Google Timer Tech Tip

I saw this Tech Tip when I was doing extra comments and thought it was such a fantastic idea to try! I am often guilty of either extreme when I study: I either study for 12 hours straight with no break or my short break turns into several hours of Netflix...oops! I tried this timer and found it to be not only helpful for staying on track with breaks but also motivating to focus and get assignments and studying done within a time constraint as well. It works for both! I did not know Google had this option prior to this Tech Tip so I am very glad I found out about it and I know that I will be using it in the future!

(Pocket Watch Timer)

Week 9 Storytelling: Atdlarneq Eats Himself Sick

One fine day, the fine and handsome young man, Atdlarneq, was venturing through the dense forest hunting for his dinner when he stumbled across a little house in an open field just beyond the trees. He peered at it for some time, debating whether or not to try his luck and enter. He was feeling quite hungry since he had not yet caught any game for his meal that night after several hours of hunting and he supposed he ought to try. He cautiously approached the door and seeing that it was slightly cracked open, entered the small house. He was met by a small old man, grouchily sitting in a cushioned chair and glaring into the fireplace. His eyes slid to the side to meet Atdlarneq's curious gaze and he gritted his teeth before speaking.

(Grumpy Old Man)

"Who goes there?" the old man grumpily implored. Atdlarneq was taken aback by his curtness and stood still for a moment before speaking.

"Um...it is Atdlarneq, kind sir. I have been hunting for my dinner for several hours now and have not found anything... but I am very, very hungry, sir. Do you have any food you could spare before I make the dreaded walk back to my village? Please, sir, I am begging you. I am worried that my hunger will make the journey back very difficult. Please help me," Atdlarneq explained.

"Well...sure, I suppose. I was just about to eat. Tungujuluka! Prepare a hearty meal for my new friend Atdlarneq and me....Bring the food at once!" the old man grunted as he hobbled with his cane to an old and beaten wooden table. Atdlarneq cautiously followed suit and joined his new acquaintance at the table, unsure of what he had gotten himself into.

Tungujuluka. the old man's maid, quickly rushed two overflowing plates of fish and blubber to the table for her master and Atdlarneq. Both of the men's mouths watered before they gobbled the food down as quickly as they could. Between bites, they drank great amounts of water from the pitcher on the table and were very full after eating. The old man leaned back in his chair and eyed Atdlarneqwith with an intimidating and confusing look.

"Another round for my friend, Tungujuluka!" he yelled far too loudly as Atdlarneq was filled with excitement at the prospect of another plate of delicious food. His hunger had faded away into a distant memory and he was grateful to the old man for his generosity.

The next plate of food Tungujuluka brought was overflowing with Halibut, Salmon, Cod, and even more blubber, which Atdlarneq scarfed down immediately. He sat there satisfied, finishing with a large glass of water, while the old many peered at him even harder with his small beady eyes.

"Give him some more to eat." Tungujuluka rushed back to the kitchen and returned with another packed plate, only this one was stacked with ten pancakes, seven scrambled eggs, fifteen pieces of bacon, and fifteen pieces of sausage. Atdlarneq's eyes widened and he excitedly devoured his third plate of food before he began to feel overly stuffed.

The old man called his maid yet again and when she brought a fourth plate to Atdlarneq, he challenged him saying "Eat that up too". Atdlarneq hesitated for a moment because he had eaten so much in such a short period of time, but he did not want to disappoint the old man who had graciously shared his food with him. So he guzzled down six steaks, eight baked potatoes, seven corns on the cob, and twenty rolls. He began to feel ill at this point but the old man called for a fifth plate to be brought out to him full of a spaghetti with meatballs and five loaves of Italian bread.

(Overflowing Plates of Delicious Food)

This manner continued for several more hours until Atdlarneq had eaten ten plates of food. He could not longer eat anymore, yet the old man was still calling another over. When he denied the eleventh plate, the old man flew into a fit of rage at Atdlarneq's ungratefulness and cast him from his home, sending him hobbling down the sidewalk sick to his stomach with all of the food he had consumed. The old man stared from the porch and laughed at Atdlarneq's terrified expression and hurriedness to get away before sitting back down in his cushioned chair, comfortably full from the one plate of food he had eaten. He had had enough entertainment for the day with Atdlarneq's tenacity and desperation and Atdlarneq learned his lesson that day to never wish for something so badly from a stranger.

