Learning Challenge: Deskercises

I read about some desksercises, and I am so happy I did. I have to sit a lot. I am a student and I work at a circulation desk in a library. It is weird how tiring and draining just sitting can be. I tried some shoulder and neck stretches, as well as some arm stretches. I think these are the two I will keep doing the most. I also enjoyed doing some back workouts. Seriously, there isn't much support in any of the chairs on campus, so my back starts to kill me after a while.

Stretching from Pexels

Tech Tip: Canvas Profile

So, perhaps you are like me and have never bothered to mess with your Canvas profile. Today I went ahead and did some updating on it. I uploaded a picture of myself for the first time. I also created a bibliography for myself. If I had a personal website, I might have uploaded it, but this is my only site. Please don't blame me for not wanting to connect it to my canvas for classmates across all classes to see. Either way, this was a pretty easy little thing to do. I personally believe everyone should at least upload a photo so it is easier to look up classmates.

Reading Notes: Lang's European Fairy Tales I Part A

Woods Nymphs from Wikimedia

The Young Man Who Would Have His Eyes Opened

• A boy who was only happy when he had superior knowledge, basically
• Can talk to birds and beasts
• Much happens at night that humans don't see
• Keeps looking for a wizard to open his eyes to the unseeable
• One wizard warns him that this knowledge is useless and will only bring him pain
• One every 7 years, a serpent king hosts a feast. The boy must dip some bread in the serpent king's goat milk and eat it. This will open his eyes.
• Successfully does this, but has a weird and violent dream. Now that he has awoken, he wants to go check out his new.. night vision so to speak.
• He watched wood nymphs.
• He was only able to see them that one night, which made him sick for longing to see them again.
• "Blindness is man's highest good."

Bibliography

The Young Man Who Would Have His Eyes Opened from Lang's European Fairy Tales I

Reading Notes: Brothers Grimm (Librivox) Part B

Honey Bee from Pixabay

The Queen Bee

• Two princes went out into the world to find riches but instead started living like fools and couldn't go home.
• Little brother, a dwarf, went to find them.
• The brothers didn't want his help and laughed at him. Nevertheless, the set out for the journey back home.
• The little brother keeps the older brothers from terrorizing some ants.
• The little brother keeps the older brothers from roasting two ducks.
• The little brother keeps the older brothers from stealing the bees' honey.
• Found a castle with some weird stuff going on (everything was turned to marble). Find a man.
• The man gave them food and stuff but didn't say anything.
• The little man basically tells the oldest brother he can have riches if he finds all these pearls, but if one is still lost at sunset, he will be turned to marble.
• Same situation with the second oldest brother.
• When it came to the dwarfs turn, all the animals he saved helped him find the pearls, plus the extra riches he had to subsequently find.
• Dwarf succeeds and breaks the spell, turning all those who were marble back into living beings. The dwarf married the youngest princess of the man of that castle. The other brothers married the sisters.

Bibliography

The Queen Bee from Fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm

Reading Notes: Brothers Grimm (Ashliman) Part B

Cat from Wikimedia

The Fox and the Cat

• Cat and Mr. Fox met in the woods
• Cat approached Fox in a friendly manner, mislead with tales of his intelligence
• Mr. Fox was arrogant, however.
• Called the Cat many great horrible names.
• Mr. Fox demands to know what tricked Cat knows, but she only knows one.
• She can save herself by jumping in trees.
• Mr. Fox is unimpressed and teaches her a new way to escape dogs.
• He is interrupted though by a pack of dogs and a hunter. 
• Cat saves herself, but the fox gets caught by the dogs.
• Cat pities Mr. Fox because in all those tricks he supposedly knew, he couldn't jump into a tree like she could.

Bibliography

Ashliman's Brothers Grimm Tales: The Fox and the Cat

Reading Notes: Brothers Grimm (Librivox) Part A

Rapunzelturm from Wikimedia

Rapunzel

• Man and woman are unable to have children.
• Woman starts to crave the rapunzel she saw in the enchantresses garden.
• Husband stole her some to satisfy those cravings, deciding to pay whatever cost.
• She loved the rapunzel so much, she had her husband steal some more.
• Enchantress catches him and is very angry, until she hears his explanation. 
• Enchantress uses this as an opportunity to make a deal; their baby for her rapunzel.
• The woman has a child and the enchantress takes it.
• The child was named Rapunzel, after the food that had been stolen from the enchantress.
• She was shut into a tower when she was twelve, one she couldn't escape. Only the enchantress could enter by climbing the girls long hair.
• After years passed, the King's son heard her singing and became curious.
• After witnessing the enchantress climb Rapunzel's hair, he decided he too would climb her hair.
• Rapunzel was frightened by him, but he was a charmer. He proposed to her almost instantly, to which she said yes.
• She doesn't know how to escape the tower and convinces him to bring her some silk so she can make a ladder (rope?).
• The enchantress was angry when she found out that Rapunzel had pulled the prince up into her tower. In that anger, she cut Rapunzel's hair and relocated her to a desert.
• Enchantress used Rapunzel's cut off hair to pull the prince into the tower, who she then blinded with birds.
• Because of his blindness, he began to roman around for years.
• The prince eventually found Rapunzel. She cried tears that healed his eyes and they lived happily ever after.

