Reading Notes: Macbeth

Yay - Macbeth! I am finally starting my journey in reading Shakespeare, as reading the majority of his known work is on my book-bucket-list. To begin my first reading notes of this assignment, I am sharing two photos of my dog I took when I came home with the book. I think we had the same feelings - first a little intimidation and then pure interest.

The task of reading this book was much less daunting once I broke it apart by weekly reading assignments (another win for making small goals!).

Photo I took and edited

As a personal note, I had originally overdone my notes which consisted of about 2500+ words. This has now been condensed to just over 1000 words, including this introduction portion.

Act 1, Scene 1 

The story starts with three witches. They discuss meeting later and a reference is made to their familiars - animals that do their bidding.

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Act 1, Scene 2

An injured Captain excitedly recounts tales of bravery and bloodshed that occurred during not one, but two battles that Macbeth effortlessly conquered. The King is all too impressed, what with Macbeth cutting open a man belly to jaw and mounting his head on a stick. Even better than two battles one, Macbeth has defeated a rebel, the Thane of Cawdor. So enamored, the King strips this title from the former Thane and gives it to Macbeth (in addition to putting the former Thane to death). He sends his men to announce the good news to Macbeth.

Act 1, Scene 3

Once again we are greeted with three witches, discussing their merriment in killing farm animals and putting curses on the husbands of women who refuse to let the witches them steal their food. Suddenly, Macbeth and his friend Banquo walk into the party and think they are imagining things because the witches start praising Macbeth and announcing his current title, future title, and that he will be king. As the men question the validity of their statements, they vanish. And as the witches have dissapeared, the kings men arrive to pronounce his new title as Thane of Cawdor – fulfilling the first of two claims/prophecies the witches just made. Banquo questions the reality of the moment with a line I really adore:

“What, can the devil speak true?” (sarcastically, since to him the devil is the father of lie - but Banquo then makes a counterpoint) “oftentimes, to win us our harm, instruments of darkness tell us truths, win us with honest trifles, to betray’s in deepest consequence”

Macbeth thinks the witches may not have been lying, and this causes him some distress. If it is a good thing, and he will be king, then why would he ever kill the king? (I guess we are assuming murder is the only way to get a pay raise around here). If it is bad, why has the title of Thane of Cawdor been given to him? He instinctually says no – he would never kill the king (his chiveralous side), however, he cannot get the idea of murder from his thoughts (his soldier side).

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Act 1, Scene 4

In this scene, the King and Macbeth discuss his new title.

Act 1, Scene 5

Lady Macbeth is introduced, reading a letter from Macbeth about the events that have transpired. It is implied that Macbeth is onboard with the possible murder to gain the crown, as she immediately starts to come to terms that they have to murder the king. At first, she has similar thoughts that parallel Macbeth’s, she wants to be a good person but the chance to be Queen is so tempting. Upon finding out the King will be staying the night in their castle, the nail is put in the coffin as she starts to form a plan – ending the scene with a knife in her hand.

Act 1, Scene 6

The King has arrived, Lady Macbeth is trying very hard to act as if she isn’t plotting his demise, and Banquo is comparing the nice weather to birds having sex in their nest above the church.  

Act 1, Scene 7

Macbeth is alone again, having an inner struggle again. He knows the king trusts him implicitly, and has no real desire to see him dead other than getting the crown. He decides to drop the idea of killing him, but his wife charges in calling him a coward. In an analogy, she states; like a cat who wants a fish but is afraid to get its feet wet (pretty tame analogy for murder). Much less tamely, she tells him she understands that the king adores him but that he needs to, well, get over it:

"the babe that milks me, I would, while it was smiling in my face, have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed its brains out"

 He caves to his wife and is back on board with murdering the king. They make a plan to get the king drunk, his two servants that guard his room drunk, and then murder him while framing the servants. 

Act 2, Scene 1

Alone, Macbeth hallucinates a vision of a dagger. After some deep thought, he takes his own from its sheath, casting away any last hesitations and goes to commit the act. 

Act 2, Scene 2

Lady Macbeth has done her part, the servants are drunk and asleep on the job. Macbeth enters, having killed the king, but is in complete shock. He can’t cover up the evidence because he is too shaken, so his wife - appalled at his emotions - finishes the job. They argue until a knock at the door forces them to put on their pajamas and pretend they’ve been asleep this whole time. 

