Week 13: Cheezburger Tech Tip

I decided to make a cute cat meme at Cheezburger. The hardest part of this was fighting with blogger to spell cheezburger the right way. You should try it, it is a lot of fun. I included the link above.

Week 13: Review

My favorite image from this week's announcements was from Wednesday, November 18. Gosh, that feels like forever ago. I chose this chart from Sabio Lantz because it shows the history of the English language, which I think is pretty cool. Here is the link to the full size version.

Week 12: Famous Last Words

(A personal photo of mine and my boyfriend's cat, Link)

Well, the semester is almost over. I am actually really excited about that. Capstone has been really rough and this past week or two have been the worst. It really won't be over until Thanksgiving Break/this Friday. Tomorrow and Wednesday are going to be the worst two days this entire semester. I have two papers to write and a test to take. I guess you can assume that I will finally have my first all-nighter this semester. WOOO! Except not really, those things are absolutely dreadful. I love sleep far too much.

Hopefully, by Tuesday night after my test is done, everything will be a bit less stressful. I am pretty sure this is the first in class test I have taken all semester and that kind of freaks me out in all honesty. But, I will say, after this week everything in all of my classes hits a wall and slows down a lot. This class is the only one with the same pace, but I love this class so it is okay with me! :)

Meanwhile, my birthday is this coming Friday! I am really excited about that. I am going to be 23! My boyfriend is flying in from Virginia and then we will fly back together next Monday for Thanksgiving break. I cannot wait. I need a mini vacation. Having almost a week with my family, my boyfriend and pets will be the best birthday gift of all. I seriously cannot wait.

I hope everyone else is doing well this semester and the pressure isn't too bad. Especially with my fellow seniors who are currently taking capstones right now! You can do it you guys! WE can do it!

Will probably do another one of these posts over the next few weeks. I am kind of sad that this class is starting to end. I feel like I just started to get to know people. It's okay tho. Anyways, hope everyone has a good week! Bye :)

Week 12: Review

This week's favorite post came from the announcements on Thursday, November 12. After watching the debate last night, this was even more cute to me. I hope you all enjoy the chart like I did.

Extra Reading Diary: Reading Diary B: English Fairy Tales

Since I missed the real Reading Diary A, I decided to use this opportunity to finish the English Fairy Tale Unit. Below are my favorite stories:

(Mr. Miacca illustration done by John D. Batten, 1890.)

Mr. Fox: Okay, when I first read this story, I wasn't anticipating how gruesome it would get. Boy, did it get gruesome pretty fast. It was pretty crazy that she presented what she saw as a dream. I didn't think that she kept the hand as proof that he was killing women. Pretty cool. Weirdly reminded me of Crimson Peak.

Johnny-Cake: It really was like the Gingerbread man!! I thought it was funny when Johnny-Cake yelled at the fox but then the fox just ate him right after he was bragging. Too funny.

Mr. Miacca: Kind of like how this played on tropes where the reader learns about how bad actions lead to bad consequences. Reminded me of Hansel and Gretel in a weird way.

Reading Diary A: English Fairy Tales

This week, I chose to read from the English Fairy Tales Unit. Below are a few of my favorite tales.

(A drawing of three little pigs and a wolf from a YouTube video.)

Tom Tit Tot: This sounds eerily similar to Rumplestiltskin. Was very easy to read and I really enjoyed it.

The Rose Tree: Right off the bat, I knew this was the English Fairy tale version of Snow White but with a brother and death. Why in the old tales did the stepmom eat the liver and the heart? Any major significance?

Mouse and Mouser: Was not anticipating the cat to eat the mouse. Kind of took me by surprise. The repetition and rhymes made it much easier to follow this story.

The Three Little Pigs: This was one of my favorite stories growing up. Perhaps because it was super easy to memorize so I could tell it to almost anyone, anywhere. I feel this one has a bit more meat on its bones than the story I was told growing up. Or maybe it is because I read it from a picture book and this has all the text on one page. Who knows, but I loved it.

Week 11: Tech Tip: Embedded YouTube Video

Hey guys! So this week I decided to do a tech tip for extra credit. I included a YouTube video on my introduction. It was super easy to do. You guys should try embedding a video into your posts to give your blogs a creative pop!

Linked here is my introduction if you wanna check out the video. It's cute, but a bit political.

Week 11: Review

Even though I am not a novelist, I found this cartoon made by Tom Gauld hilarious. It was featured in Wednesday, November 4th's announcements. If only writing would be this easy.  I think the shortcuts I find the most amusing are the change settings. A lot of novels can fit into those three settings alone. :P

Week 11 Storytelling: Gilbert

(A cute, fluffy puppy!)