Bibliography

Rapunzel from Fairy Tales by Brothers Grimm 

Week 14 Story: John Smith

Spinning Wheel from Wikimedia

There once was a girl with an extraordinary talent. If she concentrated hard enough, she could spin straw into gold. She had kept this a secret for most of her life, only spinning gold when her miller father wasn't bringing in enough money.

One day, however, her father became suspicious of where she was magically getting the money when they most needed it. He started following her closely and investigating her. Finally, after weeks of snooping, he caught her in the act of spinning the straw into gold.

"How could you keep such a thing from me?" he bellowed. "We could be living in riches! I demand you spin us more gold."

"I won't do it! You'll only use the money to get drunk! Or worse!" she argued.

"If you won't spin me gold, then perhaps I could get some gold from the King when he hears of your abilities," he mused.

"Father, no!" she cried, but it was futile. Her father had made up his mind to sell her to the King. They set out to his palace the next day.

Upon arrival, the miller's daughter was thrown into a tower prison cell, and her father was given a fat sack of gold, enough to live on for the rest of his life. In her prison cell, there was a massive pile of straw and a spinning wheel. Reluctantly, she got to work spinning the gold, afraid she would lose her life if she didn't.

For weeks, the miller's daughter was confined to the tower. Finally, after spinning more gold than she could fathom, she fell to the ground in tears. If only she could escape this tower.

Magically, as if summoned by the pleas in her heart, a little man appeared. He had long curly hair and appeared as if he hadn't had a good bath in years.

"I can grant your wish, but what shall you give me in return?" the little man said.

"You can get me out of here?" she asked in disbelief. "All I can give you is the gold I spin."

"I haven't any need for such a thing. I, too, can spin gold. Perhaps... you can give me your firstborn child?" he pondered.

She thought on this for a moment. She didn't really see herself having a future with a husband and children, and this was probably going to be her only opportunity to escape. "Fine, you may have my firstborn child," she finally said aloud.

In the blink of an eye, the miller's daughter was back at home. Her father had abandoned the place, probably in search of a nicer home with his sack of gold coins. This worked well enough for her. Over time, she had the place in proper condition and became a miller herself. She also met a man and married him. Then the fateful day arrived --she had a child.

"I'm here to collect!" the little man piped, suddenly appearing at the foot of the miller's daughter's bed.

"Please, is there any way for us to forget this trade? I never thought I'd have a child when I made our deal!" she begged.

He looked at her with false pity and considered this. After staring at her for a few seconds, he finally said, "Sure, little miss, we can nullify our deal --if you can tell me my name." He laughed slightly at his own proposal.

"Deal. John Smith," she immediately replied.

In a state of shock, the little man started screaming, "How did you know that?? I've never told a soul my name!"

"I simply guessed the most prevalent male name in the villages," she stated. She was starting to look triumphant, surprised her guess was good.

With that, the little man fled the scene and the miller's daughter lived humbly with her husband and child.



Author's note:
I rewrote the story of Rumplestiltskin. In the original, the miller lies and tells the king his daughter can spin gold. When she can't spin it, a little man appears. She trades trinkets for days in order to have the little man spin her straw into gold. On the last day, however, she runs out of things to trade. He offers to take her firstborn child after she becomes Queen, something the King promised her if she could spin some gold one more time. She agrees to this deal but later comes to regret it. The little man offers to break their deal if she can guess his name. She never can guess it, but her guard (or something) overheard the little man celebrating in the woods, shouting his own name. She guesses his name right the next time, and their deal is broken.

In my story, the girl actually can spin gold. Her father sells her, and the little man helps her escape. There is still the trade of a firstborn, but when she goes to guess his name to break the trade, it is just an easily guessable name. It falls apart quickly. I just thought that would be funny to be honest.