Summary

I do not know the ending to this story, so this is all genuine speculation. I believe the witches knew Macbeth would become Thane of Cawdor, but had no idea if he would ever become king – that was a seed they planted in his head, knowing the temptation would be too great for even the noblest of men. It seems though he would have not succumbed, had he never told his wife of the prophecy. He also might have backed out again, but I think the hallucinations of the dagger are something supernatural to bring him back on the path to death.

Some quotes that I think apply to the morals/themes of this story so far:

It has often been said that power corrupts. But it is perhaps equally important to realize that weakness, too, corrupts. Power corrupts the few, while weakness corrupts the many – Eric Hoffer; the idea of power almost corrupts Macbeth, but he is too noble indeed; however, his wife is not and his weakness to his wife is his real downfall.

Bad company corrupts good character – Menander; I believe this also adequately relates to his wife.

Feedback Thoughts

I have taken one writing class, and that was more than a few years ago in my junior year of high school. It was a poetry/creative writing class, and we didn't receive feedback - only grades and criteria met checklists. I think I would have liked that class more had the teacher offered input on my writing; so I am glad I will get some here, as I have little experience in creative writing.

A Simple 5-Second Habit to Rewire Your Harshly Self-CriticalBrain

This will be one of my first more or less negative responses to an article, maybe I woke up on the wrong side of the bed, but I did not like this article. I do appreciate it, and advocate for the message it promotes; many times when my best friend has cheated on her diet I tell her to just focus on the next meal, and when she eats healthy food to remember to feel good about it. For myself, I associate the small victory method of combatting self criticism to goal making. Instead of one large goal, I break it down into several small segments that I get fulfillment out of when I check them off the list. Anytime I skip the gym, I just remember that tomorrow I can try again and when I do go I feel so happy that I am more motivated to get back on track - and that feeling follows me when I end up skipping again and getting into a slump, the memory of success motivates me to try again. However, REBS (reality based self congratulation) in itself doesn't make sense to me as an acronym, and when I googled REBS I received an image of a military truck

The Rapidly Emplaced Bridge System

Beyond the weird acronym, the author repeatedly stated that it was a science based system but provided no related science based evidence. There was minimal explanation of how your brain works, but where are the sources? I know the author has a PhD, but no degree-holding individual is exempt from providing evidence for their claims (I know its not a super serious article but more of a motivational piece, it just kept nagging at me since they were using that specific phrase).

As I said, this review is particularly negative. I think some of that stems from the fact I already use the methods given in the article and that I am a person who, if I am reading an article that claims science-based anything I want the science-based proof to back it up. The message was great, and very similar to the Growth Mindset article, but the presentation was lacking (in my opinion).

Seven Ways to Crush Self-Doubt in Creative Work

I am very familiar with self doubt, I was filled with it in writing my first story here. It didn't turn out the way I expected, I was unsure if I had adequate use of various words or descriptions, and overall was worried it just wasn't good. Like the author, I have a lot of self doubt with my art - often it doesn't come out the way I wanted it to in my head, and then I just quit the painting all together. I once had a painting I spent five years working on and still didn't finish (my roommate accidentally broke it, I try to see that as a more or less of a blessing - if he hadn't have broken it I would have never started over).

Comparing myself to others, I would agree, is more harmful than beneficial. After other students Favorite Places posts started rolling in I found myself comparing my hippie-philosophical post and seeing it as more silly rather than meaningful. I also found regret that I have not traveled much (yet). I had to remind myself that it isn't something that can be compared, that is really how I feel and I shouldn't compare what I enjoy to what others enjoy. Also - I have plenty of time and plans to travel to more places and fine new favorite spots!

Another relation to art is abandoning the perfectionism - I didn't like the end result, and so I would just add it to the pile of finished art to never be hung on the walls. I don't feel perfectionism pressure in my academic life as much though, because the pressure of deadlines outweighs it; I might not be happy with the way a lab report looks, but since it's due I'm happy that I just completed it.

This class is definitely a test of vulnerability, because I am putting my original-first-impression thoughts out for anyone to see in addition to trying a new thing - creative story telling. The saying is true, that you are your worst critic. While I can think of some pretty brutal things about my own work, none of those thoughts ever come up when reading someone else's; so the same is probably true of someone reading my work.

As I've posted here and many other time - small goals are my life blood, and I have yet to find a negative consequence to making them as opposed to making large ones (so long as I don't forget the big picture along the way).

