Proposal Cram

Proposal before Ruane removes the suck and fail

Marvel Time Line

Annotated Bibliography redone

Yeah. /dies. Well, I hope it doesn't suck as bad as I think it does although I am pretty sure it does. -_-; I had kind of forgotten about it until yesterday and Ruane was like, "Oh yea, I need that tomorrow" and I'm sure I turned as white as a sheet...which is pretty hard considering. =P But Moutain Dew is the college crack so it and a few Kevin Smith movies worked to keep me awake.

Rosiene just said that what I was doing in the proposal was ok, Ruane and him are behind me talking about it. Taylor did give me a funny look though--he's a historian after all for like, Civil War stuff but I'm hoping the 60's of it wins him over.

Well now for Dr. Ruane to fix it. And not kill me. x_x

Thor vs. Communism, FIGHT!

Actually, that's what Dr. Don Blake aka Thor seems to do w/ most of his time. That and fight aliens that look vaguely Asian. Comic books reflecting the times much? I read half of Volume 1 and kind of stalled, mostly because I have weekly meeting w/ Dr. Patterson. It's like he kinda wants a thesis statment *now* and I'm looking like a deer in head lights going, "We just came up with this idea, halp me plz!" It's the 10th week of classes and by the 15th week I have to submit a proposal...

Yeah, you could hear the "Gurk!" coming from my mind. So I have 4 weeks to write this in between my Britain, Philosophy, Art History, and Space Exploration papers. Oh and read the books for those too.

Sometimes I hate myself.

So the comic book slant is awesome, really cool and further proof that I hope I am as smart as Dr. Ruane when I get older. As for a Thesis statement...I'll grab a white board and toss some stuff around. Hrm. Like I need to find out *exactly* what I need to write. Dr. Taylor wants me to do like Norse mythos in the 60's which would include westerns [as if my grandmother didn't watch enough "Gunsmoke" and "The Rifleman" in my child hood] but I don't know. I asked Dr. Perdigao to be my second reader and she said yes so I have like the 2 coolest professors in my department on this, giggity-giggity. /dance

That and I need to register for classes next semester, make wedding plans, and oh yeah, find a job. Yar.

But first, Thor has to stop a Communist revolution in some small latin country.

An actual coherent post

Stream of conscious writing equals bad. Alright.

So after tossing a few ideas back and forward, Dr. Ruane came up w/ the idea of "Representation of Viking Mythology in Modern Culture". That totally works with what I've been reading so I am, to say the least, happy about that. Now since I know where I'm going, I can sit down and...

...watch movies, read comic books, and play video games. ::cackles maniacally:: God, there are days where I love my major and this is one of them. Oh there will be more work I'm sure of it, work that I really don't want to do but I'm in my happy place so leave me be. =P There's a list of stuff he wrote down so now it's all about going to hunt it down and reading it/watching it. I'm just excited that I can include Neil Gaiman in this--he's one of my favorite if not my absolute favorite author. Woo!

I promise if "The Pathfinder" is anywhere close to being as bad as "Alexander" I'm going to cry.

I read Vest Dan's capstone (during Art History class...not like I was missing anything) and it was like a Jet Li kick to the forehead as in, "So THAT'S what I need to do!". Not like copy, oh no, but as in format and how it was done and such. It's more, I guess the word I'm looking for is 'freeform' than the research papers I've done in the past.

Tomorrow I have a meeting w/ Dr. Patterson about all of this. I don't know exactly what to say but eh, I'll flow with it, tell him what I'm doing and it all should be like pigs in a blanket. Or something like that.

October 4th is D-Day

No, I know Operation Overlord was on June 6th. But my D-Day, huzza. That's when like I have to start doing serious work on the capstone like thing. ::scratches head:: Like I wasn't working already. Anyways, I'm glad it's after the round of tests but before Swamp Bowl (Football in Gainsville and nay, football against the mo'effin Georgia Tech Lady Bulldogs is full of win) so I'm dancing about that. And I'm looking forward to tossing ideas around with someone far smarter than me on the subject--I can't just toss around mythology w/ the boys in the apartment.

