Week 11 Story: The Foolish Greedy Chipmunk

There once was a young chipmunk who lived with his mother and father in the forest. Each fall, the chipmunk family would work together to gather as much food as they could before winter arrived. This chipmunk and his parents lived through many winters by hoarding acorns and seeds they found while scavenging in the forest. They always made it thought the winter, but as the chipmunk grew to adulthood, the family found less and less food each year to store for the winter. As the chipmunk family left their cozy little home in the spring of each year, they looked thinner and thinner.

This past winter, the chipmunk and his family barely made it through the winter. Our young valiant little chipmunk knew that his parents would not make it through another winter with such little food. He volunteered to venture off to find new sources of food for the family. His parents reluctantly agreed, and the young chipmunk headed off on his adventure. He wandered for days and days, searching for a steady source of food for his family.

One week after his journey began, the chipmunk found a small grove of oak trees. Acorns galore were scattered on the ground. There was enough food to feed the chipmunk family for an entire winter! Yet, the chipmunk knew that his family would be in the situation the following spring- they would run out of food and the young chipmunk would have to journey off to find more, again. Thus, the chipmunk passed by the oak grove, knowing that he could return if he found nothing else.

Two weeks after his journey began, the chipmunk found a clearing with all kinds of berry bushes. These bushes were so plentiful that their colorful berries were scattered across the ground, ripe for the taking. Yet, the chipmunk knew his family would be in the same situation in three years. He wanted to make sure his family never needed to worry about food again. Thus, the chipmunk passed by the berry bushes, knowing he could return if he found nothing else.

A month after his journey began, the chipmunk caught of whiff of his favorite food- peanuts! The chipmunk had been raised in the South, thus he had been raised on stories of delicious peanuts. He'd only ever had the pleasure of eating them once, but he knew nothing in the world tasted better than peanuts. Following the scent, the chipmunk climbed a tree to peer over a massive peanut farm. There was enough food there for the chipmunk to feed his family for the rest of his life! He excitedly scampered down the tree to the nearest peanut plant. He yanked and yanked on the plant for a whole day until it finally came free. The chipmunk plucked the peanuts off the plant, stuffed them into his chubby cheeks, and journeyed home with a whole FOUR peanuts.

The young chipmunk stuffed his cheeks and headed home

Source

The young chipmunk returned home, just over two months from when he first set out to find food. His parents were horrified when he pulled just four peanuts from his chubby cheeks to add to the winter food storage.

"How are we supposed to live on this?" the young chipmunk's parents cried. The chipmunk explained that he would bring enough peanuts from the farm he found for the family to have food for forever! Yet, his parents were disappointed.

The young chipmunk's father took the young chipmunk under his arm and said, "My son, we simply need food to survive. At this rate, we will not have enough to make it through the winter.  Please understand that we can survive on acorns or berries, but only if you bring enough home for the family. We cannot possibly survive on your favorite food, peanuts."

As the chipmunk's father walked away, he looked back at the young chipmunk to say, "Do not let your greed be our downfall. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."

Author's Note: After reading the jatakas this week, I wanted to write a story that both focuses on an animal and teaches a lesson. Specifically, I liked the story "Spend a Pound to Win a Penny" (Source). The chipmunk in this story is comparable to the monkey in that story- both wanted more than what they could have easily had, and it cost them dearly. I also wanted to add in elements of the chipmunk being too greedy, like the family in "The Golden Feathers" (Source). I tried to teach two lessons at once, as the father chipmunk states at the end of the story.

Reading Notes: The Giant Crab and Other Stories Part B

Birds of a Feather: Source

There is a mean, mean horse named Chestnut. He bites and kicks everyone, humans and horses alike. One day, the king tries to buy some horses from a dealer. The king does not want to pay the full prices for the horses, so he pays Chestnut's groom to take Chestnut by the horses he intends to buy and let him loose. The groom does so. The king returns to the vendor. Seeing these bruised and ugly horses, the king does the vendor a "favor" and pays half price for the horses. The vendor then catches onto the king's trick. He brings his own mean, mean horse named Strongjaw to defend his other horses. The next time the groom brings Chestnut around, Chestnut and Strongjaw act like best friends and tame ponies. No one understands what has happened. The wisest man in the kingdom is called upon to explain the events. He claims "birds of a feather flock together."
Lesson of the story: Everyone belongs; they may just need to find their group.


