Hayley's Scrunchie

Psyche and Cupid from  Wikimedia Commons Story within a story, I really like that. The narrator is a man who was turned into a donkey and then the narrator of this particular story is an old woman comforting a younger woman. "Dreams that come in daytime are untrue" I like this phrase and also how the old woman says a nightmare usually brings good luck. The interweaving between mortals, and goddesses is fun and much more interesting than a story only about deities.  Venus summoning her son Cupid is just like when the Fairy Godmother in Shrek 2 summons prince charming to lure Fiona. A crazy family affair.  This story has amazing details, especially when describing the grandeur of the castle that Psyche sees for the first time. You can truly picture what is being described from the furniture to the shrubbery.  The main villain in this story is Envy. There is not a physical being who causes most of the trouble, but the feeling of jealousy is the reason why ba...

1. Goddesses I have always been a fan of greek mythology, especially after reading the Percy Jackson series as a kid. The gods and goddesses are powerful, immortal, and just overall very cool. I really would love to write about them my storybook, because these are the stories I liked to hear growing up. I'd love to learn more about Norse gods as well and deities from other regions of the world. They don't have to be Greek, but I just know more about Greek mythology than other cultures, but the topic is a bit basic and I would like to be more adventurous and choose something new for me. (Mermaids and a ship from Wikipedia 2. Mermaids/Sirens Every little girl has a dream about being a mermaid at some point. There is something so fun about being able to live underwater and also mingle with human life. I don't necessarily want to stick solely with mermaids, but the whole genre of underwater women like Sirens and some of the other, darker myths too. I want to read more th...

(A growth mindset cat, originally from Cheezburger ) Seven Ways to Crush Self-Doubt This article interested me because I really struggle with feeling insecure about myself when I look at what other people are doing. Whenever I feel confident in myself I compare myself to others doing better than me and feel bad. I need to stop comparing myself to others because it's really getting me down. I think another important note from this article is to just trust yourself. I think that's something that's simple and easy enough to say, but hard to do. Make Good Art: Neil Gaiman's Advice on the Creative Life I really enjoyed this article and the video that comes with it, because Neil Gaiman has a very positive outlook on life that I wish I had. We all tend to freak out when we make mistakes but we forget that literally everyone makes mistakes now and then. I like the way he doesn't just say it's okay to make mistakes, rather he encourages you to make them. Feedba...

(Two women walking in the park, from Flickr ) Two coworkers were on their lunch break and had some extra time so they decided to take a walk through the park next to their building. It was bright, pleasant, and breezy outside as the two decided to start down the trail. They talked about their friends, family, the weather, and about life in general. "I think I'm going to ask him about that big promotion," said Jane. "What's the point? You know he's just going to give it to one of the guys, anyways," said the other woman, Jess. "You may be right, but I have to at least try, just to say I did it," Jane said confidently. They continued walking down the path and looked at street performers, a pond filled with paddle-boats and ducks, and various statues of historical figures. Jess kept walking and didn't even notice that Jane had stopped and was standing in front of a statue. "What are you doing, Jane? Let's keep walking ...

Tricksters: Tiger, Brahman, and Jackal Story is easy to read, good paragraph lengths The tiger wants to be let out of the cage, but the brahman lets him out knowing the nature of a tiger is to eat people The tree is also bitter about people using it, same with the buffalo and road The overall theme is that people do not care about the things they use and treat them badly even though they might be essential to life I like the personification of all the elements and how casual it is that these animals and roads will talk to a brahman. Jackal is unique and different somehow He manipulates the tiger by pretending he is the dumb one and tricks the tiger into getting back in his own cage. Pretty cool surprising ending. I really enjoyed this story. (A jackal looking pleased with itself, Wikipedia ) Lion Stories The first lion story was about the lion splitting his kill into four parts, and declaring them all for himself. It's a commentary on society and how sometim...

One of the units I am looking forward to reading is the Czech folktales . My last name, Bezdek, is Czech and I think it would be really cool to learn about stories that my ancestors grew up listening to. I like that these stories are similar to other European stories I've heard before, so they will be familiar to me but with a little twist or two. Another unit that looks fun is the Faerie Queene  epic poem. I am all about women empowerment, and a story about a lady knight seems really cool and exciting.  I also love Shakespearean dramas and comedies, and if this prose is similar to his I'm sure I'll love it. Lastly, I really want to read some stories from Nursery Rhymes . Even though rhyming books are considered childish by some, it's actually really impressive to be able to tell a story that rhymes. I think it will be nostalgic to read some rhymes I used to hear as a kid, and maybe I'll find some new ones I'll want to share with my own family in the future....

(A cat sleeping while reading from  Wikimedia Commons ) I am absolutely horrible at procrastinating (or good at it I guess?) Time management is not my best skill, but even if I'm up til 2 a.m. I will finish what I start. I read the article  3 Steps to Recapture Time  and I really liked how it talked about how it's okay to say no to things that don't fit into your plans. I have a hard time saying no, but I know that sometimes I have to put myself first in order to thrive later on. The second article,  How to build a realistic study plan , helped me think about the importance of writing down your goals and schedules. I have a bad habit of telling myself I'll do something, then just kind of putting it off until later that night. If I write it down somewhere like in my planner, it will be harder to avoid because it is on paper that I am going to be doing something at that time. I have struggled with procrastinating in the past, but this semester I will really nee...