The sixth point in this article sums almost the entirety of the previous one; make small achievements and reward yourself for them. If you fail, it is just an opportunity to do better next time.

As you can probably tell from my blog - I talk a lot and have no problem striking up and maintaining a conversation. This is actually an insecurity of mine, because I see others who are quiet and self reflective and a whole grass is greener thing comes into mind and I become envious. Often I feel my lack of filter is a downside and (as with vulnerability) leaves me exposed because I am more or less an open book (and, where some people clam up when they are nervous - I verbally throw up, it's hard to stop talking). As the author tried to be more serious in an effort to squash his goofy/creative side, he was less happy but found he thrived when he was himself. I think the same can be said for myself, that I am happier when I am myself (seems like an obvious statement, but I believe most of us struggle to accept who we are).

Topic Brainstorm

1. Diseases: I was thinking of writing stories pertaining to my major by finding myths about diseases and creating stories about them. Possibly from the disease's point of view, the disease as an entity instead of a microbe, or stories about people infected by diseases that were thought to be cursed by witches/Salem era stories of people who went mad and killed "witches" that were actually innocent - which brings a whole component/idea of intertwining the supernatural with diseases somehow. I could even do a storybook about major supernatural beings and the story of their changes in a medical/magical standpoint i.e. the stages a werewolf goes through after being bitten and then monthly cycles, vampires, zombies or any monster that appears on the TV show Supernatural (one of my favorites). This could be supplemented by finding stories about the origin of monsters. Here I just searched for the word "disease" and found many stories with the word "disease" appearing 28 times. This link is a search for the term witch, which wow there is a lot of information on witches - I definitely would have to spend some time sorting through it. This link is the shortest in the search engine result for vampires. Here is a link I would need for werewolf information.

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2. Underworld/Dante's Inferno: I know it has been used a lot, but it is such an interesting idea. I haven't read Dante's Inferno but knowing how famous it is there is an ample supply of stories that I could use to relate my own version of the layers of hell. One idea that could be explored how a person has to go through the layers of hell, varying degrees depending on their crimes, before they can get to heaven or reincarnation depending on their outcome of the trials (kind of like going to jail/prison and then getting out to experience freedom or commit the same crimes until you learn your lesson). I am not sure if I would use the Underworld or Dante's Inferno because from what I understand, the Underworld is basically a recreation of Dante's Inferno or vise versa.

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3. Cupid: I learned about the story of Cupid and Psyche and fell in love with its complexities. The weird way Cupid became her husband, Psyche's family betrayal and the trials she had to go through. It was one of very few Greek stories that had a happy ending. I didn't know till I looked at this link that the story paralleled with Beauty and the Beast - my least favorite Disney movie because it's basically stockholm syndrome.Here is a link with ample information about it.

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4. Shakespeare: I loved the movie versions of Hamlet and Romeo & Juliet, and I made a short film depicting the story of A Midnight's Summer Dream for a senior project in high school. There are so many weird, tragic, and funny stories he has come up with that I like the idea of further exploring his work; although, this would be one I would be curious as how to go about. Can I really just research Wikipedia plots of the stories as this link says?

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Week 2 Story: A Shuffle in the Night

In the distance, he hears laughter. He ponders, who would be laughing out here? The sun is setting on the path, an unofficial path he has made from the numerous trips taken on the same route, to the same destination. The laughter is closer now, and he looks up, oh - it's just a crow. There are not normally crows on this path.

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It is a two day trip, and it's getting too dark to see anymore. The forest is less comforting tonight, he feels that he is being watched and builds a fire a little dimmer than usual in the small cove of the forest, just mere feet from the path.

***

Not much time had passed when he awoke to hear the shuffling of feet. Who would be walking here, who even knows this path is here? Through his blanket and past the snuffed fire, he sees, thinking, an old woman?, dragging a large bag. He could lay still, hide beneath his covers - but she would see him in passing. Rather than wait to be found he decides to approach her - but not without finding out as much as he can beforehand.

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She is in rags, a mix of hides and fur, and upon further observation, carrying a knife still wet with blood. 

This discovery sends the hair on his neck straight up. But what else can he do? Beyond the path, the forest is too dense to travel through... and besides, she is getting closer.

Any attempt now to leave would be clearly heard by her. Thinking fast, he jumps on to the path to create an illusion of control. What are you doing, on this path, in the middle of the night? After several moments, his question is responded too - but the woman still does not show her face. My child is in this bag, he has succumbed. 