I'm ordering books and I r teh poor, yar. So I guess interlibrary loans ::shudder:: will have to do. FIT library. Bad touch. No mommy don't make me. ::sigh:: oh well. I'll go do some of that eh, tomorrow/Monday. I have a test tomorrow and work and gym conditioning and 2 football games the weekend so that means Monday it is.

Note to self: Reading Norse mythology while listening to German speed metal is highly condusive. Must find more. And stay away from WoW while I do it ><.

Lightbulb!

Maybe. Ok.

So, after playing with Google maps for a bit (if you *don't* like playing w/ Google maps, there's something wrong with you lol) Dr. Ruane told me that I was, to my shock, doing alright. Well that my bibliography is alright at the very least so I'll take it and run like hell.

So what does that mean? More reading. So I need to check on my books from Amazon and such...for more homework.

I'm totally going to attack the, "Mythology in modernism thingy" thingy. I think that'll be fun--alittle pop culture never hurt nobody.

So this weekend is Space Class and British class. w00t!

Me and Microsoft Word...

...are going to fight one day. Grr. Stupid spacing and crap.

Anyway, um finished Bibliography. http://atomikfenrir.livejournal.com/2308.html#cutid1. I'm missing the Edda book, I just realized that. -_-; I guess that's what slipping into the shower will do to ya. I'll add it later.

I'm wondering if I can quite possibly hold off that Capstone meeting tomorrow--the Belletrist and I along with the secondary funding committee need to get down with the get down. This time, I'll do it all *myself* so I know it gets done. People sometimes are lame.

Off to read the rest of the 2nd saga.

Cue lightbulb

So today I got alittle closer as to what I want to do in my capstone. Besides having books again thrown at me (If I wasn't used to it by now, that's kinda retarded), I kinda figure I'd like to do something with the modern interpretations of Norse mythology. Now if that'll include just the gods or the trolls and other stuff or what, I don't know. But it seems like an adventure and that's what I'm looking for--after all, I may or may not go back to school after this (loans, GPA explosion, custody of my brother, blah) so it's gotta be something that I want to do so bad I'm going to frame it when I'm done next to my diplomas and the signed pictures of Leonard Nimoy and Dan Marino.

Luckily, I don't have to decide until October-ish but it's nice to be going in the general/right direction or atleast *have* a direction. I'm alittle petrified of falling behind but I can't *not* fail so I'll postpone any mental breakdowns for after May, thank you very much. I'm not like spazzing out about the capstone itself but about where I need to fit it in in the two semesters I have w/ all the other stuff going on...ok, I'm spazzing alittle but not as bad as I thought I would. As the Vikings said, "Every hour wounds, the last one kills." And wounded animals are the worst kind.

I'll probably slap the rest of my annotated biblography on here later on when I acutally get home from conditioning, practice, and the Belletrist meeting. Or tomorrow. Tomorrow looks better.

So what did we learn today?

Modern interpertation of mythology is the bomb diggity.
I need sleep.
I meet Tues. or Thurs. depending on the stars and Dr. Ruane being cranky @ me or everyone else :D
I'm going to need *a lot* more books.

First Assignment: Complete

Two orders of Chinese take out, a marathon of Top Chef, and a six pack of Smirinoff Ice later...

http://atomikfenrir.livejournal.com/2291.html

Notes from Gylfaginning are DONE. Wooo! ::hurricane dance::

Now to do my UK homework because I'm not a brown noser, I just need to get *that* done so I can focus on reading for Space Exploration class. =P

Ok, I feel better

Apparently I'm doing ok...erm so far. Atleast according to Dr. Ruane and that's really all that matters hah.

I have an Eddas assignment to do, which I'm wondering where to fit it all in but I'll get it done. It's the bibliography thing I'm worried about because I don't have access to the lot of the books that I have written down. Er, problem? Yup. If anything though, it helped relax me about the up coming part of this alittle. It's just alocating my time right. 30 pages is going to be full of suck though by December.

Off to go read that. Yeah. (So tired)

In the starting blocks

So I'm back in Melbourne after the loan process from hell. It looked like that all of my capstone work over the summer would be for naught but no, people came through for me and helped by the grace if the gods and a few Marines. So now come Monday I can start focusing.

