Blogger Templates Tech Tip

While completing Week 2's "Learning About Blogger" assignment, I decided to go ahead and change the template of my blog. Since I've never worked with a blog before, I didn't get too creative. It even took me a while to figure out how to see that the format of my blog actually changed. Although it's not the most exciting template, I enjoy it more than the original. Maybe later, I'll try to be a little more adventurous.

Week 2 Storytelling: Dasaratha's Fatal Mistake

            When Dasaratha was a young man, long before his ascension to the throne, he loved to hunt in the local forest. He enjoyed the pleasure of bringing back various trophies, at which his friends and family would marvel. One day, when Dasaratha was hunting in the forest, he heard what he perceived to be the sound of an elephant drinking from a nearby stream. Dasaratha had never seen an elephant in the forest, and knew that ivory would make for an excellent trophy. In his excitement, Dasaratha hastily strung his bow and fired an arrow over the small hill that lied between him and the stream. Much to his dismay, Dasaratha’s arrow was received with the cry of a young boy. Upon hearing the cry, Dasaratha abandoned his bow and raced over the hill. Dasaratha reached the boy just in time to hear his final request. The boy told him about his parents, who were old and blind, and requested that Dasaratha return to them with the pitcher of water that he was fetching. Dasaratha gave the boy a proper burial and set out in search of the elderly couple.

 

 

 

 

(King Dasaratha with his bow: Revealing Illusions of Maya)

            When he arrived at the small hut that the young boy had described, Dasaratha let himself in, as he knew that the boy’s parents were blind. “Son, is that you?” the couple inquired. “I am afraid not,” replied Dasaratha. “My name is Dasaratha. I am a hunter from the local forest, and I have returned with your pitcher of water.” “We appreciate this act, but where is our son?” The couple sounded worried. Dasaratha could not bring himself to speak; he fell to his knees and wept. “Where is our son?” the couple insisted. Dasaratha described the events that had transpired, and offered his most sincere apologies. “Do you understand the implications of what you have done? Our son is our eyes and our legs. Without him, we are nothing. We cannot see, we cannot eat. By killing him, you have taken our lives as well. With this, our dying breath, we wish upon you this same fate. May your son be taken from you, and may the pain that you suffer be your demise.” Before Dasaratha could intercede, the couple took one another by the hand and left this world.

 

 

Author's Note: I chose to recreate this story because it was the only area of our reading that I felt was underdeveloped, especially since it was supposed to be the cause of Dasaratha's death. I didn't change anything from the summary that Dasaratha provided, but tried to elaborate on his thoughts and how he interacted with the boy's parents.

 

Bibliography: Narayan, R. K. (1972) The Ramayana

Week 2: Reading Diary B

After completing the second "chunk" of this week's reading, I decided to look at some of the other reading diaries for help organizing my thoughts. I still like using a bulleted list, but hopefully it will be easier to follow this time. Here are a few of the things that stood out to me:

• Following Rama's exile, I was amazed by the number of people that chose (even insisted) to serve his sentence at his side: Lakshmana immediate took up arms against anybody or anything that might try to remove Rama from the kingdom. When Rama interfered with this, Lakshmana insisted on accompanying him, saying "I know no father and no mother, other than you." When the king heard that Rama insisted on fulfilling his father's promise, he could not bare the thought of his sons being in danger and died.
• Despite my expectations, Bharatha was very loyal to Rama: Upon receiving the news of his brother's exile and his father's death, Bharatha related his mother to a serpent. He went on to say that the only reason he didn't have her slain is that Rama would despise him for such an act.
• On several occasions, Rama serves as the voice of reason in contrast to Lakshmana's rage. I particularly liked when Rama asked if he noticed Bharatha's "battle-dress," which was actually a tree-bark garb, as Lakshmana prepared to fire an arrow at their brother.
• Rama boldly challenges the rakshasas by telling Soorpanaka that his mission in life is to eradicate their kind.

Some other thoughts and questions that arose: With all of the rational decisions and wise comments that Rama has made, why would he completely abandon his logic in pursuit of the golden deer? I did not expect Jatayu to fall in his battle with Ravana. How is Rama going to find Ravana and Sita?

These notes were taken while reading The Ramayana by R. K. Narayan

Week 2: Reading Diary A

I just finished the first "chunk" of this week's reading, and let me begin by saying that I have really enjoyed the story. As I was reading, I took a lot of notes and, unfortunately, there does not appear to be any logical way for combine them into paragraphs. For this reason, I have chosen to use a bulleted list with each of my random thoughts. On the bright side, the list should progress in the same order as the story, so the source of each thought should be reasonably clear.