Spend a Pound to Win a Penny: Source

A monkey is in a tree above some men cooking peas for dinner. When they turn their backs, the monkey sneaks down and steals their peas. He puts some in his mouth and as many as he can carry in his hands. The monkey clambers back up the tree but loses a pea in the process. "My pea!" cried the monkey. By opening his mouth, all of the peas in his mouth fell out, but the monkey didn't notice. He dropped the peas he was holding to find the one he had lost. While searching for the lost pea, the men return. They chase the monkey off, and he is left without any peas at all.
Lesson of the story: Be thankful for what you have & greed spoils happiness

The monkey is losing his peas!

Source

Silence is Golden: Source

A lion has a child with a she-jackal. The child looks exactly like a lion but has a roar like a jackal, which is quite unimpressive compared to that of a lion. One day, while the cub plays with other lions, he tries to roar to scare the others. The other lion cubs mock him, and the cub learns to keep his mouth shut.
Lesson of the story: Don't speak when it isn't necessary.


The Quail and the Falcon: Source

A quail lives on a farm, eating weeds, worms, and the like that comes above ground when the farmer tills his fields. One day, the quail wants to more food. He leaves the field and heads to a forest. In the forest, a falcon snatches the quail up. The quail states that he should have just stayed home where the falcon wouldn't have caught him. The falcon, hearing this, releases the quail, claiming that he can catch the quail anywhere. Thus, the quail returns to the farm. As the falcon swoops in to snatch the quail, the quail dodges the falcon. The falcon crashes into the ground and dies.
Lesson of the story: Having something for sure is better than the possibility of something more.


Lacknose: Source

A gardener lost his nose in his youth, and it has never grown back. Three little boys want to get flowers from the gardener. The first boy tries to deceive the gardener and says he hopes the man's nose grows back. Offended, the gardener chases the boy away. A second boy asks for flowers in the same fashion. Offended, the gardener chases the second boy away. The third boy is more directly states that he would like a flower, The gardener gives the third boy his flower.
Lesson of the story: Honesty is the best policy.

Reading Notes: The Giant Crab and Other Stories Part A

The Giant Crab: Source

A giant crab lives in one of the few lakes in the forest. When animals come to drink, the crab attacks one, drags it under the water, and has his meal. Eventually, the animals are afraid to drink from this lake. An elephant and his life choose to put an end to the crab menace. The whole elephant herd goes to the lake to drink. The wife watches the lake as the elephants drink. As they go to leave, the crab attacks the husband elephant. The wife elephant begs the crab to let him go for a kiss. The crab lets go of the husband elephant who promptly jumps on the crab, crushing and killing the menace.
Lesson of the story: Seduction can be deceiving & Don't be a jerk or you'll get what's coming for you


Wise Parrot and the Foolish Parrot: Source

A master owns two parrots and a maid that is known to steal things. When the master leaves for a trip, he tasks the parrots with telling him if the maid has stolen anything. Shortly after the master leaves, the maid begins to steal. She picks locks and eats his food. One parrot chimes out that he will tell the master. The maid offers the parrot some sugar. When that parrot eats some, she points out that he too has stolen. She plucks of all of his feathers for stealing. The other parrot say nothing and is left alone. When the master returns, the maid tells the master she caught the first parrot stealing, so she plucked his feathers. The master understands. Yet, that night, the other parrot speaks, and the master realizes that the maid also stole from him. He kicks the maid out of the house.
Lesson of the story: Lying and hypocrisy will eventually be caught.


The Dishonest Friend: Source

A man entrusts his plough to a friend when he has to leave. When the man returns, the friend does not have his plough. He claims a rat came and ate it, though he had actually sold it for money. The man knows something is up. He takes the friend's son for a walk, leaves the son with his family, and returns to the friend without the son. He claims a hawk snatched up the boy and flew away. The friend takes the man to court. The authority there realizes what has happened and hints that once the plough is returned, the boy may be returned as well. This occurs, and the man realizes that honesty is the best policy.
Lesson of the story: Honesty is the best policy.


The Mouse and the Farmer: Source

A mouse lives in a hole with thousands of golden coins. In his hole are thousands of golden coins. Every now and then, the farmer would share some of his food with the mouse. Eventually, the mouse wanted to show the farmer his appreciation. The mouse started to bring a golden coin to the farmer each day. The farmer wanted to show his appreciation, so he bought a large piece of meat which he shared with the mouse. As this continued, the mouse got fatter. One day, a cat threatened to eat the mouse, but the mouse instead offered the meat from the farmer. Thus, each day, the mouse offered a gold coin, received meat from the farmer, and gave that meat to the cat. The mouse became skinny and frail. The farmer asked the mouse why he was skinny and weak. The mouse explained that he was feeding the cat to stay alive. The farmer gave the mouse a glass ball that he fit inside. The cat, not receiving his daily meat, ate the mouse inside the glass ball. Not able to digest it, the cat eventually died. The mouse escaped the cat's body and went on giving the farmer a coin and receiving meat each day.
Lesson of the story: Do not take advantage of the success of others.


The Monkeys and the Gardener: Source

A gardener wants to visit a fair in the neighboring town. He asks for the monkeys in the garden to take care of the garden so he might visit the fair. The monkeys, knowing the gardener has treated them well, offer to help. The gardener leaves, sure that the monkeys will know what to do. The king monkey tells all the monkeys that they will water that plants by the length of their roots- longer roots get more water. The monkeys go pluck plants from the ground, measure their roots, and water the plants accordingly. When the gardener returns, the plants are all dead and wilted. The monkeys explain what they have done. The gardener is horrified. The gardener's boss says that he should have known what to expect when he asked monkeys to do his work. The gardener is fired.
Lesson of the story: Don't pass your work off to someone else & If you want something done right, do it yourself.


The Goblin in the Pool: Source

Like the crab story, a goblin lives in a lake, eating creatures who try to take a drink. During a dry spell, other lakes around the region dry up. Creatures have no choice but to drink from the lake. One monkey tries to take a drink. He's gobbled up. A second monkey tries to drink. He's gobbled up. A human comes along. The monkeys warn him of the goblin, so the human takes reeds along the shore, bends them, and uses them as a straw. The monkeys and other creatures copy this, and the goblin dies because no more creatures are killed trying to take a drink from the lake.
Lesson of the story: Innovation saves lives & Learn from the actions of others.

This is how I imagine the monkeys from the story

Source

Week 10 Story: EmpoWord

Below are notes taken while reading Chapter 2: Telling a Story from EmpoWord,

A dynamic vs a flat character:

-A dynamic character changes over the course of the story. They're fleshed out, life-like, and realistic. They're a character you can relate to. 

-A flat character has little to no depth. They aren't usually relatable because numerous details about the character are never presented. Often, the reader may know nothing about the character but their name.

-Rama is a dynamic character

-Any of the characters from the jakata tales are flat characters.

Plot has three major elements: scope, sequence, and pacing.

-Scope is an understanding of the limits of the plot. Think of it like cropping a picture. Cutting unnecessary parts of a picture can be useful to show the main portion of the picture better. Stories are just like that. Make sure the plot is "big" enough that it's a good picture but not so big that you can't focus on the details.

-Sequence is the order in which the story is told. The story does not alwas have to be chronological, but it needs to be told in an order in which the reader can understand. Movies like "Pulp Fiction" are great examples of how sequencing can impact storytelling. 

-Pacing is the amount of time/story telling devoted to each part of the story. This often depends on the sequence, but making certain parts of the story (exposition, climax, resolution) longer or shorter can dramatically impact the strength of the story.

Stories can be told from a number of different perspectives, or points-of-view:
-1st person. The story is told as though it is coming directly from the author or main character (Uses words like I, we, my, etc.)
-2nd person. The story is told as though it is happening to the reader (Uses words like you, your, etc.)
-3rd person. The story is told from outside the minds of any character as though someone watching the events occur is telling the story. This may or may not include seeing the thoughts of the characters in the story. (Uses words like he, she, they, etc)

The medium of the story impacts how it is understood. A video complete with music and dramatic scenes will impact the audience in a different way than a piece of poetry or a novel. Consider your story when constructing your story.

Additionally, consider the fact that there are multiple ways to effectively convey the same message. "No, thank you," "Nah," and "I don't want to" all indicate that someone's answer is no, but by choosing the proper version, the mood and personality of the character can be revealed.

