Week 1: Introduction

Hello everyone!

My name is Shelbi Sutterfield. I am a senior majoring in Health and Exercise Science. I will be graduating in December. However, I still do not know the answer to everyone's favorite question, "What are you going to do after you graduate?' I do have a few things in mind though. I know I want to go to grad school, most likely here, to study Exercise Physiology. And as of right now, I am considering pursuing a career in cardiac rehab; but much like any other college student, I like to change my mind a lot!!

I am from Glenpool, Oklahoma, which is a small town outside of Tulsa. I graduated with a class of 150 people, so it was a bit of a culture change when I moved to Norman! Nevertheless I have adjusted quite well, and have been thoroughly enjoying my college experience.

Probably the main reason I have enjoyed college so much is because I have gotten to meet so many new people. I consider myself to be a social person, so making new friends is always something I look forward to. And one of the greatest thing about this university is there are so many different types of people here; I have really been able to branch out and broaden my horizons. As cheesy as that sounds, it is so true! I have friends who have a lot of the same interests as me, but I have also found that I can be friends with people who have completely different interests than me. Some of the things I like to do include: playing sports, working out, going out dancing, going to church, or pretty much anything with a group of friends. However, through some of the new friends I have made, I have learned to have a greater appreciation for things like playing video games and reading.

Personal photo of  me and my best friends at church from summer 2014. Note: Those are IBC root beer bottles in our hands :)

Although I love being independent and living on my own, I do have a dog back home, who I miss more than my family! Anytime I call back home my dad has to give me a report on how Jake is doing. Jake is 10 years old, but he still acts like a puppy. There is no better feeling than coming home for the holidays or a rare weekend visit, and having a furry friend who is excited to see you.

Personal photo of myself and Jake, taken March 2014. 

Anyways, I think that's enough about me...Hope everyone had a great summer and has a great semester!!

Week 1: Storybook Favorites

The first storybook that caught my eye was Lions of Aesop's Fables. Lions have always been my favorite non-domestic animal. I actually did my fourth grade research project over lions-impressive, I know.
I felt like the introduction was nicely put together. I loved the picture of the lion cub at the top of the page. Also, I felt like the author did a good job by leaving the end of the introduction as sort of a cliffhanger; that definitely sparked my interest in reading the other stories.
As far as design goes, I thought the website was very well put together, and easy to navigate; which is a huge plus for someone like me who is not the most tech savvy person. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the different lion pictures as well.

The second storybook that I was intrigued by was Happily Ever After? A Prince's Perspective. Much like any other girl, I loved Disney princess movies growing up...and still have a soft spot for them in my heart today. So I thought the idea of showing what happened after the "happily ever after" was a great idea, especially coming from the princes' perspectives!!
The introduction did prompt me to click through the other stories. I liked that there was a brief summary of what was going through the different princes' minds. The summaries did a nice job of setting the stage for the rest of the stories.
Much like the website for Lions of Aesop's Fables, I found it very easy to navigate in between the different stories on this website. I also thought the "author's note" was a nice feature to have on each story. Even though Disney princesses are well known throughout today's culture, one cannot always assume that everyone knows the story of Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty.

The next storybook that grabbed my attention was Nursery Rhymes Gone Wrong. I really do love it when people take well-known concepts, such as nursery rhymes, and put a new spin on things! I find these new spins even more interesting when they go against the norm. Since everyone expects nursery rhymes to be all rainbows and butterflies, it is slightly refreshing when someone stirs up the pot and makes the conflict go unresolved.
I thought the introduction was very creative. I liked that a character from one nursery rhyme was connected to characters of the other nursery rhymes. The introduction did a nice job of setting the stage, and providing just enough information about each nursery rhyme to make the reader continue reading.
The design of the website was easy to navigate, just like the other two websites I visited. I really liked the "Wrap Up" link. I thought it was a nice touch to provide some closure for the readers; because even though I liked the chaos, it was nice to know that all the "rhymies" will be okay.

Week 1: The Un-Textbook

I can honestly say that I am not well versed in stories that fall under the mythology and/or folklore categories. So I am looking forward to expanding my reading horizons, and possibly discovering a new genre of reading that I really enjoy. Despite my curiosity, this task is also a bit daunting. However, I am ready to take on the challenge. I can hear my dad using one of his favorite phrases, "Another opportunity to excel."


Week 2:
I really enjoyed looking through Aesop's fables for the first storytelling assignment, so I suspect that I will be reading through more of his fables for this week. I am also interested to see how the audio works, so I am inclined to choose the ones that are illustrated by Milo Winter.