He is stricken, frozen, unable to respond. Is she telling the truth, and does he want to know, if not, what is the truth? Eyes never leaving the knife, he says I... am sorry... Can I do anything to help? More silence, more awkward moments that feel like eternity. He realizes that in all this time his adrenaline hasn't allowed him to notice the foul smell present, the bag? he wonders - but suddenly she attacks him.

She lunges with the knife and as he falls the hood comes off, this is no woman but the shredded remains of what was once a person. She has only one eye, the other an exposed socket and no nose, her lips are gone and only show bloodied teeth. Shreds of the skin left flail during the assault, he takes her arm holding the knife right as it is about to be plunged into his chest and her arm comes off. He wrenches the knife from her somehow still grasping hand and cuts off her head, or what was left of it.

The air is suddenly still, the only noise is his heavy breath. He stares at the few stars he can see past the tree. After several moments, he stands. Legs wavering, he manages to walk to the bag and cut it open - what he finds, makes bile rise in his throat. A child, a boy, but with flesh ripped from his body. Bites taken out of his limbs. He is not the one who was rotting, he was not the source of the smell, he has been too recently killed.

*** 

He is exhausted, having run for the rest of the trip home with no stopping. How can he rest, or ever feel safe again on that path. He sees the clearing, the familiar opening to his village they will know what to make of what happened he thinks. In the distance, he sees the backs of his mother and brother. Relief floods him as he finds comfort in their presence, until the wind brings a smell to his nose that runs his blood cold. Before they turn, he already knows what awaits him. His hands clench the knife.

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Reading Notes: Supernatural

Supernatural: A Teton Ghost Story by Katharine Berry Judson

Source: The Origin of Spoopy

The tone is set with a description of the path and an ominous presence set by the hooting owl. I say ominous, because there is a certain mystery as first it is described "someone" making a sound, only to realize it is an owl.

More visual descriptions to cue in the malicious nature of the settings, a woman is screaming but the protagonist hides beneath his blankets - maybe indicating he is too afraid to answer the call?

Soon, the assumed source of the screaming approaches; but there are still questions because the protagonist cannot see her face.

Laying (assumed to be) paralyzed by fear, he plays unconscious or maybe dead as the woman tests the legitimacy of this unmoving figure. She calls his bluff with a knife, and he folds.

Though his charade failed, he seemingly won the ambiguous battle as the woman retreated into the forest. When morning comes, proof of the eerie encounter lays near.

The following night, a new sound arose - singing. When he approached the singer (maybe having learned from his mistake in hiding) he denied having food. Again, his bluff was called and he gave food to the ghost.

Upon sharing his meal with the ghost, the ghost shared a view of what was underneath his clothes - nothing but bones. After revealing his lack of muscle mass, the ghost then challenges the protagonist to a wrestling match - to which, if the ghost loses, the protagonist will kill his enemies and steal some horses.

Source: That Escalated Quickly

The protagonist agrees but first wants to stoke the fire, and upon finishing his task he is ambushed by the ghost. During the struggle it was found that the ghost was weaker the closer it was to the fire - but the fire was going out, making it stronger. In a last attempt to save himself, the protagonist kicks brush into the fire, setting it ablaze and manages to win the match - the prophecy comes true.

Afterthoughts 

What is the moral of the story? Is he a cautious man, or is he a selfish man? How would this story have played out had he sought out the woman or been honest with the ghost?

Source: Prepare for Skeleton War

Reading Options

The Dead Mother

I first picked Russian Folklore, because of their stereotypes for being tough and hardcore I was curious what their stories were like. I was not disappointed, beginning with the introduction; ghost stories, vampires, and other tales of the "undead." My three favorite genres (in no order) are supernatural, sci fi, and dystopian. I read the first story “The Dead Mother” and wow, can you say creepy(pasta)? These are stories I definitely look forward to further exploring - they are short and to the point but could be re-embellished with so many new details and twists.

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The Little Mermaid

Next I looked for Danish stories, because I wanted to find The Little Mermaid. I had heard that the original story was pretty brutal. Over the years I also have heard that the reason for the happy ever after is that in American culture, we like a happy ending. Whereas in other parts of the world they want a realistic ending . However… this was a very long story. While I do intend on reading it at some day, that day is not today. (Maybe I’ll listen to it as my first audio book).

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Rumpelstiltskin

Finally, I looked down the list and saw the four Grimm entries. After clicking the first one, I decided to read Rumpelstiltskin and for the life of me I cannot figure out the moral of the story. Don’t sell your children would be a good guess. Maybe that history repeats itself, if I was going for a stretch.

