Week 15 Story: The Traitor's Kiss

Having a best friend who is also in love with you hard, especially when you would never see them in such a way.

I stared at the book in my hand, my fingers grazing over the intricate cover. Gio had given it to me as a birthday gift. He gave me a book every year. It was a tradition that was started at the beginning of their friendship, when he gave her his copy of Harry Potter to read for her eighth birthday.

I should have known then that went he had felt for me was so much more than what I felt for him. No one gives up their copy of Harry Potter without having some sort of connection to the person it’s being lent to.

“Lancelot is probably one of my favorite heroes” I heard from behind me, and my head snapped up and twisted around to zero in on who it was coming from.

Gio’s younger brother, Paul, leaned against the doorframe, smirking at me with amusement. His eyes were on my face, but brought the book up to my chest, hiding it from his view anyway. This was how it always was, with Paul. He teased, I retaliated, we continued on our merry way.

It was a shame I was also in love with him.

Unlike his brother, Paul was tall, muscular in an obvious way that let you know he worked out. He flaunted it regularly, while Gio hid behind his books and his science and his, well, everything else.They had the same coloring – dark, with dark hair and dark eyes – much like plenty of other Italian families. But Paul was different. He was beautiful in a way that sucked all the air from my chest and threatened to suffocate me. I couldn’t look at him for more than a few moments without feeling my cheeks start to redden.

Which is why my eyes drop to the book pressed to my chest as his own eyes dropped to it as well.

“Of course, you like Lancelet. He’s a jackass.” I muttered, and I could hear Paul’s chuckle from the doorway. Glancing upward, I saw him look hesitant for a moment before pushing off the frame. Taking a step towards me, he tilted his head slightly, his smirk softer than before.

“Happy birthday, Francesca, He said, moving to sit down next to me. I don’t know if he was aware of the fact that my heart skips two beats whenever he said my name. I hope he couldn’t hear it. His arm brushed mine as he sat, the musk of his cologne filling my nose with his closeness.

“Thanks,” I said, placing the book down on my lap and looking up at him. This was a simple conversation. I could handle this. Right?

Wrong.

His eyes were right on mine, a dark pool that seemed to draw me in as soon as they met with mine. We were so close that I could feel his breath falling onto my face, the smell of coffee and mint following. I had never been this close to him before, and examining his face at this angle, I could see there were golden specks scattered throughout his irises.

I was memorized.

“Francesca,” He whispered, making my heart constrict, and I gripped the book in my lap tighter to make sure that he couldn’t see my hands shake. But his eyes were not on my eyes, or my book, but my lips.

I should have been more aware that this was what was coming. I had read about it so many times, it should have been obvious to me. But it still caught me by surprise. Paul caught me by surprised.

He leaned in far enough that his mouth pressed to mine, our noses touching as his hand reached up and intertwined his fingers in my hair. I reacted immediately, my body moving closer. My hands released the hold on the book so that I could cup Paul’s cheeks. I deepened the kiss, tasting his coffee and the mint, reveling in the fact that this was happening.

Paul was kissing me.

A loud noise jostled me. The two of us sprang apart as though we had been shocked, the sound bringing up back to reality. I stared at him for a long moment, his mouth swollen from our kiss, his hair slightly disheveled.

With my wits about me, I turned slightly from Paul’s gaze to find Gio standing in the hallway, a pile of books now a mess on the floor. The look on his face causing my heart to constrict and break into a million pieces. I had no time to move away from Paul before Gio was sprinting down his hallway, away from us.

The look on his face was something I would never forget.

Like he had been stabbed.

Image Info: Paolo and Francesca da Rimini (Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1867). Found on Wikipedia.

Author's Note: So in Dante's Inferno, you're only given the outline of what happened in the story of Paolo and Francesca. Basically, Francesca was married to Giovanni (who is extremely crippled and ugly), and she doesn't love him. In fact, she's in love with his younger, attractive brother, Paolo. Paolo and Francesca start an affair after reading the story of Lancelet and Guinevere. Giovanni finds out about this, and he stabs them both to death. Dante placed them in the second level of Hell, assigned to the lustful. In my story, I focused on their story rather than that of Dante's. I made it Francesca's point of view and set it during modern day. Instead of being married, Francesca and Gio are just best friends, and Paul is the attractive brother. It's just a modern, Young Adult romance, and Gio doesn't kill anyone. Though I sort of referenced the stabbing with the last line. 

Bibliography: Dante's Divine Comedy, translated by Tony Kline (2002). Link to online reading.

Week 15 Reading Notes: Dante's Inferno (Part B)

1. I know that Inferno means “Hell” in Italian, and while the original was written in Italian, I would have liked the translated version to have more Italian words worked into the work. This would have kept the Italian nature of the piece and gave us insight into Dante’s culture and background.

2. It’s interesting that a lot of the characters are so familiar to me, and it is good that I don’t need the background information throughout the story, but for people who don’t know who the Minotaur is, or who Jason is, it would be nice to have some sort of contextual explanation of who they were in order to understand why Dante chooses to place them in Hell.