These various elements all impact an audience's understanding of the story.

Reading Notes: Twenty Jataka Tales Part B

The Two Pigs: Source

An old woman finds two little piglets in the forest. She takes them home and cares for them as her own children. One day, men try to buy the pigs from her for a feast. She refuses to sell her children. Eventually, the men get the old woman drunk and she sells her least favorite of the two pigs. The pig realizes he is being sold, and he runs back to his brother who reminds him that their mother loves them because their mother had loved them since the day the first met. The whole village hears this message. The pigs, in all their wisdom, are taken to the king. They are adorned with jewelry and riches.
Lesson: Love defeats everything.


The Patient Buffalo: Source

A giant buffalo is tormented by a monkey in numerous ways. A fairy appears and asks why the buffalo does not use his strength to injure the monkey so it will leave him alone. The buffalo answers that he does not want to make the monkey suffer just so that he is happy.
Lesson: Do not make others suffer for your own happiness.

Here's a buffalo and a monkey! This duo is too friendly for the story...

Source

The Great Elephant: Source

A single elephant lives alone near an oasis in the desert. With his great ears, the elephant hears travelers struggling in the desert. He goes out to talk to them. They are starving and thirsty. Some of them have already died. The elephant tells them where they can find an oasis and the body of an elephant they can eat. Then the elephant runs off, makes it to the top of a hill, and jumps off. The travelers come across the body of the elephant who had helped them! They are sad, but they eat the elephants so his sacrifice was not in vain. They then have the strength to get through the desert.
Lesson: Self-sacrifice is the greatest form of sacrifice.


The Quarrelsome Quails: Source

A bunch of quails live in the forest. A hunter comes with a net to catch the quails. The king quail says that if they work together, they can fly off with the net and avoid being captured. This works for some time. Then, the quails begin to fight among one another. While distracted, the hunter catches some of them. The king quail and those who listened were never caught.
Lesson: Teamwork makes the dream work.


The Noble Horse: Source

A very handsome and strong horse lived in the stables of the king. When war came from the seven surrounding kingdoms who were jealous of the successes of this king, the horse was needed for battle. A single knight rode this horse, battled the entire army for the first enemy king and took the king as a captive. This continued for the second, third, fourth, and fifth kings. The horse was injured while fighting the sixth army. Yet, he refused to let his knight ride another horse- that could lead to his death! The horse was used for battle against the seventh army, but he was seriously injured. The horse told his king to be merciful- let his prisoners live. The king did just that, and the kingdom was at peace for some time.
Lesson: Do not underestimate the power of mercy.

Reading Notes: Twenty Jataka Tales Part A

The Guilty Dogs: Source

The royal dogs chew on the leather straps of the king's chariot. The King commands that all of the dogs in the city be killed as a result. The king of the dogs goes to the king of the city and asks how his decision can possibly be fair. The king implies that because he does not know who ruined his chariot, all dogs must suffer. The king of the dogs reveals who actually ruined the chariot; it was the royal dogs.
The lesson to take away: do not punish the many for the actions of the few.


The Fairy and the Hare: Source

A hare and hist three animal friends search for food everyday. One day, they feel the urge to help others. They decide that any food they find with be given to others so they may eat as well. The hare's three friends each find/steal food to give to others. The hare decides he will offer himself as food. A fairy disguises herself as an old starving man. She turns down the food offered by the hare's friends. The hare offers up himself as food. The fairy makes a fire. The hare leaps in, but doesn't cook. It's a magical fire! The fairy thanks the hare for his kindness.
The lesson: Self-sacrifice is the greatest form of sacrifice.


The Golden Feathers: Source

A man sets out on a quest to find riches for his family. Wandering the forest, he finds a fairy who asks what he is doing. He explains he is looking for riches for his family. The fairy turns the man into a golden goose! He flies back to his family, gives them a single feather for them to sell, and he flies away. The mother sells the feather. She tells her daughters that they have to trap the golden goose if he returns that so that might stay wealthy. The goose returns and is trapped. Yet, his feathers, forcefully taken from him, are white rather than golden. The goose is now useless. They release the goose, and his feathers become golden again. He lives out his days in the forest with the other birds.
The lesson: Don't be selfish when offered something out of kindness.


The Swan Kingdom: Source

Sixty thousand swans live in the world's most gorgeous lake, ruled by the king swan. A human king wants to meet the swan king but does not know where to find him. The humans build the most gorgeous lake in the world, even more beautiful than the swans' lake. Each day they cry out that all swans are welcome at this lake. Eventually, two swans of the swan kingdom visit the lake. They return home to tell the others of this lake. The king swan, overwhelmed by the will of his people, decrees that they should go to the new lake. While there, the king swan is trapped. All of the swans abandon their king except one loyal swan. The swan's loyalty inspires the human king. He treats the swans as a guest and eventually sets them free.
The lesson: Loyalty is one of the world's most desirable qualities.

Two inseparable swans, like in the story

Source

The Master's Test: Source

An old teacher is teaching his younger students. He tells them that they need to get money so that he may continue living. He tells the students to find a place where no one is watching and steal from the rich. One pupil questions the teacher as the other students leave. He says he cannot steal, as even if "no one" is watching, he is still watching himself. The other students are ashamed that they did not understand this message, but they learn from their mistakes.

Week 9 Story: The Downfall of the Undefeated

It was January 18th, 2015 in Seattle, Washington.

The score was 19-14.

Only 2 minutes and 9 seconds separated us from the Super Bowl.

A single fluke of a play ripped that dream from us.

What happened? Two words.


Brandon. Bostick.


Those who know this name know the pain- that gut-wrenching, soul-crushing, hope-devouring pain that sticks with you for years after the fact- that this man inflicted on loyal fans of the Green Bay Packers. Even now, many still shudder at the name. Many have never forgiven him. Brandon Bostick will forever live in infamy among Packers fans, as all of us were left to ask the age-old question "what if...?"

Contextualization is vital to understanding the impact of Brandon Bostick's actions that day.
Both the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers ended the regular season with a 12-4 record. This caused the teams to be the first and second seeded teams in the NFC, respectively. Not only did this give the Packers a first round bye in the playoffs, but Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay's quarterback, was having a historic season that secured him the MVP. While the Packers were not unbeatable, there is no doubt that they were one of the best teams in the league that season.
Each team glided through their first playoff game with ease. This set up the matchup between the Seahawks and the Packers in the NFC Championship game. The winner would take a trip to the Super Bowl.

In one of the grindiest playoff games in history, the Packers took a 16-0 lead into halftime. On four scoring drives, the Packers had been held to only a single touchdown; the Seahawks technically still had life. This was despite astounding offensive and defensive dominance by the Packers.
The Packers' lead evaporated in the second half. The score was 19-7 with three minutes left in the game. With 2:09 left, the Seahawks scored again, making the score 19-14.

That's when Brandon Bostick happened.

He handed the Seattle Seahawks the miracle they so desperately needed. Rather, he couldn't hold onto the victory.

The Seahawks lined up for an onside kick. The Packers knew what was coming. They lined up accordingly. The ball was kicked. Players on both teams took off at a sprint. The ball flew the necessary ten yards through the air... directly to Brandon Bostick.

He leapt into the air to catch the ball.

It. Bounced. Off. His. Helmet.

Seattle recovered the ball.

The hearts of devoted Packers fans across the nation shattered.

The worst part? Brandon Bostick was not supposed to have ever touched the ball. His job on the play was to block, allowing Jordy Nelson to catch the ball.

Brandon Bostick's infamous onside kick recovery

Source

As the game went on, the Seahawks drove down the field. They took the lead with 1:25 left on the clock. 19-22.

Aaron Rodgers led a miraculous drive that ended with the field goal necessary to tie the game and force overtime. Yet, it was for nothing.

Seattle won the coin toss, immediately drove down the field, and scored before the great Aaron Rodgers had a chance to take the field.

The game was over.

Brandon Bostick had lost the Packers the game and a trip to the Super Bowl because he couldn't do his job. Just like that, an amazing Packers team was felled by a single mistake. A historic Packers season ended on a fluke, a mistake, an accident.

Nothing could change the fact that the season was over. The Packers were never the same afterwards.



Author's Note: I based this story on that of Bhisma. It was my understanding that he was arguably the greatest warrior in this story. Yet, he was defeated in battle. Why? He could not bring himself to fight a woman. The concept of someone who is so utterly astounding in one discipline- strength, intelligence, etc- yet has some sort of glaring weakness that turns their ability on its head spoke to me while reading the Mahabharata. This reminded me of the 2014 Packers. Like the Packers, Bhisma should never have been defeated in battle. He couldn't bring himself to fight anyone born as a woman. In that moment where Bhisma paused, he was shot full of arrows and eventually died. This was the inspiration for my story. The historic 2014 Packers, complete with MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers, were defeated by something so absurd that it was unbelievable. Onside kicks NEVER work. In fact, the kickoff rules have changed since this event, making onside kicks even less likely. Yet, the impossible happened. As a die-hard Packers fan, I knew I couldn't make it through the whole semester without writing a story about them, but it genuinely made me sad to write this story. My own memories of the game came back, and the overwhelming feeling of disbelief still sticks with me today every time I think of this game.


Bibliography: The Five Tall Sons of Pandu by Richard Wilson

Reading Notes: The Five Tall Sons of Pandu Part B

Again, the source of all of the readings is found here: Source

Section 7:
Selfishness overwhelms Duryodhana. Always jealous of the Pandavas, he cannot bear the thought of the Pandavas finding happiness or success, even after they have served their 13 year exile! He takes action to begin war against the Pandavas to reclaim Yudhishthira's portion of the kingdom for himself. Krishna is sent to reason with Duryodhana. Krishna appears to have convinced both Dhritarashtra and Drona that war is unnecessary. However, Duryodhana cannot be swayed. He wants war.

Section 9:
Bhisma is killed. He says he can't fight someone who was born as a woman. Well, the warrior Shikhandin was evidently born as a woman. Bhisma effectively gives us. He's shot with a ton of arrows that cause him to die a long painful death. If I remember correctly, he doesn't even die until the entire battle is over.
This concept of a great warrior being defeated by some absurd rule is mind boggling. This guy couldn't fight a woman. Hercules was invulnerable except for his ankle. I want to write about a guy who is invulnerable to everything but something silly like deodorant.

Bhisma was killed because of his weakness; I want to write a similar story

Source

Sections 10 & 11:
Arjuna and Karna battle. They end up tying in battle on two consecutive days. In battle on the third day, Arjuna's bow breaks. By the rules of combat, Karna should let him retrieve a new weapon. He doesn't. So when Karna's chariot gets stuck, Arjuna returns the favor. He kills Karna when the rules of combat say he shouldn't. This is ultimately not immoral because he was just doing to Karna what Karna had done to him.

Section 12:
Duryodhana escapes the battle. He waged war even after his great warriors died. He hides in the forest near a lake. The Pandavas find Bhima who defeats Duryodhana in battle. At this point, the Pandavas learn that all of their sons were killed! The Pandavas learn Karna was their brother, and they mourn for everyone who died in battle.

Reading Notes: The Five Tall Sons of Pandu Part A

All of the following comments can be found here: Source

Section 1:
I struggled to remember how Duryodhana was related to the Pandavas. This very succinctly reminds us that they are cousins. The matchup between Karna and Arjuna was a great focus in the first rendition of the story, and it is still present in this condensed version. I think it important to note that Karna was mocked for his humble upbringing as though he is somehow less than Arjuna because he was not the son of a king. The difference in social structure is quite evident in this point.

Section 2:
It is made evident that the task to win Draupadi's hand in marriage was so difficult that only Arjuna was to be able to do it. Interestingly, Draupadi becomes the husband of only the oldest brother Yudhishthira because of a different wording in the statement of the Pandavas' mother. Again, Karna's low-born upbringing screws him over.

The five Pandavas and Draupadi

Source

Section 4:
The entire kingdom is split between Duryodhana and Yudhishthira. Each rule their own part, but Duryodhana wants to rule everything. He cheats to win the kingdom from Yudhishthira. In fact, he wins all of the Pandavas and Draupati. They become slaves. However, Draupati asks for a favor from Dhritarashtra, and they all go into exile rather than become slaves.


Sections 5 & 6:
The Pandavas, disguised, help fight to regain stolen cattle. Draupadi has to convince the prince that Arjuna, disguised as a dance instructor, is capable of driving a chariot. Eventually the Pandavas reveal their identities to the prince and re-take the cattle. Their exile is then over.

Week 8: Progress Review

Looking back:

I'm happy with my progress so far- I've completed every assignment so far, and I'm on track for the grade I want to end the course with. I have a decent weekly routine. That routine seems to change every week based on the demands of my other classes. I've taken those demands in stride and managed to make it work. I haven't needed to do any of the extra credit assignments just yet, but I am comfortable with that fact.

Looking forward:

I want to take advantage of spring break. If I can get two or three weeks ahead in this class, the rest of my semester will be so much easier. After that week, I want to avoid completing any of the assignments the same day they're due- I want them done well in advance.

My inspirational picture:

Success isn't something that you're owed. Greatness is taking success and claiming it as your own.

Apply this to your GPA, a really hard class, or the semester as a whole.

Source

Week 8: Comments and Feedback

Feedback in:
I feel that feedback I've received is too polite. I don't know if people are trying to avoid hurting my feelings or if my writing legitimately has few errors. Looking at my comment wall, almost everything is focused on what I'm doing well. Then there are multiple comments that cover the same topic- I had a weird * sentence at the end of my introduction for a while, and once I fixed it, I had re-written one sentence terribly. Numerous people focused on these two elements, said polite things, and moved on. However, this tends to be better than the story feedback I receive. Almost all of those comments are about liking the story and the creativity. I wish more of my classmates gave feedback that focuses on what they don't like or what I'm not doing well.

I want feedback to tell me where I failed. Why? For this reason.

Source

Feedback out:
I'd like to believe that I'm giving good feedback to others. I know that I want feedback that tells me where I need to improve- that's what I try to give others, especially on their projects. I've found that my feedback comments are often much longer than the word requirement; I don't bother counting the words. I try to give specific areas in which the person can improve- grammar, run-on sentences, undeveloped ideas, or things that I don't understand.

Blog Comments:
Commenting on different blogs has given me an idea of who I'm talking to. I like when I can am assigned a story to comment on and I can go "Oh! This is the person who said xyz." I especially enjoy reading responses people have to my introduction.

Looking Forward:
I think I need to correct some of my obvious mistakes more quickly to ensure that I only receive a few comments about the same issue. If I make corrections quickly, then others may have to look a little harder at my writing in order to give me decent feedback.

Week 8 Reading and Writing

My current thoughts on my position in the class-

• I enjoy the reading and writing assignments. I started off the semester almost two weeks ahead of schedule in this class. Shortly after classes started, I was only one week ahead. Now I'm doing things the day they're due. That's not to say that I'm irresponsible or struggling. I'm simply having to put more effort into my ChE classes than I originally thought I needed to- I am SO glad I had given myself that buffer of almost two full weeks of work.
• I plan to get a bunch of work done for this class over spring break. With five weeks of this class (according to the class calendar) after spring break, I think I can work very hard during that time to make the rest of the school year much easier on myself.
• I'm happy with my blog. I've enjoyed blogging more than I thought I would. I actually improved the layout of my blog specifically for this assignment! I changed the color scheme and picked a better background. 

I had not reviewed the design/layout of my blog since I created it almost two months ago. This image pertains to Magic, a hobby I enjoy. I wanted to make it my blog's background image, but I really disliked the appearance of the tiled background, so I chose to not use it.

Source

• I have found that my reading notes are somewhat useful when writing my stories. They provide a starting point and little else. I certainly go back through and look at them for inspiration, but once an idea comes to me, I just write about that idea without any further inspiration.
• I enjoyed the Ramayana more than the Mahabharata. I believe this is because there was one main character in the Ramayana whereas two families and all of their children were the main characters in the Mahabharata. There were so many characters to try to keep straight!
• I've found that I like to read multiple sections of the reading at once and then decide what the vital details/events are that I want to write about. I think this process has worked well so far.

• Moving forward, I want to give myself more time to complete the readings. I can do this by completing them early! Spring break should give me that chance to get ahead. When I read the readings the day they're due, I find myself missing important details or not fully understanding what occurred during the reading.
• I have tailored my reading notes to focus on my project, seemingly forgetting that they can also be used to write the weekly stories. I want to broaden my view and include interesting things in my reading notes, even if they don't directly apply to my project.