Dorks, Playing Quake

Our house is built right down to bedrock, so we haven't felt many particularly noticeable earthquakes in the eight years we've been here; obviously there have been a few, but usually we'll just look up, at each other and say "uh...quake?" and back to the laptop or book. One that I remembered just for its weirdness was a couple of years ago: it was a quiet evening, Gene was traveling or otherwise not at home, Bean asleep, etc. All of a sudden, the house snapped like it was playing a game of Crack the Whip -- that was it. It was odd, though.

At any rate, we definitely felt the most recent 5.6 around Milpitas. Gershwin figured it out before we heard or felt anything; Gene got up and said "EARTHQUAKE" and I, being a little slow, as well as deafened between the TV and Gershy's barking, went "huh? whuh?". It then dawned on me what was happening, and I had that irrational split second of maternal angst where I thought "should I go to the kids?" before common sense kicked in and I just got in the doorway and waited it out with Gene. Needless to say, 5.6 isn't enormous, but it is apparently obvious, as evidenced by the flurry of IMs and emails we've both gotten in the ensuing fifteen minutes. "Dude, did you feel that?" was the basic gist.

Nothing happened except rattling glass, and my realization that I now have TWO children, and thus cannot go to both of them simultaneously, at least not if they are both asleep. Because yes, gentle readers: both our California girls slept right through it.

"Heather's Choice"