I know everyone who lives in the UK thinks we have ten earthquakes before breakfast here, but no, sorry to disappoint.
My very first morning in California I woke up thinking crap, this is it, it's an earthquake, only to realise next door had their washing machine on. I used to look at people's houses, with their rows of wine glasses on shelves and think 'God you complete muppets, these'll be gone within the week'. Several false alarms later (train rolling past, overly enthusiastic neighbour on treadmill) I stopped giving it a second thought despite SB being built on one big fault line.
I've experienced only three earthquakes since being here (bloody lucky I know) and one of them was last night!
Look, do you see that big blue box at the bottom of this map? That's our chuffing house!
It was only a baby earthquake, more of a foetus really at 3.4 but SB was the epicenter which explains why we felt it. There was just one large jolt, as if a really big lorry had just driven by. I honestly didn't think much of it until Red Fox called to confirm. Then Mooks called to say she'd got in to a fight about it as her husband had yelled 'get in a doorway' and she was not sufficiently spry and would clearly have faced IMMINENT! DEATH! if it was a bit more powerful.
So, what do you do if you've just experienced nature's fury? You go out dancing that's what.
LK and I went out on the town and tore it up K-style, and this morning I woke up wobbly and bleary to find Anna munching away on my 'guaranteed hangover cure' Jalapeno Cheetos from the night before. That child is like a waste disposal.
6 comments:
Actually, your pals in the UK are right, you do have ten before breakfast, often more. However, they are so small that you don't even know they are happening. Excuse the technical persnickityness of the certifiable geologist (that would be certified as a "Professional Geologist" by the Golden State)
As to: That child is like a waste disposal.
Be careful, senorita. I know the neighborhood you live in and she may just grow up to be white trash. Hyuk hyuk!
Earthquakes scare me more than snakes! Another reason I left......
I know, I looked at that map while I was posting it and thought, well, apparently there are quite a few earthquakes every day, that's just buggered up my entire post. Just great. Hopefully no-one will notice.
Now that we can be pretty sure it was not a 'fore-shock', I am slightly thrilled that I have experienced being at the epicenter of an earthquake..... and of course grateful that Ali assuaged (sp?) my fears by reminding me that little quakes are essential for releasing pressure and preventing the big quakes! (kind of like farts)
After being homeless and on the street with a 4 month old child after the Northridge earthquake, they understandably freak me out, but apparently not enough to leave CA for good. I'll still take my chances in SB - that last one didn't even knock the pictures off the wall.
Earthquakes as geologic farts, you hae to love that analogy!!
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