Give Thanks for the Little Things

"God gives everybody a challenge. My challenge is just being little and loving myself." ~ Taylor Marcello

I'm currently watching the show World's Smallest Children: My Shocking Story. The show profiles Taylor Marcello, a 13 year old primordial dwarf from Rhode Island. Taylor is 2 feet 9 inches tall and weighs just 17 pounds at a time in her life when body image is becoming paramount and being “different” is her biggest nightmare. How many toddler-sized girls do you know who are going through puberty and worrying about the opposite sex? Socially, she is becoming more aware – and dealing with the early adult world. She is at a normal school, hanging out with kids of normal size, going to the mall and the school dance, and trying to be an average kid.

The moment that really struck me was when they interviewed Taylor about her mother and she said, "I love my mom so much because she loves me. She could've given me away or not had me because most people don't want a person like me." I couldn't help by start to cry thinking about her situation. Then they cut to the mom who said, "The thing that is the most painful for me is when she says, 'Mom I don't want to be little anymore. I just wish I was normal.' As a mother you just want to take your child's pain away and sometimes I can't help but feel it's my fault. I just want what's best for her, you know?"

I guess, although at times depressing, the show was a pretty fresh slice of life. We complain about the weather, the waiter who is too slow to get our drink, the job offers that don't come in, and how we need a new outfit or toy. Taylor has trouble simply reaching food on the counter, breathing, walking, and standing up straight. Beyond that she has trouble making friends. She has to have an aid walk her to her classes after all the other kids are already there so she won't be stepped on. She gets incredibly frustrated shopping because all her clothes come from the toddler section, which very isn't stylish for high school. When she was a baby, her mother had to buy her clothes from a doll shop!

This show was a "bold fresh piece of humanity" because it put life in perspective. At least our tough times go away...

My favorite part of the show was where they showed a 4 year old primordial dwarf in Canada named Tyler. His parents want to give him a "normal" childhood and so try to take him to events his size. His favorite is to go ride the miniature horses at a local stable. They set up little bridges and poles for him to ride the horse over. The father began to cry when interviewed about it and said, "Watching him with the small horses made him look like any other kid because everything was his size."

I guess I just wanted to share this show with you because I was such a mess over it. It was so adorable and touching. Taylor's dream is to meet Vin Diesel and become a famous chef. I guess sometimes we need a little jolt to make us realize how blessed we are. I have a lot to be thankful for and I hope to use my blessings to help other people. I want to make it count. So here's to making it count...

Down to Earth

I guess I'm just a posting machine... speaking of machines:

"Hey there, autopilots. Got some bad news. Um... Operation Cleanup has, well uh, failed. Wouldn't you know, rising toxicity levels have made life unsustainable on Earth."

Jason and I watched Wall-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) the other day and it was absolutely adorable. The message was beautiful and in ways a cautionary tale. I was touched by the themes of love, conservation, personal hygiene, and hope. The director, Andrew Stanton described the message perfectly when he said the moral of the film was that, "Irrational love defeats life's programming. That's a perfect metaphor for real life. We all fall into our habits, our routines and our ruts, consciously or unconsciously to avoid living. To avoid having to do the messy part. To avoid having relationships with other people, of dealing with the person next to us. That's why we can all get on our cell phones and not have to deal with one another."

I don't know if you guys have seen the movie, but it's a keeper. It will have to be one of my first purchases once I get a paying job. The closing song from the movie was nominated for an Academy Award the other night, and although it didn't win, I love the lyrics:

Down to Earth

Peter Gabriel

Did you think that your feet had been bound

By what gravity brings to the ground?

Did you feel you were tricked

By the future you picked?

Well come on down

All these rules don't apply

When you're high in the sky

So come on down

Come on down

We're coming down to the ground

There's no better place to go

We've got snow upon the mountains

We've got rivers down below

We're coming down to the ground

To hear the birds sing in the trees

And the land will be looked after

We send the seeds out on the breeze

Did you think you'd escaped from routine

By changing the script and the scene?

