Famous Last Words for Week 1

Over the past week I have enjoyed writing about many different topics. My favorite writing this week was my storytelling about the Map of the Area Surrounding our Holiday Home. Even though I am not the most creative writer, I liked the endless possibilities I could write about. I really took my time on what I wanted to write about and planned out what I wanted to write about before I even started writing. I feel this is the best way to fully grasp and display to a reader what you wanted to write about.

When looking at the Spring 2016 posts, I noticed that Olivia’s favorite place to visit was the Whale’s Tail in Costa Rica. It is such a coincidence because my family has recently purchased a house about fifteen minutes away from Uvita (Domincal). We have visited the Whale’s Tail plenty of times and it was a close second for my favorite location. It is definitely extraordinary!

Source: Costa Rica House

So far this week my other classes have been going okay. I feel I am going to really enjoy my Production Engineering 1 course for a couple of reasons. First, Doctor Pournik is one of my favorite professors in the program. Also, I feel that this course will really help my future internship this semester. I feel Dr. Pournik is one of the better professors at the idea of growth mindset. My most difficult course will probably be Formation Evaluation, therefore I will spend most of my time on that course. This course involves formation evaluation concepts, such as logging tools, to better drill, complete, and produce certain reservoirs. Although this course will be difficult, I am really looking forward to understanding the material and utilizing it in my internship. Below is an example of a openhole log that we will study in this course. 

Source: Open Hole Log

When it comes to outside of the class, my most important news is that my oldest sister is due to have her new baby on Jan. 23^rd. This will be my second niece or my first nephew (we don’t know the gender!). So I am very excited to go home this weekend and hopefully get to see the new baby!

Overall, this was a great first week to the course!

Week 1 Review

Phonetically Defined Words

Source: Week 1 Announcements 

I really enjoyed this post from the past week's announcements. My favorite was either the hammock or the stilted. 

Also, I enjoyed seeing a post about George Orwell and his book the Animal Farm. I read this book in middle school and I really enjoyed all of the connections to real people in the Russian Revolution, including Joseph Stalin as a pig! If you have not read this book, I highly recommend it. I have not yet read Nineteen Eighty-Four but I will definitely add that to my list!

George Orwell's Animal Farm

Source: Week 1 Announcements 

R.I.P. George Orwell 

Check out the announcements for other cool and fun  posts!

Tech Tip: Blogger Template

Hey everyone I updated my blog layout and colors! I hope all of you enjoy the new blog design. Comment on if you like the new changes. Thanks!

You should try and update yours to whatever you like!

-Trevor-

Learning Challenges

H.E.A.R.T.

I find that Attention and Time Management are the most important when it comes to both academics and working. I struggle sometimes with attention, however, I feel my friends and I excel at time management. Although these are very important, I feel that if you step away from the constant working and studying that empathy, reading, and happiness/health become more and more important. 

First, health is important as you get older and build strong relationships with people you love. I am big on giving more than receiving and being extremely generous, and the letter “E” stands for that. As you go on in your life, the focus on others needs to grow on grow. I love my family and am very close to my parents and three sisters. As we all go our separate ways, the need to continue relationships and communication is vital. You never know what can happen in this crazy world, so you need to treat every goodbye and get together as if you may never get that again. 

Second, reading for leisure is something I wish I could do more of. Nowadays I feel that all I read is information about my classes, news, and information on investments. Although that is useful knowledge, I feel that more leisure/fiction readings completes a person’s mind. I do read on occasion, however, I think it is vital for me to continue taking time out of my busy day and read for fun. 

Source: Wikipedia 

Finally, the happiness and health aspect of people’s lives, I feel, are pushed to the side. For example, I feel that the stresses of work, money management, and family life consume a person’s mind, not allowing them to focus on their own happiness and health. It is extremely vital for someone to push through these issues and understand health and happiness are important in living life to its fullest.

Source: Health and Happiness 

Exploring the Idea of Growth Mindset

I have never heard of Carol Dweck or the growth mindset before today. I cannot speak for all majors, however, I do find that as an engineering student at the University of Oklahoma the grading of process versus final grades is in the works. Many professors nowadays grade highly on the process at which you attack a very difficult problem, with only a few points considered for the exact answer. This encourages students to truly study the material instead of memorizing a certain solution to a problem. To focus on what went on in their brain and thought processes allow for students to feel worthy of the task at hand and not get discouraged when failing. I have personally always thought that process is the most important aspect of learning, therefore, I will continue researching the growth mindset this semester and in future. I feel that every teacher/professor needs to look into the growth mindset project and utilize the ideas of Ms. Dweck in their own curriculum. Overall, this idea, along with Ms. Dweck’s growth mindset, are what we need to focus on in the future.

