speed of dark

map from the Library of Congress
Yesterday, we experienced an earthquake registered at 5.4 (or 5.6, or 5.8, depending on who you believe), the most jarring and longest that I've felt in a long time. Everyone I know is fine, and I don't think there were any injuries directly related to the earthquake at all. But it got me thinking about two things; first, a 5.4 earthquake in some places on the planet would equal devastation, and second...when is the fabled "Big One" going to hit?

When the first big jolt hit, I was at my desk at work and I placed my palms directly on top of my desk and glanced underneath it. There is so much crap under my desk that there is no way I could possibly dive under it for safety. In that instant, I wondered if this would be the big one. Then the second, hard shake moved through the building, sending things tumbling off of shelves and employees sprinting out of their offices to the so-called safest place, the doorway. The quake continued to roll like the ripples continue after someone jumps on a waterbed for maybe 30 to 40 seconds, which doesn't sound like much, but when the ground is moving, it's an eternity.

All people did all day was talk about the earthquake, compare stories, and worry about aftershocks (there were a few) and what the next one will be like, myself included. Read FEMA's rules on what to do before, during and after an earthquake.

span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">COPYRIGHTED CONTENT HAS BEEN REMOVED

she wants revenge: she will always be a broken girl [buy]
black rebel motorcycle club: fault line [buy]
thrice: the earth will shake [buy]
faith no more: falling to pieces [buy]