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Time Management

The Important Habit of Just Starting

Dr. Piers Steel's formula for motivation, found within the article

Motivation: I want to stop working jobs that are boring or that I don’t like, I have a passion for learning about diseases and ailments and I want to get paid for that passion.

Expectancy: as of the 2015-16 school year, OU has a 66.8% graduation rate. So the odds are a 50/50 chance I will graduate, and being a Senior with two years left I think that increases my odds. I am a first generation student, sort of; my grandmother had a Master’s degree in accounting, however neither of my parents received an education higher than high school. If I were to classify myself as a first generation college student, I am faced with the fact that as of 2011-2012 academic year only 11% of first generation college students graduated within 6 years of enrolling in school. While this lowers my odds, I don’t think I have much to fear. I completed two years at a community college and one year at OU; what that tells me is that I have the ability to succeed in college if I keep pushing forward for this last two year stretch. It might not be within 6 years of starting, but I think having changed my major a few times gives me an excuse to take a little longer. 

Value: the same reason for my motivation, I want to get paid for what I am passionate about. An additional value is that I can maybe increase the value of other people’s lives by working on medicine to fight infections and diseases – and bettering the quality of life is an invaluable achievement I hope to attain.

Impulsiveness: I would say I am minorly distracted if I get started on a task right away, but if I wait one to two hours to get started on my tasks, it is pretty easy to turn into three to four hours delay to whoops it’s midnight. I think the hardest thing is just getting started, but once I start it is very difficult for me to quit.

Delay: There are so many different rewards, I try to focus on the one closest at hand. If I take each assignment one at a time, and just focus on completing them as they appear I am much more inclined to start them rather than if I focus on the fact that (as of writing this) I am 383 points away from an A in this class. This strategy is actually what helped me get through boot camp, often in my head I would be repeating – 

Okay, I just have to get through breakfast.

Now lunch, I just have to get through to lunch.

Dinner is next, and even better, I get to sleep after that! 8 hour break :D

Keeping a bulls-eye focus on time like that really kept me from being overwhelmed at the almost 4 month long training. I use this thought strategy when I have a large list of assignments do. I write out all the assignments I need to do, but then only look at them one at a time and keep the rest covered until I have finished one. This way, I have several immediate rewards as I climb the ladder to accomplishing a large task – which is something advocated for in this and coincidentally the next article.

The Psychology of Checklists: Why Setting Small Goals Motivates Us to Accomplish Bigger Things

Checklists are by far my favorite way of accomplishing a task. My planner is my savior when it came to OU.

You can see more pictures of this planner and if you like it buy it here

Ever since I started using planners, the one above being my favorite, I rarely forget assignments and get more done on time. I often use a method where I write the assignment down to be “due” the day before it is actually due, as my own fabricated grace period.

My dad always told me growing up you are more likely to accomplish a goal if you write it down, and that’s basically what this article says! 

Something I also employ are colors – SOOOO many colors. Every class I have is in a different color, and this makes writing down all the dreaded assignments I have to do more fun. It also (for whatever reason) take some of the stress away when I look at all I have to do during a week when it is full of different colors rather than a big dump of black. 

The online checklists introduced in this article are great, and while I like the idea of starting to use one there is something about my current method that I really enjoy. However, I do admit that when I am not in school I really never touch my planner, so I either need to make it a daily habit or need to download a checklist app for my phone.

Summary

While I didn't learn a lot of new information, I got confirmation that my current methods of time management are working and good methods chosen. I have struggled for years to become successful academically, and it wasn't without many 'trial and error' (a lot of error) until I found a study and time management method that worked well for me.

Technology

The only tool I have had experience with on the list is Google Docs. Beyond writing essays and lab reports, I have never had to get creative with online content but I am glad that there are ample tools provided. Unfortunately, the one I was most interested in – Diigo – is blocked at my job so I will have to check it out when I get home. I plan on working on this class in my 2 hour break between lectures MWF, but a lot of the time I end up doing most of my school work at my job because luckily it’s a pretty relaxed environment.

Below is an image of Simone Giertz, an inventor of tools commonly called “Sh*ty Robots”. Here is a link to a compilation of some of her designs, if you haven’t heard of her before.

