Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Story: A Lions Tale

Our story starts out with a young Lion named Walter. Walter was about 30 in human years and was soon to be heir to the Iron Throne whenever his father Delores passed away. Delores was a very elderly lion and had been ruling for quite some time, but wasn’t quit ready to give up the throne to Walter.

Walter being an impatient and arrogant lion,(much like Joffrey Barotheon) devised a plan to kill his father so that he would become the new “King of Beasts.”

Walter summoned one of his most trusted advisors Mowgly the Jaguar to poison Delores.

“It shall be done my lord,” said Mowgly. But Mowgly knew how radical and chaotic it would be if Walter was the King. So instead of going to poison the king, Mowgly instead went to Delores and told him of Walters plan.

Walter was then arrested and brought to the king for punishment. Even though the rightful punishment for this treasonous act would be death, Delores could not bare to see his only son killed. So instead King Delores banished Walter to the farthest part of the jungle where he would never have to see his shameful son again. And to remind him of the stupidity of treason, Delores had Walters tail cut off.

The last thing Walter felt before he woke up in “no mans land” was the pure agony of his tail getting bit off by his own father.

This is where our story gets interesting.

Walter awoke in deserted field on what the animals of the jungle like to call “no mans land,” and was pissed to say the least. Walter knew he had to have his revenge on Mowgly, King Delores, and all the other animals that had cast him away, but he was in no condition to do anything. On top of cutting off his tail, Delores henchman had broken one of his legs and jammed a huge thorn in one of his paws.

While Walter was laying there in misery trying to think about how he was going to get out of this mess, a tiger named Andy Defresne ran by and saw how banged up Walter was and nursed him to health. Andy usually wouldn’t have helped his life long enemy the lion, but decided that it might be in his best interest to help out the heir to the throne. Andy and Walter spent the next few months hiding out in an abandoned cave gradually nursing Walter back to health.

Walter told Andy of his plan to regain the Iron Throne and overthrow his father. Andy agreed to help Walter exact his revenge as long as when he took the Iron Throne he would be his second in command. So the two agreed in that cave that they would help each other seize the Iron Throne and punish all who had wronged them.

Walter and Andy Started gathering all the allies they could to take the throne from Delores. Within a few years time they had gathered enough soldiers to take on the aging Delores and his followers.

There have been many great battles in history: Normandy, the Alamo, Peter Griffin vs the Chicken. But none even compared to the ferocity of the battle between Delores and Walters armies. In the end though it was Walter and Andy’s forces that survived.

Walter seized the Iron Throne, made Andy his second in command, and sentenced Delores, Mowgley and the rest of the survivors to live out the rest of their days listening to Nickelback.

Walter started ruling, and became a ruthless and feared king. He was cruel and didn’t care whose feet he had to step on to make his word law. This would eventually be Walters undoing.

Walter ruled with fear for many years, but even he could not stand the test of time. He was 60 and knew the he didn’t have a whole lot of life left in him.

Walter named Andy the new king and retired to live out the rest of his days in Narnia with his cousin Aslan. While journeying to Narnia, Walter developed a rare disease known as Pansyitis that soon left him weak and unable to travel.

Word spread of Walter being very sick and this gave some of his old enemies the idea to give a little pay back for all the pain Walter had caused over the years.

Some of the main enemies Walter had made over the years were the stag, badger, and the tiger.

Walter and the stag had some bad blood because Walter had personally wiped out all of the stags family while hunting. 

The badger and Walter had a quarrel because Walter had banished all badgers from the jungle because he didn’t find them useful to the jungle in any way.

And lastly, Walter had beef with the the tiger because long ago Walter stole the tigers girlfriend and then broke her heart. 

They knew that this was the time to strike and take revenge on the relentless Walter. Walter, realizing that this day had finally come simply closed his eyes and took the punishment.

First the tiger bit him repeatedly with his razor sharp teeth, then the badger clawed his eyes out with his claws.

Lastly, the stag put Walter out of his misery by giving him one swift kick in the head.


Walter was finally gone and the jungle was finally returned to its peace and prosperity. 


Authors Notes: 

My main inspiration for this story was the story "the sick lion." I picked this story out in one of my earlier blog posts and thought I would create a sort of back story to what I had already written. 


Walter reminded me of Scar from Lion King.

Bibliography: Aesops Fables: The Sick Lion

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Reading Notes (Aesops Fables: Jacob) Part B

1. Birds Part 1

Tortoise and the birds- stuck out to me as a classic never put your eggs in one basket kind of story/never put all your trust into someone youre not 100% trusting.