Bibliography

Ashliman's Brothers Grimm Tales: Rumplestiltskin

Reading Notes: Brothers Grimm (Ashliman) Part A

Rumpelstiltskin from Flickr

Rumpelstiltskin

• Miller lies to King and tells him his beautiful daughter can spin straw into gold.
• King believes him and forces the miller to bring his daughter to the castle to spin him some gold.
• King threatens to kill her if she doesn't spin the straw into gold.
• She sat there and started crying because she couldn't do it.
• She gives a little man her necklace so he will spin her the gold.
• King was greedy and wanted more gold.
• Girl gives the little man her ring so he will spin some more.
• King says she will become his wife if she spins even more the next night.
• The little man offers to take her first born after she is queen. She agrees and he spins more gold.
• The little man gave her three days to learn his name. If she could figure it out, he wouldn't take her child.
• Rumplestiltskin gives his own name away when doing a celebratory dance.
• He tore himself in two????

Bibliography

Ashliman's Brothers Grimm Tales: Rumplestiltskin

Week 13 Story: The Stuffy-Nosed Wolf

The Stuffy-Nosed Wolf

Wolf from Wikimedia

There once was a mama wolf. She had nearly a dozen pups and couldn't afford to properly raise them all. As soon as her oldest was of age, she put him out in the wild to fend for himself.

Fearing he would never be able to take care of himself, he went from door to door begging for anything that could help him survive. To his dismay, no matter where he went, no one would open the door for him, as he was a wolf. They were scared of him and refused to help him. Sometimes he managed to find sustenance, but things were looking dim.

One day, he came across a house made of straw. Out of curiosity, he went up to the house to see what kind of creature would live in a straw house. When he looked through the window, he saw a pig. Thinking the pig might have some kindness in his heart, he knocked on the pig's door.

"Hello, little pig. I am a wolf looking for any sort of help you can offer me. I am hungry and cold with nothing to my name," he hollered through the door. 

"Get out of here, you wolf. I won't help a predator," the pig snapped back. 

Suddenly, the wolf's nose started to tickle. It appeared that he was allergic to the straw. "Are you sure there is nothing you can--," he started to say before suddenly he let out a giant sneeze. All at once, the entire house collapsed with the strength of his breath and fell on top of the pig. The wolf tried to save the poor thing, but it was too late.

Saddened by the death of the pig in the straw house, the wolf decided to move on to look for anyone with pity in their heart. Curiously enough, the next house he saw was a house made of flowers. Perhaps the type of person who'd build such a beautiful house would be kind and give him some food. To his amazement, he saw another pig inside the house.

"Hello, little pig. I am a wolf looking for any sort of help you can offer me. I am hungry and cold with nothing to my name," he hollered through the door exactly as he did at this first pig's house.

"A wolf?" the pig cried out in fear. "I can't let you in! You might eat me." After that, the wolf heard the sliding of a deadbolt in the door, keeping him firmly out.

"Please, can you not find it in your heart to--," he began to plead when his nose started to itch, similarly to how it did with the straw. He must also be allergic to the flowers this house was made of. Before her could control it, he sneezed and the house fell to the ground with the pig in it. Feeling guilty, he fled the scene.

After wandering the path for a long time, the wolf finally saw a house made of brick. Surely he couldn't be allergic to brick. He walked up to the house, looked in the window, and saw yet another pig.

"Hello, little pig. I am a wolf looking for any sort of help you can offer me. I am hungry and cold with nothing to my name," he hollered for a third time. Hopefully the pig in this house would be benevolent, unlike the others.

"Oh no, you poor thing. Tell me what happened and perhaps I'll let you in," the pig responded through the door. With that, the wolf told the pig everything that had happened to him.

Just when he was at the end of his story, his nose started to twitch. What could he be allergic to this time? He looked around and saw that there was a flower bush next the the door, with flowers similar to the ones the second house was made of. Before he could stop himself, he sneezed another large sneeze. To his shock, however, the house stood strong.

"Your story has touched my heart, dear wolf. I'll let you in and we can enjoy a nice bowl of soup together. I even have some allergy medicine," the pig said. The wolf thanked the pig many times and they lived happily together from that point on.


Author's Note: I decided to take the very popular story of the Three Little Pigs and make it all about the wolf. In the original, the the pigs' mom sent them to live on their own, so I gave the wolf a similar background. Then, instead of going to each house to eat the pigs, he is just asking for food. Also, instead of trying to blow the houses down to eat the pigs, he just has allergies and the houses falling kills the pigs. At the end, instead of the pig eating the wolf, they become friends.

Bibliography

The Story of the Three Little Pigs from English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs

Reading Notes: English Tales Part B

Fox from Wikimedia

Johnny-Cake

• Old man, old woman, and little boy.
• Little boy is told to watch the johnny-cake while the mom and dad work in the garden
• Johnny-cake came alive and jumped out of the oven while the boy wasn't paying attention.
• Outran the family
• The cake taunts two well-diggers into chasing him, basically
• Also outran two ditch-diggers.
• Then outruns a bear.
• Then a wolf.
• Fox outsmarts the cake by forcing him to come closer until the fox can eat him.

Bibliography

Johnny-Cake from English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs