Week 2 Essay: Tragedy In Ancient Mythology

In this week's reading there was a trend of many tragic endings.  Some stories in particular include: Daedalus and Icarus, The Death of Hercules, Orpheus and Eurydice, and The Death of Adonis.  Each ending consists of an unforeseen death, or death has already been integrated in the plot.  Out of all of these stories Orpheus and Eurydice was the one I found the most disheartening.  Specific elements of the story are matrimony, loss, and re-loss. Orpheus loses his wife on his wedding day when a serpent fatally bites Eurydice’s ankle.  He was a famous Greek musician, and he travels to the underworld to retrieve her.  While there he performs a song so touching, it persuaded Pluto and Persephone.  He was granted his wife, but was instructed not to look back at her until they have returned to the mortal world. On their journey back, Orpheus begins to wonder if his wife is still beside him and tries to sneak a look at her.  In the instant he turns his head, she disappears in thin air, and he is forbidden to cross the river of Styx again. This last scene received the saddest emotional response from me. One could sense that the young man was in love with his wife, so much that due to human error he lost her a second time.  

 

(Modification of Orphée ramenant Eurydice des enfers 1816
 by Jean-Baptiste-Caille Corot (1796-1875: Wiki Commons)

In each of the other readings each person's death is secondary to ignorance, or an incurable mistake in Hercules’ case. Orpheus and Eurydice were on the verge of their happily ever after, when a single snake happened to be in the right place at the right time.  I view this as misfortune, and there wasn’t anything the newlyweds could do to prevent the bite. In the other stories I feel that death was used as a lesson learned, or a transformation to a bigger plot.  Icarus and Adonis were both warned by loved ones to take care in choosing their actions, and instead of taking precaution they evidentially ended themselves with ignorant tragedy.  In the case of Hercules his death was just another epic feat of his, and in the end he was able to enter Mount Olympus and become a god.  In his story his death could initially viewed as a tragedy, but then emotions could change since he is obtaining a higher status such as immortality.

Week 2 Storyelling: The Birth of Hercules

Diary of Alcemna.

Entry 1:
Oh diary, I am very upset at this time, and I must confide in you the keeper of my secrets. I been tricked! I thought my poor, but wonderful, husband had returned home early from war.  After a short reunion he states he must return to his post.  This would have been fine, but instead of walking out of our home, he walked to the window instead.  Before I could ask him what he was doing he turned into an eagle and flew out into the night! I knew in that very moment that it was not my husband but a god, possibly Zeus himself! I am too upset to write anymore, I shall continue tomorrow.

Entry 2: (A few weeks have passed)
I have returned diary, but not without the worst news.  My, real, husband's fleet has finally returned from war and despite their victories there is awful talk of my beloved. Rumor has it that while they were in battle he had prayed to the mighty Zeus that he would return home to his spouse. Zeus heard his prayer, and protected him throughout the battle.  When battle was over all the men of the army ventured to nearby temples to sacrifice to the gods.  This is where my husband made his mistake, he became hot-headed and boldly stated that he did not need Zeus' aide. He continued that skill was untouchable by any warrior, and decided not to give sacrifice.  Zeus quickly overheard this and was enraged.  Before he could plot death on the battle field, the enemy surrendered and war was over.  He learned that this man had a beautiful and loyal wife, and decided this would be his revenge tactic.  After his deed, he visited my husband in his dreams and told him of his actions.  He told him that he had impregnated me with who will become the most powerful hero in ages.  I have yet to see my husband in person, diary, but I hope that he is not angry with me.  I will soon write of our reunion.

