Snorkel Like You Mean It!

I don't know, I think Mondays are overall the worst day of the week. It doesn't even matter what happens on a Monday! It's like the Monday label poisons everything in that 24 hour period. All the little good things that might happen on another day (like getting lunch with a friend or finding $5 in your old pair of jeans) are somehow downplayed for the fact that it's Monday. Maybe it's just me. I'm probably sounding crazy.  Just a question: have you ever snorkeled? If your answer is yes, you're in my good graces. If it's a no, then march right on out to the beach, young sir/madam, and get your tail into that water! Snorkeling isn't like rocket...

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Jonah and "the Whale"

This weekend has been just so much fun! And especially busy! I can now say I've officially moved in all the big furniture to my apartment (with help from my gracious parents). Okay, not everything is moved in that my roommate and I will need for the upcoming semester, but the big things are set. I have to say, sleeping on a real bed is something I don't take for granted any more! (These past 3 weeks I've been sleeping on an air mattress!) Jonah and the Big Fish This morning my mom and I went to church and the sermon was really good. He spoke about the first chapter of Jonah, a small book in the Old Testament of the Bible. If you don't...

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Just Seahorsing Around...

I'm writing to you all from the new blog-writing headquarters of my apartment! Finally, I can say that. Phew, it's been a long time coming. I have yet to purchase wifi, so I'm literally sitting in the middle of the living room floor, held captive by my finite amount of ethernet cord, typing to you out there in cyberspace. I sacrifice so much for you! All in a day's blogging. Seahorses are probably God's cutest marine creation, I have to say. Except for maybe a bottlenose dolphin or a baby fur seal...oh my gosh, those seals are so adorable!! Getting back on track, no one really knows how many species of seahorses there are in the world. (One conservation...

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Gentle Giants: The Basking Shark

Today was another record breaker. Total of 2 and a half hours at work today! I know, I work a lot. It's just something I've got to live with. And...get ready...I'm moving tomorrow! Yes, I'm moving into my new apartment! Actually my first apartment. I can't wait to have "my own place." Since I'm renting it's not really my own, hence the quotations.  Anyways, let's get to the meat of the blog. Has anyone ever heard of a basking shark? Maybe a couple? Hmm. Well, if you haven't ever heard of them, they look extremely daunting but they're in reality extremely docile. The adults are huge, ranging from 20 to 30 feet in length. Like a whale. But...

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The Northern Alaskan Frontier: Drill Central

Good, solid day today. Not too much excitement, but I did some grown-up stuff today! Like buying internet for my apartment! It's like grown-up Christmas! I don't know why I was so ecstatic about it. Maybe because I went and did it all by myself. Yes, thank you for your applause.  Has everybody been hearing the news with Shell? If not, I will inform you! Well, apparently Shell has announced that they will be doing explorative drilling in the northern Alaskan seas. President Obama had given the go ahead to them kind of out of the blue, and now they're planning on starting the project this month. (It was so out of the blue that I didn't even...

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Everyone Likes Pie!...Octopi I Mean.

Happy Tuesday! It has been a happy Tuesday, really! This morning I spent a record amount of time in the lab at work (90 minutes) and kind of knew what I was doing? I put a question mark there because I really want to say that I knew what I was doing but if I do I might curse myself. Then tomorrow and for the rest of my days in research I will forever be oblivious to anything and everything. Hence, the question mark. In hindsight, I think I will be glad I did this whole chemistry research thing. Now, however, I don't think I have it in me to appreciate the life lessons. I'd rather be in my house, watching TV, and drinking some sweet tea....

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July 23, 2012 I just love whale sharks. Like, it's kind of a problem. But a good one I want to hold onto for the rest of my days. Is it okay to be obsessed like that? Oh well. I love this video, too! Why? Because it's about whale sharks, of course! I can't seem to get over their awesomeness. So guess what I do when I'm bored...Google search the migration patterns of whale sharks. Yes. I do. I google it to see if I might make my next trip near a hotspot so I can swim with one. But, of course, not much is known about the species in general except for general anatomy, feeding habits, and geographical hotspots. Every time I google it, it never...

