Earthquake!!!

Ok, ok, not really.

But I’m sure it got your attention. :P (ha.ha.)

All of this tectonic plate movement near Reno, actually UNDER Reno has got me thinking about earthquakes. In my small experience with this phenomenon here in earthquake central, I have come to classify three types of earthquakes.

1. “What was that? Did you shake the bed?” a small micro quake

2. “Did a semi truck just hit the building?” small quake

3. “Holy s#!t! Is this the big one?” earthquake

The first earthquake (and first example) I experienced was when I lived on Ghetto Island--I mean Treasure Island in the middle of the San Francisco Bay. It was relatively early in the morning and D had just gotten out of our horrible low-profile futon couch/bed. Quick thing about this futon: it sucked… big time. It had a very thin mattress and after a month it was thoroughly smooshed and each slat gouged into your back and all over. D and I had lived there for only about six months. Anyway! As I was saying, D had just gotten up and I was still dozing. Suddenly I felt like D had come back into the bedroom intent on waking me rudely by lifting up the bottom third of the futon and letting it fall with a thud to the floor. I sat up to smack him but he was in the bathroom brushing his teeth. He felt a little shake too and we realized it had been an earthquake. What a nice little introduction to earthquakes, and I do mean that seriously.

The second type is the most scary and annoying. It begins with a BANG followed by shake-a-shake-a-shake-a-shake-a-shake. Somewhere between the big shake and medium shake you have time to wonder “is this the big one?” if it’s not, by the time you’re done thinking if it is going to last longer, the earthquake is over. There have been times where I’ve been in bed reading or sitting on the couch watching TV and all of a sudden BANG and shake and it makes me jump because it’s so startling. The TV shakes, everything shakes.

Between the second type and third type is another kind that I have unfortunately experienced. I am slightly neurotic and don’t like to set my alarm for typical times. This morning I had to be at work at the un-godly hour of 6 AM (did I mention I hate retail?) Ironically my phone alarm went off at 4:42 AM (D and I were already awake and he was getting in the shower). Suddenly the entire apartment was shaking. The large mirrored sliding closet doors and cheap-o single paned windows rattled and the whole condo building was creaking and groaning. We both ran and huddled in the bedroom doorway and waited for it to stop and then waited for an aftershock which never came or was too small to feel. This quake was the first and so far the only one that actually caused things to fall off the speakers in the living room and caused other small things like books and DVDs to move from their original places.

The third type is a rolling motion. Imagine you’re in a boat in the ocean. It is a crazy feeling because everything starts to ‘roll’ and slightly sway and you’re not sure if you’re going crazy if something is really happening. A few months ago, San Jose had a 4.8 earthquake and the epicenter was only 40 miles away and it was felt all the way to Santa Rosa and Sacramento. I had to ask D if he felt it too and he said yes. After about 7 seconds it stopped. No damage was reported in Oakland and nothing really happened but the rolling motion kept escalating and I was wondering if it was going to get worse. Fortunately not.

You can’t really describe how an earthquake feels or the emotions when you experience them. Am I afraid of them? Slightly. Do I freak out every time there is a quake? Only for a moment with an initial bang, this can make you fall out of bed… mostly from adrenalin. It’s like when someone comes up behind you with a paper bag and blows it up behind you. It startles the crap out of you but only for a moment.