• One of the first things that stood out to me was the sage's mastery of his bodily needs. This characteristic immediately revealed that he was a character to be respected, who would probably express some amount of power in the story.
• I found the sage's refusal to accept anything short of Rama's participation to be a bold move, especially in the presence of a clearly frustrated king.
• "A seed that sprouts at the foot of its parent tree remains stunted until it is transplanted." This was a great metaphor to persuade the king to agree with Viswamithra's desire for Rama to accompany him on his quest.
• Dasaratha seems to be a very protective father, who really cares about his sons. I have a feeling that if he knew about Rama's true identity, he would probably be more confident in his ability to protect himself.
• In the story of Mahabali, Mahabali definitely could have been described as a more evil character. Other than taking over the land while Vishnu was meditating, he seemed to be a fairly welcoming character that showed respect for his guests. This made Vishnu seem like the antagonist through his deception.
• I particularly like the Ganga's Story. I thought that it was a unique explanation for the creation of various natural structures.
• I found it interesting that Indra, "the highest god among the gods," was vulnerable to Gautama's curse and found himself begging Brahma to remove it.
• There was an unnecessary amount of detail about all of the random people that travelled to Mithila for the wedding.
• Rama's immediate acceptance of (what he believed to be) his father's desires, showed unwavering loyalty.
• I could not believe that Kaikeyi refused to admit that she was the one that had Rama banished.

I concluded this section of the reading with several questions on my mind: Is Rama truly destined to die, as Dasaratha has predicted? How will Bharatha respond to news of his brother's exile and his mother's betrayal? Will Rama gain consciousness of his true identity? Lastly, is Rama going to encounter Ravana during his exile?

Week 1: Introduction

Apparently I slightly misinterpreted the course overview assignment, and already gave a brief introduction there. Oops! Nevertheless, I will go ahead and give a more thorough introduction here. My name is Austin Clanton, I am 21 years old, and a junior in chemical/biomedical engineering: pre-med. I have 3 younger siblings and a girlfriend of almost 4 years, who is actually taking this course with me (Taylor Haddad). Below, you will find a picture of my family with me at the far right:

Image Information: Personal Photo at My House

 



I have been at OU for my entire college career and have really enjoyed the experience. In my spare time, I like to play basketball and occasionally play videogames with my roommates. This summer, I turned 21and went on a trip to Las Vegas with my girlfriend's family. We had a great time and managed to make it back to Oklahoma without losing all of our money! Taylor and I enjoyed the Jersey Boys show and playing blackjack. We ate at several great restaurants and found some free entertainment in watching all of the interesting people (and let me tell you, there are a ton of interesting people that are willing to do almost anything to earn money from people walking along the streets).

 

 

                                     

                             Image Information: Personal Photo from Italian Restaurant in Vegas

 

Some of the other courses that I am taking this semester are Biochemistry, Momentum, Heat and Mass Transfer 2, Thermodynamics, and Numerical Methods. Needless to say, I am looking forward to this class as a break from all of the other math and science courses that I am enrolled in. Unfortunately, I do not consider myself to be the most creative writer, so I also hope to improve on that skill through this course. I hope to have a great semester, and am looking forward to getting to know the rest of you!



 

 

Week 1: Storybook Favorites

The following were 3 of my favorite storybooks that I came across:

1. The Thin Line Between Tragedy and Comedy by Taylor Haddad

The topic of this story was Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, a topic that I am familiar with. The author of the story chose to write in a way that imitated Romeo and Juliet's personal diaries as they endured the various complications that were imposed on their relationship. I particularly enjoyed how the author chose to make the story interactive, such that the reader might determine the fate of the two lovers. The introduction did a great job of capturing my attention. Overall, this was a great story with a very unique twist. Navigating the story was easy, and good images were used throughout. I would like to employ the interactive style in my own writing later in the semester.

2. Bedtime Stories by Jocelin Chacko

Unlike the previous storybook, I was not familiar with the topics of these stories. I really enjoyed the author's creativity, and how she broke the book into several short stories. The introduction did a good job of, well, introducing each of the families. I was not particularly fond of the sites navigation. The bar on the left hand side could have been larger, or possibly a different color, so that it could be recognized more easily. That being said, the stories were great, and I really enjoyed that images that were used on each page. The idea of diving the assignment into several shorter stories was creative, and I may consider doing this.