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July 22, 2012 Ahh, what a fantastic weekend it has been! I had so much fun taking a break from the usual flow of regular life visiting Gatlinburg, Tennessee with some college friends! I know, right? So awesome. Truthfully, I would have had an excessive amount of fun with them no matter where we went. Do you have that group of friends (or friend) that when you hang out, you just can't stop thinking of how grand of a time you're having? And you don't want it to end? I seriously love those girls so much.  We went putt-putting our first night there, and I had to admit that I was a putt-putt virgin. Yes, laugh all you want. It's true! I guess I always thought the mini-golfing experience would be pretty lame. However, I have to report to you that it was actually very amusing. Okay, I may...

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July 19, 2012 Ugh, another day of sitting in a meeting...and I felt like that 4 year old who is way in over their head again. Do you ever get in that rut of giving yourself pep talk after pep talk and it only sticks for maybe 5 seconds? That was today for me! Ugh. Just ugh.  I have the urge to talk about something I actually know stuff about. The ocean! Are you surprised? (You shouldn't be, oh faithful readers.) So big. So vast. So blue. So full of life! Even in the ocean's depths where the light can't penetrate, there is life. For some reason I am just extremely fascinated by the deep ocean. If you have ever seen footage from the deep, you know what I'm talking about when I saw it's dark down there. There's absolutely no light, I mean no light, anywhere. How do things live down there?...

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July 18, 2012 Science. Oh, science. What pops in your head when you hear that word? An old man in a lab coat? What about your more than odd high school biology teacher? Or a set of bubbling chemicals of all colors in a chemical lab? Or maybe you just think of the word "hate!" Yeah, science isn't for everyone. But really, what is science? I would copy and paste the definition according to some smart people who write the dictionary, but it isn't worth the number of words versus the number of readers who will actually appreciate it. Generally speaking, science is the study of things natural and physical through experimentation and/or observation....

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July 17, 2012 Ahh, what a relaxing day! Just sitting here at the library, working on my research, listening to music, reading books, Facebook stalking. Don't judge; you and the rest of the Facebook world do it. And then I have my magical snack, dried pineapple. If you haven't tried dried pineapple, you haven't lived. Everyone should try it! Unless you're allergic. I have this somewhat addiction I must tell all of you about. It's not embarrassing to me, but whenever I tell people about this addiction they act like I should be embarrassed. Hmm...still not embarrassed, though. Hello, my name is Claire, and I'm addicted to Planet Earth. Not the actual planet (although maybe) but the television documentary series. Yes, the one that Sigourney Weaver narrates. Yes, the one that came on BBC and...

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July 15, 2012 What a good Sunday it's been! I hope you, my multitude of faithful readers, have also had a nice day. So today, friends, is a big day. Today is July 15th! Why is it such a big deal, you ask? Well, this calls for yet another backstory. So thanks for asking. Five years. It's been five years since my trip to Australia. You know, that trip to Australia I talked about  some time ago? Yeah, that one. I came back on the 15th five years ago today! Every year I look back and can't believe the time that has passed.  Five years ago today I had no idea I would be where I am. I didn't know anything, really. Just think of yourself...

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July 14, 2012 So yesterday...sadness! I feel weird for putting this depressing stuff on my blog since a blog should be something fun and nice to read! But, if you think about, it's really not my fault. It's the whalers' fault! And the illegal poachers of marine animals out there! So don't blame me for the sad stuff, but just transfer all that to the real bad guys.  Let's see...I need to pump up the mood. What about a joke! Okay, get ready for hilariousness. Why did the whale cross the road? (Imagine a whale can actually cross a road, please.) To get to the other tide! Get it? Hopefully I didn't make too much of a fool of myself. If you...

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July 13, 2012 Nice to be back home for the weekend! Hope everyone's week went well! So let's get back to where I left off from yesterday, readers. You guys must be dying to hear what happens next, I know. The suspense is killing me, and I'm the one telling the tale!  Okay, on a much, much more depressing note, I'd like to show you a video clip. This clip is of a whale being harpooned by a Japanese harpooning vessel, so this may be too graphic for some of you. The clip's link is below the picture. http://www.youtube.com/whalewars:rawwhalekill When I saw this, I didn't want to watch. But I couldn't stop watching still. Imagine that...

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July 12, 2012 Not so good of a day today, guys. Have any of you ever been completely in over your head at work? Like it's so intellectually far-fetched that you feel like you're 4 years old compared to your co-workers? Well, welcome to my world.  I just started working in the chemistry department of my university doing research in the summer. I just finished my freshman year, so it can't get more complicated than that. It's pretty hard core, I must say. I don't want to dwell on the negative aspects of the job, because believe me there are many; but I want to look on the bright side. Be positive. Be that grotesquely happy person that...

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July 11, 2012 Well, had a nice day off from working today. Got to hang out with friends and paint! Not really "a day off" if you ask me, but better than not having friends around to hang out with. As I'm typing this, I can't help but notice the hundreds of splotches of paint on my arms and legs. At least the color goes well with my skin tone!  Now, I guess I can start talking about whales since I consider myself a girl who likes whales above any other marine creature (excluding the whale shark, which was discussed earlier). There are sperm whales, humpback whales, fin whales, blue whales, baleen whales, killer whales (AKA orcas), and...

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July 10, 2012 I can't believe I'm saying this, but I am so happy it's raining!! This awful drought has dried up everything, so I'm glad to see some rain.  Has anyone heard the story that's gone viral of the man kayaking beside a great white in Cape Cod? Well, if you haven't, I shall bring you up to date. You're welcome :) Crazy, right? That would suck if a great white was lurking behind you on your first kayaking experience. Wow, I can't imagine the feelings he had. I like this video, too, because you're hearing all the different sides of the story from scientists and researchers. It's not just this news story that says, "Look at this menacing predator stalking one of us! We need to stay out of the water and kill every shark we come in contact with! Or else!" Not too long ago...

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July 9, 2012 Well, it's been a pretty decent day today! Not a great day, like finding a $10 bill on the ground outside Walmart, but an okay day, like maybe finding a lucky penny in the parking lot. Hope all of y'all out there had a good one as well. So, back to the subject highlighted from yesterday: sharks! Gotta respect these animals of the ocean. They have been the top predators in the marine world for millions of years. Yes, they were alive when the dinos were here. So the next time you see one, be sure to show some respect for them and keep your distance. I know so many of you will be looking for a shark or two sometime this summer....

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July 8, 2012 Guess where I went on this glorious day today, friends?! Cummins Falls State Park about 15 minutes outside of Cookeville, TN. You know, it's such a beautiful little park, filled with great scenery and a nice waterfall and wading pool. Funny thing is, officially the paths are "moderately easy," but I beg to differ. Those trails were not for the faint hearted! Almost 2 and a half miles of hiking in all and I was about to keel over...but I didn't.  Well, on a completely different subject, I feel the need to educate the masses on a few things going on in the marine world since I am That Girl Who Likes Whales. Let's see, there's...

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July 7, 2012 Welcome, friends and strangers! Loved ones and people I've never met! Ok, y'all, this is my first blog! I was so extremely bored in this apartment that I decided now must be the time to try this thing out. So, so much to say.  I guess I'll start off with why I chose my name: That Girl Who Likes Whales. Guess what? I kinda like whales. And other things like that, too...Go figure. I actually grew up educating myself in marine biology through different types of media. Well, readers, you may ask, "Oh, That Girl Who Likes Whales, why didn't you learn from experts maybe at a local university or something?" You know, I'm glad you asked, readers. Truth is, I've lived in Tennessee all my life, which is multiple hours from the nearest beach/ocean. Isn't that grand? (Sarcasm.)  Anyways,...

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