The only things this senior year that are bothering me is work and The Belletrist--I need to start delegating authority when it comes to the crazy thing and just be the Editor in Chief not everything else. Last semester I *had* no one else but this one I intend to lassoing some freshmen to help. And work? Dr. Matar isn't there anymore so I'm just wondering how the atmosphere of the office is. We can sense changes like that, contrary to being just workstudies :)

Book wise, one of the books Dr. Ruane gave me is one I needed for mythology class, huzza! So I didn't have to buy it but it still leaves the massive mythology book, my art history text book, and my Sputnik book for history and space exploration that I need to get. I think all of these Proffs. have bumped their heads; if it's not 8 million books for one class, its a really expensive one, like 100 buck plus. We're not made of money here!

Mythology and Space Exploration are the two I'm looking the most forward to (no duh) since my capstone and being a former astro major. I think it will also help w/ my capstone to hear someone else talk about this stuff--I've been sitting in my room hearing myself that I think I'm going insane...more insane. Anyway. I know it'll help.

Also tomorrow I'll set up capstone meeting times w/ Dr. Ruane...I guess. I'm not exactly sure what I was *supposed* to be doing this summer and I'm worried that I didn't do enough. o.o Or I did the wrong thing. ::rubs face:: Ughhhhhhhhhh please don't be mad at me ::prays::.

So it's off to Barnes and Nobles to get the books that I don't want to pay for at the bookstore.

Of gods and goddesses

And a few others: Populated list and ongoing for referrence.

Baldr - God of radiance, peace, and rebirth. Consort: Nanna
Borr - Father of Óðinn, Vili and Ve. Consort: Bestla
Bragi - God of poetry. Consort: Iðunn
Búri - The first god and father of Borr.
Dagr - God of the daytime, son of Delling and Nótt.
Delling - God of dawn and father of Dagr by Nótt.
Eir - Goddess of healing.
Forseti - God of justice, peace and truth. Son of Baldr and Nanna.
Freya - Goddess of fertility, wealth, love, beauty, magic, prophecy, war, battle, and death. Consort: Óðr
Freyr - God of prosperity and wealth. Consort: Gerð
Frigg - Goddess of marriage and motherhood. Consort: Óðinn
Fulla - Frigg´s handmaid.
Gefjun - Goddess of fertility and plough.
Hel - Queen of Hel, the Norse underworld.
Heimdallr (Rígr) - One of the Æsir and guardian of Ásgarð, their realm.
Hermóðr - Óðinn's son.
Hlín - Goddess of consolation.
Höðr - God of winter.
Hœnir - The silent god.
Iðunn - Goddess of youth. Consort: Bragi.
Jörð - Goddess of the Earth. Mother of Þórr by Óðinn.
Kvasir - God of inspiration.
Lofn - Goddess of love.
Loki - Trickster and god of mischief, strife and fire. Consort: Sigyn (also called Saeter)
Máni - God of Moon.
Mímir - Óðinn´s uncle.
Nanna - An Ásynja married with Baldr and mother to Forseti.
Nerþus - A goddess mentioned by Tacitus. Her name is connected to that of Njörðr.
Njörðr - God of sea, wind, fish, and wealth.
Nótt - Goddess of night, daughter of Narvi and mother of Auð, Jörð and Dagr by Naglfari, Annar and Delling, respectively.
Óðinn (Wodan) - Lord of the Æsir. God of both wisdom and war. Consort: Frigg.
Sága - An obscure goddess, possibly another name for Frigg.
Sif - Wife of Thor.
Sjöfn - Goddess of love.
Skaði - Goddess of winter Njörðr's wife.
Snotra - Goddess of prudence.
Sol (Sunna) - Goddess of Sun.
Thor (Donar) - God of thunder and battle. Consort: Sif.
Týr (Ziu, Saxnot) - God of war and justice.
Ullr - God of skill, hunt, and duel. Son of Sif.
Váli - God of revenge.
Vár - Goddess of contract.
Vé - One of the three gods of creation. Brother of Óðinn and Vili.
Víðarr- Son of Odin and the giantess Gríðr.
Vili - One of the three gods of creation. Brother of Óðinn and Vé.
Vör - Goddess of wisdom.

|Books that have to go back soon|

• "The Fury of the Northmen" John Marsden. ISBN 0-312-130805 1993. St. Martin's Press, New York, NY.
• "The Daily Life of The Vikings" Kristen Wolf. Greenwod Press. Westport, Conn. ISBN 0-313-32269-4
• "A History of the Vikings" Gwyn Jones. ISBN 0-19-280134-1. Oxford University Press. 1968. New York, NY
• "Viking Age Iceland" Jesse Byock. ISBN Unknown. Penguin Goup. London, England. 2001
  "The Viking Achievment" Foote and Wilson. ISBN Unknown. Praeger Publishers Inc. New York, NY. 1970.
• "The Vikings: Rise and Fall of the Norse Sea Kings" Rudolf Poertner. St. James Press, London, England. 1971.
• "The Viking World" Jacqueline Simpson. ISBN 0-312-846592. 1980. St. Martin Press, New York, NY.
• "From Viking to Crusader: The Scandinavians and Europe 900-1200" General Editors: Else Roesdahl and David M. Wilson. Rozzoli International Publication, Inc. New York, NY. ISBN 0-8478-1625-7. 1992
• "Myth and Religion of hte North: The Religion of Ancient Scandinavia" E.O.G. Rurville-Petre. Holt, Rineheart and Winston. 1964. Printed in Great Britain.

More to be done in Ohio. Aie. A wee one's work is never done.

In a few...

Because I've been spending all of my time packing for Ohio, I haven't had much time to update and I read what I can. I think I'm starting to get the main pantheon of Gods seperated but as far as the wee ones and their wives and such, it's still a drag.

I took hand written notes on the "Religion of Ancient Scandinavia" so now i have to find where I left the consarnit tablet. I've been scanning through the rest of the books because they have to go back soon but I'm going to post their name, titles, and information here so when I get to shcool, I can find them.

Yeah, I bit off a little more than I can chew =P. Atleast for the time I was schedualed to have the books.

But I'm bringing some Joseph Campbell on the plane so it should be alright. I think.

Question--

--before I start breaking out into Destiny's Child, I haven't slept (reading too much -_-) so I was thinking of a few questions to ask Dr. Ruane at some point. Or maybe I'll just link him here later on when the medicine from the dentist wears off and I'm thinking straight. Not that he's used to me making sense...

1. Internet referrences. Do y'all (y'all meaning professors) like 'em? Do I need 'em? How many?
2. How many referrences do I need total?
3. This is double spaced, right?
4. I was thinking either sagas and hero cycles or Norse Myth and Christanity. Doable? Am I crazy? The latter is means I'm going to have to go to church or find Father Bailey. I haven't been in quite some time. ::cue lightning bolt:: Rather, that's Catholic er which is a branch but I'm guessing by 1100 there weren't any *other* branches...I guess that's more research in store ;_;
5. If I DID do the hero cycle thing, would I just be saying like how closely they resemble Mr. Campbell's circle or how they didn't?
6. Some of these sagas have a *really* gray area as to what is myth and what ain't. So is it safe to assume that if it doesn't include the Norse Pantheon, it's a saga?
7. How long is this? 50 pages? 100?
8. If I'm just doing myths or sagas, do I have to do major research on Norse/Viking home life? Or just focus fire on the sagas and the myths?
9. Is this MLA, APA, or that Chicago-style format that Dr. Taylor was talking about?
10. Does anybody have any idea on how to correctly pronounce some of this stuff? Half of it looks like the alphabet threw up and I don't want to look dumb...er.
11. How soon do I need a thesis statement (Read: how soon is it before I freak out?)
12. Can I include pictures? Can I draw my own if I can't find any? :)

------------------------------------------------------------------

So I picked up some 'Nordic Religion in the Viking Age' books. *Squee!* They smell like book, it's so great! Like old paper and glue.

