QUAKE WITH FEAR

I've had a million thoughts running through my head, most of which I go "oh wow I should write about that!"

And what happens when I start typing?

Yeah.

Nothing.

Oh! There was an earthquake here about an hour ago. It was a relatively small one; a 3.something here but the epicenter clocked in at around 5.4. So not gigantic or big enough to cause a lot of damage, but large enough to spook people and startle my facebook feed into a flood of posts about the earthquake (of which I participated in).

Having grown up in California, I've been doing earthquake drills and safety things about it since we were old enough to be in school, yet when it comes to being in an actual earthquake... I'm pretty sure that I'd die.

This time was not as bad as the last time I felt an earthquake. Last time, I just sat there and went "...there's an earthquake. OH I SHOULD CHECK FACEBOOK." This time, I was on my iPad and I was like "...oh snap son there's an earthquake, imma check facebook while getting up and walking over to the doorway" since there was one decently long shake followed almost immediately by another shake. I stood in the door frame near the table (I forget if you're supposed to duck under something or if the doorways are supposed to be better). My thoughts after that went something as follows:

"Woah the earthquake is really long. Is this what I'm supposed to be doing? Wow other people have posted about it too. Dammit I need to make dinner. Hm I wonder if my kotatsu would be better to go under than the table since the table is really close to the cabinet. ...is concrete strong? Is it good earthquake material, or will I just get crushed and die? I guess at least it won't really burn."

At this point, the shaking had stopped and I slipped on some shoes and went outside... carrying my iPad and no jacket, only a long sleeve t-shirt. It's about 4 or 5 C outside. "Priorities. I have them." I thought. I also thought, "I would so die in a real earthquake. My priorities are kinda... off. Why did I bring my iPad and not my laptop? I should have brought my jacket. I would freeze to death."

Nobody was outside the dorm though, so I went inside, grabbed my trash and got rid of that while my shoes were still on. So it actually wasn't a very big deal. Go figure. You think I'd be over it by now, but the shaking was kind of like hm...

It occurred to me as I walked back in that my house is ridiculously old. Like over 40 years old. It probably has weathered its fair share of earthquakes, and it's still standing with minimal cracks in the wall (though I'm guessing that's just the wallpaper being really old). So I should be fiiine in my house.

...right?