Initial Thoughts on Assignments

I am most intrigued and minorly intimidated by the storybook/portfolio project. While I don’t have a hard time making conversation, I have never tested my abilities to write stories. I paint in my free time, but that so far has been the extent of my creativity. However, as I have moved through these first few assignments my nerves have been put at ease because it seems not only does the class move in increments but also that there should be plenty of time to work on the assignments (one of the reasons I started working ahead).

Never before have I had a class that required a blog, and the closest thing that I can compare this class so far to is one I have mentioned several times - Gods and Heroes in Art. That class was composed of weekly quizzes and art commenting assignments with a few tests and a final paper at the end of the semester. In it we composed our thoughts of three art pieces and how they represented a moment in a story. It’s a stretch, a long one, but that is probably the most comparable class I have taken.  

As far as extra credit is concerned, I think the most appealing are extra reading and Wikipedia trails. I always carry at least one book on me and more than once I have done something similar to a Wikipedia trail; but instead of clicking on other articles it would usually be clicking on other people or events mentioned in the initial post.

Overall, I am glad I am taking this class; I need something fun to balance out the heavy workload I am taking this semester (Physics II, Organic Chemistry, Microbiology, and all the labs that go alongside them). In addition, I still have one non-western class needed for my degree and maybe if this class goes well I will be taking the online Indian myth class next semester!

As I said, in my free time I paint. Below is a photo of one of my more recent and less serious art projects - Space Cactus. I was experimenting, trying to learn how to paint galaxies and threw the cactus in for fun (also love the plant in general).

Growth Mindset Response

In response to Carol Dweck TED Talk, "The Power of Believing That You Can Improve"

“Not Yet” verses “Failed” as a method of grading, with emphasis on how the “Not Yet” students learned better, is at its core a representation of human evolution. What is a distinct difference between humans and every other organism (besides opposable thumbs)? Language. Our ability to communicate lead to the ability to form complex societies that lead to where we are today. Language is more than just communicating what is happening; it is ideas and concepts that we have often associated deep emotional meaning too – depending on what’s being said.

Not Yet indicates that you still have the ability to accomplish something, your efforts are not in vain.

Failed indicates you are at an impasse, you must start over as your last attempt was pointless.

In response to Carol Dweck, "Make Challenge the New Comfort Zone"

One of my biggest accomplishments for me was graduating boot camp, and to myself I personally reference this a lot in ways like “Well if I can get through boot camp then surely I can pass Organic Chemistry”. I attribute positive thinking as one of the things that helped me pass O.Chem with great grades (in addition to studying almost as much as I breathed). I truly believe if you can force yourself to think in a better light about your own abilities, then you will always do better in difficult situations than if you had been down talking yourself such as “I’m going to fail this test” or “This class is just too difficult to pass”. If there isn’t a moment you can think of when you overcame the odds, just telling yourself the opposite of those past two phrases will improve not just your grades but your ability to come back from failures; and over time, encountering difficult problems may be an ignition of enjoyment rather than apprehension.

In response to the Alfie Kohn article 

(TBH, I skimmed it)

The largest reason attributed to people failing O.Chem is that they try to memorize instead of understand the concepts being taught. Similarly, Kohn describes this method as the problem with our education system; that we are memorizing and dumping information rather than really learning what is being taught. While I understand and can agree with some of Khon’s opinions, it isn’t as simple as having a positive attitude – which is where I come to partially disagree with Dweck. Positive thinking is important, but having the ability to accept your failures is just as, if not more, important. I saw a fundamental change in my life when I started accepting my responsibility for things. If my boss at work yelled at me it wasn’t “what the hell is their problem” it was “what did I do and how can I not let that happen again”. Not allowing others to be in control of your emotions and actions as well as taking control of the situation entirely, I believe, gives the power back to you.

I received an A in the first semester of O.Chem, but a B in the second semester. While I whole-heartedly want to blame the terrible teaching methods and trickery when it came to exams, at the end of the day it was my fault for not getting that A. I can call out more than once when I was watching Netflix instead of reviewing mechanisms, or when I didn’t study for an entire weekend and only finished assignments that were due. Making it my responsibility allows me to learn from myself and do better next time; but positive thinking is a critical aspect of performing better when the time comes.

Kohn makes a great point though – a positive attitude can’t help you if you do not have the tools needed to perform. Also, that too much positivity can back fire. I heard about a study on the radio that ultimately said you shouldn’t tell people your goals until you’ve accomplished them; when a person says they are starting a new diet, sometimes just the praise for thinking of doing it is so rewarding they end up not starting it. While these are good points, he poses no tangible solution and while we search for them, I think we should use all the tools we do have at our disposal.

