Week 1 Review: Campus Event

I really enjoy the announcements for this class. I feel as if they extend beyond the scope of this class. One of my favorite announcements that you posted for this class was about the FIT passes. It is important for people to get involved in physical activity and OU offers a great deal on classes. I have had the opportunity to get a fit pass before and have enjoyed exploring my options. For me, physical activity is something helps to calm me down and helps to relax myself.

(Fit pass flyer; Web Source) 

Famous Last Words: Discovering Myself

This week went fairly well for me. I am still trying to get situated and back into the grind of class and studying. This semester I am going to put more energy and time in trying to figure out what I want to do with my life and in a way "discovering myself". I have enjoyed this class so far! I am not a huge writer, and I like the idea of posting different blogs that will allow me to express myself more. I do not usually write out my thoughts for other people to see or read, so this is pretty new to me. Some things I have already enjoyed so far in this class was the reading about time management and the growth mindset. I feel as if I still have so much to learn about myself and the world around me and these were just the beginning to open up more ideas within me.

I have enjoyed reading other people's works and writings. I like to see similarities and differences in how people think. The first writing assignment we did, was a way to show that you can use other people's work to become more creative. This relates to how creative people are and possibly how creative I can become in this class. I would like to become a more creative writer. I think this class will help me to succeed in other aspects of life outside of just school.

Additionally, I have made connections from this class to my other class. I want to have more of a growth mindset and make goals that I can achieve. I want to be able to take into account everything I have learned and to recognize that failure isn't the end, but just the beginning. I hope to learn a lot more from this class and apply it to my other classes as well!

(Image of brain and ideas; Web source) 

Tech Tip: Pinterest Board

Pinterest Board

I am an avid Pinterest user! I think it is a great way to explore different ideas and in a way create your own little dream world. I have a lot of pins on my board and for this class, I created a mythology board.

Wikipedia Trail from Demons to Capital Punishment

After looking through the class announcements I came across the word "demons" and decided to start my Wikipedia journey there. I do not know much about the term or where it came from.

Demons: A supernatural presence found in not only religion, but mythology, literature, folklore, and much more. It was interesting to learn that the Greek word does not have a negative connotation associated with it. I have always though of demons as evil.

Superstition: The word demon led me to this word on the Wikipedia page. Is is the belief in supernatural casualty. I think the whole concept of superstitions is fascinating. The term originated in 1948, when B.F. Skinner wrote about his experience. It would be interesting to learn more about the origin of superstitions and why people attribute them to certain things.

Ten Commandments: Known as the Decalogue, these are a set of principles that are followed by some religions, primarily Christianity and Judaism. They serve as a fundamental path for interpretation.

(Ten commandments; web source) 

Capital Punishment: This is also known as the death penalty, where people are put to death for a crime they have committed. Capital punishment is very controversial. Subjects sentenced to death are done so as a punishment for what they have done. 

Growth Mindset

Before this assignment, I had not heard of Carol Dweck or her concepts of a growth mindset or a fixed mindset. After watching her video's I learned more insight as to what it was and thought of it as a way to apply to my life style. I think the idea of "Yet" is something we should have been taught long ago. Sometimes I feel like I look at failure the way people have a fixed mindset, when I should be learning how to grow from my mistakes. Life and school is all about who is the best at things, and I don't think people really stop and take the time to help those who do fail to see their full growth potential. I like the who idea of "Not Yet", and think that it is something that should be implemented.

In my own personal life, I feel as if I am torn between trying to grow and having that fixed mind set. I think I should be more open to growing from my mistakes or failures, however, and not dwelling on them. I really wish I had been taught this at an earlier on age. My time at OU has had its ups and downs. A lot of the time when learning, I feel like I am just going through the motion and not taking everything in entirely, while other times I feel like I am learning so much and I am not sure how to retain everything I take in. I think I can use this concept by Dweck as a way to put my own experiences into perspective and realize that everyone is on a different level of growing and that things will take time.

I am excited to learn more about growth vs. fixed mindset more in to this semester. I hope to not only improve my creative writing growth in this class, but also take in everything I am learning in other classes as a chance to grow and not feel stuck in a fixed position.

(image source from web) 

Time Management

(Illustration by Pete Gamlen; Web Source) 

I felt this assignment was very interesting and could apply to not only this class, but my schedule as a whole. I struggle with managing my time and how to prioritize certain tasks. I always feel like I have so much to do, but then I end up putting things aside to other things that seem more important at the time. Reading a few of these articles gave a good insight into the world of procrastination and having a "busy" schedule.

The first article I found interesting was "How to Beat Procrastination" by Caroline Webb. I clicked on this one first because I am always looking for solutions to doing my work on time and not getting behind. Webb asks us to dig deeper and think about the outcome. Not only does she want us to visualize and publicly commit, but she also thinks people should look at the bad side of situations as well. Overall I liked how she broke tasks down and gave solutions for not procrastinating and building up to certain tasks we want to accomplish.

Another article I really enjoyed reading was "Why time management is ruining our lives" by Oliver Burkeman. I thought it was funny because the assignment is about learning to manage our times and the title of the article contradicts it. The further I read, however, I had to agree with what Burkeman had to say. One thing I really took away from this article was that we all want to be able to manage our time, but in this society that we live in there are always things coming up and happening. This makes us more overwhelmed and unable to complete tasks in a timely manner. The end of the article put things in to perspective for me.

Reading Options

The reading option for week 2 that I chose to look at was "Adam and Eve". I have always been fascinated by the biblical story and I think there are so many different stories that the story can be told. When reading through the unit, I am excited to read more about the different adventures that Adam and Eve face and the different styles that they are written in.

(The Fall, by Michelangelo; Web Source) 

Another unit that caught my eye was from weeks 9 and 10, Native Americans. I am not Native American, but I have always been interested in learning more about the myths and legends from the different tribes. In particular, I am interested in learning about the "California and the Old Southwest". Native Americans were very creative and I think their stories were fascinating.

The unit from weeks 6 and 7 also looked very fascinating to me! It is from the Asian and African unit. After scrolling through the unit, I am not very familiar with the culture or stories from it. The Japanese Mythology seemed intriguing to learn about.

Storybook Favorites

Gossip Girl: The Dirt on Hawaii's Elites

This storybook really caught my eye because of the play that it took on one of my favorite TV shows, Gossip Girl. The author added a fun and whimsical twist to the story based in Hawaii. She started out by drawing in my attention on the secrets behind the picturesque place of Hawaii. I think the layout of the page storybook and design was easy to navigate and related to the story as well. The author also did a good job of leading to other posts because of how mysterious "Gossip Girl" is. Additionally, I liked how similar it compared to gossip girl, but changed lifestyles. 

The Prince Diaries 

I really enjoyed this fun twist off of the "Princess Diaries". The author was able to draw my attention in, because a lot of the time you do not always get to hear how men are feeling in situations. There was a lot of mystery in the introduction, which made me want to keep reading. I feel like that is a good aspect for stories. In addition, the layout of the page was very clean, but could have used a little more excitement. I enjoyed the pictures of the actors and it made me want to figure out what exactly is going on in their head/journals. I like the whole concept of "role reversal". Men can show emotion too, and I think that is great! 

(James Franco and Armie Hammer; Website) 

Animal Adventures

I thought this storybook was really cute and creative. I am a huge animal lover (if you can't tell from my introduction post), so I enjoyed the concept. It was funny how the introduction was like a news letter to the parents of different animals about a daycare called "Sunshine Daycare". The author included a lot of information, and the pictures of the puppies were adorable. The site was easy to navigate, but I thought the storybook design could have been improved just a little bit. Overall, this daycare made it seem like something I would want to be a part of. The stories looked interesting and as if they were life lessons from the adventures of the animals. 

(Three puppies; Web Source)

Introduction: My Little World

Hey y'all! My name is Emily Leib and I am a senior at the University of Oklahoma. I was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. (Yes actual Dallas, not just a suburb around it) I am studying Health and Exercise science and am considering Physical Therapy schools or grad schools. I have always been fascinated with the human body and helping people to heal. Additionally, I have also grown an interest in Nutrition, which is something I am also thinking about continuing my education studying. Still trying to figure out exactly what I want to do, but I'll get there.

My family is an important part of my life. I am the youngest of four siblings, so not seeing them every day is very hard. I have a sister named Anna (23) and two brothers named Kevin (23) and Bryan (26). They are all living in Texas right now so I like to go home to visit with them. Additionally I have two wonderful parents named Ginger and Bruce. My mom is a Nurse and my dad is the President of Texas Bank in Dallas. We go to Destin, Florida together ever summer and spend our holidays together.