Despite all you made of it

you're always afraid of the change
You've got a lot on your chest

Well you can come as my guest

So come on down

Come on down

We're coming down to the ground

There's no better place to go

We've got snow upon the mountains

We've got rivers down below

We're coming down to the ground

We'll hear the birds sing in the trees

And the land will be looked after

We send the seeds out on the breeze

Like the fish in the ocean

We felt at home in the sea

We learned to live off the good land

We learned to climb up a tree

then we got up on two legs

But we wanted to fly

When we messed up our homeland

and set sail for the sky

We're coming down to the ground

There's no better place to go

We've got snow upon the mountains

We got rivers down below

We're coming down to the ground

We'll hear the birds sing in the trees

And the land will be looked after

We send the seeds out on the breeze

We're coming down

Comin' down to earth

Like babies at birth

Comin' down to earth
Redefine your priorities

These are extraordinary qualities

We're coming down to the ground

There's no better place to go

We've got snow upon the mountains

We've got rivers down below

We're coming down to the ground

We'll hear the birds sing in the trees

And the land will be looked after

We send the seeds out on the breeze...

You can check out the song at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWzNJOfLVJ4

Putting the Conserve back into Conservative

"The old Lakota was wise. He knew that man's heart away from nature becomes hard; he knew that lack of respect for growing, living things soon led to lack of respect for humans too."

~ Chief Luther Standing Bear ~

Today was a pretty exciting day. You're all aware of my troubles finding a job and I think I may have found one...

This morning I contacted Bernardo Alps of the American Cetacean Society's Los Angeles Branch (http://www.acsonline.org/) about the possibility of working in their Education/Conservation department. I'm thrilled about this opportunity and should hear back about what they would like me to do by Thursday. I'm unsure if this is a paid position, but that really doesn't matter to me at this point. I love the mission of the ACS and believe I can help them make a difference. I'm extremely passionate about conservation and want to help dispel the rumor that conservation and eco-friendly practices are anti-capitalistic. Bradley Millar once said, "Teaching a child not to step on a caterpillar is as valuable to the child as it is to the caterpillar." I believe we can save the planet by fostering a sense of concern for the environment among children. We can work together to build a better and brighter tomorrow, today. The HQ is located in San Pedro, near Long Beach, but I would be able to do a lot of the work online and in local classrooms. I could even hold this position while working in San Juan and attending law school. This would be an incredible opportunity to test my wings, make a difference, and establish connections that will be valuable to my future in law. I can't wait to hear what I'll be doing and I can't wait to start. Bernardo will be going to Mexico to hang out with the Gray Whales in their birthing lagoons for a week and says he wants to get back with me ASAP because he doesn't, "want a good person like [me] to get away." What an uplifting way to start the day!

In other good news, I met with the financial aid director at UCI today because I was concerned with a letter that was sent out last week. According to said letter, my FAFSA didn't match up with my records at UCI and the admissions process couldn't continue until I straightened out. Of course I freaked out with the application deadline being this Sunday and the FAFSA being March 2. I decided to go into the law school and speak with the director face to face. She was incredibly personable and easy to talk to. She's from Ohio, a fellow midwesterner, and enjoys Irvine for its small-town feel with big city attractions. She said there's no problem with my application, it's just that the school sends those letters out automatically to people who haven't attended the school yet. Because I've never been a part of the UC System, I don't have a record with them to match my FAFSA to. It's nothing to worry about and I should receive a decision soon. She talked to me about my interest in law and I briefly told her about my environmental leanings and experience with the killer whales. She thought it was really cool and that'd I'd succeed in law school wherever I go ~ which is a nice pick-me-up. At the end of our meeting she asked for my name again and said, "Megan, I'll have to remember that one." I hope this is a good sign.

Keep praying that the right schools accept me and that I end up where I'm meant to be and can make the greatest difference. I should hear on the ACS, the bird job, and schools soon. Everything's falling into place, just like you all said it would. Once again, I appreciate your support. I wouldn't be here without all of you!

xoxo

"Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages."

~ Thomas A. Edison ~

Every Day is Earth Day

Who let these monkeys out of their exhibit?

Hey all ~ Just thought I'd post some pics I took at the San Diego Zoo this past weekend with Jason. I hadn't visited since I was four years old, and it was a really great way to spend the day together. Jason loved the 18 month old panda baby, Zhen Zhen. Everything she did was absolutely adorable. I was pretty torn between the pandas, koalas, and the meercats (I guess it's obvious I like the little cuddly things). Of course I was saddened by all the animals in exhibits that were listed as endangered. Some animals on display were listed as "Only living in Captivity." What a great tragedy. How did we let things go this far? Of course animals come and go naturally, but the most common reasons listed for threatened statuses were poaching and habitat encroachment: human. I believe we were put here to be stewards of our environment and it is my sincere hope that one day we won't have to put animals in cages in order to keep them alive or appreciate them. Of course I did research on the zoo prior to visiting. They have a strong conservation message and are collecting money to give their elephants a better habitat - a worthy cause. (And they don't put cetaceans on display... a major plus.) I don't believe all captivity is necessarily a bad thing as long as the message is educationally based and the animals are treated with the respect they deserve. There is no us and them. The environment doesn't end at our fingertips. I hate to steal the now cliche phrase... but yes we can make a difference and the time is now.

"There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed."

~ Mohandas K. Gandhi ~

"Man must feel the earth to know himself and recognize his values.... God made life simple. It is man who complicates it."

~ Charles A. Lindbergh, Reader's Digest, July 1972 ~
"There's so much pollution in the air now that if it weren't for our lungs there'd be no place to put it all."

~ Robert Orben ~

"It wasn't the Exxon Valdez captain's driving that caused the Alaskan oil spill. It was yours."

~ Greenpeace advertisement, New York Times, 25 February 1990 ~

"In America today you can murder land for private profit. You can leave the corpse for all to see, and nobody calls the cops."

~ Paul Brooks, The Pursuit of Wilderness, 1971 ~

"Nature provides a free lunch, but only if we control our appetites."

~ William Ruckelshaus, Business Week, 18 June 1990 ~

"Don't blow it - good planets are hard to find."

~ Quoted in Time ~

"Because we don't think about future generations, they will never forget us."

~ Henrik Tikkanen ~

"Let us a simply allow Nature to take her own course; she better understands her own affairs than we."

~ Michel de Montaigne, translated ~

"We never know the worth of water till the well is dry."

~ Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, 1732 ~

"I have no doubt that we will be successful in harnessing the sun's energy.... If sunbeams were weapons of war, we would have had solar energy centuries ago."

~ Sir George Porter, quoted in The Observer, 26 August 1973 ~

"We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect."

~ Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac ~

"Oh Beautiful for smoggy skies, insecticided grain. For strip-mined mountain's majesty above the asphalt plain. America, America, man sheds his waste on thee, and hides the pines with billboard signs, from sea to oily sea."

~ George Carlin ~

"Will urban sprawl spread so far that most people lose all touch with nature? Will the day come when the only bird a typical American child ever sees is a canary in a pet shop window? When the only wild animal he knows is a rat - glimpsed on a night drive through some city slum? When the only tree he touches is the cleverly fabricated plastic evergreen that shades his gifts on Christmas morning?"

~ Frank N. Ikard, North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference, Houston, March 1968 ~

"The activist is not the man who says the river is dirty. The activist is the man who cleans up the river."

~ Ross Perot ~

"Why should man expect his prayer for mercy to be heard by What is above him when he shows no mercy to what is under him?"

~ Pierre Troubetzkoy ~

"And Man created the plastic bag and the tin and aluminum can and the cellophane wrapper and the paper plate, and this was good because Man could then take his automobile and buy all his food in one place and He could save that which was good to eat in the refrigerator and throw away that which had no further use. And soon the earth was covered with plastic bags and aluminum cans and paper plates and disposable bottles and there was nowhere to sit down or walk, and Man shook his head and cried: "Look at this Godawful mess."

~ Art Buchwald, 1970 ~

J44 & L112 Updates

The Center for Whale Research updated the information they gave out on the new babies and it's looking up! J44 was documented swimming with J17 and J28!!!!!!! Both photos of the calves below were taken by Ken Balcomb, the Center's director. Read on for more info:

J44 (above) was first documented by Ken Balcomb on 6 February off the Victoria, British Columbia waterfront traveling with two adult females in J pod, J17 and J28. It could not be precisely determined if J44 is the first documented calf of J28, a sixteen year old female, or the most recent calf of J17, a thirty-two year old female that is the mother of J28. We do know that the family bonds in this population of whales are quite strong, and it is not unusual for grandmothers to baby-sit, or perhaps even wet nurse their grand offspring. We can see from the creases on the right side of J44 that it was born recently, perhaps in mid to late January 2009. This calf appears to be quite healthy and vigorous, and we look forward to documenting its return with J pod this spring.

L112 (above) was first documented by Morris Grover on 21 January off Depoe Bay, Oregon, and later documented by Ken Balcomb February 6th off the Victoria, British Columbia waterfront travelling with adult female L86, an eighteen year old female. If L112 is the calf of L86. It is the younger sibling of L106, a boy calf born to L86 in 2005. Both calves appeared healthy and vigorous during the February 6th encounter, and we look forward to documenting their return with L pod this spring.

Aside from being simultaneously seen with their respective mothers, the new calves can be distinguished and individually identified by the pattern of the "eyepatch" shape above the eye. This "eyepatch" is creamy colored in very young whales, but becomes whiter with age.

Calves in this species are about eight feet long and 400 pounds at birth, and grow rapidly, filling out the creases from their "fetal folds" within a few weeks if feeding conditions are good. Adult females in this population are about 18 to 22 feet long and weigh about 8,000 to 11,000 pounds. Adult males are typically larger, but in spite of their size are "momma's boys", staying with their mother throughout life.

The Next Ten

I guess I've been on a little "Food for Thought" kick lately, so here's some more. Jason sent me this the other day and I thought we could all appreciate it:

The Second Ten Commandments

We all know about the original Ten Commandments, but have you ever heard of "The Second Ten Commandments"? These pearls of wisdom, sent to me by a friend, have been often attributed to Elodie Armstrong. I have taken the liberty of putting my spin on them:

I. Thou shall not worry, for worry is the most unproductive of all human activities. You can't saw sawdust. A day of worry is more exhausting than a day of work. People get so busy worrying about yesterday or tomorrow, they forget about today. And today is what you have to work with.

II. Thou shall not be fearful, for most of the things we fear never come to pass. Every crisis we face is multiplied when we act out of fear. Fear is a self-fulfilling emotion. When we fear something, we empower it. If we refuse to concede to our fear, there is nothing to fear.

III. Thou shall not cross bridges before you come to them, for no one yet has succeeded in accomplishing this. Solve the issues before you right now. Tomorrow's problems may not even be problems when tomorrow comes!

IV. Thou shall face each problem as it comes. You can only handle one at a time anyway. In one of my favorite "Peanuts" comic strips, Linus says to Charlie Brown, "There's no problem too big we can't run away from it." I chuckle every time I think about it because it sounds like such a simple solution to a problem. Problem solving is not easy, so don't make it harder than it is.

V. Thou shall not take problems to bed with you, for they make very poor bedfellows. Just remember that all your problems seem much worse in the middle of the night. If I wake up thinking of a problem, I tell myself that it will seem lighter in the morning and it always is.

VI. Thou shall not borrow other people's problems. They can better care for them than you can. I must confess that I have broken this commandment because I wanted to help someone out, without being asked, or I thought I was more equipped to handle a situation. But I wouldn't have to deal with the consequences, either.

VII. Thou shall not try to relive yesterday. For good or ill, it is forever gone. Concentrate on what is happening in your life and be happy now! We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get a better job, make more money, get married, have a baby, buy a bigger house and so on. Yet the accomplishment of any of those events may not make any difference at all. The Declaration of Independence says we are endowed "with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." You are responsible for your own happiness.

VIII. Thou shall be a good listener, for only when you listen do you hear ideas different from your own. You can win more friends with your ears than with your mouth. Hearing is one of the body's five senses, but listening is an art. Your success could hinge on whether you have mastered the skill of listening. Most people won't listen to what you're saying unless they already feel that you have listened to them. When we feel we are being listened to, it makes us feel like we are being taken seriously and what we say really matters.

IX. Thou shall not become "bogged down" by frustration, for 90 percent of it is rooted in self-pity and will only interfere with positive action. Seriously, has frustration ever improved a situation? Better to take a break, collect your thoughts and redirect your attention to a positive first step. Then go on from there.

X. Thou shall count thy blessings, never overlooking the small ones, for a lot of small blessings add up to a big one. We all have something to be grateful for, even on the worst days. Hey, you're still on the green side of the grass, aren't you?

Mackay's Moral: These may not be chiseled in stone, but try them—they'll make your life less rocky.

7 Steps

Mom sent me the following list as food for thought... read it and share your thoughts:

7 Steps to a Loving Family Relationship:

1. Affirmation. One of the most effective ways of identifying with your children, even when you don’t fully understand them, is to affirm their feelings. To affirm means to validate or confirm. When we affirm the feelings of our young people, we give them a sense of authenticity. Affirming their feelings tells them that they are real individuals with valid feelings. When we identify with their feelings of excitement or disappointment, we let them know they are understood for who they really are-authentic human beings.

2. Acceptance. Your acceptance helps your kids believe that you will still love them no matter what happens. When we accept young people for who they are, we give them a sense of security. Acceptance is embracing people for who they are rather than for what they do. When your young people feel accepted by you, they are more likely to be vulnerable and transparent, opening up greater trust between you.

3. Appreciation. While acceptance is the foundation for a secure relationship, appreciation can be considered cornerstone. When we express appreciation to young people, we give them a sense of significance. While acceptance of young people tells them that their being matters, expressing our appreciation to them says their doing matters, too. Our appreciation conveys to young people that they are valued and that their accomplishments do make a difference to someone.

4. Affection. Expressing affection to our kids through loving words and appropriate touch communicates that they are worth loving. When we show affection to young people, we give them a sense of lovability. Every expression of care and closeness provides emotional reinforcement, helping kids realize that they are loved.

5. Availability. Expressing affirmation, acceptance, appreciation, and affection to our kids is critical, but we can only do that if we make ourselves available to them. When we make ourselves available to young people, we give them a sense of importance in our lives. And when we are not available, we are saying in essence, "Yes, I love you, but other things still come ahead of you.” Being there when your young people need you will not only tell them they are important to you, it will keep you relationally connected to them.

6. Approachability. We need to find out what is significant to our kids at whatever age they are, and then step into that world. ..their world. God, through Jesus, approached our world, and we need to apply that same principle with our young people. When we approach our child’s world, we say to him or her, “I care about you and what you are interested in." In other words, we step into their way and not make them always step into our way. What they care about, we care about. That is the beginning of family and relationships.

7. Accountability. To connect relationally, we need to show our young people affirmation, acceptance, appreciation, affection, availability, and approach their world. Still, if we do not balance these relational connecting points with loving limits and boundaries, young people will not learn responsibility. When we provide loving accountability to young people, we give them a sense of responsibility. Accountability provides the parameters within which a young person can operate safely and securely. Young people need the loving authority of parents and caring adults so they can learn to make responsible, right choices. Without parameters, there is only confusion and chaos.

My thoughts:

I've been having trouble getting to sleep tonight, if it's not already obvious by the post time. I decided to read through my emails and got this one from mom (she's using it in her Wednesday night church group with the young girls). It definitely provided me with some interesting ideas to chew on. I suppose being unemployed really gives you a lot of time to think about your life and what's important. In this time I've experienced happiness, despair, frustration, and love. However, with all the ups and downs, the most difficult thing for me to deal with is not being close to home. I consider myself to be a pretty independent person, but I think I'm this way because I know if things get bad I'm not alone. When reading this list, I discovered just how lucky I am because I believe I have these components in my family. I truly feel that I can talk with my mom about anything and she'll be there to offer advice (sometimes too much) and genuinely care about what I'm feeling and where I'm at. Being away from home and in a new environment has made me realize what's important, and that's family. With law school ahead of me I will hopefully have many career options upon graduation. The field of law is pretty broad and should allow me to pursue many different avenues, not only in practice, but in lifestyle. I suppose I'm realizing that maybe the glamorous attorney life I see on TV is not the one I'm interested in going to school for. I can honestly say I want to go to law school to make a difference. I have some causes that are dear to my heart and want to work to make changes in these areas. I believe I can make enough money to pay off loans and live comfortably in a job that's personally fulfilling. I think many people go to law school for the financial gains, and although they are tantalizing, I don't know if they're for me. I want to be able to take care of myself, but I also want a life beyond work. I want to be able to have a family that is similar to the one I grew up in.

In my talks with mom sometimes she asks if she did the right thing by always making herself available to us. I know I joke that the daily phone calls can get extreme, but ultimately I enjoy our conversations. My mom is my best friend and without her I think I'd go crazy, or at least I'd be crazier without her than I am with her. LOL. I know I haven't had kids (no surprises here), but from what I can observe, I wouldn't have my mom do anything different. Different family dynamics work for different people, so I can't speak for every family, but I believe I was blessed with the best and wouldn't have my family any other way.

"Becoming responsible adults is no longer a matter of whether children hang up there pajamas or put dirty towels in the hamper, but whether they care about themselves and others - and whether they see everyday chores as related to how we treat this planet."

~ Eda Leshan ~

What are your thoughts on this list and the importance of family?

This is primarily a family blog so I think this could be an interesting convo.

Yay Good News!

"Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, drink the wild air..."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

Below: J28 (Polaris) surfaces.

Ok, so the last post was a bit on the depressing side. However, there is a glimmer of hope for my summer named J44. According to the Center for Whale Research, there is a new calf in J Pod. Rumors are circulating about the possibility of J28 being its potential mommy... I'm crossing my fingers. For those of you reading who may be unaware, J28 is my absolute favorite member of the Southern Resident Community. I saw her for the first time when I was eight in 1994. She was born to J17 in 1993 and was given the name Polaris after the north star. Of course, the Center will not declare a for sure mum until they have more encounters with the pod. Orca calves stay in close contact with their mom, but are often babysat by grandma, siblings, and aunties. This makes it difficult to declare a mom in the first sighting. Below is the first photo of little J44 taken by Ken Balcomb of the Center for Whale Research:

Now I really hope I get the bird job. I'd like to meet this new calf, esp if it belongs to a certain J28. I'm sure you're thinking this is a bit obsessive, which it probably is, but when it comes to these guys I'm just that: obsessed. The rest of this post is from the Island Sounder which goes into further detail about the birth of two new calves and the possibility of a missing L57, a local fav. Also in this post are photos of J28 (the one with a nick), L57 (the large jumping male), and L67 (the one at the bottom with the nicks and crazy saddle patch). These photos were taken by Adam and other CWR crew.

Two new orca calves, but one adult whale is missing
By RICHARD WALKER
Journal of the San Juans Editor

Researchers have confirmed the birth of two Southern resident orca calves, bringing the population to 85.

However, the news comes as one 31-year-old male orca is believed missing, emphasizing the challenges the endangered whale pods face in their recovery. The latest newborns were spotted swimming with J and L pods off Victoria on Feb. 6 and off Nanaimo Feb. 8. The parentage is not yet known.

"We like to have several encounters before we know if (the calf) was hanging out with an auntie or grandma for a while," said Ken Balcomb, executive director of the Center for Whale Research.
Both whales were photographed by Balcomb off Victoria, B.C., Feb. 6. L112 was photographed off Depoe Bay, Ore., by Morris Grover on Jan. 21 and by Carrie Newell on Jan. 24. J44 was photographed again on Feb. 8 near Nanaimo, B.C. by Dr. John Ford.

"We are analyzing all of the photographs taken in these encounters, and will analyze photographs taken later this spring to confirm the mothers' identifications and the calves' survival," Balcomb said.

Balcomb said it's unusual for the three whale pods to be in inland waters in winter. Balcomb believes their presence here is linked to the depressed runs of Central Valley stock chinook in California, the whales' usual winter hunting area.

"Our typical first sighting is about May," Balcomb said.

The center's records have the current Southern resident orca population at 25 in J pod, 19 in K, and 41 in L — if L57 shows up.

The historical average age for male Southern resident killer whales is 29, with a maximum in the 50s, Balcomb said. The historical average for females is 52; the oldest female, J-2, is in her 90s and may be 100.

The whales' population has seesawed over the past several years. Six orcas disappeared in 2008, dropping the population to 83, the lowest since 2003.

The Center for Whale Research and others are blaming marine pollution, depleted salmon runs, and acoustic impacts from dredging, seismic testing and military sonar for the decline in the population. The Southern resident orcas are listed as endangered in Canada and the U.S.

The orca pods are called "residents" because they spend a majority of the year here, chasing the salmon runs.

One of the whales believed to have died last year, L67, showed signs of malnourishment the last time she was seen; she had "peanut head," a term for a depressed area behind the blowhole that normally stores fat. L67's offspring also have not fared well either: L98, also known as Luna, separated from the pod in Nootka Sound in 2002 and was killed by a boat propeller in 2006. L101, a juvenile male, failed to return with the pod last year.

The resident orcas have long been beleaguered. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, fishermen saw them as competition and shot them. Later, orcas were captured for marine parks. Their population, believed to have once been in the 120s, plummeted to 71 by 1973. It rebounded to 99 in 1995, then plummeted to 79 six years later.

The population rebounded to 80 in 2002, 83 in 2003, 85 in 2004 and 89 in 2005, then seesawed around 88 since then. The local pods were declared endangered by the U.S. and Canada by 2005 and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration has been patrolling the area to enforce rules requiring boats to maintain a distance of 100 yards from the whales.

In an earlier interview, Balcomb said the ups and downs of the orca population over the last 30 years parallel the ups and downs of the chinook salmon population. "If the chinook population doesn't do well, the whale population doesn't do well," he said.

Balcomb suggested that a 10-year moratorium on salmon fishing would enable salmon populations to rebound. But even a suggestion of a moratorium by fisheries managers would be politically difficult, he said.

The new calves have been designated J44 and L112.

*Cross your fingers for a declaration of J28 as mom*

{{Megan's Disclaimer: The Center for Whale Research has NOT declared a mother and my opinions and hopes in no way reflect any sort of "classified" info. Just the thought of a J Pod baby sparks my hope that J28 is the mom. She's of reproductive age and has been seen flirting often with L Pod males the past two summers. I just suspect she's due for a kid.}}

Valentine Madness

"God, who foresaw your tribulation, has specially armed you to go through it, not without pain, but without stain." ~ C.S. Lewis

Hey guys,

My mom has really been after me to post some sort of news. Sorry it's been a while and I haven't really kept up with this like I said I would. Unfortunately I've been really busy doing nothing.

I guess I'm just upset because I've really worked hard to find jobs and haven't heard anything back. I applied to Disney, ESPN, law firms, the Long Beach Aquarium, various jobs on job listing sites, and even called in on jobs listed in the newspaper. I guess it's just a huge let down to work so hard to find a job and hear nothing back in return. I'm very confident in my interview skills, but I haven't had the chance to show them off. I don't consider myself the type of person to just sit around and feel sorry for myself too often, but right now that sounds like a good idea. It's hard to be in a new place where I don't know many people and not have a way to meet new people (like through a job or classes). I'm really starting to get homesick for my family (not Michigan) and the island. I was talking to Adam about my concerns and he emailed me a job posting for a position on the bird crew he worked on last summer. The job pays like $15/hr and they help you pay for rent, so it only ends up being like $150 a month... which really isn't bad for the island. This job would begin in May and last until beginning of August, just in time for me to start law school which looks like it may begin around the 17th of August. I really hope I get this job because I'm starting to go insane. I don't like this lack of routine or not having some sort of purpose to my days. My hopeful plan is to work in a restaurant until May when I can go back to the island for the summer and then head back to school.

Speaking of school, I haven't heard any new news. Still nothing from UCLA, UCI, and Lewis & Clark. I am going to call UCI and L&C at the end of the month to ask when I could expect a response from admissions so I can make my final decision end of March. I'm still confused about L&C because I thought I'd be a shoe-in and could even receive scholarship money from them. This makes me think something is off, which is why I want to call them soon.

To add to the stresses, I visited Jason for Valentine's Day week and last Sunday we went out and ate pizza at Downtown Disney. Unfortunately we shared said pizza and ended up getting terribly sick from food poisoning. We were literally up puking all night and morning. I guess there's nothing like a good vomiting session to bring you close to someone. Jason's been busy working and looking for a house, so hugging the porcelain queen put him a bit behind in both arenas. Thankfully we were both better by Valentine's Day. Jason took me out to dinner at a really nice steakhouse in Anaheim called Mr. Stocks. I had the fillet and Jason had the surf & turf, but I will say my favorite part was the dessert (of course). Mr. Stocks has the BEST berry tart I've ever tasted. In fact, I'm craving one just talking about it. Jason also got me a ruby promise ring, which is soooooooo pretty and it's in the circular style that I love. I, being poor, got him a custom drawing of Mickey golfing with the saying, "I only have eyes fore you," printed on it. He liked it, even though it wasn't made of gold. LOL.

Once again, I'm sorry for not keeping up on blogs, but I've just been really stressed lately. I guess it's hard to write about my life when I feel like there isn't much news, and the news that is newsworthy is generally not good (like no call backs from a job). Sorry to seem depressing, but I guess that's my life at the moment.

I'm just trying to maintain a positive outlook. I still have lots to be thankful for. I'm just really looking forward to getting a job and having some routine. It'll be nice to start law school and meet people with similar interests and at a similar place in their lives.