Week 1: Famous Last Words

This week has been wonderfully productive. It’s only Tuesday, but I’ve finalized some details for my training at Calm Waters this weekend, done almost every assignment for week 1 (all except for blog comments because that cannot be done until Friday the 22^nd), made a list of things to get done before school starts, and spent some quality time with my roommate and my boyfriend.

My roommate has been in Kansas for most of the summer, helping her grandmother with work around the farm. Her grandmother really is wonderful, and Amber does so much to help her. In return, her grandma is giving her a plot of land to build a house on once they get their finances in order and Amber graduates. It’s a nice area with plenty of shade from trees, room to grow a garden, and room for a decent-sized house. I saw it when I went up to visit earlier this summer.  In fact, I saw a lot when I visited earlier. Kansas really is quite beautiful! It has rolling hills, farms growing wheat or corn for miles, little houses with broken down old tractors, good ol’ farm dogs, placid lakes, wild plums (that make for a DELICIOUS jam that Amber’s grandma makes), and a different way of living. Everyone there knows everyone and everyone helps each other out.  It’s precisely this sense of community that I have come to notice my hometown lacks.

Frisco, Texas is where I grew up and spent most of my adolescence. When we moved there, it was a farming community with 1 high school and no Wal-Mart. Now, there are 6 high schools, at least 3 Wal-Marts, a 3-story mall, tons of mega-churches, shopping centers as far as the eye can see, and a truly unnecessary amount of fast-food chicken joints. It’s a wealthy town, though my family is not wealthy which continues to set us apart. The people here seem to care more about keeping up appearances, having material items, and being “superior” than about the lives of the people they surround themselves with. Frisco doesn't really have a sense of community, togetherness, well-being, responsibility, pride, or goodwill. Every time I go back, I realize precisely why I was so ready to leave. It’s just not the place for a down-to-earth, positive gal like me. I feel like it holds me back and brings me down, but I return pretty often to see my amazing family!

In fact, I’m blogging from my mom’s living room in Frisco with her Chinese Crested Powder Puff named Naala in my lap, begging for food I don’t have. Anyway, this week has really only just begun, so I don’t have any exciting stories to share but I know that the rest of this week is going to be lovely. Tomorrow I have my second fill for my lap band, which is pretty exciting (for me, at least). After that, I have training at Calm Waters in OKC then school starts! I can’t believe how fast the summer has gone by, but I think I’m ready for fall.

Here's some pictures of Naala to finish this post and hopefully leave you with a smile!

Naala's "Begging" Face

My photo from August 2014

Naala is a bro

My photo from August 2014

Week 1: Introduction

So who the heck is Bria Waters??

"Sometimes you just gotta wear a bear hat."

My photo from August 2014

Age: 21
Major: Social Work
School Level: Senior (Class of 2015)
Where I'm From: Frisco, TX
Hobbies: Bellydance, makeup artistry, tumblr, writing, drawing, reading, dancing of any kind really, giving animals love, volunteering, occasional crafting, & not wearing pants
Pets: My cat, BooBoo Kitty & my roommate's dog, Lily

BooBoo Kitty at Christmas Time

My Photo from December 2013

Lily's First Snow Experience

My photo from winter 2013

Campus Activities: Volunteer with the Women's Outreach Center, member of the Undergraduate Social Workers Association, member of Alpha Lambda Delta, member of the OU LGBTQ Club, member of the sooner ballroom dance club, & a trained Sooner Ally

My Summer: This summer has easily been the best summer I've had since I've been in college. I went camping, visited my roommate's grandma in Kansas (where we rode horses, cooked, swam, and worked), spent the night at the Grand Casino where I gambled for the first time and saw The Band Perry, had a behind-the-scenes tour at the G.W. Animal Park that ended in me getting one-on-one time with a baby tiger, swam a lot, saw my little brother graduate high school, made a new family friend and became acquainted with her four-legged children (3 dogs: Izzi, Emma, and Winston), went to my first drive-in movie (to see Maleficent with my boyfriend), made a zombie cake, cooked a lot of new/healthy food, spent lots of time with my family, hung out with my friends, and had surgery.

Trying to shake off the jitters before I go under the knife

My photo from June 26, 2014

Background:

My past two semesters have been filled with hospitalizations, injuries, absences, and frustration. I hurt my back pretty bad from falling down my staircase and had to have 2 rounds (3 injections each) of epidural spinal injections. I had bulged a disc in between my lumbar and sacral vertebrae and the resulting pain and numbness led to further injuries and the inability to walk without a cane. Along with this, my lordosis (swayback) had gotten worse, and I could no longer do any of the physical activities I had previously enjoyed. The next step was spinal reconstructive surgery, and neither I nor any of my doctors wanted to do that. So, their next option for me was to lose a substantial amount of weight in a fast amount of time. I've tried to lose weight in the past, but to no avail (I have a hormone problem) so I did some research and had the lap band procedure. It has changed my life! I am losing weight, my back is straightening out, and i'm feeling so much better!

Week 1: Storybook Favorites

Food and Culture
The first project I looked at was Autumn's Indian Scrapbook where she described stories, travel experiences, and local cuisine. She also shared two recipes and gave great descriptions of culture and events. I also really enjoyed her format and pictures. The website was attractive, easy to understand, and full of good content. Her writing was vivid and I just felt like the whole project flowed well together and integrated something i'm very interested in: cooking. I love learning how to cook new things and it's cool to read about the significance of food and the role it plays in people's lives.

Tattoos

The second storybook I perused was Melissa B's project titled "Yama's Tattoo Parlor." Right away I was interested because I love tattoos. I love learning about them, seeing them, and getting them. I have 3 currently with plans to get many more, so I instantly clicked the link, curious as to how tattoos would relate to the course content. 

I was pleasantly surprised. It is narrated by Yama, the god of death who has taken a break from ruling the underworld to run a tattoo parlor that specializes in Mehndi tattoos but also offers typical spa services (nails, massages, and hair styling being listed as a few). The writing was a little silly, but I think it worked well. I like to imagine the god of death as being somewhat humorous (think Hades in the Disney Film "Hercules"). 

The navigation was easy and the colors went well together. I liked the simplicity of the page that contrasted with the patterned background. I think i will keep my storybook pretty but simple as well. I also liked the alliteration in the section titles- "Taraka's Tale," "Damayanti's Drama," and "Hidimba's History."

Her storybook can be found Here!

Voice of the Ganges 

The last storybook I chose was Ganga the River Goddess. The name intrigued me because I like learning about gods and goddesses from different places and times, plus I love the water. If any element matched me, I think it would be water. So, naturally, a storybook about a goddess of the river (i.e. water) was right up my alley. 

The story is told from the point of view of Ganga and the author did a great job of writing in a style that exuded wisdom and elegance which I felt matched the goddess character quite well. I liked the color scheme too, but felt that the overall appearance of the site could be improved. 

Learning about Ganga was interesting and has opened my eyes to possibly exploring a goddess myself. Hmm...

Week 1: Indian Epics- Initial Thoughts

Sita Sings the Blues by Nina Paley

While watching this video, I found myself enjoying the unstructured, discussion style of the video and thought the collage-style animation was interesting as well. I like the video because it is humorous, relaxed, and easy to understand. It gives a simple, introduction to the main character family and the way their relationships work. I watched for 20 minutes before deciding to finish the video another time. I enjoyed the singing, because I have always liked old jazz and old big-band music.

My Curiosities 

• How will this course affect how I interpret other religions?
• Will the epics be difficult to read or understand?
• Why is Rama blue?
• These questions and more as I journey into the Ramayana and Mahabharata 

Haha, seriously though: I enjoy learning about other cultures. I like reading and have always liked writing. I am truly excited about this class. I know these poems play important roles in Indian culture and religion. They even affect traditional dances! In fact, I first heard of the Mahabharata not in my Intro to Religious Studies class, but in my Intro to Non-western Dance class! I adore dance! I love learning about different types, where they came from, what they mean, how do to them, etc. That class, and the dances I learned about sparked my interest and when I saw this class, I jumped at the chance to get needed credit while learning about something that genuinely interests me. 

Closing Thoughts

I am determined to make this year positive. I'm looking forward to a great semester.

Storytelling for Week 1: The Cunning Cat and Common Sense Fox

There were once two pals who were travelling companions. They found snacks, small meals to maintain sustenance but mostly passed their time talking. They talked for quite some time before the discussion turned into an argument; and as arguments often do when between people who know each other, theirs became personal.

The fox spouted off to the cat, teasing him. "I bet you find yourself to be pretty smart, huh? Thinking you're always right, thinking you always know the best way to do something."

The cat admitted that he did not have many tricks. In fact, he only had one; but that one trick was extremely valuable, more so than any of the fox's tricks. Quality over quantity, he stressed.

The fox, opened his mouth to reply, but quickly shut it. Both of their ears perked up; they'd both heard the sound of approaching hunters. Their horns rang out and their dogs' barks carried through the trees and across the land.

Instinctively, the cat jumped up into the tree and vanished, hidden among the leaves and branches.