In summary (TL;DR)

There are many methods to learning - and while one may work for some, the same one might not work for many others. I believe that combining acceptance for your failures with a positive attitude to the prospects of new challenges is key to succeeding.

Now, here below are two funny (IMO) and slightly applicable quotes from a character on the TV show New Girl, turned into a bad motivational poster.

Browsing the Storybooks (Storybook Favorites)

Zeus's Ex-Lovers

The first on the list was the first to catch my eye - I took a class called Gods and Heroes in Art my first semester at OU and it was not just engaging but hilarious. I also took a broader mythology classics class before that, though it barley covered Greek mythology. When you first hear about Greek mythology and the Gods people worshiped, you expect them to be about holier-than-thou entities that makes good choices (for the most part) like other religions that people follow. Oh me, oh my, this is not the case. Greek mythological stories are more like a high school soap opera but with a death count. They are emotional and ridiculous but generally have a moral to their story if you search deep enough. My first semester I learned all about the marital atrocities that were essentially Zeus's hobbies and learned about the vibrant women he scorned. 

Beyond my initial interest in Zeus and Greek mythology in general, I liked the take the author had on making them human with no superpowers. The introduction was very realistic with the description of the characters as they would appear in real life; Zeus, an egomaniac womanizer. Hera, a bold personality who will not hold her tongue nor weapon. Aphrodite, passive but all too eager to participate in the drama. I appreciate the author's notes at the end, although I understood most of her references without them, they are an excellent tool for those who have no background in mythology. I personally loved the method the author used to tell the story - starting in the middle and then leading up to the background; it pulls readers in faster if they get thrown head first into the drama and makes them want to know more. 

Fun fact: Cuckoos are considered a social parasite (as defined by Carl Zimmerman in his book "Parasite Rex") or a brood parasite (as defined by the Wikipedia page where I found the image below, here) in the animal kingdom. These are animals that either lay their young with another parent's offspring or just kick those kids out and leave their own behind - in the end the foster parents know no difference, even as the new offspring grows to not only be a different species but often much larger than the parent.

A Cuckoo bird being raised by another, much smaller species of bird

Nine Lives of a Cat

The appeal of this storybook was simply that I love cats, and upon opening this storybook I loved the quotes at the beginning of every story. Interestingly this story had the opposite format from Zeus's Ex-Lovers, as the author here distinctly states they do not like the tactic of diving right into the action. Their method, of providing first person narrative with a mysterious opener followed by a constant timeline was equally appealing and made me want to keep reading. I personally like first person narratives, but I prefer when the narrator doesn't explain things and you learn as you read about what is going on with clever cues or conversations. In real life, you aren't providing background for the situation because you already know the situation and there isn't an audience watching. Writing in this manner makes it even easier for me to immerse myself in the book's reality. However - this style would not work for this story because it is an explanation for the existence of life as it is now, so I believe the author chose a great storytelling method of providing background and explaining the situation to the reader. 

I assume this is still a work in progress or that my Internet has failed, because the storybook ended after Muezza's tale. I was actually disappointing because the black plague is what sparked my interest in my major, microbiology, and I was excited to read their story relating to it.

Side note for recommendations: The quote on the introduction page reminded me of the movie Death Becomes Her, a 1992 "fantasy/horror"(really a comedy) about two women who take an immortality potion that is less than perfect. It's a hilarious and unique movie, but if you decide to watch it I would advise against watching the trailer (it gives away most of the funny parts and is essentially a summary of the whole movie). 

Death's Story

How random and lucky did I get to pick three different stories with three completely different storytelling styles? This author's method of pulling you in literally pulls you in and makes you apart of the story. It was also the shortest of the three, making it the one I have the fewest words for. Death as a somewhat mortal entity is a concept I have come across before, most memorably in the TV show "Supernatural". In it, the characters come across several reapers that can be killed and eventually meet Death, who also can be killed. The show is wonderful in my opinion because of its unconventional approach to the creators, destroyers, and participants of life as all of these previous stories have done. Angels aren't always the good guys, Demons can sometimes be helpful, and every supernatural creature you've ever heard of and more is explored through the in-depth story of two brothers who hunt monsters. If you enjoy mythology, I think you may enjoy this TV show (all current 13 seasons are on Netflix [with about 22 episodes per season] so its binge worthy).

