As you may or may not know, the fall semester of 2019 counts as the first semester that I completed as a faculty member at the University of Arizona’s Department of Geosciences. This is amazing to me for many reasons.

In the previous six months since the last blog post, I have:

taught two courses
attended four amazing scientific conferences (which were draining & simultaneously invigorating)
listened to and saw a bunch of new metal and music
spotted quite a few lifers here in the southwest US.

To recap, here’s a photograph from each of those months to kickstart this blog season:

July: Who knew Arizona had vineyards and actually had good wine? Here’s a picture of the extended Tucson family at one of the vineyards in Sonora. — **July:** Who knew Arizona had vineyards and actually had good wine? Here’s a picture of the extended Tucson family at one of the vineyards in Sonora.

August: The Paleo-ENSO workshop in Indonesia was fantastic on many counts and Belitung was an incredible place to visit. — **August:** The Paleo-ENSO workshop in Indonesia was fantastic on many counts and Belitung was an incredible place to visit.

September: The #ForamFactory was set up in September 2019! Pictured are two very talented and dedicated undergraduates along with an exceptionally motivated high-school student intently picking planktic foraminifera from marine sediments! — **September:** The #ForamFactory was set up in September 2019! Pictured are two very talented and dedicated undergraduates along with an exceptionally motivated high-school student intently picking planktic foraminifera from marine sediments!

October: Tucson has all types of things going for it. I am particularly glad to have caught many exciting bands that visited last semester including Abbath (pictured), Obituary, Monolord, Melvins, etc. etc. — **October:** Tucson has all types of things going for it. I am particularly glad to have caught many exciting bands that visited last semester including Abbath (pictured), Obituary, Monolord, Melvins, etc. etc.

November: Another thing I cannot believe - that I completed a half-marathon (most of which was down the side of a mountain!) without keeling over! — **November:** Another thing I cannot believe - that I completed a half-marathon (most of which was down the side of a mountain!) without keeling over!

December: The local landscapes are fantastic and full of life. This is a picture shot at Whitewater Draw, southeastern Arizona where we saw amazing numbers of Sandhill Cranes and several other birds. — **December:** The local landscapes are fantastic and full of life. This is a picture shot at Whitewater Draw, southeastern Arizona where we saw amazing numbers of Sandhill Cranes and several other birds.

Despite what the newspapers are saying, here's looking forward to the 20s!

Honiara is the capital of the Solomon Islands. It's located on the northern coast of Guadalcanal Province. I’ve been staying in downtown Honiara at Chester Rest House, an establishment of the Melanesian Brotherhood. It’s a nice hostel-like place with a hostel-like environment. The city is very interesting – I can draw many parallels to certain sections of Indian cities (a similar mishmash of shops and marketplaces, lack of structured traffic, betelnut stains everywhere etc.) Everyone seems to be inviting, friendly and personable. Most everyone speaks English, but they prefer talking in Pidgin. I have been highly amused and fascinated by this language. Houses built on ancient reef terraces (my colleague, Fred Taylor, pointed out MIS 5e), using reef limestone (the very same which provides for the slaked lime used to chew their beloved betelnut) are quite a sight to behold. The weather is hot and humid (who would’ve guessed?) and there’s a welcome sea-breeze around the evening.

Hiking close to the Dept. of Mines And Geology, I found this little guy (a skink). Sifting through Michael McCoy’s reptile guide, I discovered that this was an Emoia cyanura — Hiking close to the Dept. of Mines And Geology, I found this little guy (a skink). Sifting through Michael McCoy’s reptile guide, I discovered that this was an *Emoia cyanura*

I’ve caught sight of many interesting geckos and skinks, although the birding life (around the city) has not been all that exciting. I’m astonished by the number of Indian mynahs in the city, an invasive species. I have had sparse internet access, mainly at the local expat coffee house (the Lime Lounge) and the Mendana Hotel lobby (don’t tell ‘em though!) We leave for the field (the Western Province) in a week or so, where internet access will be much less frequent. I can’t wait to get out there and observe the geology and geomorphology on those islands, much less catch a glimpse of some interesting fauna!