me and my current boyfriend. I thought it would be interesting to put my real life into my fiction short story. 

Bibliography: Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney (1900). Tobacco and Strawberries. 

Storytelling Week Eleven: Unlikely Friends

Robin Hood and Little John

Unlikely Friends

I will never understand how men work. One minute they can be brawling in the backyard. Next thing you know they are best friends! I know it sounds like I am about to head off on a tangent- so let me start this story from the beginning.
Earlier this week me and my boyfriend Robin had a little cookout in the backyard with our friends. Well one of my friends has a new boyfriend named John that she brought with her. We were all just chatting it up and having a good time. The burgers were delicious and the sangria was going down smooth.
Suddenly, I heard a large thud. I turn around to find that John had ran into one of the chairs by the pool knocking it over and breaking the arm. Well, most people would not think much of this little accident. Robin, on the other hand, flips out! He goes over there yelling and screaming. He tells John, "You better be paying for that chair! I will make you pay for that chair!"
Robin is being completely irrational but once he gets into this state it is nearly impossible to calm him back down.
John, the near seven foot, thick build, ex-football player- is keeping his cool. He calmly replies, "Okay, fight me for it."
Robin, of course, does not ever back down from a fight. He bows up his chest and takes the first swing. Everyone is gathered around in disbelief that they are truly fighting over a chair.
They go back and forth for a while. Just when you thought one man was winning the other would jump back on top. Finally Robin takes a solid blow to the head and staggers back. The onlookers, myself included, see this as the prime moment to step in. At group of us grab both men pulling them apart. I take Robin inside as my friend drags John to the car.
I start to gripe at Robin but could see the hurt in his eyes. His pride was hurt that he did not knock out John easily. So I decide to let it go for the night.

A few days later we are out at the bar. Just a typically Friday night. Until I notice my friend and John walk in. Immediately I think to myself, "Oh no! Not again, I do not want to be banned from this bar over a silly fight!"
I try to steer Robin out the door before he sees John. I was not successful. Robin spotted him across the bar and changed paths quickly. I tense up- ready for the fight that was about to happen. Just as I thought I would hear a fist cracking a nose. I hear Robin shout out, "Hey! Remember me? You sure are a great fighter!"
John replied, "Yeah, man we sure put up a great brawl!"
I stand there bewildered at the scene unfolding in front of me. They are being civil and even getting a beer! How on Earth can this be happening? I look to my left- making eye contact with my friend. She looks just as stunned. I go up to her and say, "I am glad they are getting along but I will never understand how men can go from punching each other to being great friends."
She nodded in agreement. The rest of the night went on smoothly. Although in the back of my mind I am, and always will be, wondering how men's brain works.

Author's Note: This week I read about Robin Hood. Pretty much all of his stories involved some sort of brawl usually ending with the group going out for drinks. The particular one I based this story off of was how he met Little John. Little John is one of his major men throughout his outlaw tales. They met in the forest and got into a long fight until Robin decided he liked his style and made him one of the team. They end up going out for a feast and drinks. For my story I just wrote a little piece in modern times. I used the same names but made it a modern backyard and bar setting. Honestly, this is a true question I have for men. I have seen guys fight multiple times and then be back to being best friends by the end of the week. If two girls get in a fist fight they will most likely hate each other for the rest of their lives. That is just speculation- I have never been in a fist fight so I would not know that for sure. Maybe there is something about cracking your knuckles on someone's head that makes you like them. Heck, who knows!

Bibliography: Robin Hood and Little John. The English and Scottish Popular Ballads by Francis James Child (1882-1898).

Reading Diary Week Eleven: Robin Hood

Robin Hood. The English and Scottish Popular Ballads by Francis James Child (1882-1898).

