Week 1: Storybook Favorites

Week 1: Storybook Favorites

I found many storybooks that I was interested in. I picked the first five that I really thought I would love after reading the introductions.

The first one I found was Constellation Stories: Facts or Myths?. I liked this story because I think astrology is really interesting, and it discusses stories of different astrological signs. I love the background and design of the website. It was a beautiful background picture and went really well with the subject matter. I want to have a website that incorporates my topic into the design.

Next, I found Deeper into the Forest of the Brothers Grimm, which interests me because my little sister loves the Brothers Grimm. I think I would enjoy the stories from the things she has told me previously. Plus, I could share this story with her!

Additionally, Nursery Rhymes Gone Wrong was interesting to me. It first caught my attention because of the terrifying-looking doll on the main page. I read the introduction and immediately thought I would like this storybook. I love the “after ever after” type of stories. So, I will definitely go back and read this one.

An honorable mention was The Tales of Pooh and Friends. I actually read the introduction and one of the stories for this one because it was so cute. I thought the website was really well set up and had excellent use of pictures. I just loved the stories the author used, and I loved that she tied those stories into the story of Winnie the Pooh.

Finally, A Dog's Afterlife caught my attention because it used Dante’s Inferno for the story backbone. I love Dante’s Inferno and think it is so interesting and dark at the same time. At first, I thought this inferred that the dog went to Hell, but it mentions him going to Paradise. I wouldn’t have read it if the dog went to Hell because All Dogs Go to Heaven. Plus, my dog passed away almost a year ago and that would have made me sad. However, I do intend on reading the rest of this story. Dante’s Inferno is interesting enough, but I think this version will be particularly interesting because it is from a dog’s point of view.

Week 1: Introduction

Picture of my sister and I white water rafting in Wyoming this summer. Photo taken by River Runners. But, I bought it and it isn't copyrighted, so it is mine now. 

Hello! My name is Linzee Manor and I am 20 years old. I will turn 21 in November. I was born and raised around the Tulsa area and have lived in Owasso for 10 years. Going to college is the first time I have lived away from my family.

 I am an OU football fan and a Denver Broncos fan, born and raised. If it is Sunday and the Broncos are on, you will not be able to get in touch with me for a couple hours. 

I graduated high school in 2012. Now, I am a Sociology/Criminology major at the University of Oklahoma. I am graduating in only 3 years. However, after college, I actually want to go through med school and eventually become a surgeon. I will be taking the prerequisites at local colleges by my hometown so I can live near my family again. My ultimate dream is to be a plastic/reconstructive surgeon and do charity work with military organizations like the Wounded Warriors Project. 

Currently, I am a resident advisor in the Cate Center residence hall. I also babysit quite a bit. My two favorite things in the world are kids and animals. I love all animals, including the scaly ones. There is nothing that makes me happier than being around kids or animals and being out in nature. I love to play video games and craft, but I also love outdoor activities like fishing and camping. 

I have an older half-brother and a younger sister. My brother’s name is Nathan and he is ten years my senior. My sister’s name is Lexee and she is 16 years old, 4 years younger than me. My mother’s name is Renee, which is where I get my middle name, and my father’s name is Tom.

My sister Lexee and I in South Dakota this summer. 

My sister Lexee and I at my high school graduation. 

My brother Nathan and his wife Kayla. 

My daddy and I during a Dad's Day game. 

My mom and I in my senior pictures.

 I have 2 dogs. My oldest dog’s name is Callie. She is almost 9 years old. She is a Catahoula Leopard breed, which are bred to hunt razorbacks. However, she is the mildest, sweetest dog you will ever meet. We used to have a Weimaraner named Boo, but she passed away last September at the age of 10. On May 31^st, I adopted a new puppy. He will be 4 months old on the 31^st of this month (August). He is a Jack Russell/Rat Terrier mix whose name is Milo. He is adorable. Callie and Milo look like opposites because Callie is black with some white spots, and Milo is white with black spots.

Boo, my (unfortunately) deceased weimaraner. 

Callie, the catahoula leopard. 

Milo, my new puppy!

If you have any questions, feel free to ask! I would love to meet all of you. Feel free to add me on facebook. If you search my name, I am the first one to pop up, possibly the only one. Haha. I can't wait to see what this semester has to bring and check out everyone's creative minds in action.

Week 1 Overview

Instead of choosing individual stories, I chose to select different units that I think will be of most interest to me. I chose them for a variety of reasons outlined below (in no particular order):

Selection 1:

I think one of the most interesting to me will be the Middle East Unit. I study Arabic here at the University of Oklahoma and really enjoy the culture and the legends. I took an Arab Culture class last semester that was based on literature that was interesting, but I think this will be much more fun.

Selection 2:

 Another unit I think will be most interesting is the European Unit. My ancestors were primarily European, so it will be interesting to become more accustomed to their myths and legends. I am currently obsessed with Dante’s Inferno, which is in this unit. I just started reading Dante’s Inferno this summer, but am very excited to further my reading in this class. I also really adore the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson, which happen to be in this section, as well.

Selection 3:

Perhaps one of the most exciting units to me is the Classical Unit. I have always been obsessed with Greek and Roman mythology, and this unit has stories that I remember researching and learning about from my adolescence. This might be my favorite unit before we even start because I love Greek and Roman history so much.

Selection 4:

A unit that I have a newfound interest for is the Biblical Units. I was baptized almost 3 years ago and accepted Jesus into my life almost 4 years ago. I am still very new in my faith, and haven’t been active in church since I was baptized. I have a great interest in biblical stories, though. I particularly am interested in stories about saints and their role in mythology and folklore. So, this unit will be very interesting for me. 

Week 1 Storytelling: The Haunted Castle

Once Upon a Time.....

Rachel decided to go on vacation one day, and decided she wanted to rent a cabin in the middle of the woods in order to get away from all of the stresses surrounding her everyday life. As she sat in front of the fire minding her own business, she heard a noise off in the distance. At first, she hesitated, but she soon looked out the window to investigate. She saw nothing, but still heard noises, so she grabbed her binoculars and looked out the window once more. She then saw the crazy axe man that she had heard about in the news coming towards her cabin!

She threw her shoes on and ran out the door as fast as she could. She ran northeast toward the closest town. She probably ran for miles before stopping to take a rest in a group of trees, where she was decently protected. She had finally caught her breath when she turned around to keep heading to town, and spotted an escaped convict about 30 feet away from her. The escaped convict hadn’t seen her until she stood up and leaves crunched underneath her feet. As soon as he saw her, he froze and stared at her for what felt like a lifetime. Suddenly, he ran towards her, like he was going to attack, but instead her ran immediately past her and continued running towards the axe man.

 Shaken, Rachel returned to her journey and began heading for the closest town. She kept walking until it was almost nightfall. Panicking, she began running to find shelter. She came upon an empty field where there was nothing except a very plain building in the center. She entered the building and sat on a bench inside. She finally had a moment to sit down and relax. She sat, breathing and listening to the silence. She sat like that for quite some time before finally leaning her head back onto the wall. However, when her head fell against the wall, she felt something next to her head. When she moved away, something fell on top of her. It was a skeleton! She realized she was in an unmarked graveyard. As soon as she realized what had happened, she fled faster than she ever had before and kept running toward town.

 It was about 20 minutes from nightfall when she finally reached a house. This house was old looking and very ornate. It had ivy framing the outside edges and gorgeous bay windows. There was a faint light coming from inside. Rachel knocked on the door, but no one answered. She peered in the windows, but the house appeared to be abandoned. She went back to the front door in hopes that it would be unlocked and pushed the door open. The inside of the house was even more beautiful, but in an eerie way. She looked around for someone in the house and even yelled asking if anyone was there. She received no answer, but felt as if she was being watched. She decided to find a bedroom to sleep in for the night, feeling assured that the axe man had not followed her this far. As she was laying down waiting to fall asleep, she heard footsteps outside of her door, but when she went to look, there was no one there. She laid back down and had almost closed her eyes when a shadow flashed past her door. Again, she saw no one outside in the hallway.

As she lay back down, she saw the glow of eyes in the corner and heard breathing…..

To be continued….

Author’s Note:

For the purposes of this story, I used the following motifs: Haunted castle, graveyard, axe man, and escaped convict. I thought this story would be fun because it is completely made up by me, rather than recreated from another story. I chose these items because they are in line with the character going northeast toward town and I felt they fit into my story really well. I chose the name Rachel because I have a long-time friend named Rachel who loves to tell stories.

Bibliography:

Map  Tom Gauld

Axe Man  Clipart

Convicts  Wikimedia

Mausoleum  Wikimedia

Haunted house  Deviant Art

Scary eyes  Flickr

Week 1: My Favorite Places

My favorite place is the mountains. I have been to Yellowstone National Park and was able to go up through the mountains there. I also have family up in Wyoming, and that is where I have spent the most time in the mountains. I love the mountains because they are so peaceful and relaxing. Camping in the mountains is so much better than camping in Oklahoma. I personally took all of these pictures this summer while I was on vacation in Wyoming and Yellowstone. My dad is from Sheridan, Wyoming which is also one of my favorite places, and these mountains are very close to there.