Entry 3:
Oh diary, this scenario is growing worse with each passing day.  More bad news has come.  My husband has finally returned home, and accepts my pregnancy fearing to further anger the might king of the gods. Before I could say anything on the matter a messenger swiftly enters our chamber.  He stated that Hera, wife of Zeus, has heard of her husband's infidelity. She seeks revenge on me and my unborn child. He tell us while at a banquet of the gods Zeus, who was intoxicated, stated that he has been a victim of Cupid's powerful influence, and has created a descendant of half immortality. He continued to state that this child would grow to be a great, powerful, hero and all will worship him. With this statement Hera was irate with embarrassment, and quickly left the hall. Before my husband, and I, could ask the messenger where he had heard such an elaborate story, he quickly relayed that he is Hermes and disappeared in thin air. Oh what am I to do!

Entry 4: (Nine month's later)
I have not written in such a while, but the time is near for me to give birth. Surprisingly there has been no more talk of Hera's revenge on me and my child.  It has been eerily peaceful throughout my pregnancy, and I am afraid a storm is brewing.  My abdomen has stretched far, womb heavy with child, it is unmistakable that I am pregnant with a god's offspring.  Pregnancy tires me, diary, I will write after childbirth is over.

Entry 5:
So much has happened in two weeks time.  I have given birth to a son, and named him Hercules.  It was not without turmoil though, and if it were not for my loyal servant Galanthis I could still be in labor at this very moment. The story follows:

I had been in labor for seven consecutive days.  On day seven I felt my will and strength withering, and I called to the heavens for Lucina to visit me.  Lucina is the infamous goddess of childbirth, and she soon arrived at my doorstep with a grin on her face.  "Oh look at you," she said, "it was unfortunate to have been impregnated by Zeus for his wife is enjoying your agony."  A cold chill ran down my spine, but was quickly replaced by a contraction. I pleaded in pain, but she sat in the doorway with her hands clasped over her knees.  Everyone in the house knew that if Lucina remained unpersuaded, I may suffer death from childbirth. My Galanthis heard the words spoken by Lucina, and she decided to concoct a plan to trick her.  Later in the evening I had fallen into a slumber from exhaustion, and there was an unusual silence inside my home.  Lucina was lounging in the front room, hands still clasped, and was talking leisurely with her nymphs.  There was a sudden wale of a child.  Lucina, startled, leaped from her seat and ran into my chamber.  As she stood she momentarily released the clasp of her hands, and I awakened to my womb opening and childbirth was over.  Lucina witnessed the birth, and realized she had been tricked. Galanthis had borrowed her cousin's babe, and once I was had fallen asleep she took this opportunity to stage the fake birth of my Hercules.  Lucina, fuming, grabbed Galanthis and screamed, "You wretched girl!  "Since you have tricked me, and act as a pet to your master, I will turn you into one!" Galanthis was transformed into a dog, and is cursed to carry litters to lengthen the agony of childbirth.  Although Galanthis made a significant sacrifice for me, she still frequents my home, and I have ordered all to treat her lavishly.  Now that Hercules is born I hope the torture has ended, but only Fate knows...

(Birth of Hercules)

Author's Note:  I wrote this story based off Ovid's story of The Birth of Hercules in his book Metamorphoses. Metamorphoses is known as a mix collection of old Roman Myths translated into enlgish pertaining to transformations.  In the original there is no back story of how Alcemna and Zues conceived Herules, in fact the tale is a story within a story, and Alcemna is trying to console another woman as she herself is giving birth.  In the original Lucina has been sworn to prolong or prevent the birth of Hercules, per Juno, and she is tricked by Galanthis.  Though, in this version of the tale Galanthis tells Lucina that Alcmna has given birth and she must go congratulate her. Lucina then jumps up, unclamps her hands, and Alcmna was able to give birth.  The goddess quickly realizes that she had been tricked, and turns Galanthis into a weasel instead of a dog.  Since her trick had to do with childbirth she was cursed to give birth through her mouth from then on.  The introduction of the text explains that the Roman's actually believed that weasel's gave birth through their mouths.  I decided to tell it in a diary fashion so I could elaborate in the point of view of just Alcemna.  I excluded the part where she is telling the story to another woman, to limit word count, and instead used a diary so that she could still be confiding in someone.  This was also one of the shorter stories in Metamorphoses, and I liked this so I could elaborate and make up points that were left untold in the original.  