There once was a prince named Floyd and he liked to hunt. Floyd was always great at hunting because on every hunting trip, he brought his hound Gilbert.

Gilbert was given to Floyd by his father, King Henry. Floyd had had Gilbert since he was a little puppy and raised him with great love and care. Gilbert was Floyd's best furry friend.

One day, Floyd planned to go hunting. He called all of his dogs out to on this trip, but Gilbert never responded to the first call. Floyd called three to four more times hoping that Gilbert would come out, ready to hunt. Gilbert never came.

Floyd did not catch much that day as his other dogs were not as good as Gilbert. When he arrived at home, Gilbert ran to the gate to greet him. Upon seeing Gilbert, Floyd noticed something was off about the dog. He was limping and blood was running down his chin. Floyd was immediately worried.

He followed Gilbert to his young toddler's room. Floyd frantically searched the entire room for his child, but could not find him. He started to grow very angry with Gilbert thinking that he had killed the child. After checking the room one more time, he went after Gilbert. Just as he was about to strike him, he heard a giggle.

The toddler was hiding under a blanket beneath the crib. Floyd sighed with relief, but shortly there after was filled with guilt. He did not like that he jumped so quickly to the assumption that Gilbert had killed his precious child.

So, Floyd spent the rest of the day piecing what had happened together. It turns out that early that morning, Gilbert noticed a wolf lingering around the house. He stayed behind to protect the child from the wolf. While Floyd was hunting, the wolf attacked and Gilbert fatally harmed the wolf. Due to his noble actions, he saved the toddler.

Floyd was so grateful of his best friend, that he commissioned a statue of him for all to know of his notable actions. The statue was placed at the center of the castle's public gardens. Floyd wanted all to know about Gilbert and never forget how animals are to be appreciated.

Even though both have passed away many many years ago, you can go to the castle where they lived and still see the statue of the infamous Gilbert.

Author's Note: My story is based off the Celtic Tale, Beth Gellert. In the original story, the dog stays behind to protect the child but, the owner does not realize this until after he has already killed the dog. I wanted a happier ending and I couldn't bring myself to kill off Gilbert. Unlike the original story, the prince finds the baby before he harms the dog. Hopefully, this comes across happier than the original story.

Reading Diary B: Celtic Fairy Tales

Here is the second half of my Celtic Fairy Tales Unit. Below are some of the stories and one that will likely be tied into my storybook.

(Changelings illustrated by John D. Batten 1892)

Beth Gellert: This is probably the saddest story I have read in the class. I felt horrible that the guy killed his dog because he thought it ate the baby, when in reality it was protecting the baby from a wolf. Seriously sad and kind of wish I did not read this story. Makes me dislike humans even more now. UGH.

The Tale of Ivan: This was a weird but cool story. Basically gets tricked into working for advice that eventually saves his life. By the end of the story, not only was he alive but he also had like three years worth of wage. Pretty cool.

Brewery of Eggshells: Not at all surprised by the oddness in this story. Babies were switched with changelings when left at home alone. Mom got worried when she passed elves, but nothing seemed out of place when she got home. SURPRISE. the babies were not growing so she realized that her kids had been switched. Mom then threw the changeling babies in the river and she got her babies back. I really like this story and will probably use it in one of my storybook stories!

Reading Diary A: Celtic Fairy Tales

This week I chose to read stories from the Celtic Fairy Tales Unit. Below are the stories I enjoyed the most:

(Munachar and Manachar illustrated by John D. Batten 1892)

The Horned Women: Kind of sad that she was under a spell. I don't know how someone could weave wool all night long. I'm glad that the Spirit of the Well decided to help her after taking pity on her and made the witches leave. Sounds like slave labor in a way. Reminded me a bit of Cinderella in a weird way (being forced to do all this work).

Munachar and Manachar: Not going to lie, this confused the heck out of me. Something about news today and raspberries and one of them bursting. I don't get it at all. If anyone does, please help. Is it about rivalry? Just confused.

Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree: This is obviously the celtic Snow White!!!! BUT it also seems to have some weird Sleeping Beauty features. Mom hates child cause she is more beautiful. Needs to eat heart and liver of daughter because it will cure her sickness. Dad gets mad, sends daughter away, mother pricks her finger with poison (made me think of sleeping beauty) and Gold-Tree "dies." Doesn't actually die and in the end good wins.