I have my quirks. Leave me alone =P

My new stack came from USF and Florida Southern, which both have HUGE lirbaries. You'd think that FIT would have something on paar w/ atleast FS but nooo. It'd be nice if we had more than 6 books on the Norse/Vikings but it's a tech school and it's filled with IEEE stuff. Not that there's anything wrong w/ IEEE.

Anyways, I found out I could do interlibrary loans from FIT from those two--just have to request them. As for the books from Dunedin, eh, that's going to be tougher. I could ask my grandma to go get them but that's like asking her to do quantum physics -_-;.

Wow, seeing how well this is flowing, I'm going to get a nap before I actually do notes so they make sense.

Beating the Clock

So in taking Dr. Ruane's advice, I've been working on the 1st of the viking books and since I've been beaten over the head with viking travel in just a few short weeks, I'm thinking of taking Beyond the Edge of the Sea by Mauricio Obregon back to the library. Plus it covers more Greek things in it (Argonauts, Ulysses, ect.) than Norse and just kinda retells the sagas...which after my giant book of sagas, I kinda don't need.

I've kinda narrowed it [my capstone] down to sagas and/or myths. I feel I can tolerate that for long amounts of time. But because I'm slightly insane, most of my preliminary work is studying Viking Culture as a whole like what they ate, where they lived, ect. Vikings: the North Atlantic Saga is far too long for it's own good but after the religion section, I'm just going to do a scan of the rest, not pick it apart like I have been--otherwise I won't get done 'til December.

Notes: http://atomikfenrir.livejournal.com/1807.html because LJ has a cut function. =P

After that book I'm going to attack Saga of the Norsemen by Auerbach and Loren. Unless the even more books I'm getting from the library are more interesting. That and maybe go through the gold book Dr. Ruane gave me again; all the stuff I learned from that one got pushed out by Civil War stuff for Dr. Taylor's class.

I have only a limited amout of room in here! ::taps forhead::

I'm planning on a trip to USF's library to see what they've got. It seems only fair--another college in the area so I should take advantage of it. So that'll be Saturday after the pain from my teeth wears off.

I should probably do some more Joesph Campbell too. I um, what's the word? I'm kinda dreading it but The Power of Myth isn't so bad. I think Hero With a Thousand Faces just kinda threw me off while I was reading other stuff for other classes. Maybe if I clear my mind and sit in a corner with some green tea and honey it'll come easier. I know with *those* books, I'm going to have to do the post-it note method, typing it all out would take forever.

I wonder what the policy is on internet citations? How many can I have? And do I have to use them at all? The internet is great tool but for something this serious, I'm kinda leery of it, I'd prefer written text.

If anything, I'm going to try to update atleast every few days with new stuff so I feel some sense of obligation and not spaztic "OMG I NEED 15 pages by TOMORROW!" but more of a mellow one. And of course random questions that I think of at that moment and when I get enough of them, I'll shoot Dr. Ruane an email to prevent 8 million of them, heh.

Summer Prep

So after spending June playing unhealthy amounts of World of Warcraft, I'm off to do research, yay! Going to Dunedin's library turned up...5 books on Vikings and 1 Joseph Campbell book. Yay. Not really. So I ordered stuff over the interlibrary loan system.


If I see one more book of General Robert E. Lee, I'm going to choak somebody.

So bringing those home, I started reading the Smithsonian Institute's Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga and got particularly sucked in. I guess I should do what Dr. Ruane said and learn more about Viking/Norse everyday life. It is interesting after all--except for travel.

Erik the Red and Leif Erikson can bite me. Rawr. Yes, they're awesome. But jeez louis, every, single text has like ATLEAST 2 chapters on them and I'm going, "I know ::skip::" but then feel guilty that I skipped and then I go back. Or something. Anyway, no travel.

Most of my time has been spent reading. My grandmother keeps confusing it with summer classes and I'm going, "Florida History and American History has NOTHING to do with Vikings, gah." Old people. I've crammed in one or two sagas, finished American Gods (it was great, amazing book, but I don't see how it's going to help me yet), rented/watched 3 documentries on mythmaking and Mr. Campbell, some of them modern myths like Star Wars (the History Channel one was AMAZING!), and played Balder's Gate...ok, so that really wasn't *complete* research but it had Balder in the title!