Bibliography:

Book: Metamorphoses 

Author: Tony Kline (Translated Ovid's original into english)

Year Published: 2000

Web Source: Ovid's Metamorphoses

Week 2 Reading Diary: Greek Myths: Ovid III

Below I have written a small(ish) summary of my favorite stories from the Unit Greek Myths: Ovid III.  There was a wide variety of stories in this Unit, and many of them were broken up into several sections.

Daedalus and Icarus:
This story tells how Daedalus is a known inventor, and has been exiled to an island. He devises an escape plan for he and his son, Icarus.  He knows that escaping on land or sea is impossible, so he creates two makeshift sets of wings with wax as the binding.  Prior to taking off into the air, Daedalus warns Icarus from flying too high or too low.  Once in flight Icarus became careless, began to fly too high, and consequently the wax began to melt.  Icarus ends up falling to the ocean, and drowns because he did not head his father's warnings.

(Landscape with the Fall of Icarus, Hans Bol: WikiCommons)

Philemon and Baucis & Transformation of Philemon and Baucis:
This story caught my attention because it tells about a humble couple who pleased the gods Jupiter (Zeus) and Mercury (Hermes).  The gods had decided to build a temple in an inhabited swamp.  They knocked one each door to test the households' kindness, and was turned away from all expect Philemon and Baucis. The couple did all they could to politely serve their guests, and soon realized that they were catering to gods.  In the end Jupiter and Mercury escort them out of the swamp, where the temple immediately is built. They told the couple they would grant them one wish. Philemon and Baucis reply with a request to be the priests of the new temple, and when it is time for them to pass they wish to do so together.  This couple practically had nothing, resided in poverty, but did not ask for much more when they could have been granted anything.

Achelous, The Shirt of Nessus, & The Death of Hercules:
The first story is pertinent, since it tells the tale where the great Hercules wrestles Achelous, the river god, for the hand of the beautiful Deianira.  Hercules eventually wins, and they are soon wed and journey to his home when they come across the River Euenus.  Nessus, a centaur, offers to help the new bride across the river, but ends up taking her with intentions of rape. Hercules is quick to action and sends a poisonous arrow through the back of Nessus, killing him.  As Nessus is dying he gives Deianira a blood soaked cloak as a "love token," and for some off reason she accepts it.  The last story tells, after some time, a rumor floats around the household of Hercules that he has eyes for another woman.  Deianira believes the rumor, remembers her previously gifted "love token," and sends a servant to deliver the item as a gift to Hercules. She is unaware the cloak contains the same poison that killed Nessus.  Once Hercules places the shirt onto his body he is doomed.  The poison immediately sears into his flesh, is unable to remove it, and he is in a great deal of agony.  It is known that Hercules is a demigod, and that Jupiter (Zeus) is his father. Jupiter petitions to the gods that since he is a part of him, that he is part immortal, and that Hercules has passed all his trials and tribulations.  He requests that they allow Hercules to enter Mount Olympus and take place among them, and they agree. In the mean time Hercules has chosen to end himself voluntarily and builds a pyre.  He enters the fire and once his mortal self is burned away, leaving only his immortal being, Jupiter sends a chariot to retrieve him.

(Funeral of Hercules, Hans Sebald Beham: WikiCommons)

The story of Hercules was my longest review, but thus far it is my favorite of this Unit.

