The Misunderstood Minotaur : 2017-01-08

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Week 1: Introduction to my life

I am a Junior at the University of Oklahoma studying Aerospace Engineering. I transferred last year from Oklahoma City Community College after graduating with an AS in Engineering. My future job will be in continuing the journey to Mars and beyond. Below is a picture of some friends and me taking a tour of Johnson Space Center.My favorite part is that we got to go see the sunrise from the ISS cameras in Mission Control.

(personal photo taken by our tour guide) Johnson Space Center (only 3 of the 5 nozzles shown)

When I am not studying to be a Rocket scientist, I love being outdoors and being active. I also love traveling and see different cultures. I lived in china for 4 years and have spent most of my childhood summers in Mexico. Most recently I went to Alaska and Canada for a family reunion. The picture below is from our hike to the Mendenhall Glacier. We had over 100 people at the reunion! I have been to forty-nine states, lacking Hawaii. I have backpacked through Europe with My mum and sister. I enjoy hiking in Salt Lake City which is where my family is from, except me, I was born in OKC. My dad is the oldest of six all of them having at least two kids. Even though I live here in Oklahoma I am still very close to my family in SLC. I am always planning my next trip to SLC even before my trips there are over.

(personal photo taken by me) Mendenhall Glacier is in the center with Nugget falls to the right.

I work at wholefoods as a Front Runner (the person who makes sure there are carts for people to grab) and Cashier. When I have time, I volunteer through my work for various organizations like the humane society and Feeding Oklahoma. I am always up to trying new things which some of my greatest memories have come from. I have run two half marathons and two full marathons as well as numerous other fun runs. I have run in the Memorial marathon three times. Pictured below is my family conquering the Gauntlet in Tulsa a few years back. starting with the man with the hat, my dad, to his right is my mom, sister and then me. The people on the sides are some friends we made during the race.

Personal Photo - They let us have them for free!

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Week 1 Story: Flatterers beware

The Crow and the Fox

Wikimedia - Fox and Crow talking

One day a crow came upon a fox that was feasting on a plate of food left behind by humans and wanted to have some. The Crow was a smart bird and thought of some ways to convince the fox to share some of the food. Remembering that the fox was very caring of his image and was not afraid to gamble, he knew just the way to get some of the food. The Crow flew up onto a branch that was just above the fox and said "oh my, you look like you are that fastest animal around!". The Fox all too easily agreed. The Crow said that he had a bet, this sparked the interest of the Fox because he knew that he could win anything against the crow. The Crow then said "I bet you can run faster than I fly!". The Fox chuckled and agreed to race. The crow said that the race would start where they were and go to the fence at the end of the road and back. The Crow said that he would let the Fox say when to start moving. The Fox laughed and then lined up with the crow and barked “go!” as fast as he could. The Fox was almost all the way down the road before he realized that the crow was nowhere to be seen. Thinking that he was just going that fast he did not think to look behind him. The Crow on the other hand was taking his time flying down to the plate of food the fox left behind grabbing what he could and leaving. By the time the Fox returned he realized only then that the Crow only wanted to steal his food and had no intentions of seeing how fast the Fox really was.

Author's Note:

Originating from the Fox and the Crow, where a fox flatters the crow by saying it has a wonderful voice, asking the crow to sing for him, making the drop a piece of cheese from it's beak. The Fox then eats the cheese and let's the crow know that was the reason he ask her to sing. I made sure to keep the main idea of the story, which is to always be aware of the reason someone could be complementing you.

Bibliography:

"The Fox and the Crow" from the Fables of Aesop. web link

My favorite Place

Yellow Stone National Park

My Family loves to be outdoors. Some of my earliest memories were camping/backpacking in Yellow Stone, Unitas or the numerous other places that we went. Yellow Stone was the first place I got to see a bison up close as well as seeing a geyser. There so much diversity in Yellow Stone to were there is never a dull moment.