Thu 16 Jun 2005
5.3 earthquake centered in Yucaipa about 15 mins ago. I’m not even sure I’m spelling that right cuz where the heck is Yucaipa? Somewhere in San Bernardino.
We Californians are so cavalier about earthquakes. My bailiff and I just talked thru it, sitting at our own desks, not even ducking.
Me: Hey, here’s an aftershock from the San Diego quake.
Bailiff: Yeah.
Me: Hmm. It’s getting bigger. [something on my desk falls over]
Bailiff: This is a Whittier fault line earthquake.
Me: You think so?
Bailiff: Yeah. It’s too big to be a San Diego aftershock.
Me: [pausing with head tilted, feeling the building roll] You’re probably right. Altho we’re in a multi-story building so it probably feels stronger cuz the building shakes.
I also received an email blaming me for the earthquake because I had supposedly written something mean right before the quake happened. “Wow, I’m pretty powerful stuff,” I emailed back.
next time Stop, Drop, and Roll.
That’s if you’re on FIRE! HAHAHA! Why would you want to roll during an earthquake? Cuz you’re not rolling enough as it is?
this reminds me of a story that dido shared during a concert. she was telling us about her first earthquake experience. the earth was shaking and she had never experienced such a terror before.
she said she didn’t know what to do. was she supposed to stop, drop, and roll? was she supposed to run out of the building? she said that she had thought that she had heard once, somewhere, that during an earthquake you are supposed to sit in a bathtub.
so, there she was, terrified, hoping that she’d not have to suffer through another earthquake again in her life. and while she was sobbing to herself in fear, she thought to herself, how could lying in a tub possibly save her from an earthquake?
she didn’t know, but she still felt comforted lying there, because at least she was doing something to save herself, even if it didn’t make sense.
The bathtub would make sense if, again, you’re on fire.
This reminds me of how in the WWII era, students here were taught that if a nuclear bomb is dropped on your school, you’re supposed to squat down onto your knees and cover your head with your hands. “Whew, am I glad I covered the back of my head in time, or I would’ve been vaporized!”