Greetings from Camp Chemistry

The most challenging part about getting your wildlife biology degree isn't learning the organs of a crawfish, the Order, Family, Genus, and Species of Louisiana's mammals, or identifying flat worms.  Its not even learning to do a gram stain or catching turtles in Black Bayou.  Nor is it trigonometry, Spanish, or the geology class.  The most frustrating, tiring and down-right painful part about getting a biology degree is chemistry.

I know what  you are thinking, "Clair! you're a senior.  You're about to start your seventh semester and you only need four semesters of chemistry."  Well, not only an I taking this chemistry as a summer course, its not my last. I have two more to follow.

To be honest, chemistry scares me.  Chemicals, equilibria, equations, acids, bases, and carbons everywhere it scares me.  In previous semesters whenever I have had chemistry, especially the labs, I feel so sick.  My stomach is in knots and I want to just turn and run.  My nerves aren't as bad in the summer,  maybe its bc I know that I just have to get this class done or maybe its bc I have lab 3 afternoons a week and I don't have all weekend to get nervous about it.  Regardless, its nice to walk into the lab without having to puke. 

I have a C in the course right now.  I made an A in the first chem, but I am working my booty off for that class.  It makes me nervous to think that not only do I need to pass this class, but I have to have enough of an understanding to be able to do well in my organic chemistries. Its hard to care about a course when you know that you aren't going to use it in your career. I either want to work in a natural history museum or do field work.  Neither field seems like an understanding of bond angles or the Arrhenius equation is necessary, but whatever.  I have to understand it, so I can get my degree.  Not for my career, but for my degree.

So, to all my friends that haven't seen me lately, I'm sorry--chemistry is to blame.  Sry, I just have to learn this mess.  My final is Aug. the 11th, so I'll see ya'll after that.  Keep your fingers crossed and say a prayer for me!


**Fun Fact about Chemistry:  The letter J is the only letter not found on the periodic table.**

Leaving Hogwarts

The summer after fifth grade my mom bought me a relatively short paper-back book that I had no interest in reading.  Unfortunately, that year it was a required read in my sixth grade Language Arts class.  I had no idea  how much a children's book could change me life. It was about what it meant to be a true friend, about belonging, and about how family didn't always meant those kin to you.  Later as the book series, and I, matured, I realized it was also about choosing good or evil, how to thrive even when our past is a dark place, and it showed how sometimes the lines between good and evil can be blurry and confusing.  Some people may not let their children read these books bc the witch craft and the dark themes, and you know what I feel sorry for any child whose parent won't let them read a story about a boy who had all the reason in the world to turn out evil and cold-heart, but bc of love he chose the right choices and made earth better because of it. I feel like I have been on this journey with Harry Potter for a longer time and it sad to see it end.


Seeing the final installment of the Harry Potter phenomenon is bitter-sweet. I love how I was able to share this with my friends, but it was also hard to see it end.  After each book, I felt like Hogwarts was waiting on JK Rowling to finish  the next book so I could enter into its halls once more.  In a way its kind of like graduating high school.  You know that the memories will always be there, but it will never quite be the same; except, at least with high school the excitement of college was close to follow.  What's to follow Harry?


To be honest, the Harry Potter series isn't the best book series I've ever read, its not the best written, or even the most original, but in a way I think it helps define who I am in a small way.  Harry is the boy who lived, but I am a girl who grew up with that boy.  I think there will always be a part of me waiting for a half-giant with a magic umbrella to show up at the door. 

I'd like you thank JK Rowling for teaching me about true friendships and  the value of family, for telling the world that maybe the ones we think are bad are just misunderstood.  Thanks for not only giving us heroes like Harry who were destined for greatness, but for the heroes, like Neville, who became great.  Thanks for letting us Muggles share in the adventures of Hogwarts.

You can check out pics from our Harry Potter Party on my fb and on http://www.thenewsstar.com/ on the gallery section.