These and the other 15 or so cousins have taken up my bed, the rest are on my kitchen table.

So it's come down to what I find interesting: raids, mythology, Norse interaction with Christianity.

What I hope to never see again: Erik the Red.

I just keep remembering what Dr. Ruane said about finding something I can deal with the whole year. I think it can be like some arranged marriages; you grow to love it over time, kinda like my relationship with Civil War lecture. If anything, I'm looking on the *brightside* ::shock:: of this for right now.

The only part I'm freaking out on is...what the sam bejeebus I do with all of this info?! o_O I think I'll shoot Dr. Ruane an email, he'll know. He's all knowning after all ;)

Preperation for Fall

So after counting credits goofily and setting up the start of my Senior year, I think I'll be ok. Art History (::heave::), Philosophy (::extra heave::), History and Civilizations of Space Exploration and UK, and Mythology. Oh and Capstone and Belletrist but that's a no brainer. You can see the 2 I am not enjoying. Not that I have anything against art, I draw myself, but art history? And Dr. Aberdien himself wrote about about logic/philosophy that had 'bullshit' in the title. It's so...existential that it seems pointless. But I have to take it so whatever.

Enough on that. Found out the good news is that one of the books I already have is going to be used in the Mythology class, yay! And Dr. Ruane got a book on The Lord of the Rings for me that kinda has stuff to do with it, but I love getting books so it doesn't matter. I've read some Sagas of the Icelanders which was ok, I just don't know how to pronounce any of these people's names; more consonants than I know what to do with. Then again, I don't think anyone else knows either...::shifty eyes:: so I think Odin will forgive me. In any case, most of the summer will be spent taking History of Florida and American History I and then reading for this. I have to talk to Dr. Ruane and get a list of books so I know what I have to buy. I think it's on the order of like 6 or 8 books he told me about.

I'm going to be so poor after this.

American Gods takes an odd slant...I would like to explore it but I've gotten subtile hints from him against it so I won't. However, I do enjoy Neil Gaimon's style of writing and love the Sandman like crazy. Again, I'm stuck with the Gods vs. Vikings thing; which one should it be on? And don't get me started on a thesis...aie.

Well, just more to sort out in July/August I figure.

|Books as of 02/23/2007|

The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Campbell, Joseph. Princeton Publishing, Princeton New Jersey. 1949. On loan from Dr. Ruane.

-Creation of mythos and the journey of the hero from inception to completion. Relationship to human myth and dreams, the idea of a central myth connecting all humans.

When they Severed Earth From Sky: How the Human Mind Shapes Myth. Barber, Elizabeth and Barber, Paul. Princeton Publishing, Princeton New Jersey. 2004. Mine

-Creation of myth from a lingustic and anthropilogical stand point, how myths were used to transmit information and how the human brain retains them. Also tracks their detoration through out time.

The Sagas of the Icelanders. Preface by Smiley, Jane. Penguin Books, New York, NY. 1997. Mine

-All of the Sagas. Reference.

The Norse Myths. Crossley-Holland, Kevin. Pantheon Books, New York, NY. 1980. Aquired

-Norse myths from the dismembering of Ymir to Ragnarok and everything in between.

The Sandman Season of Mists: Volume Four. Gaiman, Neil. DC Comics, New York, NY. 1992. On loan from Amber Salem.

-All of the mythical beings converge to try to garner the key to Hell after Lucifer abandons his job. Odin and the others attempt to ply for it to stave off Ragnarok while Loki assumes the form of Susano-o-no to avoid returning to his fetters. Contemporary outlook on Norse Gods.

American Gods. Gaiman, Neil. Harper Torch, New York, NY. 2002. Mine

-The olden Gods from all of the different countries are now present in America due to immigration now square off against the new gods of America. Present day take on Odin.

Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs. Lindow, John. Oxford Printing, New York, NY. 2001. Mine.

-Dictionary reference. Suggestions for Further Reading.

Myths of the Norsemen: From the Eddas and Sagas. Guerber, H.A. Dover Publications, New York, NY. 1909.

-Myths and sagas intertwined. Comparisons to Greek Mythology vs. Norse Mythology.