3. Epic Indian Battles by ???

Once again, I was not familiar with the topic of this storybook. This author also chose to break the book into several shorter stories about various battles. Something that I found particularly interesting about this storybook is that the author chose to include a unique soundtrack that the readers were intended to play as they read each story. In fact, there was one story in which the author requested us to read at a particular rate such that the soundtrack might influence the emotion of the story. I would have liked to accredit this work to the author, but could not find his/her name within the storybook. Overall, the stories were good and music was a unique addition. The author used several pictures, but I would have liked them to be placed in a more creative manner, instead of at the top of each page.

Indian Epics: Week 1 Introduction

This post is for our course overview assignment.

My name is Austin Clanton. I'm from Shawnee, Oklahoma and I'm a junior in chemical engineering: pre-med. I have a girlfriend of four years, Taylor Haddad, who is actually taking this class. In my spare time, I enjoy playing basketball. I have always liked epics and hope to improve my creative writing through this course. Taylor strongly recommends Professor Gibbs, so I'm looking forward to a great semester!

Week 1 Storytelling: The Weasel and The Squirrel

There once was a greedy weasel who sought to become the wealthiest creature in the forest. Every day, he would set out in search of treasures and unsuspecting animals from whom he could steal. When the weasel finally felt that he had acquired enough wealth, he decided to visit the great oak tree that all of the other creatures liked to frequent. He brought with him many of his most prized possessions in hopes that the other creatures might envy his fortune. As the day progressed, the weasel’s audience grew as more and more animals stopped to marvel at his belongings. The weasel was quite satisfied with his success until he noticed a squirrel that walked right passed his pile of shiny objects, without so much as a glance in his direction. The weasel was so surprised that he stopped his display and abandoned his possessions to pursue the squirrel. “Excuse me! Did you not see my spectacular collection?” the weasel inquired. “I did” said the squirrel. “Then why didn’t you stop?” insisted the weasel. “Your wealth neither impresses nor concerns me,” and with this response the squirrel wandered away, leaving the weasel in utter dismay.

 

 

(Money Can't Buy Happiness: ChristArt)

 

The weasel returned to his display, but could not get the squirrel out of his head. Eventually, his frustration got the best of him and he set out in search of the squirrel’s tree. When the weasel arrived, he was greeted and welcomed up as if the squirrel was expecting him. “What brings you to my tree?” the squirrel asked innocently. “Honestly, I was baffled by your lack of appreciation for all the nice things that I have devoted my life to collecting” replied the weasel. The squirrel could no longer bear the weasel’s preoccupation with his wealth. “For many years, I have watched you scurry around in search of anything of value that might bring you the acceptance of others. I actually feel sorry for you. It’s been years since you’ve been happy and when you finally achieved a sense of accomplishment, it was taken by something as simple as another animal failing to acknowledge your wealth.” In that moment, the weasel realized the error of his ways and began to regret the years that he had lost in pursuit of worldly treasures.

-Happiness is the greatest treasure-

 

Author's Note: This tale was inspired by Aesop's fable, The Cock And The Jewel. In the fable, the rooster is merely looking for something to eat when he comes across a jewel. The rooster alludes to its worth, but ultimately deems it worthless to him. Though my characters and overall moral vary greatly from the original, they share a common appreciation for the lack of importance of worldly possessions.

 

"The Cock And The Jewel" from Aesop for Children, illustrated by Milo Winter (1919)

Week 1: A Couple of My Favorite Places

Hawaii: About 3 years ago, I went on a vacation to the Hawaiian Islands. This was one of the greatest vacations that I have ever been on. We stayed on the island, Oahu, at the Aulani Disney Resort and made an excursion to Kauai.

(Aulani Disney Resort: tripadvisor.com)

 

(Fern Grotto on Kauai: to-hawaii.com)

 

Lapland, Finland: Well not necessarily Finland, but I wanted to choose a place where the Northern Lights can be seen, and this one of the best pictures that I could find. Although I have never seen the Northern Lights in person, they still hold a spot at the top of the list of my favorite places.

(Lapland, Finland: Article from CNN)

OU Email Tech Tip

I just created my first new folder within my OU email account. Now that I know how to do this, I should be able to organize my account much more efficiently than my previous method of moving important emails into a file on my gmail account. Organization of my email account is long overdue, but this seems like a step in the right direction!

Test Post

Just a test post.