Mango Shaped-space

I had a fantastic trip to San Antonio and was planning to have a chill-week before me, Anna, and Alyssa venture to New Orleans.  When we got back from our trip Dominoes, the cow-spotted "middle-child" cat, was there to greet us all with her obnoxious meow.  Lightning and Fey weren't there, but we dismissed any worry from our minds, because Lightning often disappears for several days after we go on a trip, and this was Fey's first time home without us.  We figured she was acting like big brother Lightning.  It was Tuesday and we still hadn't seen Fey, and none of the neighbors had seen her since the Tuesday before. After calling and calling for her, one of the kids in the neighborhood found her under a tree.  Fey's back legs weren't working and she was obviously dehydrated.  They scooped her up brought her home, gave her water and food and got her comfy.  After getting hydrated get tail began to move a little, then one of her back legs.  Things looked bad, but she's a kitten and surely, we thought, she would be okay.  The vet said otherwise.  While at work, I got a call from Dad, who was crying. He told me they were going to have to put her down; she had a crushed pelvis, unfixable. I collapsed into tears and spent a good bit of time sitting on the floor of the staff bathroom cry. 

I only had Fey for about 9 months since October, but I loved her from the very beginning.  After Mischief died in August (after a long healthy cat life--13 years old). I didn't think I could love another cat so quickly.  Fey was a remarkable kitten. She loved books, not a reader but she loved to sleep and play on my book shelf. She also loved picture frames; she loved knocking over the same picture frames nearly everyday.  Most time she didn't like to cuddle, but every once in awhile she was a cuddly-kitten and wouldn't let you get more then 3 or 4 feet away from her.  There was many times that I had to let her sit in my bathroom while I was in the shower or she would cry.  Sometimes as she waited to me to get out the shower she would start crying, until I'd tell her "Don't worry Fey, I'm right here." And as soon as she heard or saw me peek through the shower curtain she would stop crying. 


I am going to miss her bringing in dead skinks and half dead birds. I am going to miss hiding ANYthing with a feather on it from her. And I am even going to miss her waking me up because she's crying about being lonely or her sleeping on top of me.




When we first got Fey, Anna used to say I'm going to cry when Baby-kitty grows into a cat.  Now, we are sorry that she never got the opportunity to grow up to be a beautiful black cat, and I think that is the worse thing about this. We had such a short time with this precious kitten.  It upsets me to think that there are thousands of unwanted cats in the area, and the one the had to be put down was the cat I wanted most in the world.

Once it was Fey that cried because she was lonesome and missed me, but now I'm the on crying for her.  I'll miss you, Fey.

One Ocean, a zoo, and a cave.

So, this past week has been super-duper busy.  SeaWorld, the San Antonio Zoo, botanical gardens, the Cave without a Name, and a cactus nursery.  To most this may seem like a field trip, but to me this is a vacation.

 When in SeaWorld we saw three different shows.  The first show was a combination of acrobats and animal tricks. It was called Azul and featured beluga whales and common dolphins (not to be confused with bottle-nosed dolphins, which to me seem to be more common).  This show had a lot of people and animals in it, the costumes where interesting and the animals just beautiful.  The second show, was a comedy using mostly otters and sea lions, but also a walrus at the end.  This one was most actors, but the animals were really cute and well-trained.  The best show by far was One Ocean, it was the biggest and most spectacular show. It had many orcas in it, and was just astonishing.  The trainers were not a part of the show, they were more like techies in a play, than actors.  This show's message was about oneness and how all things on earth are connected.  Each of us plays a role and our mistakes can effect the other "family members".   I thought that it was a good message, but that the show as a whole seemed preachy and not well delivered.


We also went to the San Antonio Zoo.  Being that I am a be fan of zoo, I have been to many, and this was defiantly one of the better zoos.  Everything was labeled very well, there were lots so of diversity in species.  Often times in zoo's "reptile" house there are other animals lumped in, like frogs, scorpions, and other creepy critters, but this zoo had a separate house for amphibians and reptiles, which I thought was a nice touch.  I really loved seeing the okapi because the are such unique and beautiful animals that many people don't even know they exist.  In their nocturnal house there was an intern who answered questions about the bats and they had night vision glass to view there animals through--which was very cool.  As far as zoos go I give this one an A+ and suggest that even if you are not an animal person if you are ever in San Antonio to visit this outstanding zoo.   


I am defiantly more of an animal person than a plant person, so the botanical garden was a little dull to me, plus the ba-zillion degree weather didn't help.  But, I did enjoy seeing bromeliads after going a project of them last semester for Plant Diversity Lab.  The orchids were also very pretty.  The cactus nursery was just a typical plant nursery with rows of plants waiting to be taken home.  Dad is like a kid a candy store at plant nurseries, and was about to find several cacti and succulents to take home to humid Monroe.