3. Dante seems to be a pretty judgmental person, and I don’t think that he would be happy to know that he would have been in Hell with the rest of these people, as he seems to have plenty of personality traits similar to the characters he meets.

4. Caiaphas seems like an evil dude. I probably would have put him in Hell too. However, I believe he should be in the lower levels, with Cassius and Brutus, as plotting to kill Jesus seems quite similar, if not a worse offense, to that of assassinating Caesar. But that’s just my opinion.

5. Are the giants supposed to be the Titans? I’m confused. Also, is this the first use of the word Nimrod?

6. “That sinner raised his mouth from the savage feast” is a badass sentence, despite the fact that it’s grotesque to think about.

7. The quote “Vexilla Regis produent Inferni” is pretty badass if you know what it means. It’s a good thing I had the translation right in front of me. Going back to my previous comment, however, it would have been cooler to just keep the Italian and run with it.

8. See… JUDAS BELONGS IN THE NINTH CIRCLE. Sorry, not sorry. Friends don’t lie.

9. Why does Dante call Virgil his “Master?” That’s some homoerotic bullshit.

10. It’s kind of funny how Dante and Virgil have to climb out of Hell on Satan’s body and he can’t do anything about it, which is cool to think about. Let me just walk all over Satan and see how he reacts. I guess he would not have been pretty pissed. Too bad you can’t do anything about it, Satan! 😊

Friends Don't Lie, from Stranger Things. Found on Neato Shop.

Bibliography: Dante's Divine Comedy, translated by Tony Kline (2002). Link to online reading.

Week 15 Reading Notes: Dante's Inferno (Part A)

1. I like that the story is told in the first-person point of view. This lets the readers connect to the narrator and focus on what he is feeling, so that they don’t have to get too creative on how they would react in a situation like Dante’s.

2. It’s cool we get a background of who Virgil is, since he’s going to be such an important part of the telling of the story. However, he didn’t need to announce it. Providing that background through description would have been good enough.

3. The illustrations provide a nice foundation for the imagination.

4. The way that the dialogue is written kind of brings me out of the story and messes up the flow of what is being told. What is being said is also written in a way people wouldn’t talk in real life, so it’s hard to believe it’s really.

5. I don’t really understand what “heathens” stay in limbo; I wish there was more explanation to it.

6. The fact that all these famous figures in history/literature are in Hell makes me wonder more about the reasons behind why they are there. Not only that, but while there are some people I did know, there are a lot of names that I did not recognize. Not listing so many but also explaining to the audience why they’re there, not as a whole, but as individuals. I realize this would make the story a lot longer but it would make the reader less confused.

7. My roommate LOVES the story of Paolo and Francesca; she even did a project on it. She actually helped explain to me what went on when I realized I was more confused than I thought I was going to be.

8. Cerberus is the dog of Hades, and his name actually means “spot” in Ancient Greek. Hades really named his dog Spot.

9. The fact that Medusa is in Hell makes me mad because what happened to her wasn’t her fault, but Poseidon’s. The fact that a man is the reason that she’s in Hell just grinds my many gears.

Image Information: "One does not simply..." meme. Found on Boarding Area.

Bibliography: Dante's Divine Comedy, translated by Tony Kline (2002). Link to online reading.

Week 13 Reading Notes: Celtic Fairy Tales (1) Part B

King O’Toole and his Goose
- King O’Toole is obviously very self-centered, because the narrator thinks I should have heard of him and I never have.
- I like that the narrator addresses the reader, making the story more personal. By referencing back to the reader every so often, you make sure that the reader is paying attention.
- How the story is written/told is exactly how I would imagine an Irish person speaking. I even dabbled reading some lines with an Irish accent for authenticity.
- Honestly, the plot wasn’t that good and I was focused more on practicing my accent than paying attention.

The Shee an Gannon and the Gruagach Gaire
- The explanation of words at the beginning of this section was thoughtful, because the title had a bunch of words with which had no meaning to me.
- “… put a stop to the laughing of the Gruagach Gaire, who before this, laughed always and laughed so loud that the whole world heard him.” Use the word “laugh” one more time. I don’t think there was enough.
- The subtitles that tell the readers when the settings have changed through me off a little. Just describe it???
- I thought cowboys only existed in the Old West. 

Cowboy hat with a three-leaf clover on it. Found on Celtic Cowboy.

- I know that this is too much to ask, but can’t the daughter have a say in the marriage, like just this once? 

Beth Gellert
- Llewelyn is a weird name and I don't even know how to pronounce it.
- Also, KILLING THE DOG WAS SO UNNECESSARY AND I HATED EVERY BIT OF THIS STORY.

The Tale of Ivan
- Ivan, honey, you should have definitely taken the wag and not the advice. Money is better.
- Okay, I guess in this case it was okay to get advice, because it helped him in the end, but if an old man decided to take my money that I earned working for an entire year and gave me some cliché advice instead, I would have been angry. 

Andrew Coffey
- I had a teacher in middle school with this same last name.
- I’m pretty sure that this entire story was just Andrew Coffey having a severe reaction to smoking weed, but that’s just me.