Bibliography:
The Eskimo Folk Tales are Canadian Inuit stories recorded by the explorer Knud Radmussen in the 20th century.

Author's Note:
The original story about Atdlarneq tells of his hunt for seals and how he stumbles upon the small house and when he enters, he meets three lovely ladies waiting for their master. When the master returns, he insists that Atdlarneq eat many plates full of fish and blubber as well as an entire frozen seal until he is absolutely stuffed, although he does not feel sick (because he swallowed a small stalk of grass beforehand) and he never ventures southward again, having learned his lesson. This story made me giggle picturing him devouring so much food that he does not want, so I decided to expand on that and make it even more ridiculous just how much he ate. I added modern day foods such as pancakes, steak, and pasta that also gave a more tangible feel for just how much he consumed. I felt sick just thinking about it! I also wanted to give the old man more of a role in that he was senile and honestly crazy, just seeking entertainment and simply curious at how much Atdlarneq would actually eat or just how far he would go to seem grateful to the old man. His character is pretty crazy and I wanted him to be confusing and even scary to Atdlarneq.

Reading Notes: Eskimo Folk-Tales, Part B

Papik, Who Killed His Wife's Brother

• Could rewrite the story from the monster's point of view as he is chasing the villagers
• Papik could befriend the monster instead of being killed by it

The Wife Who Lied

• The wife was shocked to go to a culture where they did not eat humans so it would be interesting to expand on that and write about her first experience transitioning to that
• Could change the war to a modern day setting and make the fighting pettier

The Eagle and the Whale

• Could write about an ordinary day in the life of the woman and the whale and how he kept her captive yet adored her. Perhaps she adored him back and didn't want to leave?

Atdlarneq, The Great Glutton

• It would be fun to add to the number of foods that Atdlarneq was forced to eat, making it extremely ridiculous, and he is unable to eat the last food because he is too full
• The master could take him captive because he did not fulfill the demands

Átârssuaq

• Could rewrite the story so that Átârssuaq gains superhuman powers after his father forces him to swim underwater at an early age
• Would tell the story from the perspective of the citizens watching him defend their village

Tungujuluk and Saunikoq

• The two shapeshifters, into a bear and walrus, could be very good friends and could play pranks on each other by morphing and hiding out to scare the other
• One could take a joke too far and make the other truly angry

(Walrus Shapeshifter) 

Bibliography:
The Eskimo Folk Tales are Canadian Inuit stories recorded by the explorer Knud Radmussen in the 20th century.

Reading Notes: Eskimo Folk Tales, Part A

The Coming of Men, A Long, Long While Ago

• Men did not have light or know how to die until a woman wished for both, but perhaps they never discovered how to die
• Could tell the story of an old man who was supposed to die but didn't know how

The Woman Who Had a Bear as a Foster-Son

• Could write about the daily life of the old woman and the bear from the bear's perspective and how it would help her with chores around the house and play with the other kids 
• Could write from the neighbor's perspective disapproving of the woman and bear

Qalagánguasê, Who Passed to the Land of Ghosts

• The ghosts ventured into his house and kept him company at night and could expand on those nights as if they were fun sleepovers between the ghosts and Qalagánguasê
• Perhaps when his parents see him all alone, instead of passing to the ghost world, they rejoin him on earth and take care of him since he is lame

The Insects that Wooed a Wifeless Man

• When the man's wife left him after his failure to bring home meat and skins, all of the insects of the tree offered their hand in marriage and could change the story so that he was interested
• The woman could return and become jealous that the man had married an insect

Makíte

• When the man stumbles upon the small inn with the skins and candles, he and the lone-dweller could strike up a friendship and journey together to find the candles at the top of the hill
• Could have Makíte create a candle-selling business from the candles on the hill he found

Atungait, Who Went A-Wandering

• Could expand on the test that Atungait had the strong woman try and make it a whole village ordeal where they are eagerly awaiting to see if she can complete the task
• Could add to the dangers of their sled ride through the ice and snow

The Giant Dog

• It would be fun to tell the story of being terrorized by the giant dog from the point of view of some of the inland dwellers who were arrogant and selfish brutes
• Could also tell the story from the giant dog's perspective and how he feels so excluded and mistreated by the rest of society

(Giant Dog That Terrorized Inland Dwellers)

 

Bibliography:
The Eskimo Folk Tales are Canadian Inuit stories recorded by the explorer Knud Radmussen in the 20th century.