The final place we went to in San Antonio was the Cave without a Name.  This was the third cave I've been too, but the first for Catherine and Camille. The other cave I have visited were all in the Appalachian Mountains and this one was in the Hill of Texas so it was a bit different.  I think I appreciate caves more after taking several geology classes.  I especially enjoyed the animals that were down in the cave.  We saw two types of frogs--leopard frog and another type I'm not familiar with, and there was also a bat, but I don't know what time. It is just really cool to me that anything can live in a dark, stone world.

**Fun Fact: The only mammal where the female is normally taller than the male is the Okapi**

In hopes of meeting Shamu

Monday I, Clair Calhoun, will mark one more thing off my childhood bucket list.  We're going to sea world!!! Being the Bio Geek that I am, I'm super excited about seeing the dolphins, seals, and other marine animals. I very much hope that this won't be a disappointment, bc often time when ppl get to go somewhere they have wanted to go since they were a kid, it became hyped in the mind.

I hope that I learn more about the animals I encounter this week, and that my sisters appreciate them more. And I also hope we don't get kick out for Anna's dolphin impersonation.

Not only are we going to SeaWorld, we are also going to the Alamo, a botanical garden, and to a soccer game in Dallas. (Woo-hoo go FC DALLAS)  The Alamo seems like it'll be pretty boring--but that mostly is because its not the time in history that interests me the most.  The botanical garden should be good too as long as the weather in good.  We will do some other fun stuff too, of course I just don't really know what.

Did you know....?  A Killer Whale (Orca) is actually a dolphin.  Orcas are the biggest species of dolphin and are about the size of a school bus.

365 Days Ago

Clair at the top of Roan(e) Mountain

      So, exactly a year ago I was in Virginia, it was my first full day of my Wildlife Internship. I was happy and smiling and ready to change the world by helping save one baby animal at a time. I had no idea how much that summer would change the rest of the year. A year ago if I had introduced myself to you, I may have said that I wanted to save hurt animals, that I was in the fourth year of a relationship with my high school sweetheart, or that I have had the same job since high school. None, of this things are true now.

I have changed so much in this past year, its hard for me to realize that it took only a year for all these change to happen. It hasn't been easy, but with the support of Alyssa, Whitney, and Anna it has been bearable. Last June and July, I was in Roanoke, Virginia and I was miserable. I wasn't enjoying my internship, I missed my home, my friends, and everything that was familiar about Monroe, Louisiana. I felt like an outsider with my Louisiana accent and felt immature when I couldn't join the other girls just bc i wasn't 21 yet. I felt childish for missing Monroe so much, bc it was my first time to be away from the comfort and familiarity of home. And the entire time I was tired, I was always tired--emotional and mentally. I was working 11 hours a day most days and felt like I was just patching up road kill. When I left the basement I was working in, I would walk across a yard to the basement I was living in. In my mind all I could think of would be the failures of that day--the vomiting raccoons, mangled deer, rabbits with their skin falling off. You would think that the only escape would be the couple hours a night of sleep--Wrong. As I slept the horrors of the day creeped into my dreams, my dreams made it where there was no escape at all.

I tried to learn to enjoy being alone--what was my other option. On my days off, (which seems few and far between) I was able to go to the Mill Mountain Zoo, Center in the Square ( a super museum with different museums on each floor), drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and see Eclipse. I enjoyed doing each of these things, but I did each of them alone. It made me more homesick for Rose, Whitney, and Micah. Being away, helped some one my relationships and hurt (or even possibly ended) others. In the evenings, if I wasn't at the Rehab Center I sometimeswatched TV with Rose, well with Rose on the phone. Also, the time away from Whitney made us realize how much we needed each other and to not stress over the little bumps of friendship (and I am so glad we made up that summer bc I had no idea how much I would need her when school started that fall). That summer was especially hard on me and Micah. I sometimes wonder if it was the reason we broke up or at the last straw on the camel's back. Regardless, it was hard on both of us, but it was the right choice.

It might seem that those two months are what made me change so much in the past year, but that is not necessarily true. When I got home there was only a few days before school started. Anna moved into the dorms, and she, Whitney, and Alyssa (half of the time) were all at the same school as me—(THANK GOODNESS). To be honest having Anna and Whitney go to school with me made me nervous at first. It would be weird to have Anna be around my ULM friends and I had never been to the same school as Whitney and I was worried about it changing the dynamic of our friendship. Having these three girls at the same school as me is probably the only reason why I’m still alive.