Week 3:
As a Christian I am drawn in by the biblical stories. I am particularly intrigued by the Bible Women stories. As a woman of faith, I am looking forward to reading more about women in the Bible.


Week 4:
The Ancient Egypt section caught my eye right away. I have always been fascinated by the pyramids, pharaohs, and Egyptian culture as a whole. Noticing the icon representing their are pictures included has me hoping there will be several pictures of their drawings and hieroglyphics.


Week 5:
Growing up, Aladdin was always one of my favorite Disney movies. It is no surprise that the Arabian Nights grabbed my attention. As I was browsing through the table of contents, I noticed there are several stories about Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp, so I am really looking forward to this unit.


Week 6:
One of my really good friends is originally from the Philippines, so I am naturally drawn into the Filipino Folktales section. I am hoping that this will be a section that will make me more well versed in the Filipino culture, and that I will be able to discuss my new knowledge with my friend.

Week 1 Storytelling: The Folly of the Wild Goats

It was a dark, rainy day in the Grand Valley. So a herd of wild goats decided to seek refuge in a nearby cave. The mother goats gathered to tell stories of what their kids had eaten that week. Molly, who was the mother of Timothy, boasted, "I caught my little Timmy chewing on Farmer Bill's work boots earlier this week." The other mother goats burst into an uproar of laughter, which then led to a competition of who could shout out their kid's eating accomplishments the loudest.

While the mothers told stories of their kids, the fathers told stories from their younger years. Rex, who was the husband of Molly and the father of Timothy gloated, "Yep, back in my prime I once had a grazing date with Sheila, and a frolicking date with Rebecca in the same day." It was no secret that Rex was quite the nanny's man back in the day; that is, until he met Molly. So at the mention of his "prime", the other father goats hounded Rex, and reminded him of how Molly came in and became his old ball and chain after only 4 days.

The kids, unbeknownst to their parents, were competing in an intense game of Tag-o-Ramma (wild goats' version of tag). Timothy was known amongst the other kids as the King of Tag-o-Ramma. He was very elusive, but on the rare occasion that he was tagged, he showed no mercy in passing off the tagging duty to another kid. Rumor was that he chipped off a piece of Ronda's horn from ramming her into a tree as he tagged her. Given that they were in a dimly lit cave, this made the game that much more extreme. The kids were frantically running about the cave when Timothy shouted, "Come at me, Parker! I dare ya!'

Parker was about to make a run at Timothy when all of sudden there was an awful screeching noise. There was a creature thrashing about in the cave, and wreaking all kinds of havoc. Some of the wild goats fled immediately; Molly, Rex, and Timothy leading them. Others, however, remained in the cave ready to fight. They circled around the jolting creature, and to their surprise, discovered it was only a donkey.

Realizing that he had been discovered, the donkey, Dustin, fled from the cave. His lion friend, Troy, promptly greeted him. Dustin realized that Troy had managed to slay a few of the wild goats that had ran from the cave. Dustin and Troy proudly drug their dinner under a nearby tree.

As they ate their dinner, Dustin and Troy speculated whether or not the three wild goats they were eating were the ones they had overheard bragging in the cave. Either way, they had full bellies, and a more humble outlook on life.

A very confident, yet foolish-looking goat.
openclipart

Author's Note:

This story is based on Aesop's fable "The Lion and the Ass".  In Aesop's fable, the lion and the ass team up as hunting partners. The role of the ass was to cause a commotion and run the goats out of the cave, while the lion captured and killed them. Similar to my story, in Aesop's fable, the lion and the ass were successful in their hunting endeavor. The moral of Aesop's fable was "The loud-mouthed boaster does not impress nor frighten those that know him.", meaning that the lion was not impressed or frightened by the ass. I slightly changed the moral of the story. The moral of my story can be seen as only cowards are boastful, or that prideful boasting can lead to very negative consequences. 

Bibliography

Book: Aesop for Children, illustrated by Milo Winter

Author: Aesop

Year Published: 1919

Web Source: Project Gutenberg

Week 1: My Favorite Place

I have never really been much of a traveler, so my favorite place is pretty basic...the swimming pool. I love being near the water, whether it's the pool, the lake, the ocean, it doesn't really matter to me. In my opinion, there is nothing better than a warm day spent laying out in the sun, and having a nearby body of water just makes it that much better. Although I have never been to a place that has a pool near a beach as shown in my picture, I definitely would not pass up the opportunity!

Pool near Ashvem Beach in Goa, India
flickr