Statue of Robin Hood

Progress to Nottingham
-Robin Hood killed a group of men because they said he couldnt do archery and when he proved it they did not pay the wager
Little John
-He was a large man that beat Robin Hood in a fight. After Robin was beat he decided this man needed to join his group so he taught him archery and gave him a spot in the group.
The Butcher
-This one was pretty confusing to read. Basically I gathered that he tricked some butchers into thinking he was rich and got a rich sheriff to come with him then stole all his stuff.
The Ranger
-This is another story of Robin Hood adding to his troop. This man was protecting the kings deer in the woods that Robin was trying to kill. They fought a long battle then Robin decided he wanted him on his team the same at Little John.
The Bold Pedler
-Little John and Robin Hood came across a pedlar and fought him for his things. When they asked him who he was he turned out to be his cousin so they all went for beers.
The Shepard
-Robin Hood fought a shepard and lost then little John fought him and also lost. Robin Hood is not as good of a fighter as I imagined.
Delight
-Another story of fighting men and losing and then drinking and becoming friends
The Pedlars
-They met pedlars again and tried to fight them Robin got knocked out and the pedlars said to take this as a lesson and gave him some medicine to make him better then he threw it up and they left.
Allen A Dale
-He met a man who was trying to marry this one lady but she was about to marry someone else so Robin swept in and got her to marry his friend
Rescuing Three Squires
-Robin comes across their mother who tells him of there sentencing to death. He sees it unjust and disguises himself as a beggar and saves the three men.

Week Ten Review

This cat is adorable and that cupcake makes me hungry!

Google Timer Tech Tip

Wow! I just learned how to set a timer with Google and it is amazing. I am always telling myself that I will work for X amount of minutes and then take a Netflix episode break. This will be a great way to keep track of that without having to constantly check my clock. We all know that just slows things down! This will really help me manage my time when I am working on my two online classes. This is something I really am needing to work on! I can also set it when I am scrolling Facebook so I do not spend too much time on there. I have a bad habit of being on Facebook for hours and not leaving myself a lot of time for homework.

Reading Diary Week Ten: Cherokee

Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney (1900).
First Story
-The earth was made by a beetle pulling soil to the water's surface
-The mountains were from a bird flying too close to the surface when the soil had not hardened yet
-They started rotating the sun east to west to dry out the land
-At first woman multiplied weekly until the population got large then woman could only multiply yearly
The First Fire
-The spider successfully retrieved the fire with a bowl of web
-The Raven is black because the fire charred his winds
-Owls eyes are red from the smoke
-Snakes slither side to side from dodging the burning ashes
The Journey to the sunrise
-A group of men wanted to see where the sun stayed at night
-They met many tribes along the way and at one point met one who buried the spouse alive when the other passed
-I thought that was odd because I read that same custom in another story- I think it was the one where the man went on seven crazy voyages
-The found his home but one was crushed when they tried to enter so the rest returned home
Origin of the Pleiades and the Pine
-A group of boys were too busy playing instead of working so the mother decided to punish them
-The boys rebelled and danced and prayed to the gods
-They were carried up to the stars but one boy was pulled back and fell into the earth and became a pine tree
The Moon and The Thunder
-The moon was courting the sun but the sun did not know who he was because she only saw him at night. So one night she put ashes on his face so at daybreak she would know. That is why the moon has dark spots. The moon was embarrassed so now he stays as far away as possible
-The moon is a ball that was thrown during a game illegally and is there to remind players not to cheat. games can only be played on a full moon
-Whenever an eclipse happens it is a frog trying to swallow the moon or sun so they shoot guns at it to scare it away
-The main thunders in the sky are helpful but there are other thunders around earth that cause mischief. If you point at a rainbow your finger swells
The Deluge
-This story was strange, it didnt really have an ending
-It reminded me of Noahs Ark he built a raft for the flood but he only saved his family and when the water went down everywhere he went ghosts were dancing
Tobacco and Strawberries
-their one tobacco plant was stolen and without it this old woman was dying
-every animal tried to retrieve it but the thief killed them as soon as he saw them
-finally the hummingbird tried and was so swift and small he could not be caught and killed
-he saved the people by returning the tobacco plant
-a husband and wife were fighting and she ran off, he tried to chase her but couldnt catch up
-so a god put fruits in her path to try and get her to stop but she paid no attention until he made a new fruit the strawberry which got her to stop
-they got back together
Rabbit Goes Duck Hunting
-A sly rabbit tries to do all these tricks to impress people, one day he tries to catch a duck who ends up flying off with him
-He falls into a tree and is stuck until some kids cut him out and he scurries away
Rabbit steals Otters Coat
-The rabbit tricked the otter into taking off his coat and wearing it himself for a compitition
-when he got to the competition he was recognized as the rabbit and his tail was pulled off
Why the Possums Tail is Bare
-The rabbit is a trickster again
-Out of jealousy the rabbit convinced the cricket to brush the possoms tail but really cut all the hair off without him knowing.
How the Terrapin Beat the Rabbit
-He hid out his identical friends at each ridge and he hid at the finish line and when the rabbit got close and wore out he crossed the finish line winning the race
Flint Visited Rabit
-Flint was evil and everyone wanted him dead
-Trickster Rabbit thought he could do it so he befriends flint and invites him to dinner
-After dinner Flint falls asleep and Rabbit shatters him with a mallet which is why we find flint everywhere
Deer and Rabbit
-the deer and the rabbit were racing to see who would get the antlers
-the rabbit cheated and cut a neat path so the deer would have to run through thick brush
-since he cheated the deer automatically got the antlers
-the rabbit was jealous so he tricked the deer into thinking he needed sharper teeth
-the deer foolishly let him sharpen his teeth but he really just cut them down to the gum so now deer can only eat soft things

A Cute Deer

Tech Tip: Weather Widget

Hey guys! Just wanted to let everyone know I finally got around to making a weather widget. Hopefully there will be more fun widgets added soon! Here is a link on how to add one to your own page! http://onlinecourselady.pbworks.com/w/page/34993067/weatherunderground

Reading Plans

The first unit that sticks out to me is the Cherokee unit. Cherokee is my Native American heritage so I love reading old tales and learning their history. I also like that it is written in the original oral tradition. It makes these stories different from previous readings. I also really love origin stories- they have been my favorite so far this semester. This unit is full of them.
I also want to read the American Indian Fairy Tales unit. I have not read any fairy tales so far this semester, so I feel this unit will be a nice change of pace. I am excited to read something written for a slightly younger audience as well.

From The Little Girl and Boy in the Clouds

Blog Ideas

The first blog I came to that had a neat feature was Eryn's blog. She has a weather widget set up which I think is a great idea! It adds more character to her blog, it also makes it more interactive. Something else for her readers to click on. I also enjoyed the setup of her labels. She has then going down in size by how much they are used. I looks really neat on her blog.
http://mischmyth.blogspot.com/

The second interesting design I came to was Patrick's. I like how he had his labels going across the top of the page. I think it makes for easier access for his readers.
http://patrickkschaefer.blogspot.com/

The third item I found that I wanted to add to my profile was from Ashlie's page. She has a link to a Pinterest page and I think that is such a great idea!
http://oklahomafornow.blogspot.com/

Time Management Post Spring Break

My time schedule for this class has changed a little bit since the start of the semester. Originally I planned on doing two hours a day Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. After we started getting into the readings and commenting; I found that I typically do the readings on Monday or Tuesday (depending on when I work), I do the storytelling and project on Wednesday, and then the project feedback and blog commenting on Friday or Sunday (depending on my weekend schedule). After spring break I start another online course. I have no idea what the course load will be like yet, but I know I will have to manage my time wisely to get all of my work done. I am also job searching for post grad so I know that most of my Thursdays and Fridays will be taken up by job interviews since I do not have class on those days. So I will have to manage most of my homework Sunday-Wednesday after spring break. I am excited to start the last weeks of my time as an undergraduate and I look forward to finishing up all my classes in a timely manner!

My thoughts whenever I have time to just sit down

Storytelling Week Seven: My Wicked Stepdaughter

Dear Diary,

I am so overwhelmed with joy! Today is the day I get to marry the handsome Prince Toyonari. I have waited my entire life to meet a man of his perfection and class. Everything about this marriage will be perfect. My soon- to- be husband is handsome, courageous, generous and very wealthy. And my son will be next in line to his status and fortune! Well, as long as I can get the girl out of the picture. Did I tell you about the child he has? My goodness, he is obsessed with her! Apparently his first wife couldn’t have children so she is some miracle baby from the gods. She doesn’t seem very special to me, just an obstacle in the grand scheme. But that is okay- I know how to handle problems.

XOXO,

Lady Terute

Dear Diary,

This child is so frustrating! I have tried to trick her into being disrespectful so as to have her punished. But no matter what task I give her or rude thing I say she just takes it with no complaints! Her abnormal kindness is ruining all my plans! She is stealing my attention from MY HUSBAND. And she is showing up my boy! She is a talented musician and poet and everyone swoons over her every word. She was even asked to play at the palace! She puts on a great front, showing everyone her grace and charm. But I know, deep down, that she is an accident waiting to happen. She can’t stay this perfect forever. Her dark past will catch up with her. No child makes it through the loss of a parent unscathed.