My own goals will continue with what I have thought of in the past. With going through difficult courses, I of course want to get the final grade of an A. However, I value the actual content and processes I have learned versus the letter grade I receive. I would much rather get a “B” in a course and learn a great deal of knowledge versus and easy course that I receive an “A” in.

Growth Mindset

Source: Phoenixisrisen

Finally, in the work force, processes are important in everyday tasks. As a hopeful future manager, I can emphasize the importance on what thoughts my employees have if they did not do the task right instead of focusing solely on the result. With a combination of teaching and understanding how employees operate, I feel that a manger can excel at their job. 

Storybook Favorites

Tales of Kailasa

This story intrigued me because the main character was actually a mountain instead of a person. I found the story to be unique and something that I might potentially write about myself. I read a few of the stories and I enjoyed the transformation and growth of the relationship between the mountain Kailasa and the hermit. The story entails many emotions of love, death, sorrow, and companionship. I find the story has many angles and stories hat intrigues me. I am looking forward to writing my own story that involves all of these emotions. I enjoyed the layout of the story, however, I felt the tab should have had introduction to make it easier on the reader (it was not hard to navigate, I just would have added “Introduction: Kailasa and the Hermit”).

Mount Kailash at Sunrise

By Bhagyati Nath

Diary of Karma

I find the idea of Karma very interesting and can create great stories that involve personal conflict in the main characters due to their own actions. Reading the introduction, I noticed that the author provides a few stories that include characters that face issues many years after poor choices they have made. The stories have potential to really dig deep in the characters minds on important decisions they need to make, allowing the stories to communicate well to the reader. I find that the stories that I can relate to are the best to read. Therefore, the process of making decisions and the following effects of those decisions are something that anyone can relate to. I find this to be my favorite story of the three because of the idea of karma and the potential stories that can branch off of the idea of karma. This had the best layout for me due to its breaking up the different stories that all relate to karma.

Dasaratha and the Dead Young Man

Source: India Net Zone

The Story of Ravana

The introduction starts off with a quick story of a famous king and the consequences of his thirst for revenge. The ultimate consequence of any decision is death, and King Ravana suffered that fate. The other stories are written from the king’s grandfather, recounting the life of the king and how he came into power. The stories depict the hardships of the young king, along with his dedication and hard work to be the best. I typically enjoy stories of people working hard and facing many trials to get to where they are now, therefore, I really enjoyed this story. I enjoyed the layout of this storybook, allowing me to understand what was going on easily. 

Ravana

Overview

I have not read or studied epics before. However, this course really appeals to me because I have close friends that are Hindu and I have always been interested in their culture. My friend and I are actually wanting to plan a trip to India soon. I have chosen the second Ramayana. I chosen this version because of the multiple authors that have contributed to this version. I think this will allow for better interpretation. Also, the opportunity to read this online seems like it may be more accessible and allow me to read more at home. Below is the image I found most interesting.

Krishna, Arjuna and Pradyumna fight the Demon Nikumbha

(circa1820, shown in Sotheby catalog)

I am curious about this picture because of the endless possibilities that could have occurred to bring these people to this predicament/fight. 

Introduction to a Future Petroleum Engineer

Hello my name is Trevor Eckard. I am originally from Boerne, Texas near San Antonio, however, in high school I moved to McKinney, Texas just north of Dallas. I am currently a junior Petroleum Engineer (PE) and plan on graduating in the 2017 Spring. The coolest thing about being a PE is the many opportunities to travel and experience new locations. You can either stay in the United States, go offshore, or even go out of the country to European or South American countries. Last summer I had an internship with Denbury Resources in Houston, Texas. It was an awesome experience and I am lucky to say I have an internship with them again in Plano, Texas next summer. 

This past break, I was able to go with my family to Dominical in Costa Rica. We were able to go the beach, ATV through the rainforest, and hike to many amazing sights. The best thing we were able to do was to hike to Nauyaca Waterfall. The 200 foot waterfall is surrounded by lush vegetation and numerous animals, such as the howler monkey. If you ever make it down to Costa Rica, I highly recommend visiting the Nauyaca Waterfall.

