UnTextbook

Dante's Inferno: this is a story I've always wanted to read, particularly because I really enjoy mythology. The writing looked well translated into English which I also think could help with my actual comprehension.
Homer's Odyssey: I have read the Illiad before but never the Odyssey. This section said it focuses on the monsters that Odysseus fights, which I find very interesting.
Brer Rabbit I and II: I've actually heard quite a few people talk about the Brer Rabbit and never really understood what it was. After reading the brief description, I think this would be a valuable way of delving more into a culture that I can't really claim to understand.
Tibetan Folktales: this also focuses to an extent on monsters and mythical creatures, while still involving some animals interacting with each other.

Odysseus and the Sirens.

Storybook Favorites

The three storybooks I found most interesting all had to do with legendary creatures. https://sites.google.com/site/chrispunlap/introduction Discussed your typical evil legendary creatures, like vampires and werewolves. It also took a very interesting approach for the introduction, telling the story of a monster hunter in a format that I found very interesting. https://sites.google.com/site/seamonsters3043/introduction took this same approach in the form of a monster hunter at sea. I particularly enjoyed the background graphic that the first storybook used, while I thought the graphic of the ocean and all its tides was a really cool way to link to monster hunting there. The third storybook took a different twist to the story, instead looking at humans from the perspective of monsters: https://sites.google.com/site/ahumanencountersconvention/introduction. I enjoyed this twist a lot because it was a very atypical way of telling the story. As a whole, I felt the aesthetic of the pages worked really well with what the authors appeared to be trying to accomplish. The first one definitely gave off a serious and spooky vibe, while the last was the complete opposite. I think I'd also like to do a background that stays put while the words scroll, that was the most interesting background to me. I also think I'd like to repeat the organization that the storybooks used, I felt that the table of contents in the top left made a lot of sense to me. One tweak I might want to make is putting a link to the next story at the bottom of the previous story so it seems like the stories are continuously flowing. I do think I would be most interested in a topic similar to those written about by these authors, especially the one who wrote about the ocean. I find monsters a very interesting concept and I would like to specifically look at monsters in the context of mythology such as the hydra or gorgons.

Medusa, one of the Gorgons. 

Introduction

Hi everyone! My name's Cooper Lund, although technically Cooper is my middle name and Jorgen is my first name. I'm originally from Kansas City, KS. Currently I am a junior studying economics with a minor in math. I'm very interested in using past events to predict future ones, which is one of the primary reasons I enjoy economics. I'm an avid fantasy football player and Netflix watcher. I've probably seen all the seasons of The Office 7-8 times. I also managed to watch every season of Criminal Minds over the break, an accomplishment I'm particularly proud of. On campus I am involved with a variety of organizations such as Soonerthon, CCEW, and SGA. I've got one sister named Katy who is a sophomore at the University of Minnesota. My mom owns a veterinary clinic in Kansas City and my dad is a computer programmer. Because my mom is a vet, we have always had a ton of pets cycling through our house. Currently we only have two dogs, Motor and Ace. Motor is a 7 year old shi-tzu and Ace is some kind of pekinese mix. Ace's claim to fame is that he actually only has one eye. When he was a puppy he lived in a puppy mill and the eye got infected and by the time he was rescued from the mill it was too late to do anything but take it out. Luckily, he is black so the eye isn't super noticeable and he's still one of the happiest dogs you will ever meet. I am a very laid back person, so I enjoy watching TV and movies, hanging out with friends, and listening to music. My favorite artist is Passenger and I actually got to see him perform in Dallas for my birthday last year. And that's pretty much all the even moderately interesting things about me.

Jim having a very deep and introspective discussion with Dwight about a variety of topics. 

Week 1 Storytelling: The Old Lion and the Fox

       Once there was a very Old Lion who was too old to hunt food, as he had in his younger days. It was winter, and he found himself becoming sick. Knowing he would surely die without food to help him combat his illness, the Old Lion invited all his neighbors to come to his cave and talk to him. One by one they went, and one by one they disappeared.

      

The Fox was very wary of the Old Lion, and he refused to get to close to his cave when he went to visit. “Come closer,” said the Old Lion, “I can’t hear you from there.” But the Fox refused, not wanting to disappear like all of the other animals. He returned back to his home, and tried to wait out the winter. Colder and colder it grew, until finally the Fox was stuck in the freezing cold all the time. He grew sicker and sicker.

One day, knowing he would soon die, the Fox went back to visit the Old Lion. To his shock, the Old Lion was no longer sick. In fact, he looked healthier than ever. “How have you recovered?!” exclaimed the Fox, “you are so old and I am young!” “Who is that out there?” the Fox heard from behind the Old Lion, inside the cave. Suddenly, the pink face of his neighbor Pig popped out of the cave, followed by the dusky face of Raccoon, whom he used to share food with.

“There you are Fox!” shouted Raccoon, “we were afraid you had died, why didn’t you come into the warmth with us?” “You mean the Old Lion didn’t eat you?” replied Fox. Pig looked confused, “Of course not! He offered all our neighbors the chance to share the warmth of his cave in exchange for bringing him food. We’ve all been doing great.” Then, finally, the shock of seeing his friends alive and the depth of sickness was too much, and with one final sigh, Fox died.

Strife can bring together strange friends.

The Fox and the Old Lion

Author's Note: In the original version of this fable, the Old Lion actually is eating all of the neighbors, and the lesson is to take warning from the bad things that occur to other people. The Fox sees footprints going into the cave but not coming out, and comes to the conclusion that misfortune has occurred for his neighbors. He's right, because the Old Lion has been eating all of the neighbors. I wanted to mix things up by actually making him appear paranoid instead of showing common sense. Instead of having the Old Lion eat the neighbors, he had been letting them into his home all along in exchange for collecting food. This story is part of series of stories involving the Old Lion, who previously had actually been a younger Lion going through other experiences. I think it's interesting because the Lion is sort of gaining in cunning throughout the stories, so this is the culmination of all that. I chose the image above because I thought it was kind of amusing. It makes me think of the Fox outsmarting the Old Lion and sort of sticking out his tongue at him. It doesn't fit my story quite right but I think it fits the original one very well. 

Bibliography: Aesop for Children, by (anonymous), illustrated by Milo Winter (1919)

Image Information: http://mythfolklore.net/aesopica/milowinter/55.htm

My Favorite Place

I am originally from Overland Park, a small-ish suburb outside of Kansas City, KS. I've been a Chiefs fan for as long as I can remember, and make a point of trying to attend at least one home game every season. Because of this, my favorite place is Arrowhead Stadium, where the Chiefs play. It is the loudest outdoor stadium in the world, and the atmosphere is always great to be a part of.

Arrowhead Stadium before a game, just as the jets do a flyover.