So, when school started last August life was a little different, Anna wasn’t at home, but I saw her nearly every day at school, I wasn’t working for the library, and then the second day of school I broke up with Micah. Wow, that was a big change. I saw him more than anyone of my other friends. Nearly every friend I had was “our” friend and not “my” friend. It was so strange being single for the first time since I was 16, none of my college friends had ever known me as just Clair. It was confusing at first, I didn’t know what do on the weekends or who to call to tell when I got off work or went to bed. The decision to end my relationship with Micah was a super hard decision and is probably the reason for most of the change this past year. With the support and help of my friends I was able to not only get over it, but enjoy life more than I had in years. I was able to go visit Les in Baton Rouge, spend nearly every night at Whitney’s during winter break, and be able to have countless girl’s nights. Single life’s was so fun, so spontaneous.

I realize know that when one friend enters a new chapter of her life and the other does not (or enters a completely different chapter) that it changes the dynamic of the friendship. When the dynamic of a friendship it confuses scares ppl and sometimes it hurts us. Scared, hurt girls are much like a cornered animal, often time they do or say something hurtful to someone she loves. I’d like to apologize to one of my friends that I have hurt this past year. I have no real excuse or reason to why I was so hateful, but I am sry. And even though we are at different places in our lives right now, I still love you and miss watching Youtube videos with you.

Because of the changes in friendships and relationships, this past semester I was able to meet a pair of fantastic girls with similar interests as me. It is amazing to me that just a couple of months ago I only knew them by name and know we are as close as we are. I think that the best decision I made this semester was to take herpetology, yes it was fun and informative, but more importantly than that it allowed me to meet Stormy and Chelsey. These two have introduced me to many other friends this semester; I have shared a million laughs and a hundred inside jokes with these girls, and even survived meet a giant copperhead. I am glad that I will have Stormy in like every one of my classes next semester and wish that Chelsey would still be at ULM with us.

Through this year has been a year of immense change, I’m still Clair and I still have my family and friends to support me as I try to finish college and figure out what the next step of life is. I know that over this next year there will be change to and it may not always be fun and first, but that there is a reason for it. One of the changes that I know will happen in the next year is that Alyssa will be moving to Boston. I know it will be hard on me and Anna to see her leave, and it will be hard for her to go but I wish her the best and I know this is what is right for Alyssa. I have no idea what I am going to do without this girl.

So, as my senior year of college begins and as my summer begins. I say bring it.

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck?

The other day this man accidentally hit a opossum coming around the curve on a road. He gets out the car and sees that the opossum is dead, but notices something funny about its belly, it was wiggly. As he looks closer he realizes that there are six babies in the pouch. He removes the babies and brings them into the rescue center.

It was tough to see those baby opossums because the moment me and the other interns saw them; we knew that they didn't have a chance of survival. They were just too small and there just wasn't a way to feed them; all we could do is make the babies comfortable in their last couple of hours. It is always easy to feel positive when things are going well, but when you see "lost causes" it makes me feel like I am working a a hospice center and not a rescue center.


It has been very rewarding seeing the orphaned animals grow up. It is most evident in the raccoons. Last Thursday, we were able to place five of the older raccoons in an outdoor enclosure. On Tuesday we will move six more outside. To move a raccoon outside the raccoon must be fully weened of milk and eating solid food well. Also, the raccoon must be a decently good climber, and socialize well with other raccoons. It is hard for the raccoons to be outside for the first couple of days; there are some many new smells and sounds that sometimes frighten them. The first two night the raccoons moved outside there were severe thunderstorms, I stayed up most of the night worrying about them.

Also, we got in 5 new raccoons in the past three or four days. One of the new raccoons had so many ticks in his ear. Most of the time when ticks are in the raccoons' ears they are on the outter ear, but this time the ticks were attached to the ear canal. It took a long time for me and Stefanie to get the ticks out of his ear because he was scared and panicking, but we were able to get them all out. All of the new raccoons seem healthy now. Two of them were dehydrating on arrival, but are fine now. In total we have 31 raccoons of all ages, some are the size of my palm and other are the size of a cocker spaniel.


Released animals in the past couple weeks:

• Group of 5 adolescent skunks
• Three legged adult opossum
• Group of 4 Groundhogs
• Pair of Chipmuncks and a single chipmunk
  
• Family of 5 Wild rabbits
  

Did you know: Groundhogs are also known as woodchucks, whistling pigs, or land-beaver.