Birth of Hercules:
The story following the trilogy of Hercules life his mother, Alcmena, tells about his birth.  She tells while being in labor for a consecutive week, she called upon the goddess of childbirth Lucina.  She arrived but she had previously made a prior commitment, to Juno (Hera), to keep the child in the womb as long as possible.  She has her hands placed in a clasp, over her knees, and this was symbolized as her "hold" on childbirth. Alcmena mentions a loyal servant, Galanthis, who decided to trick Lucina into allowing her master the ease of childbirth.  She came to Lucina and told her to congratulate the lady on the birth on her new child.  This surprised the goddess leaped from her spot, momentarily releasing her clasped hands, and Alcmena was able to give birth.  Lucina soon realized that she had been tricked, and transformed Galanthis into a weasel.  Since her lie had aided in the birth Galanthis, in weasel form, now is forced to proceed with childbirth through her mouth.

Atlanta and Hippomenes & The Foot-Race:
Atlanta was known for her ability to run faster than anyone around, and for her beauty.  She was once told by a god that she should not seek a husband for it would change her.  She tried to remain unmarried, but suitors would come after her persistently.  She had told all of them that the only way she would be wed is if they were to beat her in a foot race, and if they happen to lose then they will have their life taken.  Nonetheless suitors would flock from all areas.  Once Hippomenes, grandson of Neptuene, came to see what all commotion was about.  He, like the other men, soon was infatuated by Atlanta.  He decided to challenge Atalanta in a race, but in concern that he would lose, he first visited Aphrodite.  She agreed to help Hoppomenes, and gives him three golden apples. During the big race anytime Atalanta would be in the lead Hippomenes would throw an apple, and she would retrieve it.  He eventually won and they were soon wed.  After some time Aphrodite became angry that Hippomenes never thanked, or gave sacrifice for, her and came up with a scheme.  When the newlyweds were on a journey, while resting, Aphrodite gave Hippomenes the sudden urge to make love to his wife. They were compelled to go through with the action and defiled a sacred temple.  The god who the temple was devoted to then turned the couple into lions.

(Hippomenes and Atalanta, Nicolas Colombel:WikiCommons)

Week 1: Storybook Favorites

The first project that I chose to review was Ghostly Adventures.  I don't necessarily enjoy watching scary movies, because I won't be able to sleep the next night, but I can handle reading scary stories.  To my surprise the stories were Oklahoma based, much to my pleasant surprise, and this really interested me since I am from around here.  I have heard about the Skirvin Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City being haunted, but I have not heard of the other two stories prior to reading through the Storybook.  Although I know the text is a revision of other stories, he did a good job with creating visuals for the reader.  The layout of the pages were overall simple and easy to use.  The only complaint about this story is that unless I am not finding the last link, to the final story, the author did not (or was not able to) complete the text, and left out the last story that he mentioned in the introduction.  

(The Ghost In Bed: Ghosts)

The next storybook I had chosen was The Secrets of Women in the Bible.  Many biblical stories utilize a male character as the protagonist, and in this Storybook had a focus on women, and this had initially caught my eye.  This topic is not one that I am familiar with, and the introduction did well in giving enough details without giving up the whole plot.  The way the author portrayed the women in her Storybook was done very nicely, and the format of the author's note at the end of the each excerpt explained a lot of details that were unable to be depicted in the stories themselves.  I liked how the author did this, and it leaves the reader with some resolution with the stories. 

(Queen Esther: Sugar Doodle)

The last Storybook I have chosen to read was Tales of Mount Olympus High.  The other two Storybooks I had chosen had a mysterious-like background to them, where this one was told in the perspective of a sixteen year old Greek goddess. The change in tone, and the Greek mythology background, is what persuaded me to continue with the text.  Out of all three author's I believe this last one did the best job overall. Her stories didn't make sense at first, but when I read the author's notes it all became very clear.  They revealed the author herself was very creative!  I don't think I would have ever thought of taking a story and putting my own complete twist on it, at least not as well as she did.  The layout of this project was different from the previous two, but all of them were easily accessed. 

(Mount Olympus: Ancient Worlds)

This assignment displayed how much freedom and creativity we are allowed to use, and it is very exciting.  

