Klaus: (mostly) unsuccessful bread thief

#Kilauea episode 50

Kīlauea’s episode 50 has arrived.

Spent time with Maunakea this weekend. Weeded in the ‘ahinahina enclosure (2800 m / 9200 ft) and planted māmane at the base with the PIPES interns.

When I’m fully dissociated and I forget to put on my active listening face

The en echelon little teeth. The slightly askew eyes. The petite side tongue. The drool tendril wrapped around his muzzle… Klaus is truly a cartoon dog come to life.

Raven expressing itself #birds 🪶

If you’re running a program that requires an in depth application for undergrads, I’m begging you to provide feedback to those who weren’t selected. These folks need feedback to learn how to improve subsequent applications. It’s more work, but it’s important work we should be doing for the next gen.

One more view of Kīlauea’s episode 48 to cleanse the palate.

Happy six year anniversary to the time my then-3-year-old daughter got really excited in the backseat of the car and shouted “Mommy! A Dunkin Donuts flag!!”

Kīlauea’s Episode 48 is upon us.

This is absolutely bullshit. My NSF postdoc was a game changer for me and set me up to be where I am currently at. I owe so much to that program.

This dinosaur was on the side of the road at the start of the Titus Canyon drive, near the CA-NV state line. Ridiculous.

Klaus has no thoughts, just vibes.

Look, plantar fascitis sucks but I think this guy has bigger issues going on

So proud of our spring 2026 UH Hilo geology graduates!

Graduation and award season is upon us. Behold, Klaus is modeling the bounty of lei from my students and colleagues that were bestowed upon me for winning a teaching award (the makers of the lei have demanded their efforts be photographed on this magnificent beast).

The tech industry is gutting our public science infrastructure and hijacking the NSF to be their own R&D department. Not paying taxes is apparently not enough; they need both hands in our pockets. (There’s nothing wrong with funding those fields; it’s funding them only at the expense of others).

Does anyone have a geomorph/earth surface processes course prep they’re willing to share? I’m tasked with taking over this class and it’s my 11th new prep in 3.5 years. Can trade mediocre volcano content!

My union rep legitimately suggested “training” AI to learn our writing styles to help craft our tenure dossiers. Absolutely the fuck not. Me: AI is a bullshit slip machine that doesn’t work like that. I would fail my students if they did that. Him: it’s inevitable + we should be early adopters.

Episode 45 of Kīlauea’s ongoing eruption

USGS forecast models suggest that Kīlauea’s episode 45 will occur sometime between Monday, April 20 and Saturday, April 25. Hoping for something similar to episode 44, but with trade winds and less tephra in town. It has been a long semester! USGS photo by L. Gallant.

More footage of #Kilauea volcano’s Episode 44 fountains (USGS video by L. Gallant). That south vent was ROARING so violently that it rattled the windows at my house several miles away!

Episode 44 of Kīlauea’s ongoing eruption.

your grandparents voting for reagan

BREAKING: Two police dogs at two separate airports have reportedly bitten ICE agents today.

Goon squad; two brains, zero thoughts.

the human body was not designed to know what the worst person in the world is doing every fifteen minutes

My neighbour hood got hit HARD by the recent storms in Hawai‘i. We were lucky and only lost power for 5 days.

We got over 90cm (3 feet) of rain this weekend. That, combined with multi direction winds, has been a PROBLEM.

A tale of two tephras! The monster reticulite is from the town I live (2+ miles away from Kīlauea) while the fine ash was collected off of my car in Hilo 30 miles away!

SHOULD THE U.S BLOT OUT THE SUN AND USHER IN AN AGE OF ETERNAL DARKNESS? - Gallup 2/20/26-3/5/26 NO - 41% YES - 38% UNSURE - 21%

Being an academic is equal parts awesome and stupid. Got an email telling me I’ve been added to a new committee because I’m an active researcher in the system. Soon a flood of emails from people explaining why they can’t participate is followed by more replying-all to ask people not to reply-all.

Thibaud Flament speaks for all of us 🙃

Klaus’ love for hedgehogs knows no limit. The boy has hedgie madness!

Another fantastic turntable that is not in my budget. #Audio #Audiophile

I always root for Nazgûl. Bummer he didn’t qualify for the next round. As someone who lives with their own canine crimebag, I find this story both relatable and endearing.

Someone captured my colleagues an I servicing the cameras during Kīlauea’s episode 42. We stopped to discuss what we were seeing, but because I talk with my hands it looks like I’m fixing to push someone in… Credit: Volcano Hideaways

I have identified a new life goal.

I’ve started asking questions during my microscope heavy petrology labs for when students need a break. First up: best and worst bands? (Criteria up to the individual)

Klaus passed his canine good citizen class today. The first thing he did when he got home was be an out of control menace.

nevermind spanish, some of you have three days to learn how to dance

Making an inferior version of Pele’s hair in the kitchen.

This is how your email finds me because of the massive tephra deposits from episode 41 coating every surface in and around my house in tiny shards of glass.

We can finally share the good news! We are getting nearly a million dollars to upgrade the instrumentation we use to analyze stone tools and conduct volcanic eruption response. hilo.hawaii.edu/chancellor/s...

Tephra fallout in Volcano Village during yesterday’s Episode 41 eruption of #Kilauea.

Took care of community kuleana (responsibility) first, then came to enjoy the fountains

60 seconds of bomb and lapilli sized tephra pelting my room. Instead of capturing video of the fountains, I spent my time driving around and disconnecting the water catchment systems of friends who couldn’t get home before they closed the only road into our town. #Kilauea