XOXO,

Lady Terute

Dear Diary,

Well I have devised a plan. If she won’t show her true colors now, it is best I do not wait around on her to explode. That could be treacherous! For the sake of everyone around her, I feel it is best to get rid of her now. I have decided to poison her. I went and got the concoction from a friend today. I will mix it in her wine at playtime tomorrow. Wish me luck!

XOXO,

Lady Terute

Dear Diary,

I am writing today with a heavy heart. My son has passed. And it is all the girl’s fault. How you ask? Well, let me tell you. I mixed the wines accordingly, being careful to mark the poisonous cup. I took the wine to the playroom for the children and handed them out. I looked away for one minute and somehow the girl switched the cups! She must have known one was poison. She has to be a witch of sorts. This is even more of a reason for me to get rid of her! She is a nuisance to society! First she takes my husband’s attention and now she takes my only son’s life. She will be gone soon, mark my words.

XOXO,

Lady Terute

Dear Diary,

My husband left today, so it was the perfect time to strike. With him gone, I am head of the household. So, today I ordered our servant to take the girl to the woods and kill her. I explained her witchcraft to him and how she is harmful to us if she stays here. He obliged and they left early this afternoon. It was such a wonderful feeling watching her be escorted away. I have never felt so powerful and free. And honestly, it needed to be done for the good of the country. No child is that perfect without something being wrong. She must be a witch, so she needs to be taken care of. I know I made the right decision.

XOXO,

Lady Terute

Dear Diary,

Bad news. When my husband returned to his daughter missing, I told him she ran away. Naturally he went out to look for her. I, assuming she was dead, wasn’t worried. Well, today I received word that he has found her! That wretched girl must have pleaded for her life and that awful servant stayed out there and kept her alive! You just can’t seem to find good help these days. I should have taken her out there myself. Oh well, none of that matters now. He is going to have me executed if I do not leave. So now I must make a run for it. Hopefully my father will take me back in. It will probably be a while before I can write again. So wish me luck and I will try and make the best of this awful situation.

XOXO,

Lady Terute

Daughter being saved by father

Author's Note: This is the story of Princess Hase. She has an evil stepmother who tries to kill her multiple times. All of her plans fail miserably, and in one attempt she even accidentally killed her own son. In the end her father finds out about his wife's plan and runs her out of town. The father and daughter live happily together after that. For my retelling, I kept the plot the same. All the events in my retelling actually happen in the original story. In the original story it is told by a third person voice. For my story, I thought it would be fun to write it in the stepmother's voice. Historically we never really see the evil stepmother's side of the story. So, I thought this would be fun and different. I always assume in stories with evil stepmothers there is an alternative reason to jealousy that the stepmothers have for hating the stepdaughters. So for my retelling I added that the stepmother was convinced the girl was a witch. Therefore, killing her was the right thing to do. After doing some research on Princess Hase I have found that many compare her story to Cinderella. This was my first thought as well when I read the original story. The story explained some of the princess's accomplishments specifically in music and poetry. In my research I found she is also accredited with the art of embroidery. 

Bibliography: The Story of Princess Hase. Japanese Fairy Tales by Yei Theodora Ozaki (1908).

Reading Diary Week Seven cont.: Japanese Fairy Tales

The Goblin of Adachigahara

• A monk was traveling one night and got lost in an empty plain, he found shelter in an old woman's hut
• when she went to get more firewood he looked around her place finding a room filled with skeletons
• He then released she was going to kill him, she was the goblin he had heard stories of 
• So he ran away and ran all night with her chasing him until daylight broke and she vanished

The Ogre of Rashomon

• A brave knight fights a large scary ogre seizing his arm in the battle
• The ogre returns as an old woman to retrieve his arm and escapes before he can be harmed again
• The ogres never returned to the city out of fear of this brave knight

The Story of Princess Hase

• She was born via prayers from her parents who were having trouble conceiving
• Her mother died when she was young but still taught her manners
• Her new stepmother hated her and treated her awful, even tried to poison her but accidentally poisoned her son instead
• She then had her sent away while her father was on business
• The servant sent to kill her decided to just stay with her in the forest until her father returned
• Upon his return he found his daughter in the wood and his second wife ran away for fear of what the father would say to her for banishing his daughter
• the daughter and father lived a happy peaceful life after that

Japanese Fairy Tales by Yei Theodora Ozaki (1908).

The princess being rescued by her father

Reading Diary Week Seven: Japanese Fairy Tales

My Lord Bag of Rice

• A man wanted to go out a find an adventure/prove his masculinity
• He came across a dragon but was not afraid nor did he try and kill it since it was sleeping and posing no threat
• The dragon then changed form to human and requested his help in killing the enemy
• He said yes thinking it would be a great adventure and killed the enemy with creativity (human saliva)
• The dragon king gave him gifts that could not be used up ever and he became very wealthy

The Golden Boy

• A woman was forced to live in the woods after her husband died and his enemies kicked her and her unborn boy out
• The boy become very strong and well acquainted with the animals
• One day a general saw him and his great strength and recruited him to be a samurai
• He became the biggest hero in the land and brought his mother back to the city and cared for her

The Man who did not wish to die

• A man was afraid of death and went in search of eternal life
• He prayed to a God that could supposedly grant him that
• The God put him in a dream and showed him what it would be like to live for hundreds of years
• The man realized he did not desire to live forever and he would prosper in his life by being a good soul

Japanese Fairy Tales by Yei Theodora Ozaki (1908)

Bird that transports you to eternal life

Tech Tip: Blogger Template

Well it took me six weeks...but I finally changed the background on my blog! It is now a way better representation of my personality. It is bright and fun and remind me a bit of a childhood wallpaper. But hey, that is okay because I am not ready to grow up quite yet! It is also my favorite color. Pretty much anything on the blue/green spectrum is my favorite color honestly. Let me know what you think!

Storytelling Week Six: Bad First Date

Bad First Date

{Radio Hosts} “Hey man, this is Cash and Bradley’s Second Date on K 95.5 Tulsa. What can we do for you?”

{Skull} “Hey y'all, my name is Skull and I went on what I thought was a really great date with this beautiful girl named Afiong. I thought we had a great time and now she isn’t returning my calls. I would really like to know why she doesn’t want to go on a second date. “

{Radio Hosts} “Yeah man, let’s give her a call and see what she has to say.”

[Phone rings.]

{Female voice} “Hello?”

{Radio Hosts} “Hello! Is this Afiong?"

{Female voice} "Yeah?"

{Radio Hosts} "Hey Afiong, it is Cash and Bradley and we have a mutual friend, Skull - remember him?”

{Afiong nervously} “Yeah, hey, I remember him - we went out once.”

{Radio Hosts} “Yeah, we heard! We also heard you weren’t returning his calls. We were just curious about what went wrong on that first date to make you not call him back.”

{Afiong} “Well, it was all going great at first. He was a very handsome man. I saw him at the market and just knew I wanted to talk to him. Almost a love at first sight kind of deal.

Well, I decided to invite him home with me. He met my parents and made a great impression. We talked into the wee hours of the night and loved every second of it. In the morning he asked me to come with him to meet his mother back in his town. Of course, I was so infatuated with him I could think of nothing else to say but OMG YES! I was thinking maybe it was finally my turn to find true love and get married. So that evening we went over to his mom’s place - everything was going fine at first. But then, he just up and left me. He left me alone with his old, decrepit mother for the rest of the night! He didn’t even say where he was going or when he would be back. At first it wasn’t a big deal but then she kept asking me to do all these chores for her. And what was I supposed to say? I couldn’t tell this poor old lady no. So I cleaned her house, mowed her lawn, did her laundry and even gave her a pedicure. All before he ever came home. And then, he came home drunk! He left me with his mother to go get drunk with friends. Of course I was done at this point. I vowed never to answer his calls. He is not handsome enough to deal with all that drama.”

[The radio hosts were silent, struck with disbelief at this wild story.]

{Radio Hosts} “Wow. That is probably the best reason to not call back we have ever heard on this show. Sorry to spring this on you, but Skull is actually on the line listening. Skull, do you have anything to say for yourself?”

{Skull} “You and my mother were getting along so well. I got a text from my buddies to go out since I was in town and I figured you could manage alone for a bit.”

{Afiong}” Six hours! You were gone for six hours!”

{Skull} “Hey! We weren’t in a serious relationship. I didn’t feel like I needed to check in with you or tell you what I was doing. I can do whatever I want and be gone for as long as I want! I am my own person.”

{Afiong} “Yeah, you’re right. We weren’t in a serious relationship, which is even more of a reason to not leave me alone with your mother! Gosh, my parents were so right about you! You are a selfish jerk!”

{Skull} “Whatever, you weren’t that hot anyways!”

[Phone clicks.]

{Radio Hosts} “Wow… well, that got a bit more heated than we anticipated. Usually we offer a free meal to a couple who agree to try out a second date. But after that fiasco, it sounds like you need a dinner for one. So we will send you some free dinner coupons to try and help you forget that awful date.”

{Afiong} “OMG thank you guys so much! As awful as it was, it was a great learning experience. I now know that my parents' instincts have been around a lot longer than mine and are actually pretty reliable.”

Author’s Note: This retelling is based off a Nigerian tale about a girl who marries a skull from the spirit world. She is blinded by his false beauty and marries him against her parents' wishes. He then takes her home with him, which turns out to be the spirit world. He turns back into his ugly self and she is left to care for his old mother. In the original story the mother is actually pretty nice. She keeps the girl from being hurt by all the cannibals in the spirit world and then eventually helps her make an escape to her home town. When I read this story it got me thinking about this radio show I have heard where the radio hosts call people who went on a blind date to see what went wrong and try to hook them back up again. It is out of Tulsa, Oklahoma. I decided this Nigerian tale could make a good bad first date story, so I retold it as the radio show. I changed the ending a bit and didn’t use Skull’s mother as her escape from him. I just made it into a public fight instead. I kept all the names the same and the overarching lesson of trusting your parents the same as well because I feel like that is a great lesson to be learned. 

Bibliography: Folk Stories From Southern Nigeria by Elphinstone Dayrell (1910). The Disobedient Daughter Who Married a Skull

The Actual Hosts of Second Date

Reading Diary Week Six cont: Nigeria

Folk Stories From Southern Nigeria by Elphinstone Dayrell (1910).

Eagle, King of the Birds

The Story of the Lightning and the Thunder

• Whenever lightning is mad he becomes destructive and burns and destroys land and homes
• Thunder is lightnings mother and she yells at him when he becomes destructive but it usually doesn't make him stop

The Bush Cow and the Elephant

• They did not like each other and were fighting for domaninance 
• They fought in the middle of town and were scaring the people
• a monkey sees the fight and goes to get someone to stop it but forgets on the way
• eventually he remembers and the towns king kills the two animals

The Cock Who Caused a Fight Between Two Towns

• Another story about jealousy
• A man was jealous of two brothers so he started a fight between them by claiming one stole the others pet to kill
• the two brothers and their towns fought and then the king stopped it and found that the third man had started the fight out of jealousy and he was sentenced to death

The Affair of the Hippopotamus and the Tortoise

• The hippo always served all the animals dinner
• He then started saying if you did not know his name you could not eat
• One tortoise said what happens if I know your name and the hippo says he will go down to the water in shame
• The tortoise finds out his name from one of his wives and the hippos then live in the water from then on. 

Why Dead People are Buried

• A king sent a dog out with a message on how to revive people after death
• He got distracted and forgot to spread the message
• So the king sent a sheep to do it but he spread the wrong messages, that people should just be buried at death and it just stuck

Of the Fat Woman Who Melted Away

• More jealousy stories
• The fat wife could not go out in the sun but the other wife nagged her until she did
• She melted outside but her toe was saved so she could be reborn
• The husband returned the other wife to her parents who sold her as a slave to repay him his dowry for their daughters jealous behaviors

Why the Moon Waxes and Wanes

• The moon used to provide for an old woman and the people got mad because the moon was getting thin
• They stopped the woman from taking from the moon and she eventually died
• the moon was scared and stayed in the sky from here on out getting fat and thin over and over

How the Tortoise Overcame the Elephant and the Hippopotamus

• the tortoise tricked them into thinking he was strong by tying a rope to a rock and a tree and pretending it was him 
• They both wanted to befriend him after that thinking he was strong
• So he went to the water and his son went to land with the elephant 
• this is why tortoises live on land and water

The King and the 'Nsiat Bird

• The king wanted to marry this beautiful bird but she had a curse of having twins which is not allowed
• when she had her twins she and her family ran away to the tree tops to avoid being killed for having twins

Concerning the Hawk and the Owl

• The hawk took a baby owl to eat but since the parents were so quiet when he took the child he became nervous of what they were going to plot as revenge
• He decided to return the baby owl and get a baby chicken instead
• the chickens were very loud and crazy so he knew they would not plan revenge over the night so he continues to feed on chicks forever

The 'Nsasak Bird and the Odudu Bird

• These birds are competing to see who can go the longest without eating
• The Nsasak bird sneaks out of his cage at night and eats while the other bird eventually dies
• The Nsasak bird wins the title of the best bird in the land

The Election of the King Bird

• The birds had a fight to establish dominance and the eagle won
• now eagles are seen as a sign of good or bad luck depending on their flight patterns and help with hunting when you wear their feathers

Reading Diary Week Six: Nigeria

Folk Stories From Southern Nigeria by Elphinstone Dayrell (1910).

Angry but Cute Cat 

Of the Pretty Stranger Who Killed the King

• Moral of the story is do not trust strangers
• A shape shiftier changed into a young girl to get close to the awful king then kill him in his sleep
• This king was a awful person who rampaged other countries and took many prisoners and made them slave

Why the Bat Flies by Night

• The bat tricks his "friend" the bush rat into killing himself
• Once they realized the bat caused the incident they tried to kill him
• He hid out while they looked all day and had to adjust his habits and only come out for food at night so he didn't get caught

The Disobedient Daughter Who Married a Skull

• The daughter was more interesting in looks when searching for a husband
• When she finally found a man handsome enough for her he takes her to his homeland which is really the spirit world where she could be eaten by the cannibals
• She befriends and old lady who hides her and eventually sneaks her out of the spirit world and returns her home
• The girl then starts listening to her parents and not marrying just for looks

The King Who Married the Cock's Daughter

• This story was really strange, I think the king married an animal, but I am a little unsure. 
• The kings other wives were jealous of his most recent one (the possible hen) and made her look stupid so the king would get rid of her
• When the king found out of this plan he kicked out the woman who headed the plan and she was left on the street
• Moral of the story, do not let jealousy overcome you

The Woman, the Ape, and the Child

• This was a bit of a confusing story
• Basically the moral is to not trust what everyone says because alot of people ended up dying because a jealous man made up a story
• A jealous man basically told another man his wife was being unfaithful and the man killed his wife and since they were from different towns the two towns started fighting over it and a good chunk of people died

The Fish and the Leopard's Wife

• The fish was an adulterer and was sentenced to life underwater as punishment for his bad deeds

Why the Worms Live Underneath the Ground

• Ants tried to fight the worms to establish dominance so the worms hid out underground and have stayed there always fearful for their lives

The Elephant and the Tortoise

• A jealous tortoise tricked the elephant into losing his eyes
• a generous worm loaned the elephant his eyes but the elephant could never give them back
• this is why the elephant has small eyes and worms are blind

Why a Hawk Kills Chickens

• The hawk married a hen and paid her parents a dowry for her
• The hen left the hawk and her parents could not repay the dowry so the hawk takes chicks when he sees them as a repayment.

Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky

• They invited water over to visit but the water was too big and drove them out into the sky

Why the Cat Kills Rats

• The rat was stealing from the cat to give presents to his sweetheart
• When the rat was found out the girl was beaten (which is dumb, I doubt she knew they were stolen) and the rat was given to the Cat
• The cat lost his job so he ate the rat out of anger and has hated rats ever since

Thoughts about Comments

In my opinion, the comments that are the most useful for me are the ones that ask questions. When they ask questions about my stories it helps me know where I was unclear in my writing. I know I have a tendency in my writing to leave items out because I know them in my head but I forget that other's cannot read my mind. So when they ask questions I can go back through and elaborate on the sections I did not give enough information. I also love all the compliments. It makes me feel very proud of my writing and makes me want to reciprocate that positive energy to the other stories I comment on.

As for my comments, I have not been doing very great with them. I missed a week of commenting. But for the other weeks I try to really analyze the stories and comment well. I need to slow down when reading the stories sometimes so I can give the most productive comments.

Storytelling Week Five: The Nightmares

Carried Away

Dear Diary,
The dreams have started again. Tonight I was sailing across the ocean. It was a beautiful deep blue. The air smelt like a combination of salt and fish guts. It was both amazing and disgusting at the same time. The crew was large, between our merchandise and our persons the ship barely stayed afloat. We stopped at many ports trading for goods and hoping to be profitable at the end of the trip. We ended up stopped at an island to explore some the large trees onshore we saw all the way from the ship. We discovered many delicious fruits and nuts. I ate myself full and laid down to tan in the warm sun. That is when I woke up. I am glad this one was a good dream, I was getting tired of all the nightmares. It makes me nervous to go to sleep tonight. I just never know what is going to happen. Wish me luck Diary!

Dear Diary,
Well, tonight it turned into a nightmare. I hope this doesn't become a trend again. I cannot afford to lose more sleep. In tonight's dream, I found myself alone on the beach. I looked all around and couldn't find any of my shipmates. At this point, my only option was to explore the island inward to try and find some help. As I was trekking my way through the thick brush I came to a massive nest with a single egg in it. Quickly I realized my only way to escape was to ride the massive bird who owns this egg off of this deserted island. When the bird returned I jumped on her, strapping myself to her leg. After a while she took off in search of food. When she came to her next resting spot I jumped off to take a look around. At this point I woke up sweating and my heart pounding. How scary, to be alone like that? Hopefully I won't have another dream, and if I do I hope it ends well. Dreaming about being left all alone on an island is not the best way to sleep at night.

Dear Diary,
It happened again. Another dream. Tonight I was back on the second piece of land. I had wandered upon a valley full of massive and beautiful diamonds. I started to gather all the ones I could carry in my pack. I figured they may come in handy later. I then started over the far hill to see what I could find. I came across a small village and after much negotiation and trading of my diamonds I found someone to take me home! I then woke up and was so thankful that this set of dreams had a happy ending!

Author's Note: This retelling is based off of one of Sindbad's voyages. In his voyage he gets forgotten on the island and had to ride a Roc to the next island. He then gathers diamonds there that he finds and rides an eagle to civilization. He then happens across the original ship that left him being reunited with all his goods and a trip home. For my retelling I wanted to write from the point of a diary and this voyage taking place in dreams over a couple nights. I tried to stick to the original plot for the most part because it is such an interesting story.

Bibliography: The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1898).

Week Five Reading Diary cont: Voyages of Sindbad

Fifth Voyage: He built his own ship that ended up being destroyed by Rocs who dropped boulders on it. He swam ashore and was made captive by a crazy old man. He escaped by getting him drunk and running away eventually finding his way back with riches.
Sixth Voyage: He set off again getting caught in a current that crashed the ship into a mountain. To escape the deserted area he rode a raft down a stream that went underground when he emerged he was taken care of and helped home.
Seventh Voyage: He did not want to leave since all of his troubles at sea but his king wants him to run an errand and he couldn't say no. The voyage there went smoothly but on the way back he was kidnapped by pirates and sold in the slave trade. He worked as a slave killing elephants for months until he found their burial ground and made his owner very rich. He was then granted freedom to return home.

The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1898).

I just love elephant images

Week Five Reading Diary: Voyages of Sindbad

First Voyage: It started out making me think about the biblical story Jonah and the whale
he floated to shore and met some men who took him inland to the king who kept him safe until his original ship passed back through and he sailed home to buy a new place to live.
Second Voyage: He gets left on a deserted island because he isn't smart enough to tell someone he is setting down for a nap so they don't leave him. Then a bird takes him to diamonds which he smartly gathers many off then meets some merchants and finds his way home. he then gives money to the poor which is pretty cool
Third Voyage: this is the one that is like the Greek legend where they stab the one eyed giant in the eye to blind of their escape. This man has great luck that he keeps finding the ships that he was originally lost from so he never really loses his money or merchandise. Also is surprises me that him and the captain do not recognize each other at first. For someone you are stuck on a ship with you would think you would recognize them
Fourth Voyage: This is probably the most wild one yet. He is shipwrecked and survived and was saved and taken to another king who then decided he wanted Sindbad to stay on his land so he married Sindbad off. Then Sindbad learns that when his wife dies it is customary to be buried alive with her. His wife eventually falls ill and dies and he is buried alive. He find a hole to sneak out of and finds a valley full of jewels. He was down a ship who then carries him home.

The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1898).

Roc carrying an elephant