Week 1 Storytelling: Hercules and the Wagoner

There once was a lazy farmer who lived on top of a hill, a short ways from town.  His land was fertile, produce profitable, and this made him a wealthy man.  He had inherited his farm from his father, this had included all of the farmhands, and he never had to work the land. The gods pleasingly overlooked the farmer and had granted him not only a beautiful, but hardworking, wife.  They were inseparable, and although they worked as a team, she did anything that would consist of any kind of labour. 

  The night before he was to bring his goods to town, the god's decided to unleash a powerful rainstorm from the heavens.  Against his wife's judgement the farmer decided to make the venture anyway, and this caused a large argument. The wife proclaimed, "you have never lifted a finger or completed any task on your own, go onto town by yourself!" The farmer angrily left his home, strapping his best horses to his wagon and set off down the muddy path.  Soon the farmer's rage had cooled and his thoughts drifted to his wife's words. He wanted to show her that he could, indeed, complete a task but he also knew that her words had a wisdom behind them.  Before he could begin to fret he felt a sudden jolt, and flew from his wagon. He landed in the mud, yet quickly recovered himself, and began to immediately curse his wife and the horses.  He unmistakably forgot his initial intentions of doing work on his own, for once.

Hercules happened to be training nearby, overheard the farmer's curses, and ventured over to see what all the commotion was about.  He overheard the farmer exclaim, "I have never worked alone, why should I start now?! How am I ever going to get this wagon out of the mud ON MY OWN?!"  He observed the farmer then sit down and continue to pout.  The farmer said, "too bad the gods aren't nearby, I could just have one of them move my cart for me."  Hercules began walking towards him, and the farmer quickly caught site of him.  He immediately demanded that the demigod remove his wagon from the mud at once.  Hercules was known for his temper, and the farmer had ignited his anger at once.  He replied, "pitiful man, have you even tried to move your wagon? Put forth effort at once or I will smash it to pieces!"  Fear overcame the farmer and he entered the mud at once, behind the wheels, and began to push the wagon with all his might.  The horses caught on quickly, and began to aid the farmer in his task.  Soon, the wagon was out of the mud and the farmer, elated, turned to thank Hercules who had already disappeared.  The farmer was disgruntled that he could not thank the demigod, but his happiness over the lesson he had learned prevailed all other emotions. In all his life he always relied on the aid of others, and he was ecstatic that he had accomplished a task on his own.  He rode the remaining way to town, anticipating his return home to tell his wife of his accomplishments. 

(Hercules and the Wagoner: Wikipedia)

Author's Note:
I created this story based on Aesop's Fable "Hercules And The Wagoner," which attempts to teach a lesson to those who excessively rely on help.  I have included the complete fable below.

HERCULES AND THE WAGONER

A Farmer was driving his wagon along a miry country road after a heavy rain. The horses could hardly drag the load through the deep mud, and at last came to a standstill when one of the wheels sank to the hub in a rut.

The farmer climbed down from his seat and stood beside the wagon looking at it but without making the least effort to get it out of the rut. All he did was to curse his bad luck and call loudly on Hercules to come to his aid. Then, it is said, Hercules really did appear, saying:

"Put your shoulder to the wheel, man, and urge on your horses. Do you think you can move the wagon by simply looking at it and whining about it? Hercules will not help unless you make some effort to help yourself."

And when the farmer put his shoulder to the wheel and urged on the horses, the wagon moved very readily, and soon the Farmer was riding along in great content and with a good lesson learned.

Self help is the best help.

Heaven helps those who help themselves.

When creating my retelling I decided to keep the characters of the farmer and Hercules.  I tried to justify why the farmer did not try to solve his problem in the first place, and instead displayed what he felt was appropriate in his situation, pouting.  Since Hercules was known for his strength, and could have moved the wagon easily, I kept his character intact and exemplified his justification of lecturing the farmer as well.  The quote at the end of the fable is what caught my eye, and inspired me to rewrite it.  Learning to take care of oneself is a valuable life lesson, as we age, and I wanted to portray that the farmer was now all the more wiser. 

Bibliography:
   "Hercules and the Wagoner" by Esop, from The Esop for Children (2006). Web Source: Aespop

Week 1: Exploring the Un-Texbook

Week 2: Since reading the Illiad and the Odyssey in the ninth grade, I have been intrigued by Greek mythology. When looking at the Un-textbook I was excited to find that this was an option for the first two weeks worth of readings.  I have already completed the reading for this week, and I decided on Greek Myths: Ovid III.  All of the sections were appealing, and it was a hard choice to only pick one, but so far I am please with my selection!

Week 3:  For this week I am looking into reading Cupid and Psyche.  Its fascinating that this story is claimed to be the oldest fairy tale, in writing, and that it displays a plot similar to "Beauty and the Beast." I was rather sad that "Classical Greece" and "Biblical Traditions" were put on the same unit, for I would have loved to do readings from both.  I know this was an option, but my love of Greek mythology won this battle.

Week 4:  Growing up I always knew I was passionate about science.  It started off as an obsession with medicine, then it was marine biology, Egyptology, and it has since come back to medicine.  With this being said, this week I have chosen the unit Ancient Egypt.  Although this was an ancient civilization, the fact that many of their structures still stand today, make their stories that much more surreal.

Week 5:  Although I wasn't able to read any of the "Biblical Traditions," I was pleased to see that there was an opportunity to delve into the culture of the regions that are noted in biblical texts.  This being said, I have chosen to read Folklore of the Holy Land: Moslem, Christian and Jewish.

Week 6: My mother is Filipino, and the unit covering Filipino Popular Tales evidently caught my eye. Growing up I heard a few stories here and there, and I'm excited to see if I recognize any in this unit.  

Week 7:  One of my uncle's is Japanese, and very proud of his culture.  I am choosing to cover the unit Japanese Mythology not only because it appears captivating, since it's about gods and such, but I would like to learn more about the culture through it's ancient tales.

Einstein Tech Tip

My image that I made with the Einstein generator:

YouTube Tech Tip

IFLS is one of my favorite pages on Facebook that I follow.  If you are interested in learning random science facts, and are able to get over what some see as an offensive name, then you'll enjoy their page!  Below I have provided a link to one of the few videos they have uploaded on their new YouTube site: Meet The Chicken From Hell, Titan Has Waves and More!.

Personal OU Library Tech Tip

I haven't used this resource in the library system, yet. I mainly utilize the databases for research.  I didn't realize the "My Library" feature existed.  I picked a few e-references, pictured below, which I plan on exploring at a later time.  

OU Email Tech Tip

Before completing this Tech Tip I hadn't thought of using separate folders to sort my mail.  I primarily use my iPhone's mail app for reading messages, and when something is important I use the "flag" feature.  When I entered college I merged my OU Exchange account, and I primarily use Yahoo! for email purposes.  I'm glad I decided to do all my Tech Tips early.  I'm not very computer savvy, and I've already learned so much!

Resize Tech Tip

Elephants are one of my favorite animals, and this photographer had a great shot! I love seeing them in their natural habitats, opposed to being stuck in confinement. It saddens me that these gentle creatures are being hunted for their ivory tusks. 

Image information: Old bull elephant in the Ngorongoro crater by, Yathin S Krishnappa at Wiki Commons.

D2l Profile Tech Tip

For my D2L Profile avatar picture, I decided to take a quick selfie and upload it.  Nothing fancy.

URL Shortener Tech Tip

For this tip I stuck with the prompt and used the Goo.gl shortener.  This is helpful since I stay logged into Google for this course.  I decided to use the link for my first reading selection in the Un-Texbook's Classical - Biblical section.  The unit I chose was Greek Myths: Ovid III.

