Week 1: Introduction

My name is Skyler Sikes and I'm a senior studying Letters. I'm passionate about languages (I study French and Latin), people, and politics. This semester I'm taking a couple of interesting classes. I’m taking Latin, History and Memory, The Rebirth of Israel, and of course Indian Epics. I love Letters. Most people think it is "just a major" for law school, but, for the rest of my life, I fully intend to use the ideas and concepts I've learned and developed within my major. I hope to become a lawyer. I'm specifically interested in human rights law and/or aviation law. I hope to change the world. It could be through law, politics, or helping to solve the foster-care system in Oklahoma. I'm excited about the future! 

     I have two brothers, two parents, and a miniature golden-doodle named Theodore Fitzgerald Sikes. Theodore (Teddy, as we call him) was named after a couple of my favorite people. Theodore Roosevelt and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Teddy Roosevelt is one of my favorite presidents. F. Scott Fitzgerald is my favorite author. His ability to compose an orchestra of words is unparalleled, in my opinion. If you haven't read This Side of Paradise, you're missing out. I also really love coffee - if it weren't for espresso, I'd be a zombie some days!

    Anyways, I'm looking forward to this class because of the context within history that the indian epics have. I'm excited to see not only what I can learn, but also how I can apply it. 

Image Information: Personal Photo

Week 1: Favorite Storybooks

Storybook 1: Dharma News Weekly

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I really like the introduction to this particular post. I think a “Letter from the Editor” is a brilliant way to introduce a storybook. It’s something I think I’d consider for my next project, but I guess we’ll have to see! A periodical is a perfect example of a great storybook foundation, and to be honest, I wish I would have thought of it first! Also, I love the way the Editor in Chief, Yama Deva, signed off. He said, "When following The Truth, follow Dharma News Weekly!" If only there was a news source that offered primarily truth! It would make the world a better, more transparent place. I think a lot of problems would be solved if the media were more truthful.

Storybook 2: Indian Tales as Told by Squirrel

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I chose this story because of the author. He is a friend of mine, although he graduated a few years back. What are the chances that the random story button would land on his! First off, I love the idea of taking stories from Oklahoma's history. Some of the stories even pre-date Oklahoma, which I think is a really cool thought. It's a funny theme to have a squirrel tell the story - especially one that is a Sooner. I also think it's funny that the author gave the squirrel an Indian accent. The story is quite funny. It is also quite simple, and I find that attractive to a story of this nature. 

Storybook 3: Blogging for Bad Boys

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Even the introduction is kind of cool. It reads, "A Blogging Community for the Expressively Dark." I'm in a class called History and Memory, and we're learning about how humans memorialize death. It's quite interesting, but it has made ponder the concept of death and darkness a lot more. That's why I chose this story. When I got to the page, I immediately noticed the organization of stories. I appreciated the alliteration: Ravishing Ravana, Dilligent Duryodhona, and Karna Karma. 

Week 1: Storytelling

A young boy was visiting his mother at the hospital, where she was a nurse. As she was finishing up some paper work, her son wandered into a nearby room. There, the boy saw a woman he had seen on TV before. She was sitting in her bed. The young boy approached the elder. The boy, Sam was only ten. He peered curiously at the old, wealthy businesswoman. “You’re Rose Anderson, aren’t you?” Sam loved asking questions. He said, “Ma’am, you look so sad, and I do not understand. You’re so rich! You have boats, planes, and cars! I watch my parents work extremely hard to provide food for my family, but you don’t even have to work. Please tell me, why are you so sad?”

“Can you guess?” asked the old woman.

“Is it because your family isn’t here?”

“That’s part of it. Keep guessing.”

The young boy was perplexed, but he proceeded cautiously. “Is it because you don’t have any more money?”

“No, sadly. I have plenty of money to last me for more lifetimes. I’ve worked hard all of my life. I’ve worked harder than I should have. I spent more time at work than I did with my family. I spent more time building an empire than I did building a family. My husband has left me, my children resent me, and I am left in this hospital room, dying. I am wealthy, but alone.”

“Oh…” said the young boy. He sat in the room with the woman, quietly listening to the machines keep her alive. Then, the woman looked at him with moist eyes, and said, “The only currency in life is time. Though I am rich with money, you are much more wealthy than I am. You are young, and you will live on longer than me. You are the rich one, for it is time to pay my debt of time.”

I changed a story called "The Rose and the Amaranth." It's a fable by Aesop where the Amaranth, (a never-dying flower) tells the rose how jealous it is of its beauty. The rose replies by saying that though it is beautiful, his life is short. The real wealth lies within the everlasting life of the Amaranth. 

"Aesops Fables" book, The Rose and the Amaranth story, oil painting 

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spellcheck: yes

proofreading: yes
word count: yes
image: yes

Week 1 Course Overview: Indian Epics

I chose to take this class because of my wonderful experience with mythology and folklore last semester. Although I think I’m partial to the fairytales told in that class, I’m really excited to take a deeper look into the Indian Epics – something I have very little experience with. The video Sita Sings the Blues was intriguing. She starts out listening to some 20th century jazz, but then the music player explodes into an acid-trip dream. I definitely won’t be snoozing on this class – it’s way too upbeat!

Week 1: Favorite Places: Anywhere With My Family

My family is extremely close and incredibly loud (pun intended). So, I'd have to say that my favorite place is anywhere I've been with them. 


Meet my mom and dad at our favorite coffee shop in San Francisco, California. Don and Sondi just celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary.

Image Information: Personal Photo, Skyler Sikes

 Next, meet my little brother Conner. I say "little," but the seventeen-year-old a little bit bigger than I am. This is a picture of him at the Golden Gate Bridge.

Image Information: Personal Photo, Skyler Sikes

 Lastly, meet my brother Zach, his wife Kendra, and their daughter Stella Ruth.

Image Information: Personal Photo

My family is great, and my favorite place is wherever I'm with them.

My First Post

Here's my first post - I hope ya'll like what I have to say!