Source: Nauyaca Waterfall

My favorite book series is the Vince Flynn series about Mitch Rapp, a young aspiring CIA agent and his life after becoming one of the top agents. It is a great series that includes historically correct events with entertaining stories about Rapp’s adventures. Also, I am a huge movie person, with my favorite movie being the Shawshank Redemption. Other favorites include the Batman series, The Departed, and The Prestige. I am usually up for any movie and am always looking for great new movies! And to go along with the movie scene, my favorite snack food is popcorn by far. I definitely love going to the movie theater just get popcorn with jalepenos (trust me it’s good).

My hobbies include cooking, poker, and playing sports (specifically basketball). Even though I do not play basketball competitively anymore, I love to play basketball with friends up at the Huff or Lifetime in Dallas. I am a huge Spurs fan! I enjoy playing and watching almost any sport though and know plenty of useless sports trivia.  

Source: Tim Duncan AllPoster

Nice to meet everyone.

-Trevor-

Here is a video of the best trick plays in college football: Top Teen Trick Plays of College Football

Week 1 Storytelling

Source: Cabin in the Woods/Paradise

The “Sold” sign slowly disappeared as my parents and I drove off. We were moving again, of course.  This was the third time this year and all I could think about was how many more times will I have to be thrown into another school. A new place, new friends, and a whole new beginning, again. My parents said this move will be different though, they called the new cabin an oasis in the middle of a secluded forest.

As I looked out of the window at the foggy landscape, I could feel my eyes yearning for sleep. I did not want to miss any of the drive so I fought with all my might to stay awake. Just then I heard the blinker on the car turn on and we exited off the highway onto Eerie Forest Road. We were driving on the bouncy road as huge oak trees consumed the sky above me. All of a sudden the car jerked forward as the car came to a complete stop. My dad revved the engine, trying to free us from whatever had stopped our car. As I looked out to see what it was, I could feel the car slowly sinking into the mushy ground beneath us. It dawned on me. I quickly unbuckled and yelled to my parents, “Quicksand!”. We jumped out of the car just in time as the quicksand completely engulfed the car until all we could see was the antenna poking out. We all stood in shock staring at the ground, trying to figure out what actually just happened. We knew that the best way to fix this crazy event was to head towards the new cabin and call for help, so we started walking.

We walked for what seemed like forever when my dad decided he needed to go to the restroom. With my dad gone, my mom and I heard a murmur coming from the distance. As we waited and waited the murmur got louder and louder. All of a sudden, my dad came running towards us, screaming, with a large swarm of killer bees following closely. As I turned to run, I noticed a stream of water. We all were able to make it to the water and to escape the deadly stings of the bees. Just in time.

              As we continued walking, we finally made it to where the cabin was in sight. Just as we let out a sigh of relief, we heard a chopping sound near the cabin. From behind the house walked a crazy axeman screaming at us to get off his land. As the man ran after us, we hid behind a large oak tree, breathing ever so softly. As the axeman searched for us, I accidently moved my foot, causing the axeman to hear where we were. He started chopping down tree we were behind. With the cabin nearby, I went around the left side of the oak and yelled “Over here!”. As the axeman quickly looked my way, my dad came out from behind the tree and tackled the axeman, sending his axe flying away. We all sprinted as fast as we could to the cabin, with the axeman right behind us. He quickly caught up to me, and as he lunged forward to grab me, I woke up to my mom holding my arm as we arrived at our new cabin. It was all a dream, nothing but a dream.

Author note: Written from the inspiration from Tom Gauld's Map of the Area Surrounding our Holiday Home. I started from the South, worked Northeast, and finally arrived at the cabin where the axeman was located. 

Map of the Area Surrounding our Holiday Home, a cartoon by Tom Gauld from his book ROBOTS, MONSTERS Etc., 2006. http://onlinecourselady.pbworks.com/w/page/12763863/week1storytelling 

Cayman Islands- Favorite Place

Cayman Islands

One of my favorite vacations was when my family and I would go to the Cayman Islands during the summer. The crystal clear water and white sands were always a relaxing way to end my summer vacation. If you have not been to Cayman, I definitely recommend going! (especially Stingray City and the Turtle Farm)

7-mile beach is the prime tourist location with many restaurants and hotels. If you go, I would definitely stay on 7-mile beach.

Stingray City is an awesome and rare way to see wild stingrays in their own habitat without being enclosed. It is very exciting. 

-Trevor-