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My Favorite (type of) Places

When asked what is my favorite place, my mind goes to the sunroom of my grandmother's house that I grew up in; it had 4 giant windows, two on the back wall and one on each side with one being a sliding glass door that lead to the backyard. My grandma, Sharon, lived on a 5 acer plot of land surrounded by trees - so hidden that you had to be careful when leaving because a car on the main road might not see you coming. While this is my mental go-to spot now, as a child at night it terrified me because if the curtains weren't drawn then all you saw was dark forrest (this is where my love of horror movies comes back to bite me). I loved that room more so because of the surrounding greenery and sunshine that filtered in and I hope my future house has one (but if it doesn't you can bet I'll be budgeting to build one). My grandma passed away February 29th, 2016. While the house itself is still standing it definitely isn't the same without her.

Below is the only photo I could find of the room; in it you can see my mid-yawning cat Jazmin. The sunroom was also a guest-room (reason for the bed in-between the two back windows).

This was taken with a kodak camera, early 2000's.

I don't really have favorite places so much as favorite situations. I love all of the quiet study areas around campus that have Friends-styled mismatched furniture, or just being surrounded by books in general. I love the energy in the room when a live band is playing (The Deli is a wonderful place in Norman to go for local music [if you're over 21]). I really love kayaking - the combination of being in the water, sun, and surrounded by trees is amazing. And of outdoor situations, I love sitting around with friends and just looking at a campfire (provided I have plenty of mosquito repellant). My favorite holiday is the 4th of July simply because I enjoy fireworks and barbecues so much.

The best example of what I mean, and one of my favorite situations: when the house is empty or everyone else is asleep, and you're up early on a cloudy morning drinking coffee watching the rain fall. That calm feeling of content, nothing-on-my-mind is one of my favorite places to be in. I guess what I am getting at is that my favorite places are less locations and more states of mind.

Below is a photo of my favorite coffee cup - it happened to be raining today so I figured why not take an attempted artistic photograph of it outside.

I bought this cup and coffee from a local vendor that was selling their product on campus one day - while not my favorite coffee, I love the cup.

Introduction

Subjectively Fun Facts

My name is Selena; the name Selena comes from the Greek deity Selene, goddess of the moon.

A marble bust of Selene by an unknown artist. Image found here.

Image found here from the 1940 issue #42 Batman comic book.

However, the reason I was named Selena was because my at-the-time 14 year old sister was really into the Batman comic books and loved the character Catwoman - whose name was Selina - and suggested the name to my parents.   

My hobbies and interests include:

• Reading (almost anything)

A complete collection of Lovecraft stories and my favorite Agatha Christie novel were some gifts I received last Christmas (also a microscope, thus the reason it's included in the photo I took).

• Movies (specifically horror/thriller and comedy)

Some of my favorite horror/thriller movies (Image sources: Get Out, Sinister, and The VVitch [you may need a translator for this one]).

And some of my favorite comedies (Image Sources: Death Becomes Her, Deadpool, and Superbad).

• Playing with my dog

Some photos of my dog I took.

• Kayaking

Me at the Tahlequah River, taken yes with a waterproof Kodak camera and then uploaded.

• Painting

If I am feeling particularly uninspired I find painting memes entertaining (personal photo)

Speaking of animals specifically, I had a cat named Jazmin for 16 years and my dog, whose name is Angel, just turned 2. I'm not a cat or dog person, I'm just an animal person (reptiles and fish too).

(personal photos)

Objectively Defining Facts

I was born in San Diego, California but moved to Norman, Oklahoma two weeks before my second birthday so I'm pretty much from Oklahoma. I was raised by my Buddhist, Marine father and my paternal Jewish, not Marine grandmother. I have two sisters that are one and two decades older than me and an uncountable amount of cousins from California to Georgia.

As you probably have guessed by now, my major is Microbiology (Professional) and I am minoring in Chemistry - but that is because the professional degree (as opposed to the standard degree) requires more than 15 hours of chemistry; although I would have wanted to minor in chemistry regardless because if I wasn't majoring in micro, chem would be my second choice. My interest in this field began when I learned about the black plague in 6th grade; it was immensely interesting to me how something no one could see with the naked eye could wipe out millions of people and have such a monumental impact on culture and society. Once graduated, I want to be apart of researching and curing diseases that affect our world today. I definitely want to further obtain a masters degree and maybe some day even a PhD on the subject.

Fin.