Peacock and the Juno- reminds me of some of my kids at the camp I work for that have such a desire to be first at everything that other people dont want to play with them.

2. Birds Part 2- none that stood out to me

3. Insects, snakes, and crabs

Man and the serpent- made me think of the time when my twin sister and I were 11 and she made me get in a bike wreck and bust my knee open

Woodman and the snake- made me think dont trust those that are known to harm you

4. Frogs and Fish

Fisher and the little fish- appreciate the things in your life now because you may not have them later

5. Nature and inanimate objects- really didnt care for any of these stories

6. Humans and Gods

avaracious and envious- be happy with what you have, look into more for writing story.

Hercules and the wagoner- made me think of the seen in "where the red ferns grow" when the boy is trying to chop down the big tree and his grandpa that to do it he has to meet god halfway.

old man and death- when we say things we dont mean and instantly regret them

7. Family and Friends

2 fellows and the bear- kinda made me randomly think of the seen in The Revenant where Leonardo Dicaprio has a run in with a bear.

8. People Wise and Foolish Part 1

The Shepherds boy- obviously its the story of the boy who cried wolf, but it also makes me think of the story "peter and the wolf"

9. People Wise and Foolish part 2

The man, the boy, and the donkey- classic example of people that try to please everyone that end up just causing themselves and others trouble.



Hercules and the Wagoner made me think or the movie "Where the Red Ferns Grow"

Monday, August 29, 2016

Reading Notes (Aesops Fables-Jacob Part A)

1. Lions part 1

Something I found pretty interesting was that in one story the Lion is being selfish and taking all the spoils of the hunt but in the next story hes on his death bed and all the animals come kill him for being a jerk throughout his life.

Androcles and the lion made me think of the disney movie zootopia.

I also liked the moral "the story depends on the teller"

2. Lions part 2

The "lion in love story" just made me think about how people do really dumb things when they are in love, and how they let their guard down so easily.
"Lion, Fox, and the Beasts" -come back to later

3. Foxes part 1

Fox and the stork- made me kind of think of an on going feud between rivals, and how if you treat someone one way you should expect to be treated the same way

4. Foxes part 2

The Fox without a tail- made me think of the Roald Dahl book Fantastic Mr. Fox and how Mr Fox gets his tail shot off my the farmers and has to deal with that for the rest of his life.

Fox and the goat- made me think of the story of a man who helped out a snake, and then the snake bit him and he asked why and the snake said you knew i was a snake when you helped me.

5. Wolves

The Wolf and the lamb- made me think of King Joffrey in Game of Thrones who would look for any excuse to punish someone

The dog and the wolf- made me think of the movie "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans"

6. Dogs and Cats

Didn't really care for these stories that much

7. Mice

The mouse and the council- made me think of government and how lots of people suggest great ideas but no one suggests how to follow through with them

The lion and the mouse- made me think of being nice to everyone pays off because when youre in deep trouble being nice can pay off

8. Assess

Assess brains- made me think of the seen in the Godfather where Michael invites the heads of the other families to a truce and then poisons them.

9. Deer

Horse, hunter, and the stag- made me think of how in Star Trek: Into Darkness the villian Khan teams up with Spock and Kirk to get what he wants and then betrays them.

10. Hares

Tortoise and the Hare- classic story of someone boasting about there ability but are too busy bragging to get the task done.


Androcles and the Lion reminded me a lot of the disney movie Zootopia

Sunday, August 28, 2016

Week 1 Review

My favorite item for the past 7 days announcements was about the free movies that are offered at Meachem Auditorium in the Union. Some of the headliner movies that are being offered are Suicide Squad, Neighbors 2, Conjuring 2, and Captain America: Civil War. Attached is a link to the Meachem Auditorium website.

Meachem Auditorium Movies



Captain America: Civil War

Google Timer Tech Tip

I did the Google Timer for my first tech tip, which I didn't know was a thing before reading this. I don't currently use this, but I feel like could definitely be useful for me when I want to take a break from my studies. When I need a break I usually just mess around on my computer looking at ESPN or videos, so if I set an alarm it would keep me accountable and make sure I am not wasting all my time messing on the computer.

Growth Mindset

I would like to start out by saying that I really enjoyed this video and I think everyone should watch it because it really opens your eyes about the pressure that is put on kids and how it can effect them. Before this assignment I had never heard of Carol Dweck or the growth mindset idea. After watching the videos I see myself as the "fixed mindset" kind of person, and I feel like it has a lot to do with how my parents approached grades growing up. In my childhood grades werent as much about effort as they were just getting the result. I could study for weeks and do everything I possibly could to do well on an exam, but when the time came and I didnt perform then to them it didnt matter how much effort or time I spent studying. I dont think this the mindset to have as a parent because now in college if I mess up on a test or something that I have studied hard for I get upset because I didnt get the result I wanted, I dont even think about the fact that I studied hard and did everything I could. I think I would enjoy learning more about growth mindset this semester, and really want to try to apply it to my life this year.



(Comparing the Mindsets, Source: Carriekepple.com)

Friday, August 26, 2016

Starting the Semester

My plan for starting the semester off well in this class and my other classes is to overall be organized and make plenty of time for my studies. I already have a planner and have put all my quizzes, tests, and important dates on my calendar. I have also already written out all my teachers office hours that I plan to visit during the week. Most importantly I have allotted plenty of time everyday to study and do my school work.



Organized 

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Reading Options

My Week 2 Selection is Homer's Oddyssey. I picked this one because I really enjoy the Odyssey and would like to Units about it and other mythology.



Polyphemus and Odysseus, by Schutzenberg


Beowulf: Beowulf is something that I would be interested in because I watched the movie with my dad, but I would like to learn more about it.

Robin Hood: Robin Hood is just one of those timeless classics that everyone seems to enjoy and is something I would like learn more about rather then just watch movies about.

Dante's Inferno: Dante's Inferno is another story that I would enjoy learning more about, I learned roughly about when I was a sophomore in high school but havent done much with since.

Storybook Favorites


The first storybook I picked was the Greek Game Show. I picked this topic because greek mythology is something I’m low key very nerdy about. I have read all of Rick Riordans Percy Jackson books which is a book series that combines the modern world and greek and roman mythology, which I found really awesome. This also peeked my interest because it’s a mythology game show in the perspective of the greek gods. I highly enjoyed how the author gave them unique personalities and had very good questions throughout the storybook. I thought the introduction to this storybook did a great job of explaining what the storybook was about and with good comedic commentary on it. I also thought it was designed very creatively with fun pictures and witty commentary throughout the whole thing.


The next storybook that I picked was the Modern Day Dantes Inferno. I picked this topic because this is another subject that I know a good amount about (like greek mythology), that enjoyed reading through this storybook. I liked how it took a modern celebrities and athletes and compared them to the Dantes Inferno. I found the storybook very witty and enjoyable much like the greek game show. The introduction does a very good job of explaining what the storybook is about by laying out what each circle of hell is and who we will see on it.



The last storybook that I selected was the Greek Monsters Good or Evil?. I picked this one again because I’m familiar with the monsters that were discussed in this storybook and find the idea of discussing whether certain greek monsters with evil or not very interesting. I thought the introduction was very well worded and gave great insight on what the storybook would be discussing. I thought this one could have been designed a little better and could’ve added more monster examples, but seeing this layout gives me a good idea of how I would like mine to look.


The Greek Olympians
Source: Google images

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Introduction to a Future Accountant


My name is Ryan Miller and I am a Junior at the University of Oklahoma. I am on my way to getting a masters degree in Accounting. I am from Tulsa, Oklahoma and have lived there all my life. I have a twin sister that also goes to the University of Oklahoma and is working on getting a double major in Marketing and Management. I decided to get a degree in accounting because my dad is a bank president and my mom is a CFO so ive just grown up around business. I have a 3 year old half shitzu half bishon frisse puppy named Sophie. When I’m on break I work at Jenks Intermediate before/after school program and summer camp. I have worked there since my senior year of high school. I was actually in the same program that I work for now when I was growing up. Some of my favorite field trips that we went on this summer was getting to go to a ropes course, white water bay water park, and frontier city amusement park. My favorite thing about my job is getting to work with kids and be a sort of role model to them. When I was in the same program the counselors always made the camp way more fun, and that’s what I like to do for my kids. Besides working this summer I went on a family vacation to London, England. This was really cool for me because I have never been to Europe and I’ve always wanted to go there because I’m a huge soccer fan. While I was there I got to see the Tower of London, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Standford Bridge Soccer Stadium, Buckingham Palace, and the FA Cup Soccer Final between Manchester United vs. Crystal Palace. In my spare time I like to play soccer, golf, and watch movies with my dad.