found it on a shoe

kids are rad

I am here

Found in Volcanoes National Park, Pepeiao Cabin Guestbook. First entry I opened to.

Super-Weird Beetle in Honolulu!

Saw (and caught) this on my back porch, in Palolo valley. Never seen anything like it. It was about an inch and half long (3.8cm in English). Seeing new animals here is totally shocking, because I've lived here almost two-thirds of my life, and I don't often see new species. Still, I shouldn't be surprised. Boats arrive here every day. Also, I don't really go outside that much.

Liveblogging the Tsunami, Sort of

Fugu got a call from his dad last night, shortly following the earthquake in Chile, about some buoys between Hawaii and the quake. Tsunami, he said. Aaaaaaa! He didn't say that, really. He's a bad-ass geologist; a scientist; and not prone to panicking. At least outwardly.

We were playing Starcraft, getting our butts kicked by six Zerg armies.

Next morning, the civil defense sirens woke us the hell up. Two people I follow on the Twitter, @trulyjoannies and @thedailydish (both blongers) had been obsessively tweeting info all night, about the tsunami, civil defense responses, how to prepare, etc. Very helpful.

Then I started watching the Twitter #hitsunami tag, which started off slow and then went kind of worldwide (now, it's kind of riddled with spam and prayers). Also, TV (pictured, above). I checked our supplies, which included nicotine gum for bartering and and zip ties to restrain captives from enemy tribes. Power Bars. Filled our bathtub with water.

I can see this from my window:


Those are all boats out in the ocean. They aren't usually there. The boats are out there so they don't get smashed.

Rick Sanchez on CNN was being an amazing douchepocket, trying to get a scientist to admit that there was an extinction-level tsunami hurtling toward everyone and that we should all be fucking screaming.

The water is starting to recede from Hilo Harbor (see first image), on the island of Hawaii. Okay, and now it's going back out. And coming back in. You know, I don't really know what Hilo Harbor is like, usually. Maybe it does this all the time.

I might post any updates in the comments. Please feel free to do the same, even if you don't live in Hawaii, and want to maybe guess at what's happening.

Oh, there are experts on television saying that this isn't over yet. The water in many harbors across the state continue to drain quickly and flow back in quickly.

Lucky you live Hawaii

It's been great being home and meeting some of you. Mostly, I've been just driving around the island (meaning circumnavigating the island - H1 west to H2 through north shore to Kaneohe then through Waimanalo back around Makapuu to Kahala and back to Nuuanu/Alewa) in my rented convertible, getting sun, and enjoying the scenery.

I never took the time to just go out to the "country" while I was growing up here and now that I live in the land of snow and blizzards I realize what I was missing. Sometimes you guys don't know how good you have it.

Paddleboarders off Mokolii "little lizard" Island - also known by the un-PC "Chinaman's Hat" during my yoot - shot off of Kuuloa Beach Park.

A sea turtle in the surf off of the north shore at a beach my brother dubbed "Mangled Spines" to throw off the cowardly - just east of Haleiwa.

A different sea turtle (honu) sunning itself on the beach.

Video of the honu and the surf.

View of the sea spray and beach to the west.

Sucks to have to go back to Minnesota.

I'm going back to my little grass shack...

not in Kealakekua, but in Nuuanu. More like a single story rambler than a shack. And the only grass is in the yard. And it's my parents' house not mine. But I'll be home to blow up shit on new years.

December 27th to January 9th.

Start working on the imu.

Mini asteroid passing right the frick over Hawaii!*

From this article in Sky and Telescope about 2009 DD45, a mini asteroid that's passing between our Earth and its Moon:

...the point of closest approach occurs over the Pacific somewhere west of Tahiti, so the most likely viewers are in Australia, Japan, and maybe Hawaii.

It turns out to be happening basically right now (3:44 AM Hawaii time). So if anyone's up, run outside and look for an amazing spectacle*.

*maybe

Greetings to Hawaii

Nice one, hawaiguys! 72% for Obama/Biden, woo-hoo!