(Photo taken in July 2016; Family Dinner)

(Photo taken in December 2016; Christmas)

There are two more members of my family that I absolutely adore. I have two dogs, Bella and Mia! I am a huge dog person, so any chance I have to spend with them I take. We got Bella, who is full Border Collie off of craigslist in 2013 in Dallas before I graduated high school. She love soccer, long walks, and treats. My other dog, I found on craigslist this past October in Edmond, Oklahoma. I technically got the dog for my brother, but my family is obsessed with her so they've been watching her. She is half Australian Shepard/ half Border Collie. She does just about everything Bella does.

(Photo taken June 2016; Bella visits OU) 

 (Photo taken October 2016; First day we met) 

(Photo taken November 2016; Mia and Bella visit Norman) 

My other hobbies besides school include playing soccer, swimming (I am a certified lifeguard and swim instructor), hanging out with friends, watching movies and eating. It may sound funny that I mention eating as a hobby, but I absolutely love going to new places and trying different things! My favorite food is Mexican (...TexMex), but I also enjoy other things like sushi and American food. 

Week 1 Story: Cake Master

"PAT-A-CAKE, pat-a-cake, baker's man! 

(So I will, master), as fast as I can:

Pat it, and prick it, and mark it with a T, 

Put it in the oven for Tommy and me"

(Nursery Rhyme Book) 

---

Once upon a time, there was a boy named Henry who worked in a kitchen. Although not aware of his ability, he loved to experiment on his own. His boss was very precise about things that could and could not be done in his kitchen, however, so the boy had to wait until the wee hours of the night when he was cleaning to go behind his back.

"What is this disaster?" the owner of the shop proclaimed one evening finding the boy making a mess out of his kitchen.

(Henry working in the kitchen)

Henry, afraid of what would happen to him, made up a slight fib about his friend Billy making the mess and him having to stay behind and clean it. Billy was also the chef that worked in the kitchen. The boss was livid, and fired Billy immediately the next day, leaving the kitchen without a chef.

Panicked and afraid of what would happen to his business, the boss sent Henry into extensive chef training. He was very unaware of what Henry had done to his fellow friend and chef...

Henry, on the other hand was overjoyed at the chance of a lifetime to do what he loved to do, not even thinking about his Billy and his feelings. Little did he know how hard the boss would have him work to become a chef.

"Work harder", the boss yelled at Henry at every mistake he thought he made.

As the training continued, he felt overwhelmed and like he had made a huge mistake. Henry turned to Billy for help and gave him an apology. Lucky, Billy was forgiving and even helped Henry to perfect things and worked behind their boss's back to do so.

When Henry was finally put to the test, he made the most fantastic cake for his boss's approval and carved a "B" in the icing that drizzled over.

(cake for the boss)

Befuddled, the boss questioned Henry's intentions and abilities. Although he loved the cake, he didn't believe that is was his doing in his training. He asked Henry to explain what was going on.

Henry, afraid to get in trouble, but knew he had to do what was right, exclaimed, "Billy helped me with everything and I lied about him working behind your back in the kitchen. The "B" on the cake represents my appreciation for him."

The boss teared up about the situation, and eventually admitted that he shouldn't have been so hard on them. He allowed Billy to come back and work, and even gave Henry the opportunity to work in the kitchen as well. 

---

Author's Note. After reading this nursery rhyme, it made me thing of my childhood. It also made me think of all the food network channel shows that I watch in the kitchen. I was inspired by the cake so I made my own spin off of the rhyme.


Bibliography. This story is based on the nursery rhyme "Pat-A-Cake" in The Nursery Rhyme Book, edited by Andrew Lang.


A little extra... 

I stumbled upon this different edition of "Pat-A-Cake" and it is a little weird, but fun for children. It was very catchy and might get stuck in your head.

My Favorite Place: Destin, Florida

Although born and raised in Dallas, Texas all my life, my favorite place that I hold dear to my heart is in Florida. Ever since I was 9 years old, my family and I have traveled two weeks out of the summer to our little condo in Destin. It not only is a beautiful area, but a great place to relax and enjoy time away from worries! I spend most of my two weeks there relaxing on white sand near the calm blue water, as you can see from my image below.

(Miramar Beach: Flickr) 

One of the main reasons this has become my favorite place, is due to the time I get to spend with my family there. As the youngest of four it is hard to keep up with my older siblings, so any quality time with them is my absolute favorite! We are very close and it is hard being in school and not seeing them all the time. Below is a recent picture of my family and I this past summer in Destin. Activities we enjoy doing are tanning, swimming, shopping, eating seafood, and much more!

(Image information: personal photo of my family taken in July 2016)