The Fox and the Cat by Winceslaus Hollar

Retrieved from Wikimedia

From deep within the foliage, the fox heard the cat say, "Here is my trick! Show me yours!"

The fox's head twitched and his eyes moved side-to-side as he thought through his multitudes of escape plans. He had so many! The fox ran, trying to decide which plan to take and buying some time as the hounds approached, biting at his paws.

He tried many things: diving into random burrows, taking sharp turns, doubling back, and running as fast as he could- but these were simply not enough. The hounds quickly caught up to and overtook the fox, quieting his bragging and teasing.

In the end, the cat's common sense won him not only the argument, but his life. The fox's tricks and supposed cunning were too much and not enough at the same time and he paid the ultimate price.

Author's Note
This story is based off of the fable by Aesop titled "The Cat and the Fox" which can be found in the book Aesop for Children, illustrated by Milo Winter (1919). The fable tells the short tale of a cat and a fox. The cat relies on his instinct, whereas the fox hatches schemes, makes plans, and over-prepares while ignoring his basic instincts. He acts as though for something to be good or right, it must be complicated and new. However, when the two must run from a pack of hounds, the fox cannot make a decision on which plan to choose and ends up being hunted down by the hounds. The fable ends simply with the following words:

"Common sense is always worth more than cunning."

I like this story because I agree that simple is sometimes the best option, and one should always listen to their instincts or "go with their gut."

Blogger Templates Tech Tip

I went in and did some basic customization of my blog by choosing a patterned/textured background image that reminded me of old parchment. I chose it because the texts we will be discussing are old and have withstood the test of time. I continued to use tans throughout my blog to match the background image, then used reds, blues, greens, and occasionally purples as India is a colorful country and this is reflected in their art. I felt like it would mesh well and go with the overall theme. I kept the original simple template, because I wanted to figure out blogger well before I tried to get too fancy. For now, I am happy with it, but I suppose I can always change it.

I have other blogs on tumblr. I like to keep their format relatively simple, though one has a fun octopus background.

Week 1: My Favorite Places

London, England
The summer after my freshman year of high school, my great aunt took me to London and Paris to broaden my horizons and help me practice the french I had been learning. As soon as I stepped foot in London, I was in love. The weather was cool and cloudy, the people were friendly and polite (overall), and the architecture was so beautiful! I spent 7 days taking pictures almost exclusively of architecture.

London Bridge, my photo, taken on a boat on the side of the river

Buckingham Palace and Big Ben, my photo, taken on the street by the London Eye

Disney World- Lake Buena Vista, Florida

This was the only place where my family went that my dad did not want to come home from. Usually by the end of the trip, he was ready to leave; not with Disney World. He asked if we wanted to stay 3 more nights and we all had so much fun. We laughed, and rode amazing rides. We took silly pictures and did not stress or worry. We just had a great time!

Cinderella's Castle photographed by Scott of funwithdisney.com 

Found on Wikipedia

Tree of Life photographed at Disney World by Kadreese (2013)

Found on Wikipedia

G. W. Animal Park- Wynnewood, Oklahoma
I know it's not far away, but this park has helped me create the most amazing memories with my family, boyfriend, and roommate/best friend. I had the best 21st birthday ever there this summer and got to interact with so many animals including my favorite animal of all time, a baby tiger! It was so amazing and every time I go back, i'm filled with joy again.

My mom, myself, my younger brother, my boyfriend, my mom's boyfriend, my roomie and best friend

My photo taken in May of 2014 at the Gerald Wayne Animal Park

Me getting kisses from a pony at the G.W. Animal Park, summer of 2014

Me having one-on-one time with a baby tiger for my 21st birthday at the G.W. Animal Park

Test Post

I'm just trying to get ahead for the semester...
I hope this class is awesome and i'm excited for an interesting semester.
I just got my books in the mail and have barely begun to dive into the Ramayana, but I look forward to the read.

So,
I guess I will use this post to introduce myself.

My name is Bria Waters. I am a senior at OU, majoring in Social Work. This semester i'm doing a practicum at Calm Waters in OKC, so i'm looking forward to that.

My summer has been so wonderful, and has helped me look forward to a positive year. It consisted of camping, traveling to Kansas with my best friend/roommate, riding horses, swimming, visiting my family in Texas, seeing my little brother graduate from high school, going to the lake, having the BEST birthday ever (I touched a tiger!!! Also, I saw The Band Perry at the Grand Hotel), befriended a great dane named Emma and her amazing owner Carrie, went to a drive-in movie with my boyfriend to see Maleficent, had lap band surgery, healed up, and getting prepared for the upcoming semester.

Here is my face:

Here is my cat: