Friday, January 18

HAPPY FRIDAY! Today is Friday of Week 1, and here is a link to those Orientation week assignments. The Orientation Week is all about getting ready for the semester to come, and in Week 2 the readings and stories will begin!

Class Procedures and Reminders

The weekly schedule. As you saw this week, there are assignments due on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday — and of course you can always turn those assignments in early. There are never assignments due on Monday or on Friday, but there are end-of-week assignments. You can do those on Friday or over the weekend, based on whatever schedule is most convenient for you.

My comments. I'm still commenting on the Favorite Places posts (those are so much fun to read!), and then I'll start commenting on the Introduction posts; it takes me a week or two to read and reply to all of those. Meanwhile, in Week 2 you will start reading each other's Introduction posts too!

The following items are for fun and exploration:

Blog Stream. Here's another beautiful picture from a favorite place post; this time it is John's picture of a special place in Norway: Preikestolen.

Free Book Online. Yesterday I shared a free ebook from UC Press, and today's free book is from Utah State University Press: Japanese Demon Lore: Oni, From Ancient Times to the Present by Noriko T. Reider.

Free Audiobook. Today's free audiobook is The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. For more about Kipling, see below!

Featured Storybook. In this Indian Epics project, Sherlock Holmes goes to India: The Mystery of the Missing River. Sherlock and Watson are hoping for some rest and relaxation, but when they find a murdered woman in their rented room, they have no choice but to pursue the mystery.

India Video. Here's another Epified video about India: Temples in India.

Myth Video. This video is for any fans of Doctor Who: Is Doctor Who a Religion? (yes, it's Mike Rugnetta again; I am a fan both of the Doctor and of Mike Rugnetta).

Myth Item. This is some Latin dragon lore from Hogwarts; it's the school motto! Never tickle a sleeping dragon. In Latin: Draco dormiens numquam titillandus.

Writing. Here's a thought about dragons from the writer Tom Robbins: We're our own dragons as well as our own heroes, and we have to rescue ourselves from ourselves.

And here's a cartoon about the power of fantasy heroes: Role-Playing, Then and Now.

Growth Mindset Cats. This cat captures the spirit of Orientation Week: I'm learning as I go.

And here's a fun video to enjoy on a Friday, celebrating with Pharrell Williams: Happy... this one has over a billion views at YouTube. Wow!

Event on Campus. There will be free showings of First Man in Meacham at 6PM, 9PM and midnight (details).

Find out more about this and other events at the Campus Calendar online.

January 18: Kipling. Today marks the anniversary of the death in 1936 of the British author Rudyard Kipling, who was born in Mumbai, India in 1865 and who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907. You can read more about Kipling's life and career in this Wikipedia article. He is the author of The Jungle Book (see above), and here's a link to another one of his books: Just-So Stories.

Check out the Twitter stream for information and fun stuff during the day, or click here for past announcements.