Short: http://goo.gl/IdYXX9

Original URL:

http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/04/myth-folklore-unit-ovids-metamorphoses_8535.html

Google Doc Dictionary Tech Tip

I don't use this word often, but when I do, I often have trouble remembering how to spell maintenance.   The Google Docs dictionary definition for maintenance:

The meaning is pretty basic, but the spelling gets me majority of the time.  I try and break up the word into pieces in order to remember the spelling  

Week 1: OK, PI, and CA: My Favorite Places

I've only traveled a few places, I'm such a homebody, and my favorite destinations are where I'm surrounded by family.

Oklahoma. I was born and raised here, and most of my life has been spent in the Metro.  Many feel that Oklahoma is boring, but I like how you can go from country to city living in only a matter of miles.  My life is mainly centered around college right now, so of course I especially love Oklahoma for the University.

(Downtown OKC: Wikipedia) 

Tarlac, Philippines. My mother is from the Philippines, and I have visited multiple times over the years.  Majority of her family reside there, and it's always fun to visit and catch up with them.  Although my family doesn't live near the coasts, the country is still so beautiful. I know the beaches are beautiful, but I love seeing this side of the Philippines and the rawness of landscape.

(Entrance to the City: Wikipedia)

Vacaville, California.  I absolutely love the Bay Area, and cannot wait until I can visit again. Vacaville is sandwiched between San Fran and Sacramento, and somewhat has a small town feel to it.  The hills and the openness of this area certainly reminds me of Oklahoma, and my dream is to move out there after medical school.

(Vacaville Hills: Wikipedia)

Google Search-by-Image Tech Tip

I used Google search-by-image to research this image, which shows Madonna Sistina.

Sistine Madonna by Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino.
Image source/More info: Wikipedia

Google Presence Tech Tip

I have googled my name in the past, but I was more surprised than ever when I did it for this Tech Tip.  I was utterly shocked!  I found myself on just about every social media outlet, music outlet, etc.   The first link that popped up was my Myspace, which I haven't used in years! This tip was an eye-opener for me.  I am very aware on how important it is to have a good online image for potential employers, but I completely forgot about all the things that I no longer use.  With the help of this tip I remembered to re-login into these particular sites and change the settings to private.  In doing this I can further shape my online presence. My name is pretty distinctive, but there were a few others that popped up in the list of links, which was interesting.  

Google Timer

Prior to Myth-Folklore, I have not used the Google Timer.  I think that it is a neat idea, and will probably utilize it at some point this semester.  There are many components of this course, with different assignments due on different days, and I think a timer is perfect for not to getting too caught up on work.  This will be my busiest semester yet, and time management will be my best friend.  Although I currently do not use a timer solution, during the semester I make a point to at least write all my assignments down in a planner.  Between my family, work, school, PTA-ing, and my personal life I don't know how I would survive without time management. 

Pinterest Widget Tech Tip

Follow Liza-Ann Whitaker's board MYTH-FOLK Portfolio on Pinterest.

Blogger Templates Tech Tip

I really enjoy bright colors and designs that make a statement, but when I was playing with the templates for this assignment I did not feel that this was beneficial for me.  I loved this yellow chandelier background that Blogger provided, but I felt when I actually applied it I then felt there was too much going on.  I did not want my background image to be the centerpiece and focus of the blog, because thats what the writings for, so in the end I chose a plain white background with black birds.  It took me forever to figure out which background image to use, so I'll probably end up changing it again before I know it... Anyways, when I first created the blog I used the "Travel" design as my initial layout, but I ended up utilizing the "Picture Window" option instead.  I liked how the area containing the writing itself wasn't as transparent, such as in the"Travel" design, and it's easier to see the text.

As I  mentioned in my first post this is my first time blogging.  The only time I can recall reading a blog is when I'm looking for recipes.  I am looking forward to seeing and reading the blogs in Mythology and Folklore!

First post!

Hello, this is my test post!  This is my fist time at blogging, and I'm very excited and nervous to see what this semester has in store for us.