Brewery of Eggshells
- Creepy picture of kids. Fun.
- I just really wish there was more dialogue in these types of stories, because it moves the story along so much quicker.
- Also, don’t throw your children into lakes. Goblins will get them.

Bibliography: Celtic Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John D. Batten (1892). Link to online reading.

Week 13 Reading Notes: Celtic Fairy Tales (1) Part A

Connla and the Fairy Maiden

- Okay, but like, Connla of the Fiery Hair? Really? We couldn’t think of a better name? The language in the story is already bad enough. I understand that it’s supposed to be Celtic and old fashioned, but honestly, gross. I also want to know what the maiden’s “strange attire looks like.
- This fairy maiden just loves Connla out of nowhere? Sounds fake, but okay.
- I’m glad that the King’s characterization allows him to admit that he has his shortcomings.
- The apple reminds me of the evil witch’s apple in Snow White, which would make a great twist in the story if the fairy maiden ended up being evil.
- I’m glad that the Druid has a name, compared to the maiden, who should also have a maiden considering that she is a main character. This might be a little sexist.
- Basically, this story is really dramatic and I didn’t like it.

The Field of Boliauns
- The picture at the beginning creeped me out.
- I’m glad that neither of the stories that I’ve read started with “Once upon a time…”
- There’s a lot more dialogue in this than in the first story, which moves it along quicker, but the dialogue is hard to follow because I cannot seem to imagine people speaking like they do in the story.
- Leprechauns are not nice. That is all.

The Horned Woman
- Okay, if a lady with a horn on her head came barging into my apartment, I would most definitely be appalled and slightly terrified. What is wrong with this woman?
- Why does no one have names in stories like this? I’m calling the police.
- “The mistress felt herself obliged…” Oh, I get it now. She’s being compelled.
- I have no idea what went on in this story, plot wise. All I know is that there was a lot of screaming.

The Sheperd of Myddvai
- A guy that gives me his food without me asking? Sign me up.
- Kinda of puzzled why all these farm animals came out of the lake. That’s not really where they belong.
- I like the maiden only because she knows when to leave a man who is “abusive to her.” Power to you, sis.
- I would have liked the ending to be different, simply because I was expecting more out of the characters in this story compared to the others.

The Sprightly Tailor
- Again, the picture at the beginning creeped me out.
- Wishing that the main character had a name, simply because it would be easier to relate back to him.
- There is more description in this story compared to the others, allowing me to have a better understanding of setting.
- The giant reacted in the same way I would if I didn’t get attention I wanted: by stamping my feet and whining.

Munachar and Manachar
- These two already remind me of Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee from Alice in Wonderland.
- No descriptions = Sad Cassidy

Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree
- SNOW WHITE.
- The names are a little iffy, but at least they have names!
- Wishing I got descriptions of what everyone looks like. Or even just descriptions. There is too much dialogue.
- “I left them there.” SUCH A GOOD ENDING, despite the fact that the prince has two wives. Greedy bastard.

Square Celtic Knot. Found on Wikipedia Commons.

Bibliography: Celtic Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John D. Batten (1892). Link to online reading.

Growth Mindset plus CATS

Photo at cheezburger.

I chose this image because it reminds of what I need to do to help myself move forward: I need to listen. I don't like being criticized, and a lot of the time, it makes me angry when people try to tell me to change something. Most of the time, however, they're only trying to help, and I need to understand that they are trying to help me better myself in the long run.

Found on cheezburger.

Everybody makes mistakes (everybody has those days). Errors, especially if someone points them out to me, make me anxious, but I need to understand that those errors are going to help me build on what I've already done and they're going to make me and my work better.

Found on cheezburger.

Now I just have to learn how to take the feedback that I get and think about where I can go from there. I don't want to plateau and continue on the path that I've been walking, I want to change it up and make sure that I'm on a better path to being, well, better! Taking critiques and feedback from others is going to help me in the long run.

Learning Challenge: DESKERCISE!!!!

I realized as I was working on these deskercises that I do a lot of them when I’m sitting in class or at my desk anyway, so it was easy to work them into my homework routine anyway. I read an article from the Harvard Business Review, which gives you six different yoga exercises to try. 

The hardest one to do was definitely the reverse prayer pose, simply because my body is not as flexible as it used to be (I probably need to start stretching more than just when I’m doing my homework), and my wrists protested when I tried twisting them. Since I didn’t want to push my body too much, I stopped this exercise and moved to the next one. I’ll try to go back to this exercise each day to see if there are any changes in the flexibility of my wrists/arms. 

Not only did this stretching make me feel good physically, but mentally, because yoga makes you focus on your breathing, which directly correlates to your brain. It helped me to relax and really focus on what I was working on, which was, of course, reading the article and focusing on the poses all at once. 

I would definitely recommend trying the neck and shoulder poses, because I don’t think people truly realize how much tension they are holding there when they are stressed or focused, or in my case, both. 

What I hoped for from this article that I didn’t get was leg exercises, since your feet are usually on the floor and that is where all the blood is going. I’m definitely going to look into some of those to see if there are any that I can do while just sitting down at my desk or in class or something. This was a lot more enlightening than I thought it was going to be.  

Paws and Reflect. Found on Bare Feet Power Yoga.